Water

In a fragile and water scarce Sahelian environment, minimising and addressing the risks of climate change is largely about water. A functional legal, regulatory and institutional framework for managing water resources in an integrated manner constitutes a prerequisite to peacefully and equitably address the distribution of the scarce water resources. The Danish support to the implementation of the national Integrated Water Resources Management Plan is an important tool to ensure equitable distribution of water resources that has proven its value and will be continued. NIRAS is providing technical assistance to the national programme that focuses on strengthening the institutional framework and the mechanisms for preventing and resolving water-related conflicts. The Danish support has a clear focus on identifying climate change related to water with a view to enabling implementation of adaptive measures.

The project Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Strategic Plan and Implementation Mechanisms & Business Plan Development for the water supply and sewerage authorities of six towns in Ethiopia seeks to address and overcome water supply challenges stemming from population growth, poor management and ineffective bill collection, resulting in a high level of water losses, dissatisfaction with sanitation services and potentially outdated sewer networks and facilities for wastewater treatment and sludge disposal. On behalf of Oromia Water and Energy Bureau, NIRAS will review and assess the physical infrastructure and the operation and maintenance systems in place and propose a NRW Reduction Strategy, Business and Investment Plans and tailor-made capacity-building measures in forms of seminars, coaching and on-the-job training.