An assessment of effectiveness of the Lunyangwa River catchment co-management model in Mzuzu City, Northern Malawi

Determination of the health of Lunyangwa wetland using Wetland Classification and Risk Assessment Index

“…The results substantiate earlier reports by Banda et al (2001), Mzuzu City Council (2013) and Wanda et al (2014) who revealed concerns of the effect of anthropogenic activities in Lunyangwa catchment which lead to reduction not only in water quality but also degradation of the Lunyangwa wetland at large. The results also agree with those by Breen et al (1997) who observed that one of the specific concerns in dambo wetland conservation is high water abstraction for large irrigation schemes in Malawi.…”

“…The absence of a specific policy governing management of wetlands and lack of proper funding mechanisms impede the smooth implementation of the Ramsar Convention for management of wetlands in Malawi. The results agree with those by Wanda et al (2014) who reported that inconsistent policies and lack of collaborative and coordinated approach in the management of the Lunyangwa river greatly undermined the principles of the Lunyangwa river co-management model. Long term monitoring of the health of Lunyangwa wetland is thus needed for sustainable and integrated management of Lunyangwa wetland.…”

“…In Mzuzu City, rivers, streams and wetlands such as Lunyangwa wetland are the main sources of runoff water supply (Mzuzu City Council, 2013). Earlier work by Banda et al (2001) and Wanda et al (2014) revealed that anthropogenic activities in Lunyangwa catchment lead to reduction in water quality downstream Lunyangwa wetland. Similarly, Mzuzu City Council (2013) reported that sources of water sources including the Lunyangwa wetland are being adversely affected by deforestation, farming activities and indiscriminate disposal of domestic and industrial waste leading to water pollution (Mzuzu City Council, 2013).…”

“…The Lunyangwa wetland loss and degradation continue to be unabated despite reports of significant loss of the wetland through these anthropogenic activities (Banda et al, 2001;Mzuzu City Council, 2013;Wanda et al, 2014). As a consequence, there still remains a poor understanding of the health of Lunyangwa wetland and the range of values of water quality parameters that occur in the wetland, both in its impacted state and under natural conditions.…”

Toward good governance in water resources management in Ghana

“…Water resources management is now far more complex than a few decades ago (Biswas, 2004). This complexity is due to several factors, including the uneven distribution of global freshwater resources with growing geopolitical tensions and water wars, increasing human populations and the developments in river basins, unsustainable water management practices, climate change impacts, and increasing deterioration of water bodies by other sectors, such as manufacturing, mining, and farming (Al‐Ansari, 2019; Biswas, 2004; Emelko et al, 2011; Gophen, 2019; Hussein, 2018; Naschen et al, 2019; UN, 2014; UNEP, 2012; Wanda et al, 2014).…”