Projects > Brief descriptions > Transboundary water management in the SADC region

Contact person

Dr Horst Vogel
Email: horst.vogel@giz.de

Sharing water resources across borders

Project description

Title: Transboundary water management in the SADC region
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Africa, transnational (SADC headquarters: Botswana)
Lead executing agency: Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Overall term: 2005 to 2015

Context

Water is a crucial factor for the economic development of southern Africa. Most of the region is characterised by extremely variable rainfall that is unequally distributed, with periodically recurring drought. Since the bulk of the region’s water resources come from the 15 transboundary river basins, sustainable management of the water resources requires the cooperation of all the riparian states.

In light of this, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) adopted the ‘Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems’, which established the preconditions for joint transboundary management of water resources. In addition, SADC focuses on developing transboundary water infrastructure measures in order to improve the lives of the people living in the region.

Objective

The project strengthens the capacities of institutions that ensure sustainable management of water resources in the SADC region. This includes supporting the establishment of river basin organisations for the Limpopo and Orange-Senqu rivers. These are multilateral organisations that strive to promote the peaceful sharing of scarce water resources from rivers that flow across borders. The project promotes management plans through which all the riparian states commit themselves to the coordinated economic development of the whole area of the river systems.

Approach

The German project strengthens the institutional and human resource capacities of river basin organisations and their networking efforts, as well as the development of management plans for entire river basins. Furthermore it supports the capacities of the SADC Secretariat and affiliated organisations. This establishes transparency and trust, which strengthens the cooperation between all members including the riparian states.

GIZ promotes exchanges between all international donors and encourages the harmonisation of their support. In the Orange-Senqu river system, it has formed a strategy committee with representatives of the regional river basin organisations and their donors. This committee is developing a concerted management plan for the entire river basin that combines the assistance of different donors and directs it towards a common objective.

The following consulting firms are supporting the GIZ Transboundary Water Management programme.

AHT Group AG, Essen, is developing river awareness kits.
Björnsen Consulting Engineers GmbH (BCE), Koblenz, develops the terms of reference for studies and ensures the quality of reports submitted.
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, South Africa, is helping to establish guidelines for river basin organisations in the SADC region, and addressing specific water policy questions in the region.
Hatfield Consultants, Canada, is creating websites for river basin organisations in the SADC region and developing river awareness kits.
Real Marketing Concepts (RMC), Botswana, organises and manages training measures, workshops and conferences.
SWECO, South Africa, arranges training in hydro-geological mapping.
WRP (Pty) Ltd, Pretoria, South Africa, is conducting a study on the Orange-Senqu river.
SSI Engineers and Environmental Consultants (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa, is carrying out a study on dam synchronisation in the Zambezi river basin.
WYG International Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa, is updating the SADC Regional Strategic Action Plan on water.

Results achieved so far

The project has successfully promoted the establishment of the river basin organisations at the Limpopo and Orange-Senqu rivers. Now it is supporting these organisations and their secretariats in further developing their legal, institutional and organisational structures and capacities. This includes drawing up guidelines such as for financial administration, involvement of interest groups or environmental management, supporting the river basin organisation partnerships, and promoting information and knowledge management.

Projects for drinking water, irrigation and power generation can be implemented most effectively when all the riparian countries in a river basin pull together.

February 2010