Gaborone. April 2 2008 -- The Third Project Steering Committee (PSC) Meeting of the SADC Groundwater and Drought Management Project will be held at Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa on 8th April 2008.

The PSC is an executive body of the SADC Groundwater and Drought Management Project, comprising a pool of groundwater professionals from all 14 SADC Member States (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and the SADC Water Sector.

The major role of the PSC is to ensure coherence of the SADC Groundwater and Drought Management Project by overseeing project policy, strategy and implementation. The SADC Groundwater and Drought Management Project aims to promote the importance and benefits of proper groundwater and drought management in the region through providing relevant tools, knowledge and information to targeted stakeholders.

The PSC meeting will be preceded by a one-day Workshop on 7th April 2008, focusing on “Increasing Groundwater Awareness in the SADC Region”. The aim of the workshop is to provide PSC members with an opportunity to share information on strategies to increase groundwater awareness in the SADC Region.

Currently there is inadequate awareness and capacity to implement effective groundwater management to mitigate against drought in the SADC region despite one-third of the population living in drought-prone areas where groundwater is the primary source of drinking water for the human population, livestock, and most other activities.

The objective of the Groundwater and Drought Management Project is to develop a SADC regional strategic approach to support and enhance the capacity of its Member States in the definition of drought management policies, specifically in relation to the role, availability (magnitude and recharge) and supply potential of groundwater resources.

For further information contact:
The Project Manager
SADC Groundwater and Drought Management Project
Plot 115, Unit 7b, Kgale Mews,
Gaborone, Botswana
Phone: + 267 3928336; Fax: +267 3928349