The Conference covered a wide range of topics such as Water and climate, Integrated water resources management (IWRM) and planning, Municipal and industrial waters, Water for irrigation, Seawater – coastal and estuarine water problems, Water in environmental education.
In this conference GWP-Med announced a Multi-Stakeholder Pilot Project for promoting the use of rainwater harvesting in Cyclades Islands, Greece, which has recently been launched. The project is conducted by GWP-Med in collaboration with the Municipal Authorities in Cyclades islands of Paros, Naxos, Tinos, Syros as well as the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) and in coordination and with the financial support of the "Mission Water" corporate responsibility program of Coca-Cola HBC Greece & Coca-Cola.
The main objective of this programme is to sensitize and motivate the public towards water conservation and this is achieved though an awareness raising campaign and programs that promote integrated management of water resources such as the rain water harvesting project or the clean up campaigns in rivers and wetlands near major urban centers.
The main tasks and objectives of this project include:
- Installation of water harvesting systems in selected public buildings of water-scarce insular communities,
- Enhancement of related technical skills through training of local workers and technical services of local authorities, drawing on traditional know-how as well as on modern technologies,
- Awareness raising of local communities on the importance of such alternative, traditional and low cost techniques,
Implementation of related education activities in selected schools in Cyclades, using adapted educational material.
The activities conducted in the framework of the project could constitute a model / best practice to be replicated in other local communities in Greece and other countries of the Mediterranean.