In this chapter, we first analyze how IWRM
has been conceptualized and how attempts to
implement it are thwarted by a plethora of
environmental, social and political conditions.
We use the case study of Zimbabwe (Fig. 4.1) to
illustrate how these conditions undermine water
resources management in the region.
4.4 Challenges of Implementing
IWRM in Zimbabwe
The challenges that undermine IWRM in Zimbabwe vary from the generic factors that affect
Zimbabwe as a whole and those that affect local
actors, including local communities. Among the
former are conditions such as relief and drainage,
prevailing climatic conditions, population
growth, while the latter relate to conditions that
are inherent in local communities, as noted
below.
4.4.1 Relief and Drainage
Zimbabwe’s major rivers radiate from a central
watershed, with some rivers flowing mainly to
the northwards into the Zambezi Basin and the
rest southeastwards into the Save-Limpopo
Basin. As shown in Fig. 4.1, Zimbabwe is
characterized by a central northeast-southwest
watershed from which four major rivers flow
northwards into the Zambezi Valley, while
another three flow southeastwards into the SaveLimpopo Basin.
There is a mismatch between population distribution and the distribution of surface water
resources. Attempts to recover the huge water
losses tumbling into the lower basin areas of the
country have been fraught with failure due to the
huge uphill pumping costs involved. For
instance, the Zambezi-Water Project (ZWP),
which was planned three decades ago still has not
been implemented. The ZWP was designed to
pump water from the Zambezi River to the drier
western parts of the country, including Bulawayo
(Fig. 4.1).
4.4.2 Climatic Conditions
As shown in Figs. 4.2 and 4.3, most of the areas
that receive low rainfall are the once where
average monthly temperatures are highest.
Moreover with global warming, it means that the
available water will be reduced by increased
evapotranspiration.
Such a situation generally leads to scarcity of
water due to the high rates of evaporation that
prevail in these areas. Variations in rainfall are
largely influenced by the north-south movement
of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).
The ITCZ migrates southwards during the summer season, during which time much of the rainfall is received. The opposite is true for the winter
season. Though the prevailing climate is savannah, with two distinct seasons, a hot wet summer
and a cool dry winter (Fig. 4.4), the country is
prone to drought, a phenomenon that has become
more frequent in recent years. This situation renders water resources management, and let alone
IWRM, problematic. Under such circumstances
where water is scarce due to low and erratic
rainfall, the state of the environment and subsequently water resources are compromised. Due to
critical water shortages, the environment’s entitlement to water is rarely observed. Thus, whereas
the new water policy is based on an anthropocentric view which regards the environment as
a one of the water users, in essence it is the state of
the environment that actually determines how
much water is available for all aspects of life that
depend on it, including the state of the economy,
livelihoods and biophysical conditions. The
environment has been recognized as a legitimate
user of water and provided an allocation is prioritized for environmental purposes in order to
assist in its protection.
4.4.3 Population
Previous research on the communal areas of
Zimbabwe has made reference to the considerable
pressure exerted on natural resources due to rapid
population growth, leading to the worsening of
4 Integrated Water Resources Management in Southern Africa …
29
has been conceptualized and how attempts to
implement it are thwarted by a plethora of
environmental, social and political conditions.
We use the case study of Zimbabwe (Fig. 4.1) to
illustrate how these conditions undermine water
resources management in the region.
4.4 Challenges of Implementing
IWRM in Zimbabwe
The challenges that undermine IWRM in Zimbabwe vary from the generic factors that affect
Zimbabwe as a whole and those that affect local
actors, including local communities. Among the
former are conditions such as relief and drainage,
prevailing climatic conditions, population
growth, while the latter relate to conditions that
are inherent in local communities, as noted
below.
4.4.1 Relief and Drainage
Zimbabwe’s major rivers radiate from a central
watershed, with some rivers flowing mainly to
the northwards into the Zambezi Basin and the
rest southeastwards into the Save-Limpopo
Basin. As shown in Fig. 4.1, Zimbabwe is
characterized by a central northeast-southwest
watershed from which four major rivers flow
northwards into the Zambezi Valley, while
another three flow southeastwards into the SaveLimpopo Basin.
There is a mismatch between population distribution and the distribution of surface water
resources. Attempts to recover the huge water
losses tumbling into the lower basin areas of the
country have been fraught with failure due to the
huge uphill pumping costs involved. For
instance, the Zambezi-Water Project (ZWP),
which was planned three decades ago still has not
been implemented. The ZWP was designed to
pump water from the Zambezi River to the drier
western parts of the country, including Bulawayo
(Fig. 4.1).
4.4.2 Climatic Conditions
As shown in Figs. 4.2 and 4.3, most of the areas
that receive low rainfall are the once where
average monthly temperatures are highest.
Moreover with global warming, it means that the
available water will be reduced by increased
evapotranspiration.
Such a situation generally leads to scarcity of
water due to the high rates of evaporation that
prevail in these areas. Variations in rainfall are
largely influenced by the north-south movement
of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).
The ITCZ migrates southwards during the summer season, during which time much of the rainfall is received. The opposite is true for the winter
season. Though the prevailing climate is savannah, with two distinct seasons, a hot wet summer
and a cool dry winter (Fig. 4.4), the country is
prone to drought, a phenomenon that has become
more frequent in recent years. This situation renders water resources management, and let alone
IWRM, problematic. Under such circumstances
where water is scarce due to low and erratic
rainfall, the state of the environment and subsequently water resources are compromised. Due to
critical water shortages, the environment’s entitlement to water is rarely observed. Thus, whereas
the new water policy is based on an anthropocentric view which regards the environment as
a one of the water users, in essence it is the state of
the environment that actually determines how
much water is available for all aspects of life that
depend on it, including the state of the economy,
livelihoods and biophysical conditions. The
environment has been recognized as a legitimate
user of water and provided an allocation is prioritized for environmental purposes in order to
assist in its protection.
4.4.3 Population
Previous research on the communal areas of
Zimbabwe has made reference to the considerable
pressure exerted on natural resources due to rapid
population growth, leading to the worsening of
4 Integrated Water Resources Management in Southern Africa …
29