OKACOM and the EUROPEAN UNION sign a Grant to facilitate cooperation on transboundary water management in the Cubango-Okavango River Basin
OKACOM and the EUROPEAN UNION sign a Grant to facilitate cooperation on transboundary water management in the Cubango-Okavango River Basin
18/04/2018
Today, the European Union and the Permanent Okavango River Water Commission will sign a EUR 1.65 million grant to support the transboundary water management in the Cubango-Okavango River Basin
The Cubango-Okavango river system, rising in Angola and flowing through Namibia to the Okavango Delta in Botswana, is one of the world’s few remaining naturally clean water resources. The river’s presence in the dry sands of the Kalahari is highly valued by the three countries, which established the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) in 1994 to advise the member states on how best to share and manage this unique resource.
The three riparian countries have different but legitimate perspectives of the same river system: while Angola, where most of the water originates, benefits from the most reliable and highest rainfalls, Namibia and Botswana are two of the driest countries of Southern Africa; which makes water resources available in this region highly valuable.
Botswana is the final recipient of the water, and therefore abundance of water, the timing of the flow and nutrients gives the Okavango Delta its highly biodiverse habitats and wildlife, making it a worldwide tourist destination considered by many one of the most beautiful regions in the world.
However, future development plans, especially in the agricultural sector, could have a negative impact on the quantity and quality of the waters in the basin, thus strongly affecting the future environment and other associated uses such as tourism and overall status of the ecosystem goods and services. This can be avoided through proper management of the resources in a collaborative and joint manner.
In order to help the three countries achieve this ideal, the European Union is funding a Programme in excess of EUR 6 million to enable the OKACOM to acquire the tools and the capacity to collect and manage data related to surface and ground water resources, water quality and sedimentation. The Programme will provide the tools, including monitoring stations, and build the capacity of the institutions for monitoring.
The EUR 1.65 million grant signed today between the EU and the OKACOM is part of this EUR 6 million Programme. The grant has been signed by the EU Ambassador to Botswana and SADC, Mr Alexander BAUM, and the Chair of the OKACOM from Botswana which is the host country of OKACOM Secretariat, Mr. Thatayaone DEDEDE, also Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services in Botswana.
For more information please contact: Ndahafa Nakwafila
Communications and Outreach Manager
OKACOM Secretariat
Phone: +267 76458034
Bester Gabotlale
Delegation of the European Union to Botswana & SADC
Phone: +267 3610003/72112660
Bester.gabotlale@eeas.europa.eu