watersheds

Annual Report Story

Constructed Wetlands Solve Wastewater Woes

In the future, urban areas in the Dominican Republic will face increased risk of severe flooding, sea level rise, higher temperatures, and changes in rainfall patterns. This flooding and uneven rainfall exacerbates wastewater disposal challenges for the 75 percent of the country’s residents who are not connected to regulated wastewater and sewage systems. Large-scale treatment facilities are not feasible given the lack of available land and localization of major settlements, so the Climate Risk Reduction Project “thought small.”

Evaluation

Final Performance Evaluation of USAID/Philippines’ Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystems Resilience Project (B+WISER)

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and USAID partnered in 2012 and implemented the Biodiversity and Watersheds Improved for Stronger Economy and Ecosystems Resilience (B+WISER) program to support the Government of the Philippines in implementing environmental policies and conducting programs to prevent forest and watershed disturbances and biodiversity loss. Over a six-year implementation period (2013-2018), B+WISER focused on managing the natural resources as well as reducing environmental disaster risks in the country.

Report

A Learning Review of Interventions Under the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) I Project

The Water and Development Alliance (WADA) of USAID and The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) supported a program for the improved management of water and watershed resources, access to sustainable safe water and provision of sanitation services and hygiene education in the Wami-Ruvu and Pangani River basins of Tanzania in 2007 and 2008. Follow-on funding was provided by USAID Tanzania in 2008/09.

Article

Degradation of Kenya’s Water Towers Contribute to Growing Water Crisis

Kenya’s five major forest “water towers”—Mau Forest Complex, Mt. Kenya, Aberdares, Cherangany Hills, and Mt. Elgon—provide an estimated 75 percent of the country’s water resources and are central to Kenya’s economic and social well-being. Water towers are forested, high elevation landscapes from which most of the country’s major rivers (e.g., Tana, Mara, and Ewaso Ng’iro) originate.

Article

Collaboration for Watershed Conservation in Nepal

In western Nepal, pollution, fishing with electric current, explosive devices, and other destructive practices threaten the biodiversity of the country's great rivers and the generations-old cultural traditions of fishing communities. But the tide is turning in some of these communities, where those who once contributed to the problem are increasingly becoming part of the solution.

Article

Helping Latin America Build Resilience in the Face of Water Scarcity

In late 2016, much of South America’s Pacific coast experienced a severe drought that destroyed crops and impacted livestock. By the end of November, Bolivia had declared a state of emergency. Wildfires raged in Peru, and parts of Colombia were suffering from a lack of food and potable water. Relief finally came in January with the onset of the rainy season — only the rains didn’t stop. By April, massive floods had caused widespread destruction throughout the region. Peru experienced its worst flooding in decades.

Activity

Irrigation and Watershed Management Program

The goal of the Irrigation and Watershed Management Program (IWMP) is to expand and enhance Afghan government and community-level capacity to manage water resources to improve agricultural production and productivity. The five-year, $130 million dollar program, will achieve this objective through activities in four component areas:

Website

Investing in Water and Natural Resource Management

Water is a vital resource not just for humans, but also for a variety of aquatic ecosystems, including wetlands, watersheds, rivers, estuaries and coastal areas. The misuse and over-exploitation of water resources is hastening their degradation, and threatening human settlements and the natural resources they depend on.