12 Water Management Policy for Freshwater Security …
273
4.2.3 National Initiatives and Strategies for Responding to Climate
Change in the Water Sector
The laws and codes described are a key mechanism for the adaptation of water
resource management to climate change, but their implementation must balance
mitigation and adaptation policies, and claim sufficient legal scope in relation to
other land-use planning documents. Adaptation strategies emphasize water stress and
drought management, which addresses adaptation for water demand and development of freshwater supply and flood risk management, which in Senegal has favored
infrastructure protection (retention basins, dikes, etc.) over prevention and infrastructure adaptation. Water stress and flood risk management, as part of the National
Flood Prevention Plan, must be developed and adapted in all vulnerable areas.
Responding to a “water crisis” is in itself insufficient. The real challenge is to adjust
strategies to local contexts in order to overcome obstacles inherent to climate change.
This requires the adoption of the right laws, the right policies, the right institutional
guidelines and clarification of the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders. As
water governance is also a global concern complicated by cross-border water-sharing
along the Senegal river (represented by the OMVS and OMVG frameworks), it is
critical to pool resources and efforts among all partners and neighboring countries
(predominantly Mali, Guinea, Mauritania and Gambia) in order to deal with the
consequences of climate change, to strengthen the resilience of populations.
Governments must also coordinate their respective laws and policies that touch on
a broad range of societal issues that impact, directly or indirectly, water resources and
align management, service delivery and demand. Appropriate measures are likely to
support a shared vision of the water sector and the pooling of means and ideas in
order to ensure sustainable development of water resources in Senegal.
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals–particularly Goal 6–requires
effective and sustainable resource management. A reliable supply of water is a prerequisite for the economic and social development of any country. This, in turn, requires
protection and equitable sharing of water resources (Guesnier 2010) through fair and
reasonable governance and the management of water resources as a common, local
and also global heritage whose vital value is recognized by all (Baudru and Maris
2002). Given the role of water resource management for climate change mitigation
and adaptation, freshwater safety is clearly a development priority for Senegal, which
has integrated various strategies for water protection, provision, saving, distribution,
etc. Access to drinking water and sanitation in Senegal must be enabled by integrated
management (Senegal National Blue Book Committee 2010), which is why Senegal
has invested in reconciling economic development with environmental protection
across the country for the benefit of present and future generations to align with the
SDGs (including SDG 6).
Because of the urgency of water resource management to comply with the recommendations of various world water summits, Senegal has been dedicated to coordinating and enabling national and regional actors and programs that mobilize and
secure water resources, such as the Office of Lakes and Waterways and the Agency
for Promotion of the National Hydrographic Network (APRHN) (formerly the Office
273
4.2.3 National Initiatives and Strategies for Responding to Climate
Change in the Water Sector
The laws and codes described are a key mechanism for the adaptation of water
resource management to climate change, but their implementation must balance
mitigation and adaptation policies, and claim sufficient legal scope in relation to
other land-use planning documents. Adaptation strategies emphasize water stress and
drought management, which addresses adaptation for water demand and development of freshwater supply and flood risk management, which in Senegal has favored
infrastructure protection (retention basins, dikes, etc.) over prevention and infrastructure adaptation. Water stress and flood risk management, as part of the National
Flood Prevention Plan, must be developed and adapted in all vulnerable areas.
Responding to a “water crisis” is in itself insufficient. The real challenge is to adjust
strategies to local contexts in order to overcome obstacles inherent to climate change.
This requires the adoption of the right laws, the right policies, the right institutional
guidelines and clarification of the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders. As
water governance is also a global concern complicated by cross-border water-sharing
along the Senegal river (represented by the OMVS and OMVG frameworks), it is
critical to pool resources and efforts among all partners and neighboring countries
(predominantly Mali, Guinea, Mauritania and Gambia) in order to deal with the
consequences of climate change, to strengthen the resilience of populations.
Governments must also coordinate their respective laws and policies that touch on
a broad range of societal issues that impact, directly or indirectly, water resources and
align management, service delivery and demand. Appropriate measures are likely to
support a shared vision of the water sector and the pooling of means and ideas in
order to ensure sustainable development of water resources in Senegal.
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals–particularly Goal 6–requires
effective and sustainable resource management. A reliable supply of water is a prerequisite for the economic and social development of any country. This, in turn, requires
protection and equitable sharing of water resources (Guesnier 2010) through fair and
reasonable governance and the management of water resources as a common, local
and also global heritage whose vital value is recognized by all (Baudru and Maris
2002). Given the role of water resource management for climate change mitigation
and adaptation, freshwater safety is clearly a development priority for Senegal, which
has integrated various strategies for water protection, provision, saving, distribution,
etc. Access to drinking water and sanitation in Senegal must be enabled by integrated
management (Senegal National Blue Book Committee 2010), which is why Senegal
has invested in reconciling economic development with environmental protection
across the country for the benefit of present and future generations to align with the
SDGs (including SDG 6).
Because of the urgency of water resource management to comply with the recommendations of various world water summits, Senegal has been dedicated to coordinating and enabling national and regional actors and programs that mobilize and
secure water resources, such as the Office of Lakes and Waterways and the Agency
for Promotion of the National Hydrographic Network (APRHN) (formerly the Office