FIELD STORY / Herinirina Romuald MARA, Director of DREAH (Regional Directorate for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Haute Matsiatra)

Watch the testimonial at the 2:09 mark in the video below (in French):

What challenges must be addressed to ensure the long-term viability of the IWRM (Integrated Water Resources Management) approach?

"Involving stakeholders from the outset fosters social acceptance of the project. Local actors are more likely to support initiatives in which they have actively participated, which strengthens the project’s viability and sustainability.

It also fosters the emergence of innovative ideas. For example, during the program’s intervention in the Soarano watershed, the GLEC (Consultative Body for the Management of the Soarano Watershed) faced difficulties in enforcing the dinas (local customary rules legally recognized in Madagascar). It therefore partnered with the Soa miray dia (a local association responsible for security and law enforcement) to effectively strengthen the implementation and enforcement of these rules on the ground.

Finally, another challenge concerns shared responsibility. The involvement of a diverse range of stakeholders fosters a sense of collective responsibility, bringing together the GLEC, municipalities, producers and farmers, water users—whether for domestic or agricultural purposes—as well as decentralized technical services (STD) and local governments."

 

Herinirina Romuald MARA, Director of DREAH (Regional Directorate for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, Haute Matsiatra)

---

To watch the entire 4-episode series > Série GIRE : Gestion Intégrée de la ressource en Eau (GIRE Series: Integrated Water Resources Management)

Learn more about this project in Madagascar

The GIRE project has been carried out as part of the Eaurizon program and through a decentralized cooperation initiative between the Haute Matsiatra Region (Madagascar) and the Métropole de Lyon (France)