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25
INBO Newsletter n° 21 - April 2013
Asia - Pacific
UNESCO-IHP - Asia-Pacific Region
Fourth Regional Consultation of the project
”Groundwater Governance: A Global Framework for Action”
Groundwater is the only source of water
for the daily needs of 2.5 billion peo-
ple; its governance is still in its infancy:
pollution and overexploitation of aqui-
fers are often the result of inefficient
management and badly prepared deci-
sion making.
The International Hydrological Pro-
gram of UNESCO (IHP),
jointly with
the Global Environment Facility (GEF),
the United Nations Food and Agricul-
ture Organization (FAO), the Internatio-
nal Association of Hydrogeologists
(IAH) and the World Bank launched
a
new project "Groundwater Gover-
nance: a comprehensive frame-
work for local action",
in January
2011.
This 3-year initiative is based on an
analysis of the scientific literature as
well as on a series of regional consul-
tations to establish a comprehensive
assessment of groundwater gover-
nance.
Based on this assessment, a "Frame-
work for Action" (FA) will propose to
the decision-makers a set of effective
tools for governance (policies, laws,
regulations and customary practices).
Dedicated to the Asia-Pacific
region, the fourth regional consul-
tation workshop was organized
from 3 to 5 December 2012 in Shi-
jiazhuang (Hebei Province, China).
Seventy experts from seventeen coun-
tries participated in plenary sessions
and thematic working groups to iden-
tify the challenges facing the region in
terms of groundwater governance.
A regional report will summarize the
results of this consultation including
six topics: Agriculture and increasing
demand for food; Climate change and
major natural hazards; Governance of
boreholes; Governance and national
and regional legal frameworks; Integra-
ted management of groundwater and
surface water; Groundwater gover-
nance in the Small Island Developing
States (SIDS).
Latin America and the Caribbean (Mon-
tevideo, 18-20 April 2012), Sub-Saha-
ran Africa (Nairobi, 29-31 May 2012)
and the Arab States region (Amman,
8-10 October 2012) have already orga-
nized regional consultations and their
reports have been published on the
project website
groundwatergovernance.org
The fifth and last workshop for the Pan-
European region was held from 18 to
21 March 2013 in The Hague.
Lucilla Minelli & Marina Rubio
Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO
In New Caledonia, except for the capi-
tal Nouméa and its suburbs, water sup-
ply has often no disinfection treatment,
and monitoring of water quality is rare.
The municipalities are legally liable for
the quality of the water supplied, while
public health is the responsibility of the
Government of New Caledonia.
Water Safety Plans
Water Safety Plans (WSP) have
been implemented in 13 municipa-
lities since 2008.
A municipal WSP includes risk assess-
ment from water catchments to consu-
mers.
It is expected that all 33 municipalities
will eventually implement their own
WSP, with the technical help of the
Public Health Department, at a rate of
5 municipalities per year.
The approach for WSP begins with
creating a team, which includes elec-
ted people from the municipality,
representatives of the customary
authorities, technicians of the munici-
pality, Department and Provincial
Government, and local medical and
rural police staffs. The team has a mee-
ting every two weeks on the average.
The results are better knowledge about
water resources and health risk factors,
the improvement in information and
records (plans, maps, etc.), an impro-
ved management of the municipal
budget, expenditures planning and
consumers’ awareness.
Julie Grammont
In charge of studies on drinking water
Health and Environment Department- DASS-NC
Fax: (+687) 24 22 39
Water Safety Plans
New Caledonia
AGlobal Framework
forA tion
The fourth regional consultation workshop
December. 2012 - China
Hienghène - New Caledonia
