Dear friends,

A number of events have begun to unfold in pursuance of the goals of the Global Action for Water (GAWA).

1. Society for Water & Public Health Protection (SWAPHEP) organized a Water Stakeholders’ Forum to initiate GAWA on 22nd October 2002 in Benin City, Nigeria. 2.A number of NGOs in Nigeria has indicated their readiness to participate actively in the action. 3. Virtual Activism provides SWAPHEP a web site and a web space for an Internet dialogue on GAWA.

See details on the stakeholders’ forum and the events being organized by volunteer NGOs and SWAPHEP’s website below.

We are counting on your support for GAWA. Does your organization have a web site, an email list or server, are you a network, do you host a television or radio programme and would like to provide a slot or more for GAWA, could you assist in translating the campaign materials to other languages, could you provide information on financial sources to enable volunteers carry out activities for GAWA, do you intend to organize some seminar, conference, workshop, advocacy visits to legislators or MPs, visits to water corporations? There are countless actions to be taken. Lets know what your contribution is.

IT’S OUR WATER! IT’S OUR LIFE!! IT’S OUR ACTION!!! BE A PART OF GAWA NOW!!!!

Please, note that SWAPHEP has moved. We are temporarily at

3, Omorogbe Street, Off Egbon Street,
Off Uselu-Lagos Road
Behind St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
Just before Uwasota Junction,
Ugbowo,
Benin City,
Nigeria

Cheers,

Hope E. Ogbeide Director, SWAPHEP P. O. BOX 10577 Benin City, Nigeria Tel: 234 802 344 2419

Report on Water Stakeholders’ Forum organized by SWAPHEP to initiate the Global Action for Water (GAWA), held in SWAPHEP’s office on 22nd October 2002.

The forum unanimously adopted the GAWA as timely. The Action is seen as one that has the potentials to having a remarkable impact on the international dialogues on water with concomitant improvement in the access of the poor to clean water and sanitation. GAWA also promises to be the largest civil society action for water. The target is 2 billion people across the globe participating in the action.

The forum agreed on the constitution of a Water Action Steering Committee.

Name of Committee: Water Action Steering Committee.

Membership: 1. Hope E. Ogbeide, Director, SWAPHEP. Email: swaphep@yahoo.com 2. Mrs. Nogi Imokhuede, Chairperson, Roots and Fruits Women Farmers Society of Nigeria (RUFARM). Email: nogiede@yahoo.com 3. Dr. Omokhua Adeleye, Dept. of Community Health, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). Email: doctoradeleye@yahoo.com 4. Emeka Bertram, Director, Persons with Disability Action Network (PEDANET). Email: pedanet@yahoo.com

Status: Loose and non-hierarchical but representing different stakeholder groups.

Mandate: 1. Organize a roundtable conference with participants from different regions of Nigeria. 2. Select Regional Coordinators from the participants at the roundtable through which to mobilize regional participation for the national action. 3. Constitute a National Water Action Committee comprising the existing committee and the Regional Coordinators, which will convene a National Water Conference in March 2003.

Roundtable to hold in December 2002.

Location of Roundtable Conference: Benin City.

Communiqué Issued on Flood Disasters in Nigeria during the Water Stakeholders’ Forum Organised by the Society for Water and Public Health Protection (SWAPHEP) to Deliberate on the Global Action for Water (GAWA) Initiative of SWAPHEP

Date: 22 October 2002 Time: 4p.m Venue: 214 Uselu-Lagos Road, Benin City.

Preambles We, the participants of a Water Stakeholders’ Forum organised in Benin City this 22nd day of October 2002 by SWAPHEP issue this communiqué to initiate the process of the Global Action for Water (GAWA) initiated by SWAPHEP. We here place on records the following: Observations That rainfall has become associated with terror, health hazards, environmental degradation, food and water insecurity, economic downturn, increased poverty and colossal loss of lives and property, in many parts of the country especially Benin City, Lagos, Kano, Jigawa, Niger, Kebbi, Kogi and some cities in the South Eastern part of Nigeria.

That these wreckages are due to the ravaging floods in many Nigerian cities, which result when rain falls as in Benin City and Lagos and when dams fail or over flood their banks as in Kano and Jigawa States.

That many factors contribute to this unhealthy situation, which include · Inadequate institutional / policy framework and failure of government to implement and enforce the implementation of existing laws for flood disaster risks management in the country at the local, state and national levels. · Inadequate or near absence of structural framework for managing floods in the country. Such structural solutions include standard drainage systems, effective weather forecasting and monitoring devices and disaster warning devices. · Urbanisation and poor implementation and monitoring of urban development plans, compounded by inadequate infrastructure in rural communities. · Poor maintenance culture and practices such as irregular maintenance of drainage systems typical of Benin City and Lagos and poor management of dams as in Kano, Niger and Jigawa States. · Poor rain harvesting technology, inadequate funding of researches into alternative water and energy supply alternatives and unsustainable water resources management. · Top-down approach to governance and decision making as it relates to infrastructure development. · Lack of transparency and high-level secrecy in government.

Recommendations 1. The Federal, state and local governments should draw up blue prints on flood disaster risks management in the country and such blue prints should be made public to allow for the input of all stakeholders. 2. The Federal government should institute a National Coordinating Committee to convene National Water Dialogue or Nigerian Water Forum to address the water related problems plaguing the country. The committee should be truly representative and participatory. 3. The National and State Houses of Assemblies across the country should draw up and institutionalise policies to address water-related problems in the country. The process of such legislations must be open and transparent.

The communiqué is jointly signed by:

• Hope E. Ogbeide, Mrs. Nogi Imokhuede, Dr. Omokhua Adeleye, Emeka Bertram And Etiosa Uyigue
• Five (5) Nigerian NGOs have indicated their willingness to volunteer for GAWA and participate actively in the Action. Details below:

Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2002 03:02:34 -0800 (PST) From: "Faith Nwadishi" <kifgendev@yahoo.com> | Subject: Re: GLOBAL ACTION FOR WATER (GAWA) To:"swaphep hope" <swaphep@yahoo.com>