The water challenge also extends to livestock,
which in the dry season have to skip a day or two
without drinking, largely due to the distant nature
of watering holes. Cases of livestock falling into
abstraction wells or even death are particularly
common in the driest and hottest parts of the
basin.
4.5.5 Ineffectiveness of Government
Institutions
Interviews held with the Zaka District Environmental Management Agency (EMA) officer and
the Lower Save West Sub-Catchment Council
(LSWSCC) outreach officer, revealed that their
institutions are active in Turwi Basin.
2 The two
officers reported that they hold regular meetings
with local communities, educating them about
the value of forests, land and water resources and
how best to manage these resources. The EMA
District Environmental Officer and LSWSCC’s
outreach officers maintained that they educate
local communities about environmental protection, and catchment protection. The catchment
protection activities that are carried out in the
basin include reforestation, establishment of
woodlots, development of community nutrition
gardens and contour ridging, all which indirectly
involve local communities in water resource
protection within the basin.
In an endeavor to promote and improve
environmental management, EMA officials have
roped in traditional leaders to assist in organizing
their communities in undertaking these activities,
signifying the failure of government institutions
to cope with the implementation of IWRM.
While EMA imposes heavy financial penalties
involving the issuing of tickets to those who flout
environmental laws, this by itself has not created
any meaningful opportunities for IWRM. There
are many cases where EMA officials report grave
environmental offences to the police yet the
culprits have never been prosecuted, demonstrating that there is poor law enforcement too.
4.5.6 Poverty
To cushion themselves from poverty and food
insecurity basin residents often set up nutrition
gardens, a practice that has become widespread
across the entire basin. Almost without exception, individual gardens are makeshift structures,
which need to be repaired annually because they
are branch fenced. This means that trees are cut
down every year for fencing purposes. This
accelerates deforestation and subsequently soil
erosion and siltation in the Turwi Basin. Ultimately, these processes compromise water
resources availability and consequently undermine prospects for IWRM. However, in most
villages, community gardens have reduced the
need for individual gardens. On average, each
village has a garden of its own. The gardens are
run on a cooperative basis. Indirectly, communal
gardens help to curb deforestation, soil erosion
and siltation, and promoting environmental
rehabilitation. This is because communal gardens
are constructed with more durable fencing
materials, most of which are donated by
community-based organizations.
However, individual household gardens are
still prevalent within the basin. Unfortunately,
some gardens are located in steeply inclined
areas, as well as along stream banks or other
environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands.
Due to poverty, many villagers are unable to
maintain the fertility of the land they till. Once
the soils in their gardens or fields are exhausted
the villagers open new ones in new locations
because they cannot afford inputs like fertilizers
to maintain land fertility. With increasing basin
population pressure, environmental degradation
is expected to worsen as a result of this practice.
2
The LSWSCC is an example of a sub-catchment
committee, the lowest level institution recognized by
law within the Turwi River Basin. Though this level
would be regarded as the “lowest appropriate authority” in
legal terms, the actual level at which water resources are
being effectively managed are traditional structures such
as chiefs and villages heads, which are at a much lower
level than what the law prescribes. In practice government
officials involved in water management, including EMA,
LSWSCC and AGRITEX officials, deal with these
traditional authorities in order for their operations to be
effective.
4 Integrated Water Resources Management in Southern Africa …
37
which in the dry season have to skip a day or two
without drinking, largely due to the distant nature
of watering holes. Cases of livestock falling into
abstraction wells or even death are particularly
common in the driest and hottest parts of the
basin.
4.5.5 Ineffectiveness of Government
Institutions
Interviews held with the Zaka District Environmental Management Agency (EMA) officer and
the Lower Save West Sub-Catchment Council
(LSWSCC) outreach officer, revealed that their
institutions are active in Turwi Basin.
2 The two
officers reported that they hold regular meetings
with local communities, educating them about
the value of forests, land and water resources and
how best to manage these resources. The EMA
District Environmental Officer and LSWSCC’s
outreach officers maintained that they educate
local communities about environmental protection, and catchment protection. The catchment
protection activities that are carried out in the
basin include reforestation, establishment of
woodlots, development of community nutrition
gardens and contour ridging, all which indirectly
involve local communities in water resource
protection within the basin.
In an endeavor to promote and improve
environmental management, EMA officials have
roped in traditional leaders to assist in organizing
their communities in undertaking these activities,
signifying the failure of government institutions
to cope with the implementation of IWRM.
While EMA imposes heavy financial penalties
involving the issuing of tickets to those who flout
environmental laws, this by itself has not created
any meaningful opportunities for IWRM. There
are many cases where EMA officials report grave
environmental offences to the police yet the
culprits have never been prosecuted, demonstrating that there is poor law enforcement too.
4.5.6 Poverty
To cushion themselves from poverty and food
insecurity basin residents often set up nutrition
gardens, a practice that has become widespread
across the entire basin. Almost without exception, individual gardens are makeshift structures,
which need to be repaired annually because they
are branch fenced. This means that trees are cut
down every year for fencing purposes. This
accelerates deforestation and subsequently soil
erosion and siltation in the Turwi Basin. Ultimately, these processes compromise water
resources availability and consequently undermine prospects for IWRM. However, in most
villages, community gardens have reduced the
need for individual gardens. On average, each
village has a garden of its own. The gardens are
run on a cooperative basis. Indirectly, communal
gardens help to curb deforestation, soil erosion
and siltation, and promoting environmental
rehabilitation. This is because communal gardens
are constructed with more durable fencing
materials, most of which are donated by
community-based organizations.
However, individual household gardens are
still prevalent within the basin. Unfortunately,
some gardens are located in steeply inclined
areas, as well as along stream banks or other
environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands.
Due to poverty, many villagers are unable to
maintain the fertility of the land they till. Once
the soils in their gardens or fields are exhausted
the villagers open new ones in new locations
because they cannot afford inputs like fertilizers
to maintain land fertility. With increasing basin
population pressure, environmental degradation
is expected to worsen as a result of this practice.
2
The LSWSCC is an example of a sub-catchment
committee, the lowest level institution recognized by
law within the Turwi River Basin. Though this level
would be regarded as the “lowest appropriate authority” in
legal terms, the actual level at which water resources are
being effectively managed are traditional structures such
as chiefs and villages heads, which are at a much lower
level than what the law prescribes. In practice government
officials involved in water management, including EMA,
LSWSCC and AGRITEX officials, deal with these
traditional authorities in order for their operations to be
effective.
4 Integrated Water Resources Management in Southern Africa …
37