Panel Reports and Plenaries

Eleven topics were discussed in nine panels during the workshop (irrigation is included in agriculture and the crosscutting topics of “migration” and “gender” were discussed together). The results of these panel discussions and other findings are presented as conclusions and recommendations to the DWC project. The topics were:

1.    Potable water distribution and storage;
2.    Water, and agriculture and livestock production (including irrigation);
3.    Water and local industry;
4.    Management of small watersheds;
5.    Water management and municipal governments;
6.    Water and health;
7.    Disaster prevention/mitigation/preparedness;
8.    Water and tourism; and
9.    Migration and gender

Potable water distribution and storage: Moderated by Javier López Medina.

•   Comments
  •     The Northern sector is the driest portion of the basin, and drought is felt first and most severe in this zone.
  •    Since the Northern Sector is relatively close to the capital and other population centers around Lake Nicaragua, the central government is in charge of the administration of all water supply systems.
  •    Given this, the siting of wells is decided upon by ENACAL, the national water and sewer company, together with members of the community.
  •   During periods of drought there is rationing of the water supply.
  •   Given the dryness of the area and its population density, forests are depleted. Reforestation of areas that serve as water sources is slowly being done.
  •   Given the high population density, permanent surveillance of water sources and monitoring of water quality is needed.
  •   Cleaning and maintenance of water sources are often required.
  •   Cisterns are used in areas where the water distribution system is inadequate.
  •   As opposed to the Northern sector, in the Southern sector potable water systems are administered by several different institutions (municipalities, water associations, etc.).
  •   Given community involvement in the administration of water, there is a high degree of participation by civil society in the care and use of water—especially during times of drought or flooding.

•   Recommendations
  •    Relocate potable water systems for more efficiency when plans and designs are made for urban renewal and expansion.
  •   In some municipalities, the water supply office has a meteorologist on its staff.
  •   Use tank trucks during drought periods to distribute water.
  •   Wells need to be maintained.
  •   Because of their age, water distribution equipment such as pipes, valves, and tanks require frequent maintenance or they can be easily damaged.
  •   New wells can be drilled to gain additional potable water.
  •   Water sources (springs, creeks) require cleaning.
  •   Reforestation around, and vigilance/monitoring of, water sources by the user community.

Agriculture (including irrigation) and livestock production: Moderated by Alfonso Duarte Valverde.

•   General
  •    Agriculture extension services are increasingly available in the SJRB.
  •   Organic agriculture is increasing in the SJRB.
  •    Household gardens and orchards are increasing in number.
  •   Subsistence farming rapidly fails when confronted with climate variability.Small farmers are susceptible to climate variability.
  •   Diversification helps to lessen this susceptibility to climate variability.
  •   Because of the longer dry period in the Northern Sector, farmers use seeds adapted to shorter cropping cycles.
  •   Crops that are more profitable are being planted over a wider area to reduce pressures made on the land by small farmers.
  •    A combination of cultural beliefs and scientific information is being used to forecast weather (i.e. forecasts based on animal behavior and moon phases together with statistical information from the meteorological institute).
  •   Small agro-forestry projects are being supported.
  •   Water is used and distributed according to local customs and traditions.
  •   There is an increased awareness of the amount of well water that can be used for irrigation, this is controlled according to the crop being irrigated.
  •   During extended periods of drought, livestock is relocated to wetter zones where there is grass and water.
  •   Emergency use of water from Lake Nicaragua during times of drought is possible.
  •   Producers coordinate adjustments of planting dates when necessary because of the occurrence of El Niño, drought, etc.
  •   The Ministry of Agriculture has proposed funds to pay for irrigation infrastructure, water capture, drip irrigation, and small-scale irrigation projects that are especially useful during times of drought.
  •   Water sources require cleaning and maintenance.

•   Recommendations
  •   Carefully evaluate water resources to understand how they are to be rationed for irrigation purposes.
  •   Alter planting dates, to take into account official climate predictions.
  •   Support small and medium producers for the sale of their produce, especially during critical periods of drought or extreme flooding.
  •   Distribute information regarding quality control on produce, especially for crops affected by drought or flooding.
  •   Reforestation around water sources is necessary where the land has been deforested
  •   Establish water commissions to manage water use during drought periods.
  •   Develop small-scale irrigation projects that can better utilize and conserve water.

Water and local industry (includes cheese manufacture, slaughterhouses, artisans, sugar cane factories, fruit factories, dairies):

•  Comments
  •    Sale of whey left over from the processing of cheese and historically discarded, reduces contamination of water sources.
  •   Larger industries have their own water wells.
  •   Industries should build and use oxidation lagoons.
  •   Industries should maintain facilities to collect water.
  •    Municipalities should coordinate studies to locate water wells including those wanted by industry.
  •   Industry should support reforestation of areas around water sources.

Moderated by Juan Jose Romero.

•   Comments
  •    Watershed management can help protect sources of water in terms of quality, quantity, and continuity.
  •   Watersheds can include both subterranean and surface water.
  •   Watershed management should include training local populations to monitor, manage, and protect the water resource.
  •   Watershed management plans should include maps and other information on all water sources as well as on anything that may threaten their integrity.
  •   Watershed management plans must be made with the participation of those who use the resources.
  •   Watershed management plans should be indigenous and not imported.
  •   Project preparation includes citizen training in water conservation.
  •   An inventory of water wells in an area permits rapid actions before, during, and after an event related to climate variability.
  •   Management plans can use digital cartography.
  •   Watershed management allows use of the best tools to confront climate variability including maintenance of vegetation, soil conservation, zoning, and water harvesting.
  •   Urban and rural planning, regional planning and watershed management should compliment each other.
  •   Watershed management planning makes it possible for the resolution of conflicts between the various uses of the basins resources. These would include tourism, energy, potable water, irrigation, industrial uses, etc.

•   Recommendations
  •   Develop watershed management plans.
  •   Form watershed administration committees and commissions.
  •    Apply knowledge (instead of perception) to solve watershed management problems.
  •   Apply locally developed models to solve local watershed management problems.

Water management and municipal governments;

•   Comments
  •   Municipalities are generally the highest and closest governmental authority at the local level to manage and coordinate responses to climate variability.
  •   Civil participation is now perceived as an important component of governance at the municipal level.

•  Recommendations
  •   Control deforestation through municipal ordinances.
  •   In conjunction with other water related institutions, promote introduction of agricultural practices so as to improve planting and harvest.
  •   Promote citizen participation as a key factor in disaster prevention.
  •   Use water treatment plants.
  •   Encourage drilling of additional water wells (for example, in new developments), and ensure that they are maintained once they are drilled.
  •   Develop and implement reforestation plans.
  •   Form water management committees.
  •   Coordinate municipalities and other institutions such as the Red Cross, fire fighters, and health workers during emergencies.
  •   Organize emergency commissions at the municipal level.
  •   Support district and regional level emergency committees.
  •   Reforest areas that are important for the protection of water resources.
  •   Purchase land necessary to guarantee protection and distribution of water sources.

•    Comments
  •   Health commissions and disaster units should be located in all municipalities and have emergency response programs for prolonged drought, floods and hurricanes.
  •   Organizations related in any way to the problems created by climate variability should coordinate their responses.
  •   Public health and environmental sanitation should be monitored during periods of climate related emergencies.
  • Recommendations
  •   Inventory emergency shelters and supplies in each community of the SJRB.
  •   Support permanent training for health staff and volunteers in emergency response and prevention.
  •   Use epidemiological monitoring teams.
  •   Develop fumigation programs to combat disease vectors.
  •   Develop water quality sampling programs for both urban and rural areas.
  •   Develop and execute campaigns to spread information on appropriate responses to emergencies.
  •   Increase emergency planning at local and community levels.
  •   Develop plans to coordinate use of water sources in times of emergency.
  •   Develop programs to treat post emergency stress.

