Water and Environment Sector Development Plan 2015/16-2019/20.

This Sector plan, based on objectives and strategic direction of the national Development Plan (NDPII) for water and environmental resources, sets out key sector priorities and interventions for the years 2015-2020. Priorities are increased access to safe water in rural and urban areas and increase in sanitation levels, increase in water available for production, restoration of fragile ecosystems (forests, wetlands), improved environmental monitoring and improvement of resilience to climate change. More specifically the Plan aims, in respect of more general environmental interventions at, among other things, restoration banks of rivers, shores of lakes, bare mountain land and range lands, promotion of environmental charges (PES), increased use of natural resources in a sustainable manner, increased wetland coverage and reduction of wetland degradation, increased functionality of meteorological systems, integration and implementation of climate change policy and improvement of climate change governance, increased afforestation and mitigation of deforestation. Specific attention shall be given to biodiversity. As respect to water resources, the Plan aims at water supply and sanitation infrastructure development, increased access to safe water and increased level of sanitation in rural areas, increased supply of water for production purposes including irrigation (making also use of public-private partnerships and other forms of private involvement), improved water resources governance and monitoring. An Irrigation Policy and an Irrigation Master Plan shall be prepared.