Juba – UNEP is pleased to announce the launch of five jointly developed publications on water harvesting in South Sudan. Aiming to reducing conflicts between communities for water during the dry season, the publications provide clear and concise recommendations and advice for effective water harvesting interventions, based on the past and present evidence in South Sudan, with a particular focus on livestock.
Comprising an assessment of livestock water harvesting structures, as well as four guidelines, each with different thematic area, the publications were developed under a joint FAO-UNEP project in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, Dams, Water Resources & Irrigation, and the Ministry of Environment, Government of South Sudan. Funded by the Peace Building Fund Office, it is hoped that the guidelines will contribute to effective peacebuilding by reducing conflicts between communities for dry season livestock water through an enhanced knowledge base on effective water harvesting and management.
Indeed, by enhancing the technical knowledge of key government personnel, these guidelines have the potential to make an impact on the ground. Building on the knowledge acquired over the past decades by the government, UN agencies, NGOs and other actors, the guidelines could inform the government and development partners on the strategies and approaches to ensure that water harvesting interventions are effective, conflict-sensitive, and explicitly work towards peacebuilding.
Conflict over water harvesting in South Sudan often centres around livestock.
The Publications:
- Sustainable Water harvesting Projects for Livestock Water in South Sudan: Guidelines on Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment (ESEA)
- Water harvesting for Peacebuilding
- Planning, Construction and Operation of Water Harvesting Structures in South Sudan
- Water Harvesting and Natural Resource Management in South Sudan
- Gender Mainstreaming in Water Harvesting in South Sudan
How the publications can be used
These publications provide the essential tools for planners and practitioners to identify and integrate environmental, socioeconomic, and gender considerations into development plans and implementation of diversified Water Harvesting (WH) systems such as hafirs and other types of excavated ponds for livestock watering and other purposes.
These publications can enable users to:
- identify the most important technical, environmental, socioeconomic and gender aspects that need consideration in planning and implementation of WH systems;
- articulate general and specific constraints resulting from inadequate consideration of technical, gender, environmental and socioeconomic factors;
- increase their existing conceptual knowledge and practical skills to effectively facilitate participatory planning and implementation of WH systems in a manner that ensures sustainable development - i.e. development that is socially acceptable, environmentally sound, equitable and economically viable.
Looking to the future
UNEP’s long engagement in conflict-affected countries, working in over 20 post-conflict countries makes it uniquely positioned to provide insight and support in South Sudan, where it has been active since 2009. UNEP’s work on Environmental Cooperation for Peacebuilding highlights the role that natural resources can play as both a cause of conflicts but also part of their resolution.
Potential follow-up activities based on these publications may include:
- Using the four guidelines to train the relevant staff of government at the national, state and local government levels;
- Encouraging development partners and government to use these guidelines in order to enhance integration of conflict resolution mechanisms into any water harvesting structure right from the beginning, including in planning, site selection, construction, usage and management in South Sudan.
- Supporting stakeholders to establish proper supervision and monitoring mechanisms before starting any construction with defined and clear responsibilities at national, state, and county levels.
For more information, please contact:
Arshad Khan, Country programme manager, UNEP South Sudan, at arshad.khan[at]unep.org
