A three-day regional training workshop on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), under the Ecowas Water Resources Coordination Unit based in Ouagadougou, Bunkina Fasso, in collaboration with The Gambia Government, through the Department of Water Resources (DWR) on Monday kicked- off at the Manjai Lodge in Manjai Kunda.

The workshop draws participants from Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia who are expected to brainstorm on concept, tools and process in IWRM.
Declaring the workshop open, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Fisheries and Water Resources,Yankuba Touray, Momodou Kotu Cham, Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Fisheries and Water Resources, said IWRM is a process with which  government and indeed stakeholders must be acquainted with, if it is to make any meaningful progress in developing and managing its water resources sustainable.
He added: “That is why we in The Gambia have taken the matter very seriously, and are working towards developing our national capacity in IWRM. The government is conscious of the fact that problems limited to water can lead to the retardation of its socio-economic development, if the national capacity is not built to address the numerous issues in the water sector.

According to him, since the adoption of the West Africa Regional Action Plan for integrated Water and Governments in Bamako in December 2000, The Gambia has been working relentlessly to finalise amongst other fundamental IRWM building-blocks.
He revealed that his Department of State is in the process of adopting a new National Water Policy and a new Water Resources Bill, which will be submitted in the National Assembly soon.
He added that the intervention of UNEP to provide basic knowledge and skills for Ecowas member countries in this drive is very important.”
At the end of the training with the calibre of participants present, the necessary knowledge and skills will be acquired to guide and help us all start and forge ahead with the IWRM process in our countries in a more efficient manner,” he said
Speaking earlier, Pa Ousman Jarju, Director of Water Resources, applauded UNEP’s collaboration centre on water and environment for choosing The Gambia for this training. “This training of stakeholders of water and integrated water resources management principle, planning and tool is not only a step in the right direction but also timely” he said.

Mr. Jarju maintained that growth in population, increase economic activity and improved standards of living lead to increased competition and conflicts over the limited freshwater resources.
He said that poor water management and water shortage can lead to disease, malnutrition reduce economic growth, social instability, conflict and environmental disaster.
He emphasised that, the primary challenge for achieving sustainable water resources management have been reaffirmed in the Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs) and the development objectives and action plan as enshrined in the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).