Need for more co-operation among countries for better management of groundwater: Schlettwein
The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Hon Calle Schlettwein said there is a need to strengthen co-operation among countries for better management of groundwater, at a side event as part of the ongoing UN Water conference, between Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.
The event was held on 24 March under the title, ‘Groundwater: An Invisible Cross-Sectoral Fundamental for Implementation of the Water Action Agenda’, at the UN Water Conference.
“The event was a follow-up initiative of the three countries that were awarded the UNESCO Peace Award for cooperation in transboundary groundwater governance and management in Paris in 2022,” explained the Ministry.
Schlettwein further said the efforts demonstrated by Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa in protecting groundwater resources such as the Stampriet Aquifer, shows the importance of water as a shared resource between the three countries.
Executive Director of the Ministry, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata said the need to develop the capacity of the youth in the areas of groundwater management and governance, is paramount.
“Financing and investment around data collection are integral to developing monitoring networks required to strengthen institutional capacity to protect groundwater from possible pollution,” she concluded.
