2nd Draft Recommendation for Theme C
The secretariat is pleased to present the 2nd Draft for Theme C as of Oct 12.
APWF will combine 2nd Draft Recommendations of each Priority Theme and Key Result Area into a draft "Policy Brief 2007" to be reported by APWF at 1st Asia-Pacifc Water Summit.
APWF Working Group meeting on draft Policy Brief will be held in Kuala Lumpur on the occasion of the Southeast Asia Water Forum(Oct 21-25). APWF will finalize Policy Brief 2007 by November 16th
Recommendations for Theme C
IUCN and FAO are pleased to present the initial recommendations for Theme C that are now available to view and comment on. These recommendations are still being formed, however we welcome comments to further refine them for incorporation into the major review.
All feedback should be posted on the e-conference hosted at the e-network on Strategic Planning for Water Resources.
Please click here to view the recommendations.
Major Review - Working Draft
The first draft of the major review on Water for Development and Ecosystems led by IUCN and FAO is now available to peruse. An updated version will be available in the near future. Recommendations for Theme C are being developed separately to the Major Review at this stage, however these will later be incorporated into the review after further consultation with experts from the Asia-Pacific region and feedback from other stakeholders.
More information on the background to the review can be found here.
Please click here to read the Major Review - Working Draft.
E-CONFFERENCE ON MAJOR REVIEW FOR THEME C
An e-conference on the major review for Theme C is being hosted at the: e-network on Strategic Planning and Management of Water Resources in Asia and the Pacific website.
The e-conference is to provide input into the major review paper for water for development and ecosystems. The ToR and timetable for the major review can be accessed here.
Please take the opportunity to share your experiences and information for the major review by participating in the e-conference which commences on the 20 June and ends officially on the 9 July 2007. However, the e-conference will remain open, for those wishing to continue after this time, during the period of the review.
Review of the Status and Use of Environmental Flows in the Asia-Pacific Region
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are the lead organizations for Theme C: Water For Development and Ecosystems of the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit.
The main focus under Theme C will be to review key issues related to water for development and ecosystems including the drivers and status of degradation and main issues related to restoration.
The IUCN has identified a specific interest in reviewing the status and use of the environmental flows approach in the Asia-Pacific region including a needs assessment of on-going processes and tools, due to its active efforts in the development and implementation of this approach within wetland and water policy and management across the world. In particular we are interested in the application of e-flows and its inclusion in policy across the Asia-Pacific region.
Environmental flows (or e-flows) generally refers to water provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to maintain ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing water uses. Environmental flows provide critical contributions to river health, economic development and poverty alleviation. They ensure the continued availability of the many benefits that healthy river and groundwater systems bring to society.
To assist in the review of environmental flows a survey on the status and use of environmental flows has been prepared for completion by policy makers and practitioners of water management in the region. The survey attempts to capture information on the current status and use of environmental flows across the Asia-Pacific region from the western highlands of the Himalayan plateau to the low-lying atolls of the central Pacific, and from the northern steppes of Mongolia to the southern coast of Australia and New Zealand.
RECYCLING OF URBAN WASTEWATER FOR FOOD PRODUCTION
Best Practice Example from Kolkata, India
The cities consume water but disposal of waste water has become a problem. There is growing awareness of recycling of wastewater for aquaculture for fish production and irrigation and utilisation of sludge for vegetable production. Throughout Asia in many cities sewage fed waste water is used with benefits of employment, improved environment, and food production. It is cost effective process. Kolkata, a megacity in India has the largest recycling district in the world. Kolkata metropolis is built on marshy land and there are many wetlands. There is indigenous technology of waste water treatment.
Water related Issues in Asia-Pacific
Water related issues that the asia-pacific region faces has been recognized in the regional document (Asia-Pacific) of the 4th World Water Forum held in Mexico City in March 2006. There might be good practices applicable to these issues. We welcome your submission for the good practices to solve the similar issues.
Call for Submissions to the Asia-Pacific Water Weblog
On the Asia-Pacific Water weblog, lively discussions are going on among stakeholders regarding the proposals for the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit, to be held in December this year. To stimulate discussions, we invite you to offer contents to be posted on the weblog. We are looking forward to your submissions on the following subjects:
Concept Note
This is the concept note for Theme C: Water for Development and Ecosystems
1. Rationale/Background
Healthy aquatic ecosystems provide tangible economic and social benefits. Protecting zones at the land-water interface such as mangroves, paddy fields, wetlands, forests not only increase ecosystem health, but may also provide extra protection against some disasters and saline intrusion, aide groundwater recharge and improve overall quality of life. Understanding the drivers and status of ecosystem degradation and the need for watershed restoration in order to improve water productivity across the Asia-Pacific region is an important component of this theme. Another key element to this theme is the concept of environmental flows which refer to water provided within a river, wetland or coastal zone to main ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing water uses. In most river basins the natural flows have been modified to some extent, to meet the needs of human settlement, irrigation, and flood control or energy generation.
Over the last decade, with intensifying water competition among different users and uses in this region, more and more emphasis has been placed on sustainable water development and utilization. IWRM at the river basin level has been identified as a guiding principle. Various measures have been practiced and adopted by different players, including advocacy and dissemination of environment flow concepts; protection of aquatic ecosystems through wetland protection, paddy field conservation, watershed restoration and reforestation, etc. In economic areas, efforts have been focused on improvement of water use efficiency and productivity; water pollution mitigation and prevention; and establishment of a water-efficient society. As the largest water user, the agricultural sector has been preparing to go through a sector innovation to replace traditional irrigation concepts and technologies with irrigation modernization.
There is still much to be done in river basins across the Asia-Pacific Region as water stress continues to spread; and land and water degradation is emerging in many developing areas. Among other reasons, experts believe that there is a lack of integration of action from relevant stakeholders; a lack of practical methods and tools to put the new concepts and approaches into real practice. There is a need to review current adoption and implementation of the key concepts and approaches on water for development and ecosystem; analyze the challenges and opportunities on incorporating them into IWRM at the river basin scale; develop technical methods and tools; and identify policy and institutional options to better realize and improve IWRM.
The work under Priority Theme C of APWF will review relevant status and success stories, prepare a synthesis of key messages along with policy recommendations, seek commitments among government leaders and partner organizations to move forward a water agenda for the Asia-Pacific region.
Test Entry
"During the regional process leading up to the 4th World Water Forum, it became clear that several water-related issues and challenges were common across the entire Asia-Pacific region.