World Environment Day was celebrated at the site of the Seil Gideim earth dam in Wadi El Ku, North Darfur, in order to showcase a ‘real-life’ example of how improved management of limited rainwater can protect communities from the effects of climate variability.

The dam – constructed last year as part of UNEP and partners’ Wadi El Ku Catchment Management Project funded by the European Union – has maximized the use of limited rain for agricultural production, and has protected communities and their harvests against the effects of the 2015 poor rainy season.

As part of the WED celebrations, communities benefitting from the dam shared personal experiences of how it has helped protect their harvests. They also spoke about how the dam brought together people from 20 villages, improving relationships over water and safeguarding food security across villages.

The state Ministry of Environment and local communities led the celebrations, joined and supported by UNEP, Practical Action, civil society, and state government. The state Minister of Environment opened the event, joined by the Commissioner of El Fasher Locality and other senior government representatives. The minister also joined UNEP and Practical Action in radio broadcasts ahead of the day raising awareness about the environment.

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