First Milestone Workshop, 19th June 2007

On 19th June 2007, the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) hosted the first milestone workshop of the CuveWaters Project in Frankfurt am Main. In addition to representatives of the three cooperating German institutions, the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE), the Technische Universität Darmstadt (Chair of Water Supply and Groundwater Protection (IWAR), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), two experts from the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) were also in attendance.

The main objective of this milestone workshop was to present the preliminary results of the socio-empirical survey that was carried out in a rural (Epyeshone) and an urban (Evululuko) site in the Oshana region, Central-Northern Namibia, in May 2007. An important item on the agenda dealt with the consequences of these results for further project activities, especially the technology options ‘rainwater harvesting’ (rural) and ‘decentralised waste water treatment technology and improved sanitation’ (urban). Participants in the empirical survey in Epyeshona showed interest in using rainwater (harvested from roofs and microcatchments) for drinking water supply as a substitute for tap water. Now, a cost-benefit analysis focusing on the investment costs for building materials must be prepared as a basis for the next socio-empirical research phase (August 2007). This second survey will attempt to answer the question of whether people are actually interested in using rainwater originally intended for backyard gardening, as it is very difficult and expensive to maintain collected rainwater at drinking water quality. In the empirical survey in Evululuko, an informal settlement in Oshakati, it became clear that sanitation is a crucial issue for the population.

To ease the present lack of sanitation installations, participants supported the idea of a communal sanitation centre providing washing, showering and toilet facilities. This is considered a preliminary step towards improvement and development in the short term. In the long run, however, individual toilet installations for each house are envisaged. Again, the costs incurred for the users and for the operation, maintenance and management structures of the centre were of utmost interest and concern for the participants. In the follow-up survey in August, these issues will be addressed along with the prospect of backyard gardening using recycled waste water for irrigation.

Another important aspect of the milestone workshop was the stakeholder workshop in Namibia planned for October 2007. Objectives of this workshop are to:

1. identify and select suitable technology options and
2. determine the steps required for implementation, in particular for capacity-building activities, governance, and institutional frameworks pertaining to the selected technological options
   The main thrust of this workshop will be the assessment of possible scenarios for water demand development in the area, taking into account the following key questions:
3. Which technology options best secure water demand in the long-term?
4. How should they be assessed given today’s uncertainties about future conditions of water shortage and the multiplicity of stakeholders and interests involved?
5. How should a multi-resource mix be implemented in order to suit prevailing circumstances such as social and cultural background and experiences, the institutional and legal processes, the dynamic of the regional economy, and the ecological conditions?
6. What are the major pitfalls for successful implementation?