The National Water Resources Management Agency (NWRMA) recently hosted a Stakeholder Inception and Baseline Validation Meeting in Sierra Leone. The meeting's theme was "Scaling Community-Led Ecosystem Restoration for Climate-Resilient Catchment and Watershed Management." This initiative is a collaborative effort between NWRMA, WASH-Net Sierra Leone, Youth Partnership for Peace and Development (YPPD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sierra Leone, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (OP8).
NWRMA Director General Ing. Pierre Palmer emphasized that water security begins in the forests, hills, rivers, and catchments that sustain them. He highlighted the importance of the Western Area Peninsula National Park, which supplies approximately 90% of Freetown's water and supports biodiversity. The park also protects communities against erosion, flooding, and landslides. However, Palmer expressed concern over increasing deforestation, encroachment, unregulated construction, quarrying, and pollution threatening these vital watersheds.
The Director General stressed that investments in water supply infrastructure must be accompanied by efforts to protect and restore the ecosystems that sustain them. He mentioned the Western Area Peninsula Water Fund, launched in January 2024, as an innovative financing and coordination mechanism. This fund aims to mobilize government, development partners, the private sector, and communities towards sustainable catchment protection. Palmer encouraged implementing partners to build on the Fund's existing experiences and institutional arrangements.
Preliminary baseline findings from 29 communities revealed that approximately 69% of assessed water sources face significant threats within 50 meters. Additionally, 93% of households support catchment protection. Palmer described these findings as both a warning about the vulnerability of water resources and an opportunity to strengthen community participation. He reaffirmed NWRMA's commitment to providing technical leadership in catchment assessment, demarcation of critical protection zones, water resources monitoring, and regulatory compliance.
The Director General called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, local councils, traditional authorities, and community organizations. He challenged implementing partners to measure success not merely by the number of trees planted or communities sensitized but by lasting improvements in catchment health, community participation, and water security. This approach aims to ensure the long-term sustainability of catchment protection efforts.
The meeting brought together various stakeholders to validate plans for protecting Freetown's vital watersheds. The stakeholders discussed ways to address the challenges facing the city's water resources. They also explored opportunities for community-led ecosystem restoration and climate-resilient catchment and watershed management. The collaborative effort seeks to ensure the sustainability of Freetown's water resources for future generations.
The NWRMA's initiative aims to promote sustainable catchment protection and improve water security in Freetown. By engaging stakeholders and encouraging community participation, the agency hopes to achieve lasting improvements in catchment health and water security. The success of this initiative will depend on the continued collaboration of government institutions, local councils, traditional authorities, and community organizations.
Key points
- The National Water Resources Management Agency (NWRMA) is working to protect Freetown's vital watersheds from deforestation and pollution.
- The Western Area Peninsula National Park supplies approximately 90% of Freetown's water and supports biodiversity.
- The NWRMA has launched the Western Area Peninsula Water Fund to mobilize resources for sustainable catchment protection.
