Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Nov - Dec Vol. 9 No.6 | Page 12

NEWS in brief

Global Highlights

planning and financial modeling before presentation for
consideration by major investment bodies like development
banks and government development agencies.
Along with its grants, the AWF also provides technical
expertise and know-how to support project grantees all the
way to project completion.
Launch of Cap-Net Virtual Campus

The other side consists of “by riverside property owners.”
The property owners want part of South Carolina’s water
withdrawal law overturned, the report said.
“Landowners who filed suit say the law allows farms to take
water from rivers at the expense of users downstream. The
water law was written to stop unchecked siphoning from
rivers, but it allows less oversight of agriculture than other
water users, such as industries,” the report said.
The law, passed in 2010 with certain exemptions for
farmers, sparked controversy this year when a potato farm
was approved to make large water withdrawals.
“On the Edisto River’s south fork near Windsor, S.C.,
Michigan-based agribusiness Walther Farms plans to siphon
as much as 800 million gallons of water per month for twothirds of the year. Conservationists say using the Edisto
to irrigate what’s expected to be the largest potato farm in
South Caro¬lina could have devastating effects on the river’s
ecosystem,” the Augusta Chronicle reported.
“To opponents, Walther Farms represents the beginning of
an attack on the state’s rivers and streams,” the report said.
Environmentalists are at odds with state regulators over the
plan at Walther Farms.
Source: Water Online
Grants for water projects in Africa
The African Water Facility (AWF)
awards grants of between €50,000
and €5,000,000 to water projects
that need financial and technical
help for implementation, or to meet
the strict criteria expected by development partners and
the global investment community.
The AWF’s strategic focus is in supporting Project
Preparation, Water Governance and Water Knowledge
projects designed to catalyze the development of the African
water sector. Occasionally, the AWF also provides grants to
fund the implementation of small-scale pilot projects.
The preparation of bankable projects entails rigorous
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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene