Our taxi is searching its way through the dense traffic. We are taken over by a dark-smoking truck at our right, while at the same time an SUV just misses us on the left. Packed at the back of a Cairo cab, we are discussing today’s program. At the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI), we will talk about a Water Operators Partnership (WOP) between six Egyptian and three Dutch partners. The idea is to initiate a long term relation between nine partners, share experiences and learn from each other. World Waternet, represented by Paul Bonne and Koen Maathuis, assists in the formulation of an action plan for the coming three years.
Within the partnership, we focus on water quality improvement. In the Nile-Delta and the Fayoum region, wastewater causes problems as it drains into surface water. Especially in rural areas, many smaller villages don’t have any wastewater treatment plants at all. The existing plants are often not as good as they should be, resulting in an effluent that has negative effects on the quality of the surface water. Drinking- and irrigation water is often taken in from these same sources, causing serious public health threats and harm the livelihoods of the people.
At the sixth floor of the ministry, we installed ourselves to work a full day with the Egyptian partners on the action plan. Starting point is an equal partnership between all partners. Based on knowledge exchange and sharing experiences, the water quality should improve. We will do this by means of various concrete and feasible activities, in which the integrated approach is leading. Today’s assignment is to discuss and structure the main issues related to water quality management. At the same time, we want to discuss the expected outputs and formulate the activities needed to reach these goals. We work with a diverse group of about fifteen people. Because of this diversity, it takes a tremendous effort and common understanding to overcome one’s personal opinions and interests. The most important criteria to select an activity for the WOP is therefore that all partners benefit from the outcome. The result of an activity therefore, must go beyond the needs of one or several partners, but truly have integrated benefit.
It is late in the evening when we finish our work in our hotel rooms. Tomorrow we will have to convince the directors of the different partner organizations about the necessity of the WOP and the activities formulated. Within an hour or two, consensus should be reached about the contents, budget and funding, planning and the tasks and responsibilities. When we succeed in doing so, the road towards a fruitful collaboration lays ahead.
Which will result in fertile lands…
And clean water!
Insch’allah
Koen Maathuis
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Field notes
Suitcases full of compliments
14.10.2010
So, day 2 of the 3-day conference is over. We're sitting outside and talk about how everyone experienced today. Just for explanation: World Waternet i...
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