The
International Centre for Water
Le Conseil général a la volonté
de faire du Puy-de-Dôme
un département pilote en matière d’éducation
à l’éco-citoyenneté et de
sensibilisation aux problèmes de l’eau.
Dans cette perspective, la mise en place d’un
centre de ressources pourrait s’avérer
pertinent. Un projet de construction d’une Maison
internationale de l’eau est donc actuellement
à l’étude.
The idea for such a structure was born in part by
the desire to follow through on the activities of
the Water Messengers by welcoming foreign classes
to the département and facilitating exchanges
between organizations as well as to link all of the
educational initiatives for the protection of water
resources currently being undertaken in the Massif
Central.
As currently envisioned, the goals of this educational
facility will be to bring together the public around
the major themes of:
Water, the common heritage of humanity;
Water, a fundamental human right and responsibility
Water, an economic and social asset
In addition to its role in education, training and
raising public awareness, the International Centre
for Water would also become a hub of scientific research.
The results of the study will be made public in the
first trimester of 2004. They will indicate whether
or not a centre of this type could be conceived to
complement the structures already in place.
Decentralized Cooperative Actions
Although
it is not in itself a decentralized cooperative action,
the Water Messengers project has stimulated many ideas
for development assistance.
During their different visits abroad, appeals for
cooperation were made to the French delegations. The
Ivory Coast and Mali both presented a variety of projects
which merit the attention of the General Council.
In
favour of the Ivory Coast: Cooperation
in Education
The Board of Education is planning on
collecting books and also establishing initiatives for
sustainable development by connecting agricultural secondary
school students and the DRAF (Regional Department for
Agriculture and Forests).
The creation of a village
water reservoir
The mayor of M’Bahiakro submitted
a study surveying the needs requiring financing in his
area. The communities of Sancy-Artense and the General
Council have decided to finance a reservoir which will
facilitate off-season agriculture (vegetable production….)
therefore increasing local availability of these products
and revenues for farmers.
Partnership in the decentralisation
process
The Ivory Coast is in the process of decentralizing
its government using the French system as a model. As
General Councils have been created, the cooperation
of the General Council of Puy de Dôme may solidify
into assistance for the decentralisation process and
continue with the establishment of districts associating
villages. Our experience in this area and the results
achieved by our department will be invaluable for supporting
this country in its undertaking.
In
favour of Mali: Coordinating
training
The Water Messengers mission brought about
the realization of the need for training in the maintenance
of water systems. The difficulty if a system of wells
is set up across the country, lies in maintaining the
equipment. Therefore, in partnership with the region
of Auvergne, the Puy de Dôme County Council has
offered to assist the establishment of training modules
for Malian trainers in the field of water provisioning.
Building a junior high
school
If water is a crucial problem in Endé,
the other desperate need is the financial means to build
a junior high school, even if the Minister of Education
will supply the teachers. The Puy de Dôme County
Council has contributed 50,000 Euros to the construction
of a junior school.
