Water is an integral part of not only human beings but all other creatures in the world. We use it every day for different purposes such as drinking, domestic, agricultural, and industrial.
Nowadays, one of the biggest problems in the world is water scarcity. Almost all countries suffer from it and many of them cannot find the most effective solution to avoid this challenge. The amount of world freshwater is limited and as the population is growing fast, the necessity of water use is growing even faster.
Myanmar is one of the countries which is suffering from water shortages augmented because of climate change and global warming. Because of these challenges it is essential to manage the water resources well. The Gulf of Mottama Project (GoMP) is implemented in the coastal villages of the Gulf of Mottama.
These villages face a shortage of drinking water in quantity and quality, especially during the summer period which runs from December until May. Therefore, the project invited two advisors from HELVETAS Nepal and Switzerland who have many experiences in the systematic utilization of water and the introduction of the Water Usage Master Plan (WUMP), to introduce the community-based water management planning process.
The process has been successfully introduced in Nepal since 1998 and some other countries like Pakistan and Ethiopia are successfully copying the procedure. In this project activity it is essential to involve both community members and government officials from relevant departments.
In Nepal the process is implemented via five phases of (1) preparatory, (2) capacity building, (3) assessment, (4) planning and (5) implementation and includes 17 small sub-steps to implement these main 5 phases.
The WUMP is a long process but with the involvement of both the communities and the government officials, one day we will be able to arrive at a point where we will all benefit from it. By using the experiences form of Nepal as an example, we have to adapt their experiences to the conditions in the Gulf of Mottama.
There will be a new process for Myanmar and along the way we will find many challenges. we can face difficulties and delays in the implementation of the enterprise, cause of the process will be as a novelty in our country, and it may encounter delays. Nevertheless, as it is a process that will ultimately benefit the communities as well as the environment.
We need to work together in partnership with communities and government departments to reach sufficient water of good quality to the communities. This is what GoMP is aiming for in selected target village along the Gulf of Mottama coastal area.