Development of the National Water Policy and Water Law with Integrating Water Security and Climate Resilience Aspects into Investment Planning and Decision making Process in Myanmar

 

Under Water and Climate Development Programme (WACDEP), Myanmar WACDEP activity title is Development of the National Water Policy and Water Law with Integrating Water Security and Climate Resilience Aspects into Investment Planning and Decision making Process. Its goal is to point out the integration of water security and climate resilience aspects to be included in the national water policy and water law. With aiming the goal of the activity, the works have been initiated with making two assessment studies, such as, Assessment of the National Water Policy of Myanmar (NWPM) and Assessment of the Current Situation of Water Security and Climate Resilience Aspects in Myanmar. After that identification of these aspects to be integrated in NWPM, how to implement the integration process by means of consultative meeting which will be held among multi-stakeholders from water sector. Finally selecting and prioritizing the action plans for integrating water security and climate resilience aspects into the NWPM.

 

 

To do the above mention sequence of tasks and activities to be performed smoothly, selected team members, consultant team members as well as working group members are chosen from the prominent and enthusiastic professional members of Myanmar Water Partnership. This selection process was done in first general meeting of MmWP partners which was held on 2nd June 2014. From that meeting about ten members consultant team was selected first and from among these members, six members were chosen as working group. Series of meetings (seven times) among working group members were done and above mentioned two assessment tasks had made in progress. Basing on these assessments, two assessment reports had prepared. Draft report on Water Security and Climate Resilience Aspects to be integrated in NWPM had followed basing on that two assessment reports. At 29th GWP-SEA SC meeting in Hanoi on 1st October 2014, leader of working group made a presentation related to Myanmar CWP WACDEP activities and progress. After that Multi-stakeholder Consultative Meeting was held on 8th December 2014 in Yangon.

 

Among total (40) number of participants, (29) government officials attended from (19) different institutions participated actively in this meeting. Representatives from the government institutions came from Irrigation Department, Water Resources Utilization Department, Department of Agriculture, Department of Fishery, Yangon City Development Committee, Mandalay City Development Committee, Directorate of Water Resources Improvement System, Environmental Conservation Department, Department of Health, University of Medicine (1) Yangon. Not only the government officials, (11) participants from (5) Social Organizations and (2) NGOs also actively participated at the Consultative Meeting. National Water Resources Committee (NWRC - Apex body for water related matters in Myanmar), NWRC Advisory Group Chair Person Mr. Ohn Myint, former Deputy Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation also attended. The Report of Assessment on Integration of Water Security and Climate Resilience Aspects to Myanmar National Water Policy was accomplished as per targeted in December 2014. This assessment report will put up to the NWRC through its advisory group and then after that NWRC will published in the country.

 

WACDEP Activity Report: