The development of a Water Master Plan is underway, as well as programs to supply the population with improved drinking water in all parts of the country.
Access to water is quite high, with about 96.8% of the population having access, and 88.7% of the population has access to piped water. However, this water is not fit to drink, and access to drinking water is quite lowat only 38%. Not all water supply systems have treatment stations, and the catchment areas where many people obtain their drinking water are generally unprotected and are susceptible to contamination. This situation increases the prevalence of water-borne diseases that are a major cause of mortality, especially in children. Despite worldwide scarcity, Sao Tomé et Principe has no general lack of water, with existing average annual resources much higher than current demand. However, the concern for the future is a long-term change in rainfall patterns due to changes in climate that may lead to some decline in the quantity available along with an increased demand, particularly for irrigation.
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...
