Presentation given by Jean Boroto of GWP Southern Africa at the International Conference on IWRM in Tokyo - December 2004

1. A collaborative effort towards
implementing IWRM
A southern African perspective
Jean Boroto
GWP- Southern Africa

2. Background
 15 rivers are shared
 3 major lakes are shared (Malawi,
Tanganyika, Victoria)
 Prevailing semi arid climate
 Increasing climate variability
 Competing needs for a limited resource
 Need to collaborate…
 Call for an IWRM approach

3. Selected Southern African river basins
River
Basin
Congo
Cunene
Limpopo
Okavango
Orange
Save
Zambezi
Basin area
(km2)
3 800 000
106 500
415 000
570 000
850 000
92 500
1 400 000
River length
(km)
4 700
1 050
1 750
1 100
2 300
740
2 650
Mean Annual
Runoff at mouth
(106 m3 yr-1)
1 260 000
5 500
5 500
11 000
11 500
7 000
94 000
Unit runoff
(mm)
330
52
13
19
13
76
67

4. Congo River monthly flows (1903-1983)
Figure 1. Monthly flows at the Congo River from 1903 to 1983 (Unesco, 1995)
Shashe River
90000
80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
January to December
Monthly flow (m3/s)

5. Floods in Crocodile River, South Africa

6. Access to water for domestic use: Southern African countries
(Year 2000 estimates)
Country
Population
2000
(milli
ons)
Proportion
urba
nised
Access to safe
water %)
Access to
sanitation
(%)
Urba
n
Rural Urba
n
Rural
Angola 12.903 31 69 15 34 8
Botswana 1.693 64 100 91 91 41
DRC 52.046 29 37 23 23 4
Lesotho 2.156 25 65 54 53 36
Malawi 10.778 14 80 32 52 24
Mozambique 19.980 35 17 40 53 15
Namibia 1.739 37 87 42 77 32
South Africa 43.265 49 80 40 79 50
Swaziland 0.928 32 61 44 66 37
Tanzania 33.744 25 67 45 74 62
Zambia 9.191 43 64 27 75 32
Zimbabwe 13.109 43 90 69 90 42

11. Integrated Water Resources
Management at a glance

12. Our regional context…
 15 shared rivers
 A Protocol for shared watercourses which is
IWRM compliant
 River Basin Commissions being established, often
after difficult negotiations which have lasted
years…
 Southern Africa is firmly engaged on a path for
the sustainable management of its water
resources…

13. Current responses
 Existence of a regional Vision on
Water Life and Environment
 Enabling environment to manage
water resources:
– (Revised) Protocol for shared water
courses
– Development of a policy and strategy
under way

14. Conceptual Framework for the Regional Water Policy
SADC Regional
Integration and
Poverty Eradication
Industrial
Development
Food
Security
Access to
Water & San
Energy
Security
Safety from
Disasters
Development without compromising the Environment
Integrated Water Resources Management
Institutions at
national and
regional levels
Capacity
Building
Stakeholder
Participation
WR
Information
Management
G
O
A
L
O
B
J
E
C
T
I
V
E
S
A
P
P
R
O
A
C
H
T
O
O
L
S
IWRM
Plans
Conflict
Resolution
Environmental
Management

15. Current responses
Implementation of the Protocol:
– Establishment of River Basin
Commissions such as Limpopo,
Okavango, Orange and Zambezi
– Agreements such the IncoMaputo
agreement (Mozambique, South Africa,
Swaziland)
– Joint Permanent (Technical) Committees
between several countries

16. Current responses
 GEF support to transboundary
watercourses such as:
– Lake Victoria
– Lake Tanganyika
– Lake Malawi
– Limpopo River
– Okavango River
– Orange River

17. Current responses
Implementation of WSSD resolution
to develop IWRM Plans by 2005…
– Malawi and Zambia: CIDA/GWP
–Mozambique and Swaziland: NEDA/
GWP
– Angola: SIDA/ GWP
– Tanzania and Botswana as a regional
initiative: GEF/UNDP/GWP
– Namibia: GEF/UNDP/ GWP at country
level

18. Towards the WSSD Target….IWRM/WE Plans by 2005
Support for IWRM plans
The Netherlands DGIS
Canadian CIDA
USA USAID
GEF, Global Environmental Facility
EU Water Initiative
Norweigan Development Cooperation
Countries with UNDP offices
Potential for
support for
IWRM plans
in Sub-Saharan
Africa

19. Key challenges
 Integration with transboundary
initiatives:
– Botswana – Member of River Basin
Commissions on Limpopo, Okavango,
Orange and Zambezi
– Tanzania: co basin to the three major
lakes (Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria)

20. Key challenges
 Integration across sectors
– Old approach of working in silos
– Competition between the three Es (see
next slide) and among various water
use sectors, each being relevant…

21. Relevant
Truly relevant Extremely relevant!!!

22. Key challenges
Cost of implementing IWRM?
– Each aspect of IWRM requires resources.
Soft issues - awareness raising, capacity
building, etc…
Enforcing capacity
Tools, data collection
Infrastructure development

23. Access to water for domestic use: Southern African countries
(Year 2000 estimates)
Country
Population
2000
(milli
ons)
Proportion
urba
nised
Access to safe
water %)
Access to
sanitation
(%)
Urba
n
Rural Urba
n
Rural
Angola 12.903 31 69 15 34 8
Botswana 1.693 64 100 91 91 41
DRC 52.046 29 37 23 23 4
Lesotho 2.156 25 65 54 53 36
Malawi 10.778 14 80 32 52 24
Mozambique 19.980 35 17 40 53 15
Namibia 1.739 37 87 42 77 32
South Africa 43.265 49 80 40 79 50
Swaziland 0.928 32 61 44 66 37
Tanzania 33.744 25 67 45 74 62
Zambia 9.191 43 64 27 75 32
Zimbabwe 13.109 43 90 69 90 42
Changing these figures will take billions of $ and €

24. Opportunities
 Regional Dimension
– Knowledge Management
– Platform for sharing experiences
– Showcasing regional example in order to share
lessons with other regions
 Filling gaps
– DRC
– Lesotho
– South Africa (review current National WR
Strategy which stands for an IWRM Plan
– Zimbabwe ( same as South Africa)

25. And so what!
 IWRM should contribute to overall well being of
our people and should take place in a context of
a favourable socio-economic and political
environment.
 IWRM is not therefore a magical solution, but a
contribution to a new way of doing things in a
framework that recognises that water is key to
the development of Southern Africa.
 IWRM will remain an iterative process…

26. If IWRM is to make a change
In our people’s lives
Then the journey has just started…