Whose water, Whose Knowledge? - My 1st week Journey at IHE- Delft

In my first week during the introduction and welcoming sessions at IHE Delft, I started already questioning and framing my previous idea and knowledge, lens it in a very practical and primitive thought.

When I read that our next presentation will be about whose knowledge and whose water, I quickly replied to myself in a very simplistic way - to everyone, it probably was influenced by my previous understanding, based on very mechanical and robotic thinking, or I can say even based in a cliche.

Water-related issues indeed are very complex and sensitive, when it comes to whose knowledge and whose water, it makes us, in fact, to dive more in. We saw that water is a key factor for country development and very entangled with all other sectors, thus closely related to the success of the SDGs.

In the last of my two years of research on the environment field, I repetitively heard, read, about Natural Based Solutions (NBS). With the very first lecture - Whose knowledge, whose Water, I realized that NBS is not just a way to undermine and tackle climate change, or foster innovative and friend technologies related to the environment but beyond that, is one of the ways to decolonize, equalize, and multiview one problem in a different lens, level, and scale. The lecture made me think primitively about my island (Cabo Verde), which is very vulnerable to water in terms of availability and quality. It made me stop and rethink my thoughts adapted to my country's characteristics. I am emphasizing this because sometimes our eager desire to make big things and implement high tech, recurring constantly to international expertise, make us forget about our own national force and wisdom plus the sustainability of it.

Many people think that Climate Change Initiatives are making people going back to their origins, comfort, and country prosperity is in danger. In the same way, the world is claiming for change, and states are seeking better practice, which is sustainable, inclusive, and based on collaborative modeling.

Here, I asked about the traditional knowledge and traditional technologies that in times took place to save water in the rainy season; I reminded that when the rainy season was approaching everyone was engaged and preparing their water source for the dry season in order to feel safe during "Vacas magras". Their knowledge was very assertive, practical, and useful based on natural solutions and at a low cost.

Here, I realized that all knowledge counts when it comes to water issues and how it's planned and implemented. I realized that excluding this traditional wisdom and rely alone on political measures, sometimes cost the basic living conditions to the sideline communities more than if they are active in providing solutions in water-related issues.

Here I realized that the conquering of the landscape on land transduced in dams construction - in this specific topic, it's driven more to increase land productivity, to highlight political agenda than to assist real problems for the one that most need. I realized that even though we know (Cape Verdeans) the pattern of the precipitation, we do not create any more natural solutions to capture as more as possible the abundant water during this period; we do not share and make available environmental data to incentive more research and innovations in water and climate. 

Research and involvement are the keys to find Innovative solutions because water issues are not a definite target.  

Helen Barbosa, 08/11/2020