water resources management - tanzania.go.tz€¦ · critical issues of water resource management...

T A N Z A N I A A N D U N E S C O

83

UNESCO NATIONAL COMMISSION OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

IntroductionThe second planning

meeting of the IHP NationalCommittee was held on 10th

February 2010 at the ParadiseCity Hotel, Dar es Salaam.The main objectives of themeeting were to identifycritical issues of water resourcesmanagement in Tanzaniamainland and TanzaniaZanzibar, to identify priorityareas for action and to prepareaction plans and budget for

the programme. The meetingwas attended by represen-tatives from the Ministryof Natural Resources andTourism, Ministry of Water,Communication, Energy andLands Zanzibar, ZanzibarWater Authority (ZAWA),Dodoma Urban Water SupplyAuthority (DUWASA), Dar esSalaam Water Supply Com-pany (DAWASCO), Universityof Dar es Salaam Depart-ment of Water Resources

Engineering, Department ofGeology and the Instituteof Resource Assessment andthe UNESCO National Com-mission. During the meetingtwo papers on critical issueson water resources manage-ment in Tanzania Mainlandand Zanzibar were presented.

Opening SessionThe meeting was called

to order by the Chairpersonof the National IHP Commit-

Water ResourcesManagement

Planning Meeting of the National Committee for theUNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP)

10th February 2010, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

© O

xfam

REVUE TANZANIE 7 - 256P OK:REVUE TANZANIE 7 - 256P 16/08/10 19:53 Page 83


84


tee Dr. Tumaini A. Kimarowho thereafter invited Prof.Elizabeth Kiondo, ExecutiveSecretary National Commis-sion for UNESCO to deliverher welcoming remarks Prof.Kiondo informed the membersthat this is the second brain-storming meeting and thatits objective was to identifypriority areas for action con-cerning water resources man-agement in Tanzania andthe kind of interventions thatthe National IHP Committeemay consider implementing.She also informed that theNational IHP Committee andthat when all stakeholdersinstitutions have submittedthe names of their nomineethey will be forwarded tothe Minister for Educationand Vocational Training forofficial appointment intothe Committee.

Briefing on UNESCOIntergovernmentalHydrological Programme

This item was presentedby Prof. Kiondo. In her pre-sentation Prof. Kiondo gavean overview of the objectivesof UNESCO IHP namely;• To act as a vehicle throughwhich members states, coop-erating professional an scien-tific organizations and indi-vidual experts can upgradetheir knowledge of the watercycle, thereby increasing theircapacity to better manage

and develop their waterresources;• To develop techniques, me-thodologies and approachedto better define hydrologicalcycles;• To improve water manage-ment, locally and globallt;• To act as a catalyst to stimu-late cooperation and dialoguein water science management;• To assess the suitable devel-opment of vulnerable waterresources and to serve as aplatform for increasing aware-ness of global water issues;• To serve as a platform forincreasing awareness ofglobal water issues.

She further informed thecommittee that Tanzania ismember of the UNESCOIHP Governing Council andthat the Council works withNational Committees; globalnetworks, regional bureausand cluster offices. She citedthe Regional Office of Scienceand Technology in Africa(ROSTA) and the UNESCOCluster Office for as cooper-ating Institutions with Pro-gramme Specialists respon-sible for water issues. Thebiennial sectoral priority forUNESCO IHP in the DraftProgramme and Budget ofUNESCO for 2010-2011 is:

InternationalHydrological Programme

of UNESCO



85


sustainable management offresh water, oceans and ter-restrial resources. Prof. Kiondoconcluded by stressing thatthe objective of the meetingwas to identify national pri-ority areas which will lead tothe development of nationalIHP Programme Documentaction plan and budget.

To make the discussionmore meaningful tow paperson Critical issues on WaterResource Management inZanzibar and in TanzaniaMainland were presented.

Presentation of PapersCritical Issues of WaterResource Managementin Zanzibar

This paper was presentedby Mr. Said Suleiman, of theZanzibar Water Authority(ZAWA) in his presentation;Suleiman informed the com-mittee that Zanzibar is anoceanic island and that theMajor problem of oceanicislands is salty water intru-sion caused by natural phe-nomena or by over abstractionof groundwater. He said thatZanzibar sources of waterinclude; groundwater in theform of boreholes, shallowwells, springs, and cave wells,surface water in the form ofperennial and seasonal rivers,lake and ponds, rainwaterand sea water. He mentionedthe problems associated withthe water sources as follows;boreholes are located in privateland and therefore a subjectto encroachment due to urban-ization, destruction due tofelling of trees. The boreholesare also not protected by law,springs like Mto Pepo andBububu are facing decreasedamount of water due to con-struction of houses; cave wellslike Mwampaji are facingover-abstraction and deteri-oration of the quality and

quantity of water. Whenabstraction occurs, it is dif-ficult to reserve it.

