Participatory management of water resources has a crucial role to play

from IPP Media

This story details the challenges of water and sanitation programs in Tanzania. - Kale

By Perege Gumbo

As 50 percent of Tanzania`s population remains below poverty line living on less than 1 US dollar per day, poverty becomes the number one concern of government.

However, with over 80 percent of the poor being in rural areas depending on agriculture for survival, how could good water development and management unlock the majority of people from abject poverty? Staff writer Perege Gumbo reports:

THE Tanzania`s Reduction Strategy Paper (PSRP) and the development Vision 2025 testify inalienability of water from the country`s development.

The two documents show clearly that for Tanzania to achieve its development aspirations-eradicate poverty, attain water and food security, sustain biodiversity and maintain ecosystem, then water was critically important.

Water and Tanzania economy:

Several studies have shown that the importance of water to Tanzania`s economy and the role it could play in government`s efforts to fighting poverty was enormous.

The Poverty and Human Development Report of 2007 for instance, underlined that the performance of Tanzania`s economy had largely been dependent on availability of water/rainfall.

This is because the nation\'s key economic sectors such as agricultural sector relied directly on water resources shortage of which has had tremendous negative impact on Tanzania`s household incomes.

The importance of agriculture to Tanzania`s immediate and long-term economic and social development could be three folded.

Firstly, the truth that widespread improvement in the farm income was a precondition to reducing rural poverty.

Secondly, the strategies for addressing food security must involve deliberate measures to improve agricultural and livestock production and farm incomes, all of which required availability of water resources.

Thirdly, since agriculture remained a single major contributor to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and indeed key to Tanzania\'s overall economic development now and in the near future, good water development and management are inevitable.

It is such good development and management of water resources that experts say could enhance the estimated 75 percent of 39 million Tanzania`s population depending on small-scale farming improved production for increased household incomes.

In line with the government\'s high priority of poverty reduction and in recognition of the importance of agriculture in poverty alleviation efforts, the Participatory Irrigation Development Programme (PIDP) was adopted in 2006.

The programme emphasized on attaining improved overall water availability and agricultural productivity which would have great multiplier effect on poverty.

This underlined the fact that improvement of majority rural population`s farm incomes was a must, if Tanzania wanted to reduce rural poverty.

This could be easily attained through good development and management of water resources.
But what real constituted good water development and management and why was participation a preferred process?

The reasons are varied but the process has tended to generate ownership and allow for dealing with varying behaviours, cultures and values.

It highlights practical concerns at early stages by providing multiple reality checks before implementation and perhaps most importantly, it allows for local people to create their own assumptions and institutions, using processes of social learning that uncover aspects of their interactions.

Integrated water development and management broadened the appreciation of water resource availability from the absolute to specific characteristics that support the functioning of ecosystems and society integrity of reverie ecosystems and preserve their ability to provide services valuable to humans.

On the other hand, sustainable management of water would be guaranteed as the participatory approach was adopted because such a process dictated a broad-based involvement of water users, environmentalists, farmers, planner and policy makers, ministries and departments at all levels.

Unlike in the past, when water resource development projects were planned, developed and managed sectorally without involving other user stakeholders, the current water policy 2002 advocates and indeed makes broad-based water project participation mandatory.

The objective for such policy directive was to avoid conflicts among different water users which previously led to frequent failure for realization of most projects\' objectives.

As water sources touched a number of ministries, government departments and other stakeholders, integrated water development and management approach recently been opted for.

Under the new approach, three major areas-comprehensiveness; subsidiarity; and economic prioritization were accorded due importance in all decisions related to water.

Comprehensiveness of water development and management entailed holistic basins approach for integrating multi-sector and multi-objective planning and management that aimed at minimizing effect of externalities to ensure water resource sustainability and protection.

On the other hand, subsidiarity enhanced decentralization of decision-making and devolve the process to the lowest practicable level.

This draws in stakeholders to participate in planning, design and implementation of the management actions as well as decision-making.

Economically, all decision-makings in the public and private sectors and civil society over use of water has to among other things, reflect the scarcity value of water, water pricing, cost sharing and other incentives for promoting its rational uses.

Once wards, districts, regions and planners on one hand, and national water user projects on the other hand were implemented using the participatory approach in alignment with other national growth strategies, it would allow the water sector to maximally contribute to households and national economic growth and consequently to the poverty reduction.

Participatory benefits:

The importance of participatory-based approach in developing and management of water resources has been well documented.

It actually facilitates equitable sharing of water resource benefits which accommodates interests of various parties to the resources.

On the other hand, it allows equitable involvement of men and women in selection, planning, decision-making and implementation of water resource.

Above all, inclusive development and management of water has been important because it provided for sustainable water projects through down-top model of decision-making.

Through participatory water development and management, a comprehensive framework promoting optimal, sustainable and equitable development and use of water resources for present and future generations could be guaranteed.

``Participatory water management seeks to address cross-sectoral interests in water, watershed management and balanced integrated approach to water resources planning, development and management,`` says part of the National Water Policy 2002.

As the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 aspires to among other things, attain food self-sufficiency and security as well as universal access to safe water, the participatory approach to water development and management would not only be a stepping stone for realizing the goals, but also for meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs requires Tanzania to halve the number of people, who have no sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2010, but experts say slow reforms in the water sector could affect the attainment of government`s water sector targets as well as the MGDs.

Despite Tanzania being on track towards meeting the MDGs for water supply, it still faces challenges since only 54 and 73 percent of rural and urban populations respectively have access to safe water supply.

The targets are to extend water and sanitation services to 65 percent of rural and 90 percent of urban populations by 2010.

Participatory water development and management that foster gender engagement, environment protection and the use of local and affordable technologies could hasten realization of local and international set water and sanitation goals.

Policy objectives versus business principles:

Broad-based water development and management being advocated for by the government face challenges that need solutions before succeeding.

One of the challenges is that as the National Water Policy 2002 encouraged private sector participation in water-related service provision, privately-owned firms defined by profit motives only needed to be cautiously engaged to allow water resources contribute significantly to government\'s poverty reduction efforts.

This calls for close government monitoring of private sector`s water resource development and management to ensure prices of water to common men users remained as affordable as possible against private operators` usual known motives of profit maximization.

For this to happen, the government needs to develop and undertake frequent review as well as improvement on water and sanitation policy.

There should also be a well facilitated, co-coordinated, monitored and regulated provision of water and sanitation services to the Tanzanian public with a gender perspective to relieve the 51 percent of Tanzanian women suffering from water related problems.

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