There is an urgent need to address and strengthen trans-boundary cooperation, application of water diplomacy tools, climate-proof security policy and improved water governance.
This was said by Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein during the Regional Association 1 Hydrology and Water Coordination Panel (RA 1-HWCP) hybrid meeting on Wednesday.
Schlettwein said water resources are under increasing pressure from demographic, economic and social, climatic changes, as well as the ever-growing global demand for energy, food and water.
He said in order to effectively address these challenges, stakeholders should come up with new ideas and approaches at regional and international level.
The panel is one of the committees of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Regional Association for Africa and also the think tank on hydrology for Africa. It integrates the hydrological work of the WMO into the wider African and global water agenda to promote activities in operational hydrology and to further close cooperation between meteorological and hydrological services.
“Since rivers, lakes, oceans and aquifers have no political or community boundaries, we need to move away from old practices of monitoring and managing these vital resources on a fragmented and isolated basis and harness new technologies and tools to monitor and manage these resources and disasters that affect them,” the minister said.
Schlettwein said the first-ever hydrological assembly in 2019 approved a new vision and strategy for hydrology and water resources and adopted eight long-term ambitions that should guide the development of WMO activities relevant to water.
Climate change, he added, also threatens Africa’s communities, ecosystems and economies, placing the continent’s developmental gains, prosperity and the aspirations of the Africa Union agenda 2063 in jeopardy, a situation which should be prevented.
“We must respond, collectively and boldly, to the challenges presented by climate change and form partnerships to address the threats posed by climate change, but also in leveraging the opportunities of a just, inclusive and equitable transition to an African green economy,” he said.
The meeting ends Thursday.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
