"Tackling poverty through multiple use water services" E-conference in
English and Spanish from 17 May to 25 June 2004

Water is a critical enabling resource for poverty reduction. And
people use water from multiple sources and in multiple ways to improve
their livelihoods. But sub-sector planners (domestic and irrigation)
seldom recognize this, leading to the provision of services that
frequently only address some of the needs of their users. However,
times are changing and there is increasing interest from all sectors in
finding more appropriate, sustainable, and demand-responsive ways to
provide multiple use services that really impact poverty.

This e-conference on tackling poverty through multiple use water
services will be facilitated by the Thematic Group on productive uses of
water at the household level (http://www.irc.nl/prodwat [2]) , and will take
place in parallel in English (hosted by IRC) and Spanish (by CINARA).
It will provide a platform for individuals and organisations to share
their experiences in all aspects (positive and negative) of multiple
uses of water.

The e-conference will be divided into three sessions of ten days each
covering three themes:
- Weeks 1 and 2: Current experiences with multiple use systems and
services
- Weeks 3 and 4: What are the lessons learned?
- Weeks 5 and 6: How do (and should) we go forward?

Questions to be discussed include:

- Do the extra benefits justify the incremental costs, and how are costs
and benefits distributed between different sections of the community?
- What are the most appropriate approaches, tools and methods to use for
planning, designing, implementing and monitoring multiple use water
services?
- What is needed in terms of policy, legislation, capacity and practice
to better cater to multiple needs?
- What gaps remain? What information needs to be collected?

If you have answers to these questions, or information to share then
join the e-conference - see the e-conference website for the full text
of the first announcement,
http://www.irc.nl/index.php/content/view/full/8902 [3] or register from
today, by contacting - for the English version Laurent Stravato
([email protected] [4]) and for the Spanish, Ines Restrepo
([email protected] [5]).

A background paper and further instruction will be circulated closer to
the start of the conference. The main outputs of the e-conference will
be a synthesis report and a community of practice on this important
topic.
End