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The workshop on Assessment of Needs and Priorities in Research and Capacity Building for Water Harvesting in Sudan

On 19-20th of November 2016 the Khartoum office of UNESCO together with the UNESCO鈥檚 Regional Center for Water Harvesting organized the workshop 鈥淎ssessment of Needs and Priorities in Research and Capacity Building for Water Harvesting鈥, that took place in Corinthia Hotel, Khartoum. The workshop gave space for discussions about the subject to a wide range of practitioners and researchers from the water industry, ministries and Academy from across the Sudan. The representatives of local communities, where water harvesting is of great significance, also participated in the discussions.
The importance of the water harvesting technologies for Sudan were underlined in welcoming speeches of H.E. Prof. Sumaya Abukashawa, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, H.E. Dr. Thabita Butrus Shokai, the State Minister for Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity, H.E. Dr. Pavel Kroupkine, the Head of Khartoum office and UNESCO representative to Sudan, H.E. Prof. Abdin Salih, the Member of the UNESCO鈥檚 Executive Board, Prof. Gamal Abdo, the Director of Water Research Center in the University of Khartoum, and Eng. Hatim Elbadri, the Director of UNESCO鈥檚 Regional Center for Water Harvesting. The opening session was chaired by Dr. Ahmed Eltayeb, the General Director of the National Water Research Center, the Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity.
Then, the participants were divided in 5 groups to discuss the research and capacity building issues for the water harvesting development in Sudan. The themes for the group work were:
- Data on Water Resources in Sudan (Data collection, Data analysis, Water accounting, etc.)
- Water supply for households and livestock (Water quality, Water supply technologies, Public-private partnerships, etc.)
- Irrigation and water use in agriculture (Water supply technologies, water-efficient plants and methods of cultivation, etc.)
- Socio-economic and environment issues (Community resilience, Sustainability, Value of Water, Costs / Water tariffs, Investments, etc.
- Water Harvesting Techniques and Technologies (Spreading the knowledge and know-how: design, construction, guidelines, New and Innovative Technologies, etc.)
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