The Global Water Partnership is tackling these challenges through its Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP), a program implemented in the Bugesera region which started in 2011.
In this situation, the WACDEP program focuses on adaptation measures at community level aimed at integration of measures into wider policy frameworks with full stakeholder participation in both countries. To address the issues highlighted, the project started with a multidisciplinary group of experts from both countries that carried out a situation analysis and workshops with stakeholders were held to evaluate response measures. The stakeholders were mainly local government representatives, community representatives, technical government officers and the local implementing partners. Stakeholders then agreed on the following actions that were implemented by the communities.
At catchment level, pilot project activities were implemented to enhance water security and climate resilience with such activities that include tree planting, promotion of biogas facilities, energy-saving cooking stoves and an expansion of water supply services. At government level, personnel from ministries and policy makers received training in water security and climate resilience to integrate the project measures into a wider framework of integrated approaches of water management.
To increase land protection and food production, a buffer zone at the lake was established through afforestation of 30 hectares with 36,000 drought resistant trees. The water situation was tackled by 8 new water points connected to 2,500 m of supply network serving around 3,000 people. Additionally, the communities where organized into water committees and trained to manage the water points. To decrease the dependency from firewood and thus decrease deforestation, fuel saving stoves and biogas was introduced. The people were trained to produce 1,000 fuel saving stoves and 11 biogas digesters were installed including rainwater harvesting tanks used to produce biogas.
In addition to these measures, technical capacity development trainings were held. The objective was to learn how to prioritize no and low regret solutions and to make a clear economic case for investment options.
The success of climate adaption and sustainable management depends on stakeholder sensitization. Hence a media training was organized to raise awareness on water security and climate resilience.
As a result of the WACDEP project, a catchment climate adaptation and water resources management plan has been developed for Lake Cyohoha. In the process of developing the plans, no/low regret investment strategies were conceived to enhance water security and climate-resilient development.