Chile has become the first country in Latin America to submit its updated climate action commitment (Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC) as required by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, under which every country agreed to prepare and communicate an updated nationally determined contribution (NDC) every five years to reflect progress toward its highest possible ambition. So far, seven nations have submitted updated NDCs.

Actions by China have been described as compounding a 2019 Mekong River drought that had severe impacts on livelihoods in downstream nations. China is accused in an April 2020 US government-funded study of restricting water flow from 11 upstream dams, affecting approximately 60 million people live in the Lower Mekong where agriculture and fishing are the principal sources of support. Ordinarily, seasonal drought in China eventually becomes a seasonal drought in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, while abundant water in China causes floods in the Mekong basin, as water is released from dams.

While there is no single United Nations entity dedicated exclusively to water issues, over 30 UN organisations carry out water and sanitation programmes, reflecting the fact that water issues run through all of the UN’s main focus areas.

UN-Water, which coordinates the efforts of UN entities and international organizations working on water and sanitation issues, has brought together water and sanitation-related information from UN-Water Members and Partners in the light of the coronavirus global emergency to ensure the most up-to-date information, resources and guidance as they become available.

It has collected and curates water and sanitation-related information from Members and Partners in an up-to-date overview of information, resources and guidance with respect to COVID-19 which will be adjusted as new information is available - LINKED HERE.

Professor Diagne is based at Columbia University in New York where he is Director of the Institute of African Studies. His teaching stresses the importance of the relationship that humans have with natural resources, including water, and that this should not be a relationship of exploitation, dictated by short-term interest, but of harmony based on the human sense of our own inscription on nature, recognizing that natural resources are finite. In this conversation, the Professor expands upon water’s place in the founding myths of humanity’s origins and the symbology of water; describes how philosophy can inform humanity's relationship with water and other natural resources; the COVID-19 pandemic and lessons to be learned; Ubuntu thinking around human togetherness; water-related conflict and river basin cooperation in the Sahel; hopes for the 2021 World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal.

 

The conversation makes reference to the film and musical presentation Water and Peace at the Heart of the "Festival à Sahel Ouvert" which sheds a local, philosophical and cultural light on the challenges of water in the Sahel LINKED HERE

FURTHER READING - "Cultural Activities Connecting People To Water In The Sahel" is LINKED HERE

A 60-day submission period, commencing 6 April, for the new Water ChangeMaker Awards, opened this week. The new awards, targeted to those who have shaped water decisions that have helped to build climate resilience, is an initiative of about 20 partner organisations, convened by the Global Water Partnership (GWP).

The 28 March overflow of a Molybdenum mine tailings dam in China's north east Heilongjiang Province has been curtailed, after the second highest level of environmental emergency response in China had been triggered, but contaminated water has been detected up to 110 km downstream, environmental authorities in the province said 1 April.

A senior government environmental team was sent to the site to guide local officials in the management of the incident, and no casualties have been reported.

The CEO Water Mandate platform has announced a new industry-driven, CEO-led Water Resilience Coalition. Endorsing companies of the CEO Water Mandate (currently over 150) commit to action across six key elements and report annually on progress.

Working with CEO Water Mandate, the new Water Resilience Coalition, corporates AB InBev, Diageo, Dow Inc., Ecolab, Gap Inc., Microsoft, PVH Corp, The Coca-Cola Company, Heineken, Levi Strauss & Co., and Woolworths, have now pledged a new commitment to collective action and issued a call to action for other companies to join them.

Turkish-backed armed forces cut off the water supply of up to 460,000 Syrians in March, exacerbating a perilous humanitarian situation in the East of the country. Much of the population is already in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with international aid and virus testing unavailable.