Mt. Suleiman pointed outthat concerted efforts of allstakeholders in a bid to protectand conserve water resource.He named the stakeholdersas: Ministries in charge ofwater, land, environment,forestry, water authorities andlocal government. He alsocalled on the sensitization oflocal communities to valueand to protect their watersources. He named criticalissues facing water resourcesmanagement in Zanzibar as;salinity, lack of an integratedwater resources managementplan and policy, increased costof water (getting clean waterfrom far away) and degra-dation of catchment areas.He saw the political will inthe implementation of waterpolicies as a necessary tool forensuring sustainable waterresources management.

DiscussionDuring the discussion

members of the Committeenoted the following:• They underscored the impor-tance of the National IHPCommittee in water man-agement in Tanzania;• Proposed that there is needto strengthen some of theweaknesses of water man-agement in Zanzibar;• Agreed that there is needfor Zanzibar (both islands toconserve and protect her waterresources because the popu-lation is growing very fastand the needs for water arealso rising fast;• Noted that cave waterbecome saline because thereis movement of water goingon under the cave;• ZAWA should collaboratewith other stakeholders suchas the Ministry of Natural

Resources to harmonise poli-cies and enforce legislations.

Critical Issues of WaterResources Management inTanzania Mainland

This paper was presentedby Dr. Tumaini A. Kimaro,Lecturer, and Department ofWater Resources EngineeringUniversity of Dar es Salaam.Dr. Kimaro began by givingfacts and figures about Tan-zania that; It is 61% dry,available water is 89 cu.km/year, 89% of which is usedfor agriculture, per capitadomestic use is 3lts/day, 65%if available water is usedfor hydropower generation,cultivable land is 40m ha,irrigable land is 3.0m habit irrigated land is only0.2m ha. Tanzania receives200mcu lt per annum (lessthan 1,000 cu lt per annum).

Dr. Kimaro listed some ofthe challenges or criticalissues facing water resourcesmanagement in TanzaniaMainland as:• Fast growing populationwhich will lead to water stressin the next two decades;• Scarcity of water will leadto water conflicts upstream,downstream and transbound-ary, low crop production andlow hydropower production;• Management of major cross-border water bodies of L. Vic-toria, Nyasa and Tanganyika;• Scarcity of water will haveimpact on health in terms ofsanitation, water borne andwater related diseases;



86


• Protection of water sourcesand catchment areas;• Review of policies such asenergy policy, rural devel-opment policy, land policyand human settlement devel-opment policy;• Water resources assess-ment: understanding quan-tity and quality applicationof science and technology inwater resources managementand establishment of waterresources databases;• Identificvation and quan-tification of transboundarywater resources; and• Water disasters manage-ment: floods and droughtsand mitigation.

Dr. Kimaro proposed theformulation of action plansin the following priority areas:• Water resources manage-ment (security, conflicts, assess-ment and planning);• Water for food (soil andwater management);• Water and health (quantityand quality);• Water and energy (hydro-power and other sources ofpower);• Water for the environment;and

• Impact of climate changeon water.

DiscussionDuring the discussion the

members noted the followingproblems in connection withwater resources managementin Tanzania;• Tanzania has nine waterbasins which if properlymanagement will helped toalleviate water shortages inthe country;• There is lack of financial sus-tainability in water resourcesmanagement;• The Institutional frame-work for the management ofbiosphere reserves is weak,

It lacks the necessary inter-sectorality and should bestrengthened;• The available water country- wise is not known;• Forests and wetlands shouldbe included as priority areas inwater resources management.

Identification of PriorityAreas for Action

The Committee proposedthat the National Water Devel-opment Programme shouldbe examined to determine

where the National IHP Com-mittee can contribute. It agreedthat the Committee shouldwork on three themes; namely:• Water management inoceanic islands and coastalareas (Security, conflicts,assessment and planning);• Water for food (to respondto the National Strategy forPoverty Reduction (MKUKUTA),and (Agriculture First) KILIMOKWANZA initiative;• Water and the Environment.