•  Comments
  •    National, departmental/provincial, and local emergency committees and commissions have a presence in the SJRB.
  •   The experiences of the 1997-98 El Niño and Hurricane Mitch (1998) have created incentives to improve emergency preparedness and organization of response institutions.
  •   Local Emergency Committees are now often well equipped (e.g.: radios, vehicles, medical personnel) and integrated with other emergency response teams.
  •   Emergency preparation includes warehouses that contain the necessary supplies including water.

•  Recommendations
  •    Develop plans to support affected communities during and after disasters.
  •   Develop policies for relocation of refugees to prevent their resettlement in vulnerable areas.
  •   Include disaster reduction in formal education programs that cover meteorology.
  •   Develop a radio network to monitor emergencies in zones influenced by extreme climatic events.
  •   Build and maintain warehouses for the storage of items required in emergencies (e.g.: mattresses, generators, chainsaws, water containers, etc.).
  •   Organize local emergency committees that are proactive and gender balanced.
  •   Gather relevant information concerning communities (e.g.: aged, sick, incapacitated; emergency shelters, emergency sources of water, etc.)

•   Comments
•   The relationships between tourism and climate variability have not been studied in the basin.
•   Environmental NGOs, however, have promoted environmental impact studies of tourism infrastructure and forced increased vigilance with respect to flooding.
•   Adjustments made to climate variability have modified the traditions that tourists look for when they visit the SJRB (i.e. replacement of traditional crops with those that are less susceptable to climate variability).
•   Health conditions are important to the tourist; these conditions are affected by climate variability.

•   Recommendations
  •   Environmental management units should consider climate variability, which affects tourism activities.
  •   Environmental impact studies, as a part of tourism project formulation, should include disaster mitigation and avoidance.
  •   Educate ecotourism development councils regarding drought (reduced water use) and flooding (location of tourism infrastructure) so that potable water sources are protected.
  •   Train business representatives and tourism personnel in appropriate emergency preparation and survival procedures that relate to hurricanes and flooding.
  •   Develop small-scale family-run tourism related infrastructure that considers the problems related to climate variability (i.e. escape routes, water quality monitoring and protection during flooding and drought, control of trash and garbage, etc.)
  •   Support Chambers of Tourism regarding training and coordinated response to floods and hurricanes.

Migration and Gender: Moderated by Juan Jose Castro.

•    Migration (Abelardo Morales)
  •   
  •   The SJRB is a zone of both immigration and emigration as well as a zone where migrants are in transit.
  •   Migrants in the SJRB can be “internal” or come from either of the two countries on their way to the other.
  •   Migration is a result of several phenomena including social, economic and cultural conditions as well as those that are climate or disaster related.
  •   Migration is a long-term problem that will continue to impact the basin.
  •   Small farmers are more susceptible to crop loss and more flexible in their capacity to move. Because of this, they are likely candidates to migrate in response to problems created by climate variability.
  •   Previous migration experience is important and can generate both positive and negative effects for both the migrant and the resources of the basin.
  •   The origin and experience of the migrant influences her/his thinking towards resource use and conservation.
  •   Solutions to migration problems should involve bi-national cooperation.

• Gender (Ana Isabel Garcia)
  •   Little is known about the relationship between gender and climate variability.
  •   The objective is to discover how men and women can work together when confronted with extreme events of climate variability, as opposed to only studying the role of women with regards to water management.
  •   It involves how men and women see themselves together and how they see each other in their society.
  •   The roles, attitudes and work of men and women are different and have cultural roots that show up in how each reacts to emergencies dictated by climate.
  •   Although some of their capacities and vulnerabilities may be the same, men and women also have capacities and vulnerabilities that are different. This may include how each reacts to the problems of climate variability.
  •   Initiatives should be taken to improve the capacity of each to confront climate variability.
  •   Where in society men and women stand in terms of decision-making varies, how decisions are made under different conditions can also vary.
  •   Participation of women in decision-making is important; however, they are at a disadvantage in many communities where they are not considered full members and, therefore, where they lack information as well as the support of the male members of those communities.