The Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries oversees water-related policy in Cape Verde.
Raqinfall is irregular In Cape Verde, causing periodic drought and famine. Due to its geomorphology, the country has a dense and complex hydrographical network. There are no permanent water courses, however, and temporary water courses run only during the rainy season. These temporary water courses drain quickly toward the main watersheds, where, unless captured by artificial means, they continue to flow rapidly to areas of lower elevation and to the sea. This applies equally to water courses in the flatter islands. The declining water resources and gradual salination of groundwater in coastal areas are attributed to climate change as well as anthropologic activities such as the extraction of sand and gravel from coastal areas for construction. These water shortages are exacerbated by the fact that a high percentage of rains fall within a very short time period and there is not enough capacity to capture and store such rainwater. The random nature of the rains and deficient infrastructure in the water sector, in combination with increasing water consumption due to agriculture, pastoral activities, civil construction, tourism, and industry, have greatly increased pressure on water resources. This has led to scarcity of freshwater resources, which has negative repurcussions on the environment and human wellbeing. Low infiltration and water retention has led to a lowering of the water table. This water stress is predicted to exacerbate the rural exodus already underway, which will in turn put increased pressure on urban resources.
The report "SIDS-focused Green Economy: An Analysis of Challenges and Opportunities" was launched at COP7 of the Nairobi Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region, which took place in Maputo, Mozambique, from 10 to 14 December 2012.
The Contracting Parties of the Nairobi Convention -among which there are SIDS, i.e., Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles- , the Intergovernmental organisations and...
“Islands are the barometers of international environmental policies. The entire world will first witness their success or their failure on our islands.” These words, of James Michel, the President of Seychelles, deserve to be spoken out loud as delegates from small island developing States (SIDS) gear up to defend their interests at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
SIDS serve as the guardians of a “planet under pressure,” whose point of no return is...
March 2013: The Global Water Partnership (GWP) March edition of “News Flow” highlights the launch by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and GWP of a joint Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) to improve monitoring and prevention of droughts.
The newsletter features articles on GWP projects and workshops, including on: climate information in the Caribbean; integrated urban water management (IUWM) in El Salvador; water use efficiency in India; flood information in...