It was agreed that the pri-ority areas for action shouldbe classified in to themes, subthemes and action as shownbelow;

ClosingProf. Kiondo closed the

meeting by thanking themember for their valuablecontribution to the success ofthe meeting. She promised topursue other institutions whichhave not yet nominatedmembers to the NationalCommittee to do so in orderto complete the process ofappointing members to theNational Committee.

■

ACTION

Improvement of network;Training of technical staff inhydrology and hydrogeology;water reserves mapping

Rainwater harvesting foragriculture and livestock

Capacity building inenvironmental flow assessmentand awareness creation onwater conservation issue

Prediction of impact of climatechange on surface and groundwater

S/N

1.

2.

3.

4.

THEME

Water management

Water for food

Water for environment

Impact of climate changeon water resources

SUB THEME

Water ResourcesAssessmentWater use assessmentStakeholder participation

Soil and watermanagementAdaptation measures forimpacts of climate changein agriculture

Environmental flowassessmentConservation of watersources



87


IntroductionThe United Republic of Tanzania which includes

mainland and Zanzibar islands is the largest countryin east Africa a home to highest water tower in Africa(the 5895m snow capped Mount Kilimanjaro) as wellas the deepest point (Lake Tanganyika). Tanzania shareswith her neighbors all great lakes in east Africa includingLake Victoria (source of White Nile and second largestfresh water lake in the world), Lake Tanganyika andlake Nyasa/Malawi. Additionally the country sharesmajor trans-boundary rivers with neighbors includingrivers Kagera and Mara draining into Lake Victoria,Songwe draining into Lake Nyasa and Ruvuma at theborder with Mozambique draining into Indian Ocean.Despite having so much water on the periphery of thecountry Tanzania is considered a dry country with 61%of the land classified as dry. Most of the country receivesless than 800mm/year and devastating droughtsresulting in famine frequently occur. Occasionally floodswash away railway and road bridges and cause land-slides on fragile mountain slopes.

Water Management ChallengesSustainable management of water resources in the

face of rapidly growing population and climate change/variability seems to be the main challenge in both Mainlandand Zanzibar. There is low capacity for water man-agement in the country which have resulted in problemslike; pollution of water sources by both domestic andindustrial wastes, deforestation of important catchmentareas and subsequent dry up of rivers, lack of water forbasic hygiene resulting in high prevalence of water bornediseases, water conflicts between upstream/downstreamand across sectors, insufficient water for hydropowergeneration, food shortage, destruction of aquatic resources,low water use efficiency, high water losses in urbansupply networks, low water supply coverage etc.

IHP ActivitiesThe National IHP committee in Tanzania has just

been formed thanks to the efforts of the UNESCO NationalCommission in Tanzania and the UNESCO cluster officein Dar es Salaam which are spearheading the activity.There have been two meetings the first of which wasfor proposing institutions to be represented in thenational IHP committee to have members representingthe various institutional mandates and disciplines inwater management. The second meeting was called toassess water management situation in the country andidentify priority areas to be included in the NationalAction Plan for the biennial 2010-2011. The priority areaswere identified from a review of policies with bearingon water and specific government program for watersector development and they are generally classifiedin 5 main areas as;• Capacity building in IWRM focusing on (water resourcesassessment, training of stakeholders on IWRM principlesand practices, improving water use efficiency, reducingwater losses);• Water for food focusing on increasing productionper drop in arid areas;• Water and Health (reducing the burden of diseasesthrough hygiene education, increasing domestic watersupply through alternative source rain water harvesting,improving domestic water quality);• Water and environment (watershed management,water quality, ecological integrity);• Climate change impacts on water resources (identi-fication of vulnerabilities and design of adaptationmeasures for critically affected communities).

Activities planned to respond to above mentionedproblems include, training, outreach, research, surveys,workshops and conferences. The committee plans to iden-tify different Institutions to carry out activities identifiedin the National Plan of Action such as training, surveys,research, outreach conferences and workshops. The aimis to build on existing efforts and create synergies whichwill facilitate achievement of objectives of the plan. ■

Activities of the National IHP Committee

Report Presented at the Third Regional Meeting of the IHP NationalCommittees of Sub-Saharan Africa, Cotonou, Benin 15-17 February, 2010

by Dr. Kimaro, T.A.Water Resources Engineering Department,

College of Engineering and Technology, UDSM


water resources management - tanzania.go.tz€¦ · critical issues of water resource management...

Documents