GEF Grndwtr & Drght Mgmt TAL (FY05)

closed

The objective of the Southern African Development Community (SADC): Groundwater and Drought Management Project is the development of a SADC regional strategic approach to support and enhance the capacity of its member states in the definition of drought management policies, specifically in relation to the role, availability, and supply of potential groundwater resources. The project consists of four components. The first, development and testing of a groundwater drought management plan for the Limpopo River Basin pilot areas, will test the application and replicability of methods of decreasing the vulnerability of local communities and GDEs to the effects of groundwater droughts, and to ensure that practical on-the-ground benefits accrue to local people from the project. The second, regional groundwater drought management support, will provide tools for transboundary groundwater management, including hydrogeological maps and maps of groundwater vulnerability and water scarcity. The third, establishment of the Groundwater Management Institute of Southern Africa (GMISA), will create an institution to increase knowledge of and capacity for groundwater management in SADC, in order to sustain the work of the project and maintain readiness to address future drought events. The fourth, project management and administration, will provide maximum extemal support to the SADC Water Division.