SADC Regional Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (RWSSP) held a workshop on April 22-24, 2013 in Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.The objective of the workshop was to update the representatives from relevant SADC Members States and members of the project implementation progress as well as review draft outputs from the project.
A draft technology manual that aims to assist policy decisions when developing water and sanitation projects in the urban, rural, and peri-urban communities in the urban, rural, and peri-urban communities in the Member States was among the documents that were reviewed.
The objective of the manual is to enable users to be aware of a broad range of water supply and sanitation technologies and provide information on the advantages and disadvantages of particular technologies. The manual will provide users with an overview of the requirements and specifications of different water supply and sanitation technologies. It is structured to support the entire water and sanitation systems, including providing information on water resources, treatment and distribution of water systems from toilet or latrine to sludge management, as well as treatment and safe disposal or reuse for sanitation systems.
In addition, the manual highlights technology application issues relevant to women, children, disadvantaged groups, and resilience to climate change.Representatives from ministries responsible for Water,Sanitation,Local Government and Housing,from SADC Members reviewed the document which is intended to be used by planners,enegineers,and water and sanitation policy advisors.
Participants recommended for more consultations to be held with the intended users of the manual to ensure buy-in from the communities. Once finalized, the manual will be accessible online and in a printable version.Speaking during the workshop, Senior Programme Officer for Water at the SADC Secretariat Mr. Phera Ramoeli said the workshop was one of the platforms for Member States to contribute to the draft manual and other deliverables from the programme.
The RWSSP is a component of SADC’s Regional Water Policy and the current Regional Strategic Action Plan (RSAP) on Integrated Water Resources Development and Management which runs from 2011 to 2015.
Funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the Africa Water Facility, the RWSSP is a 22-month-long programme launched in 2012 that aims to assist SADC Member States to fast track their improvements towards increasing access to Water Supply and Sanitation.The SADC RWSSP focuses on five components addressing strengthening of financing strategies and tools; institutional rationalization; Infrastructure development support; monitoring and reporting; and knowledge management and advocacy.
