Facilitating public participation in water resources management: reflections from Tanzania

Kabogo, Jane Eleuter; Anderson, Elizabeth P.; Hyera, Pendo; Kajanja, Godfred

doi:10.5751/es-09739-220426

Cited by 19 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…By the turn of this century, the development and application of environmental flows had spread worldwide, with various motivating factors (Poff et al, 2017). For example, in the African nations of Kenya and Tanzania, numerous flow assessments were conducted in response to new water policy frameworks that gave second priority to ecosystems in water allocation decisions, following satisfaction of basic human needs for water (Dickens, 2011;Kabogo, Anderson, Hyera, & Kajanja, 2017;McClain, Kashaigili, & Ndomba, 2013). A proliferation of new hydropower projects precipitated environmental flow assessments in other places-such as Central and South America (Anderson et al, 2018;Anderson, Pringle, & Rojas, 2006;Esselman & Opperman, 2010), southeast Asia including China (Illaszewicz, Tharme, Smakhtin, & Dore, 2005;Wang et al 2009;Blake et al, 2011) and Central Asia (USAID, 2017).…”

Section: Identity Cultural Transmission and Family And Group Cohesionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding rivers and their social relations: A critical step to advance environmental water management

et al. 2019

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River flows connect people, places, and other forms of life, inspiring and sustaining diverse cultural beliefs, values, and ways of life. The concept of environmental flows provides a framework for improving understanding of relationships between river flows and people, and for supporting those that are mutually beneficial. Nevertheless, most approaches to determining environmental flows remain grounded in the biophysical sciences. The newly revised Brisbane Declaration and Global Action Agenda on Environmental Flows (2018) represents a new phase in environmental flow science and an opportunity to better consider the co-constitution of river flows, ecosystems, and society, and to more explicitly incorporate these relationships into river management. We synthesize understanding of relationships between people and rivers as conceived under the renewed definition of environmental flows. We present case studies from Honduras, India, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia that illustrate multidisciplinary, collaborative efforts where recognizing and meeting diverse flow needs of human populations was central to establishing environmental flow recommendations. We also review a small body of literature to highlight examples of the diversity and interdependencies of human-flow relationships—such as the linkages between river flow and human well-being, spiritual needs, cultural identity, and sense of place—that are typically overlooked when environmental flows are assessed and negotiated. Finally, we call for scientists and water managers to recognize the diversity of ways of knowing, relating to, and utilizing rivers, and to place this recognition at the center of future environmental flow assessments.This article is categorized under:Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and AwarenessHuman Water > Water GovernanceHuman Water > Water as Imagined and Represented

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Section: Identity Cultural Transmission and Family And Group Cohesionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding rivers and their social relations: A critical step to advance environmental water management

et al. 2019

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“…During the 1980s, widespread and poor infrastructure performance, and also negative environmental outcomes, drove a shift towards decentralization and the introduction of river basins as water governance entities. The 1990s and 2000s were dominated by a comprehensive reform, culminating in the passage of the 2002 National Water Policy and the 2009 Water Resources Management Act [80].…”

Section: Rufiji Basin Tanzaniamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Beneath the Boards are Catchment Water Committees (CWC) intended to coordinate Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) plans and to resolve regional water conflicts. Only a few CWC have been established [80] so to overcome this water governance gap, District Facilitation Teams have emerged from administrative District Councils and are responsible for conflict resolution, water infrastructure planning, and the formation of Water User Associations (WUAs) [82,83].…”

Section: Rufiji Basin Tanzaniamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Water Governance Reform Framework: Overview and Applications to Australia, Mexico, Tanzania, U.S.A and Vietnam

