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Africa News afrol News
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Africa News afrol News
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afrol News, 17 November - A group of 100 specialists united in the Sahelian Wetlands Expert Group (SAWEG) agreed on actions to improve management of river basins and floodplains in West Africa, from Senegal to Lake Chad. - Improving the management of water is crucial for the development of the region, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) yesterday stated in a media release. According to the release, the goal of SAWEG is "to improve the management of rivers and floodplains in West Africa to optimise their contribution to social, economic and environmental security, sustained livelihoods and biodiversity." To that end, SAWEG informs it will implement its Floodplain Management Guidelines and Manual and urge key stakeholders (governments, management authorities, and donors in particular) to do so as well. The Guidelines and the Manual, "Toward the Sustainable Management of Sahelian Floodplains", were compiled in four years of work by over 60 of the SAWEG experts from West Africa. - For the development of the region, we need to look at all the ways that floodplains are used, says Ibrahima Thiaw, IUCN Representative for West Africa. "These Guidelines show planners and decision-makers in West Africa that there are alternatives to sectoral river basin development. Experiences in the Diawling (Mauritania) and Waza Logone (northern Cameroon) floodplains are practical examples of such multi-use alternatives." The projects in the Diawling and Waza Logone areas were started after a dam and droughts reduced river flows so that the downstream fisheries and grazing grounds were destroyed. Both projects have successfully introduced artificial flooding from the dams. The restored floodplains now again provide livelihoods to the local communities of herders, fishers and farmers, whilst the large-scale irrigation schemes still receive sufficient water. Furthermore, SAWEG says it will produce analyses on minimum environmental flows and on artificial releases of water from dams; research invasive species and on ways to control them; and document experiences from the field to illustrate the concept of integrated water resources management (IWRM). SAWEG says it is determined to address knowledge gaps and use its expertise to ensure the wise use of the very fragile West African rivers and floodplains. The SAWEG meeting also endorsed the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) and the new IUCN Strategy on Dams to avoid or mitigate the impact of dams and other water-related infrastructures. The WCD report includes a new framework for developing energy and water resources in a way that is more compatible with social equity and environmental sustainability. - SAWEG and IUCN will work with all stakeholders to adapt and test the recommendations of the Commission in the West African context, says Madiodio Niasse, Regional Coordinator of the IUCN Programme on Wetlands and Water Resources. "We now have the knowledge for a wiser use of rivers and floodplains in the Senegal, Niger, Komadugu and lake Chad basins."
SAWEG is a network of floodplain specialists working in West Africa that is supported by IUCN - The World Conservation Union. SAWEG currently includes over 100 members from a wide range of disciplines, including hydrologists, water engineers, biologists, sociologists, planners, ecologists and legal experts. Members represent key organisations, including UN agencies, universities, research institutions, government departments, NGO and river basin development authorities such as Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du fleuve Sénégal (OMVS), Niger Basin Authority and the Lake Chad Basin Commission. Activities carried out by this network are funded by the Ministry for Development Cooperation (DGIS) of the Netherlands. The SAWEG agreed on this joint approach at its 6th meeting from 12 to 14 November in Bamako, Mali. The meeting was organised jointly with the OMVS (Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du fleuve Sénégal), the river basin authority which, among other activities, manages the Manantali (Mali) and Diama (Mauritania-Senegal) dams on the Senegal river.
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