Ensuring reliable water availability and access of acceptable quantity and quality in the face of increased urbanization, climate change, and economic instability remains one of the foremost challenges and priorities of the SADC Member States.
The United Nations Water Conference 2023 highlighted the need for concrete actions to boost integrated water resources management for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and called for strategies to enhance cooperation among stakeholders. UN 2023 also identified Five accelerators towards SDGs and these included interventions in (1) Data and information (2) Capacity development (3) Governance, (4) Innovation and (5) Financing. Similarly, the fifth SADC Regional Strategic Action Plan (RSAP V, 2021-2025) on Integrated Water Resources Development and Management was developed through a regional consultative process and is meant to guide the management and development of regional water resources. Key themes identified under the, “Water Resource Management and Environment” focal area include, (i) assessment of surface and groundwater resources, (ii) operational rules for effective water resources management, (iii) impact of urbanization on water resources, (iv) water governance and institutional arrangements, (v) ecosystems, as well as (vi) water and land. This was informed in part by the SADC research agenda pillars for the water sector as well as the SADC 2050 vision.
In this session the status and water challenges in the SADC region linked to the key themes identified by the RSAP V will be presented and discussed. The session will evaluate, identify and highlight promising opportunities for science to accelerate progress in these areas going forward.
We aim to follow-up with a splinter meeting to collaborate on publishing a special issue on the status and challenges in water resources management in the SADC region.
More details of the timing and location of this splinter meeting will follow.