1:3 DEMAND OF WATER
• Do
we have enough water resources in our country to cope with the water demands of
the Tanzanians?
• Is
the water equally availability in all parts of Tanzania? Why?
According to the 21st Annual
Water Experts Conference (AWEC) Tanzania has sufficient water resources to
meet most of its present needs and they include surface and underground
sources.
Together with all these water resources available in
Tanzania, there is a great variation of water availability between different
parts of the country.
The variation is explained by differences in
topography, rainfall pattern, climate, population growth, man induced
activities, low technology, urbanization etc
1:4 WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
Efforts done by the government to develop water
resources in Tanzania.
-Water basin management
-Plans/ policies (2002 Tanzania water policy)
Water basin management
In 1989, through the Water Utilization ((Control and
Regulation) Act No. 42 of 1974, Amendment No. 10 of 1981) the Minister for
Water gazette nine (9) water basins for the purposes of water resources
administration and management.
1) Pangani River Basin (1991),
2) Rufiji River
Basin (1993),
3) Lake Victoria (2000),
4) Wami-Ruvu (2001),
5) Lake Nyasa (2001),
6) Lake Rukwa
(2001),
7) Internal
Drainage Basin to Lake Eyasi, Manyara and Bubu depression (2004)
8) Lake Tanganyika
(2004),
9) Ruvuma and
Southern Coast (2004).
The objective of the river basin approach is to manage
water resources in an integrated and comprehensive manner, which ensures
equitable, efficient and sustainable development of the resources.
River basin management rests on the principle that
naturally functioning river basin ecosystems, including accompanying wetland
and groundwater systems, are the source of freshwater.
The staffs in these basins are engaged in water
resources management, surface and groundwater resources assessment and
exploration, Water Resources Planning and Research, Regulatory, Enforcement and
Environment.
The Basins are administered by Basin Water Officers.
(http://www.maji.go.tz/basins)
Important
information for water policy formation
Water resources
development goes hand in hand with water resources
- Assessment
and
-planning.
Assessment involves all
sectors, in community or user level, district, wide basin and national level
The following
information is required for water resources development and planning; The
quantity, quality, character, location,
patterns of use, and response of the resource to use and user demands,
pollution on water quality and degradation processes.
The assessment also
involves water use projects and water related hazards such as floods and
droughts.
-All these information help in water policy formation of
the water policy for any country.
v Fragmented planning, implemented
following sector, regional or district interests, lead to failure of any water
policy of the country.
THE 2002 TANZANIA NATIONAL WATER POLICY
Before 2002 most water resources
development plans were sectorial
oriented without consideration the
demands of other users. Eg the water policy of 1991 which emphasized that the central government is a sole
investor, implementer and manager of the water projects, both in rural and
urban areas.
• The Policy also emphasized that the Central Government
has a responsibility of protecting water sources while environmental protection
was not accorded its due importance.
• The 1991
National Water Policy set a goal of providing clean and safe water to the
population within 400 meters from their households by the year 2002.
• Till 2002 only about 50% of the rural population had
access to a reliable water supply service.
• Due to poor
operational and maintenance arrangements, over 30% of the rural water schemes
were not functioning properly in 2002!
• The 2002 water policy was revised policy of the 1991
policy to develop a comprehensive
framework for sustainable development and management of the Nation’s water
resources, in which an effective legal and institutional framework for its
implementation will be put in place
AIMS OF THE 2002 TANZANIA NATIONAL WATER POLICY
Ø Doing
Water resources assessment on the basis of sound scientific and technical
information and understanding.
Ø Defining
the status of surface and ground water in terms of quality and quantity and its
use regularly on the basis of river basin and in conjunction aquifer
boundaries.
Ø Sustainable
plans and development of water resources.
Ø Ensuring that beneficiaries participate fully in
planning, construction, operation, maintenance and management of community
based domestic water supply schemes.
Ø This policy seeks to address cross- sectoral interests
in water, watershed management and integrated and participatory approaches for
water resources planning, development and management.
Ø Also, the policy lays a foundation for sustainable development
and management of water resources in the changing roles of the Government from
service provider to that of coordination, policy and guidelines formulation.
Ø The
policy aimed at developing large water schemes including construction of dams,
large rainfall harvesting schemes, water intakes, river diversion works,
pumping stations, water well drilling, ground water abstraction and use.
Ø It
also aimed at inter basin water transfers that meet objectives of water
resources management, are subject to a permit and an Environmental Impact
Assessment
VIVA Group
Question
-
Discuss the water policy of Tanzania. In
your discussion include a brief overview of water issue or problem, the
potential solutions/ policies being discussed, debated or implemented and your
own suggested policy solutions to the problems.
QUIZ No. 1
15 minutes
Qn. 1. “Water is a
finite and vulnerable resource “ What does this statement mean?
Qn. 2.What information of water is needed for a sound,
scientific, sustainable and workable water policy formation?
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