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STEPS TAKEN BY WMO TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE EXPANDED FRESH WATER ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME OF UNSIA
The World Meteorological Organization is involved in the implementation of one of the priority programmes of UNSIA under water namely, "Expand Fresh Water Assessment". The strategy developed by WMO for the implementation of this priority programme is tied to the follow-up to the recommendations of the WMO/ECA Conference on Water Resources in Africa: Policy and strategy (Addis Ababa March 1995), and to the implementation of the WMO World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS) and its regional and sub-regional Hydrological Cycle Observing System (HYCOS) components.
Mali, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique and the Zambezi River Basin were selected by the working group of the water cluster of UNSIA for concerted UN agency water cluster activities under the Initiative. Actions taken on the four countries and the Zambezi River Basin are:
Ethiopia: In 1996, WMO made an appraisal of the capacity of the country to assess its water resources and to provide services (i.e. flood forecasts) to different sectors. Some of the recommendations made by WMO, in particular concerning the rehabilitation of the observation and telecommunication network, have been endorsed by the Government, which is implementing them with its own financial resources. A draft project profile on water resources assessment in Ethiopia was prepared and discussed with the concerned Government Officials. Formulation of a full project document is being envisaged in the near future. During a meeting held in Djibouti from 13 to 15 April 1997, the Directors of the Meteorological and Hydrological Services Cycle Observing Systems for the sub-region (IGAD-HUCOS) and WMO was requested to prepare the corresponding project document. As a first step, WMO has prepared a draft project profile which was submitted to the IGAD Secretariat. The IGAD Secretariat recently sought the assistance of the EU to fund the preparation of the IGAD-HYCOS project document.
Mali: Within the framework of the AGRHYMET Programme, WMO is executing a UNDP funded project: "Appui de l'agrometeorologie et de l'hydrologie pour la production agropastorale et la protection de l'environment". Moreover, WMO has prepared a project document with funding from the French Ministry of Cooperation, for the possible of the Western and Central Africa component (AOC-HYCOS) of the WHYCOS Programme. AOC-HYCOS would include 23 countries, including Mali.
Mozambique: WMO does not have any activity directly related to hydrology and water resources at country level in Mozambique. However, as a SADC country, Mozambique is participating in, and benefiting from, the SADC-HYCOS project. The project implementation with WMO as the supervising agency has started in 1997. The process for awarding the contracts for the supply of 50 multisensor DCPs and for the provision of technical assistance to the Pilot Regional Centre is underway.
Uganda: As a Member country of IGAD, Uganda would be involved in the development of IGAD-HYCOS (see above under Ethiopia) and benefit from the project.
Zambezi
River Basin: (a) This River Basin forms a major part of the SADC region. It is included in the SADC-HYCOS project activities (see above under Mozambique);
(b) UNIDO and WMO are developing a project proposal for rehabilitating and improving the network for monitoring water quality within the Basin. The data will be used to promulgate measures to abate pollution from rapid urbanization and industrial development with in the River Basin;
(c) On behalf of the Government of Zambia, WMO will procure satellite based telemetering system for collecting hydrometric data at selected points in the upper part of the River Basin. Funds are expected to be provided by NORAD (Norway).
As stated above WMO has embarked on water resources assessments projects in shared river basins through its WHYCOS Programme. WHYCOS is a worldwide programme aimed at improving co-operation at river basin, regional and global levels to support the establishment and improvement of consistent and reliable water date information systems for the benefit of sustainable development. It is designed to form a key element in the strategy of the international community for combating the approaching water crisis through capacity building and access to an information highway.
Improved co-operation between the participating countries would notably help to address ensuing problems by:
- Improving consistency in date acquisition, transmission. Processing and use;
- Strengthening technical and institutional capabilities of National Hydrological Services (NHSs) to provide hydrological data and products to meet end users' needs;
- Strengthening technology transfer and capacity building;
- Promoting the free exchange and dissemination of data and information.
Among other activities, it envisages the establishment of a global network of reference stations equipped with real-time satellite-based data transmission to national regional centres. It will enable the development of consistent, high quality and constantly updated long-term series of data of river flow, water quality and certain climatic variables stored in distributed regional databases, easily accessible by end users.
WHYCOS is being implemented through regional operational components, the HYCOSs. Within the framework of a common set of guidelines, each regional HYCOS component is implemented independently from other, in order to better meet the end user's needs as well as to enable the establishment of institutional arrangements and funding mechanisms adapted to the conditions of each region.
In Africa, HYCOS projects are being implemented in sub-region of the Mediterranean (MED-HYCOS) and in the Southern African Development Community (SADC-HYCOS), whereas the regional components for the Inter-governmental Authority for Development (IGAD-HYCOS), the West and Central African Countries (AOC-HYCOS), and the Congo river basin (CONGO-HYCOS) are under various stages of development.
