New capacity development network launched in Central Asia
02 Oct 2012
A new capacity development network was launched in Central Asia on the 27th of September 2012. Going by the name CAR@WAN, the network has its work cut out. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought about the new challenge of cooperation in managing, using and sharing what were previously national water resources (and associated infrastructure) that became distributed in the five countries of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The flow of resources between what were previously different regions of the same country became restricted. Nowhere is this clearer than in the two major shared rivers of Syr Darya and the Amu Darya where there is competition for water for summer irrigation in downstream countries and winter energy needs in upstream countries.
Climate variability and change add an extra layer of complexity to these issues. In a recent article in Nature, researchers(Sorg et al., 2012) predict that based on IPPC projections, the river systems of the Tien Shan (known as the 'water tower of Central Asia') might partly lose their glacier buffering mechanism, which is particularly important during dry spells, and react more directly to variations in precipitation. The network plans to contribute to improving local capacity to address such complex issues. As such, the Central Asia network was launched at training course on climate change adaption organised by the UNDP in Central Asia in partnership with Cap-Net and UNESCO-IHE.
All the best to CAR@WAN. For more information contact Marcela Fabianova marcela.fabianova@undp.org and Natalia Alexeeva npalexeeva@gmail.com
Available from Cap-Net
Cap-Net CDsWater resource management materials are available from Cap-Net.
Training PackagesClick here to access Cap-Net training packages online.
|
NOW OPEN: Registration
Latest Products
Online tutorial: IWRM as a tool for adaptation to CC
Integrated Urban Flood Management
|
Welcome back to Hong Chern Wern
|
Hong obtained his PhD in Resource Management and Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Technology from Universiti Sains Malaysia. He was also a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) scholarship recipient for his MSc in Urban Environmental Management in Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. Hong has been and still a member of Water Watch Penang which is a network member of MyCBNet for the past 7 years. During the past 7 years, Hong has held the position of Vice President, committee member, and facilitator. Hong has been actively involved in monthly river and water education activities for schools, ToT for Teachers in River Monitoring activities and World Water Day celebration. In addition to that, Hong has been part of the successful first national ‘Negalitres’ Water Demand Management pilot project with partnership from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) of Penang, Malaysia. The project involved installation of rainwater harvesting tanks, water saving equipments, water demand management and awareness workshops with an objective of at least 30% reduction in water consumption in condominium units. Hong’s main responsibility in Cap-Net will be in identifying, soliciting and editing information for the Cap-Net web site on capacity development for sustainable water management. More specifically, Hong will bring up to date the various sections of the site and recommend improvements on its look and feel. This assignment will include liaison with partner networks and international partners to ensure that their information and data are properly reflected on the Cap-Net site. Hong will also spend a proportion of time to assist and get acquainted with the work of the global network to be put to use for the development of the network. He loves travelling and learning new cultures. He is also fluent in Malay and Indonesian language as well as conversational Mandarin Chinese and Japanese. We look forward to an exciting time again with Hong who is big fan of Manchester United Football Club. Hong can be contacted at hong@cap-net.org |
