Our latest annual report is our first and most comprehensive account of the strategic direction of eWater Group and its divisions, eWater Solutions and the Australian Water Partnership
The Australian Water Partnership mobilises Australia’s water resource management skills and knowledge in response to demands from partners across the Indo-Pacific on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
We are incredibly proud of the achievements of the Australian Water Partnership and are taking the opportunity to shine a light on their work over coming weeks.
Partnerships in Southeast and South Asia have made the following impacts:
- Vietnam – As part of a strong and enduring partnership between Vietnam and Australia, AWP partners provided support to the drafting of a new Law on Water Resources. This included technical support along with an activity which focused on incorporating the experience of people with disability into the legislative drafting process. The new law passed the National Assembly in December 2023.
- Laos – A consortium of AWP partners worked closely with the Lao Department of Water Resources, to develop maps and plans for groundwater resources, a critical resilience measure in Laos. AWP support included support for consultations where rural women’s perspectives were heard, and reflected in the groundwater management plans.
- India – India and Australia have exchanged vital experience on managing drought and water scarcity, in the context of climate change. An AWP activity in Andra Pradesh developed training modules on strategic irrigation, groundwater management, analysing and acting on climate risk and optimising water use efficiency through soil microbiology. Information from this activity reached over 6000 people and is an excellent example of leveraging existing community infrastructure to maximise impact.
- Mekong regional – The Mekong river is the world’s biggest inland fishery, but new data about fish movements and behaviours is needed in the context of extensive hydropower development. Working with local partners to support fisheries monitoring in the Mekong basin, AWP partners helped to assess impacts of mainstream hydropower projects on fish, and the people who depend on them, and ensured a strong focus on GEDSI by offering training for Lao women in fish surgery to deploy tags.
Read the eWater Group Annual 2022-2023 report > https://ewater.org.au/annual-report-2022-3/ or the
Australian Water Partnership for the 2022-2023 financial year > https://waterpartnership.org.au//wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23514-AWP-Annual-Report-2022-23_WEB2.pdf.
We also acknowledge and thank Aither, Alluvium Group, AMPERES, Flinders University, IWMI, South Australia Department for Environment and Water, Charles Sturt University.
