First Anniversary “Community-based
Water Use in Water Scarce Areas, Amran”

In September 2008, the Water Sector Program’s component 5, Community-based Water Use in Water Scarce Areas, based in Amran, celebrated its first anniversary. During the last months, several activities were initiated and implemented.

Village Water Committees have been established in six villages and will be jointly responsible for water management on the local level. From April to August, the newly appointed members (including two women in each village) received training in water management, finance and administrative affairs. The members also learned how to formulate project proposals and submit them to donors. The committees will help raising public awareness and making people responsive to the problems in the water sector. At the same time, possible structural interventions were discussed with project engineers and the village community in a participatory manner (e.g. rehabilitation or construction of a cistern).

Since water management on the local level is primarily a woman’s job (fetching water, cooking, washing, cleaning…), women’s participation is a high priority for the component. To strengthen their role, literacy classes were formed and from November onwards will be extended by courses on water awareness and water related issues like hygiene and health. The teachers – all of whom were qualified by the component – will also receive further training on the water situation, health and hygiene. They are another key contact person for the component in the villages and are being enabled to raise public awareness and implement activities on the community level and schools.

One indicator of the component is the inception of Water Resource Development Plans focusing on water supply and management in at least three water scarce districts. These shall be integrated into the National Water Sector Investment Plan. In order to develop a draft concept for such water plans, a series of workshops was started, involving stakeholders from the local community, the district, the governorate as well as members of the project steering committee.

To further nourish this new consciousness of water scarcity and management at the community level, an inter-generational dialogue technique being used by GTZ elsewhere was trialed in the water sector. In two villages, female and male groups including inhabitants from all generations were formed to share their experiences, needs and demands concerning water issues. Outcomes from the process are anticipated to shed new light on the needs and problems at the local level.

October 2008

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