entitled ‘Towards Integrated Water Resources
Management’, in conformity with the spirit of
IWRM.
Other important regional initiatives on collaborative water resources management include
the Regional Strategic Action Plan on IWRM
Development and Planning, Regional Water
Policy and Regional Water Strategy, which
sought the adoption of a common approach to the
management of the region’s water resources.
Consequently, over the past two decades, SADC
countries have been working on a unified regional policy and an institutional water management
framework, whose purpose is to encourage
member states to synchronize their country
policies and strategies for the development and
management of the region’s shared water
resources. The current regional framework for
water resources development and management
advocates the adoption of IWRM principles and
tools by all member states to create a common
platform for regional integration and create equal
opportunities for member states. Thus, most
SADC countries are at various stages of implementing the IWRM framework.
However, in southern Africa, water resources
management has been complicated by climatic
variability (Gallego-Ayala and Juízo 2011). The
2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change report notes that southern Africa is one
of the regions that are most vulnerable to climate
change in Africa. Climate change has the
potential to exacerbate water supply and demand
pressures in southern Africa (Kusangaya et al.
2014). In recent years, the frequency and intensity of the occurrence of both droughts and
floods have been increasing. In 2016, Zimbabwe
and Malawi declared a state of disaster and
emergency, respectively, due to drought. Climate
change calls for southern African countries to
develop new water resources development and
management frameworks as well as competency
in governance, accountability and the upholding
of the rule of law (World Bank 2010, 2015), with
the overall goal of promoting social and economic development. While water-related challenges can be location specific, there is an
element of homogeneity regarding the way the
role water plays in the development needs and
aspirations of communities across the region.
SADC countries also experienced common
problems regarding to water governance and
management. For example, in South Africa and
Zimbabwe, there were serious distortions and
inequities regarding access to water by the general populace. In these countries, Whites had
better access to water compared with Blacks and
other ethnic groups. However, even after the
reforms, legal pluralism has remained intact,
signifying a situation whereby custom practices
co-exist with statutory law (Chikozho and
Latham 2005).
In southern Africa, IWRM is viewed as central to the survival of rural communities, whose
livelihoods still largely depend on rainfed agriculture. For instance, in Malawi, Botswana,
Kenya, and Zimbabwe about 90%, 76%, 85%,
and 70–80%, of the rural populations, respectively make their living from rainfed agriculture
(Rockstrom 2000). Agriculture is generally considered as a key aspect of development and a
means of improving livelihoods. Figure 4.1
shows the location of some southern African
countries. In this region, there is a vast potential
for using the available water resources to broaden
the economic base of these countries, first by
improving access to water, and second by
managing the available resources in a sustainable
manner.
4.3 IWRM in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe committed itself to meeting one of the
United Nations MDGs, in which it sought to
provide safe drinking water and sanitation to at
least two-thirds of its population by 2015 in line
with government’s recognition of the right to
water as a fundamental human right in terms of
the 1996 International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, to which the country
is a signatory (Mutopo and Chiweshe 2014).
Accordingly, the country adopted IWRM with
much enthusiasm. For instance, institutional
structures were established at watershed level
across the whole country within 6 months,
4 Integrated Water Resources Management in Southern Africa …
27
Management’, in conformity with the spirit of
IWRM.
Other important regional initiatives on collaborative water resources management include
the Regional Strategic Action Plan on IWRM
Development and Planning, Regional Water
Policy and Regional Water Strategy, which
sought the adoption of a common approach to the
management of the region’s water resources.
Consequently, over the past two decades, SADC
countries have been working on a unified regional policy and an institutional water management
framework, whose purpose is to encourage
member states to synchronize their country
policies and strategies for the development and
management of the region’s shared water
resources. The current regional framework for
water resources development and management
advocates the adoption of IWRM principles and
tools by all member states to create a common
platform for regional integration and create equal
opportunities for member states. Thus, most
SADC countries are at various stages of implementing the IWRM framework.
However, in southern Africa, water resources
management has been complicated by climatic
variability (Gallego-Ayala and Juízo 2011). The
2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change report notes that southern Africa is one
of the regions that are most vulnerable to climate
change in Africa. Climate change has the
potential to exacerbate water supply and demand
pressures in southern Africa (Kusangaya et al.
2014). In recent years, the frequency and intensity of the occurrence of both droughts and
floods have been increasing. In 2016, Zimbabwe
and Malawi declared a state of disaster and
emergency, respectively, due to drought. Climate
change calls for southern African countries to
develop new water resources development and
management frameworks as well as competency
in governance, accountability and the upholding
of the rule of law (World Bank 2010, 2015), with
the overall goal of promoting social and economic development. While water-related challenges can be location specific, there is an
element of homogeneity regarding the way the
role water plays in the development needs and
aspirations of communities across the region.
SADC countries also experienced common
problems regarding to water governance and
management. For example, in South Africa and
Zimbabwe, there were serious distortions and
inequities regarding access to water by the general populace. In these countries, Whites had
better access to water compared with Blacks and
other ethnic groups. However, even after the
reforms, legal pluralism has remained intact,
signifying a situation whereby custom practices
co-exist with statutory law (Chikozho and
Latham 2005).
In southern Africa, IWRM is viewed as central to the survival of rural communities, whose
livelihoods still largely depend on rainfed agriculture. For instance, in Malawi, Botswana,
Kenya, and Zimbabwe about 90%, 76%, 85%,
and 70–80%, of the rural populations, respectively make their living from rainfed agriculture
(Rockstrom 2000). Agriculture is generally considered as a key aspect of development and a
means of improving livelihoods. Figure 4.1
shows the location of some southern African
countries. In this region, there is a vast potential
for using the available water resources to broaden
the economic base of these countries, first by
improving access to water, and second by
managing the available resources in a sustainable
manner.
4.3 IWRM in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe committed itself to meeting one of the
United Nations MDGs, in which it sought to
provide safe drinking water and sanitation to at
least two-thirds of its population by 2015 in line
with government’s recognition of the right to
water as a fundamental human right in terms of
the 1996 International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, to which the country
is a signatory (Mutopo and Chiweshe 2014).
Accordingly, the country adopted IWRM with
much enthusiasm. For instance, institutional
structures were established at watershed level
across the whole country within 6 months,
4 Integrated Water Resources Management in Southern Africa …
27