Grafton

Garrick

Manero

et al. 2019

Water

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The world faces critical water risks in relation to water availability, yet water demand is increasing in most countries. To respond to these risks, some governments and water authorities are reforming their governance frameworks to achieve convergence between water supply and demand and ensure freshwater ecosystem services are sustained. To assist in this reform process, the Water Governance Reform Framework (WGRF) is proposed, which includes seven key strategic considerations: (1) well-defined and publicly available reform objectives; (2) transparency in decision-making and public access to available data; (3) water valuation of uses and non-uses to assess trade-offs and winners and losers; (4) compensation for the marginalized or mitigation for persons who are disadvantaged by reform; (5) reform oversight and "champions"; (6) capacity to deliver; and (7) resilient decision-making. Using these reform criteria, we assess current and possible water reforms in five countries: Murray-Darling Basin (Australia); Rufiji Basin (Tanzania); Colorado Basin (USA and Mexico); and Vietnam. We contend that the WGRF provides a valuable approach to both evaluate and to improve water governance reform and, if employed within a broader water policy cycle, will help deliver both improved water outcomes and more effective water reforms. will need to lower its projected 2050 total water demand by almost 40% (292 Billion Cubic Meters, BCM), the rest of South Asia by 43% (100 BCM), the Middle East by 42% (168 BCM) and North Africa by 17% (30 BCM), if water extractions are not to exceed the current total renewable water resources of these regions.Aeschbach-Hertig and Gleeson [6] argue that current food production in key farming regions of India, China and the USA cannot be maintained unless groundwater levels are stabilized. Another concern is that Wada et al. [7] estimate that, in 2000, non-renewable groundwater extraction contributed to 20% of global irrigation water extraction. This has important implications for food production because, globally, irrigation accounts for about 70% of global freshwater extractions and provides 40% of total human food calories. This tension between water for food production and other purposes is likely to be exacerbated into the future. For instance, by 2050: (1) the current water supply is projected to be less than the projected water applied for irrigation in major food-producing countries with production methods, and (2) a plateau is projected in terms of crop food production from water extractions if there are no further increases in the global irrigated agriculture area [8]. The key point is that in the absence of reform that includes: (1) better water governance and (2) how water is currently extracted and consumed, there are large, and with climate change, increasing risks to future food security [9].Government responses to the global water crises have, typically, been to adopt a "hard" infrastructure or engineering solutions to increase water supply that has sometimes been part of "water natio...

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“…The NAWAPO (2002) and WRM Act (2009) offer a hierarchical approach to river management, with the Tanzanian Ministry of Water operating at a national scale, nine Basin Water Boards with jurisdiction at river or lake basins, and Catchment Committees at sub-basin levels. Beyond these levels, Water Users Associations (WUAs) provide a formal means for public participation in water management at a smaller geographic scale [43]. WUAs are designed to be the lowest level in the hierarchical water management structure in Tanzania, covering all or parts of the watersheds and delegating responsibility for water conservation and some aspects of water allocation permitting to residents of the respective watershed area [44].…”

Section: Framework For River Conservation and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As part of the implementation of new legal frameworks for water, the Tanzanian Ministry of Water has hired dozens of social scientists for its national office and for the Basin Water Boards to facilitate the process of formation of WUAs across the country. As of 2017, 102 WUAs had been formed in Tanzania following the passage of the NAWAPO and WRM Act [43]. Similar to environmental flow assessments, the process of formation of Water User Associations (WUAs) took varied routes, often with international donor or non-governmental organisation assistance [44].…”

Section: Framework For River Conservation and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conserving Rivers and Their Biodiversity in Tanzania

Seeteram

Hyera²,

Kaaya

et al. 2019

Water

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The United Republic of Tanzania (Tanzania) is rich in freshwater resources and biodiversity. In this article, we highlight the importance of Tanzanian rivers and make a case for the conservation of the freshwater and terrestrial species that rely on these rivers. We provide an overview of current knowledge on Tanzanian rivers and discuss progress towards implementation of the National Water Policy (2002) and Water Management Act (2009), two legislative instruments that have motivated environmental flow assessments on at least six major rivers and offer legal backing for river conservation. We examine major challenges that pose significant threats to water security for river ecosystems and humans in Tanzania, among those: (1) human population growth, (2) agricultural expansion, (3) river flow alterations, (4) industrialization, (5) introduced species, and (6) climate change. We conclude by offering recommendations for future river conservation efforts in Tanzania.

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Facilitating public participation in water resources management: reflections from Tanzania

Cited by 19 publications

References 14 publications

Understanding rivers and their social relations: A critical step to advance environmental water management

Understanding rivers and their social relations: A critical step to advance environmental water management

The Water Governance Reform Framework: Overview and Applications to Australia, Mexico, Tanzania, U.S.A and Vietnam

Conserving Rivers and Their Biodiversity in Tanzania

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