Transcript Dynamics of water resources management at the local level

Institutions and livelihoods in water
resources management: perspectives
from the Limpopo River Basin
Collin C. Mabiza
Supervisors:
Prof. P. Van der Zaag
Dr. E. Manzungu
CPN 17 Final Workshop
15-18 June 2009
Johannesburg, South Africa
Outline
A. Objectives of the study; theoretical framework
B. Structure of the study
C. Cases
D. Overall conclusions
E. Future plans
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A. Objectives
• to analyze water management practices at the local level
• to analyze institutional practices relating to conservation
agriculture in a rainfed agricultural system
• to analyze competition for water between a city and other users
• to investigate conceptions of water resources planning at the
local and national level
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Theoretical framework
Water
Allocation
Operation and
Maintenance
Institutions
Water
resources
Planning
Water
resources
Development
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B. Structure of study
Case study approach used
Main cases:
1. Dynamics and complexities of water resources management
at the local level
2.
Institutional perspectives on practices in conservation
agriculture in a rainfed agricultural system
3.
Competition for water between a city and other water users
4.
A comparison of conceptions (and practices) of water
resources planning at the local and national level
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Study Area
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Case 1:Dynamics and complexities of water resources
management at the local level
Main research questions
a. how do institutions influence:
access to water resources
interactions among water users
b. How do physical-technical factors influence water management
at the local level
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Borehole
Small reservoir
Shallow well
Windmill
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Distribution of water sources in Ward 1,
Insiza District
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1.1 Access to water
Based on culture; geographical space; and investment
 Culture based access:
 access to all water sources for all water users for primary
uses
 Water is God-given therefore is for all users
water
 Geographical space based access:
 Access restricted to specific water user groups sharing
geographical space
 Restrictions apply particularly for non-primary water uses
 Investment-based access
 Access restricted to users who have invested in hydraulic property
 Common in irrigation schemes
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1.2 Interactions
 Characterised by cooperation/conflict
 Cooperation: environmental factors; nature of technology;
environmental frame cooperation
 Intra-village interactions
Cooperation influenced by proximity (and familiarity) of water
users to each other
 Inter-ward interactions
 Conflict more common
 Based on seasonal competition for water
 Social relations distorted by administrative boundaries
contributory
 Manifests in rule breaking; infrastructure breakdowns
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1.3. Conclusions
a. Access

Culturally-defined access allows all users water for primary
needs-across all sources

“If you deny someone water, then what do you want them to do, die?”
(15/09/2007)

Access to water for primary needs not tied to geographical
locality
b.
Right to water to water accompanied by responsibility to
maintenance
Water infrastructure collapse partly due to inability to enforce
the responsibilities of water users
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Conclusions (cont)
c. Institutional practices connect with practices in other socioeconomic spheres
 e.g. water point committee members also committee
members in other social institutions;
 irrigators tithe;
 Investment in property
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 Case 2: An institutional perspective on conservation
agriculture practices
 Main research questions
1. What water management practices exist in a rainfed agricultural
system?
2. What are the roles of the state and NGOs in conservation
farming?
3. What is the role of rainfed agriculture to livelihoods?
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2.1 Local practices
 Based on planting dates
 Indigenous physical techniques not common
2.2 Other practices:
 Use of conservation agricultural (CA) practices:
 basins
 dead level contours;
 ripper tine
 To conserve soil water
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2.3 Role of NGOs:
Actively promoting CA
Funding farmer training
Funding input/implement schemes
CA promoted as the panacea to crop cultivation among the poor
in a semi-arid environment
NGO message behind the practices:
Increase yields, conserve resources
Ideal technology for resource poor farmers in a water scarce
environment
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2.4 The state
 Traditionally agents of agricultural extension
 State-driven agricultural extension weakened by:
 Economic down-turn since the 1990s
 Hemorrhaging human resource capital
 At training level (extension worker training)
 Implementation level
 Negative perceptions
 Weakened state institutions
• Extension now led by NGOs
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2.5 Rainfed agriculture
 Climatic factors make crop failure more likely than not
 Socio-physical factors working against crop cultivation
 draught power
 soil type
 input availability and costs




Livelihoods security through:
livestock sales
remittances
gold panning
 every household has at least one member panning for gold
 Crop cultivation almost a side activity
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2.6 Conclusions
 The precarious nature of rainfed agricultural systems
 either too much/little rainfall
 Inconclusive evidence on the science behind conservation
agricultural systems
 the physical structures
 the extension practices: e.g. no certainty on adoption rates
because new farmers recruited each year, old ones drop out
 Farmers working the donor system not the agricultural system
 Need for clarity between charity and development
 Extension approaches employed leads to the perception that CA
is technology for the disadvantaged
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Case 4: Conceptualisation of water resources planning

Main research questions:
1. how was the Mzingwane catchment plan made?
2.
what differences are there between the Mzingwane
Catchment Outline Plan and the Ward Water Resources
Plan?
3.
what conceptual issues does catchment planning raise?
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4.1 Legislated planning
 Planning legislated in both the pre- and post-water sector
reforms Water Acts
 Legislation makes plans basis for:
 river system development
 Water allocation
 Legislation gives general planning procedures
 1998 Water Act: planning to be done by the national water
authority together with concerned catchment council
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4.2 Pilot planning
 Catchment planning piloted in the Mupfure and Mazowe
Catchments
 Part of the wider water institutional reform pilot scheme
 Gwayi Catchment also site of a planning experiment after the
reforms
 Planning done by consultants
 In all cases plans still to be gazetted and become law
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4.3 How the Mzingwane Catchment Plan was made
Catchment Outline plan
National strategy/
Water Act
Data collection
(consultation/
Desk top study)
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4.4 Snap shot of the Mzingwane Catchment Plan
 Summary of catchment hydrology
 Water demand and use
 Indicates potential dam sites
 Water allocation scenarios
 Expected development
 takes a long term approach to water resources management
[20 year horizon (to 2025)]
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4.5 Ward Water Resources Plan
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4.6 Water resources planning: Local level
Water users
Resource
mapping
Plan
Identification of
issues
Prioritisation of
issues
Planning
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4.6.1 Water resources mapping
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4.6.2 Identification and classification of issues
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4.6.3 Prioritisation of issues
• P
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4.6.4 The Ward Water Plan
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4.6.5 Thin slice of ward water plan
 Infrastructure development
 30 more boreholes in ward
 10 deep wells
 12 small dams
 Institutional development
 Strengthening of Water Point Committees
 Operation and maintenance
 Training of pump minders
 Watershed management
– Controlling gold panning
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4.7 Conclusions
Conceptual grey areas
Type of plans:
 Strategic/operational
 short term/medium term/ long term?
Content of plans
 water allocation
 water resource development
 socio-economic development
Planning procedures
 who should be involved
 Stage(s) at which stakeholders be involved
 agenda setting/data collection/plan evaluation
 processes involved
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c.
Contradictions in water resources management:
 Catchment and subcatchment councils created to
operationalise institutional decentralisation
 Catchment planning has led to centralised water resources
management:
 at state level: through Act and ‘Catchment Planning
Guidelines’
 at catchment level: through domination of planning process
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Catchment vs. ward water plans
• Catchment plan more of a
hydrological assessment
• Based on scientific facts
• Neither operational, nor
clearly strategic
• Hydrologically bound
• Abstract
• Ward water plan a
livelihoods shopping
basket
• Based on lived in reality
• An operational plan
• More integrative:
water resources
development;
institutional development;
environmental protection
• Considers administrative
boundaries
• Concrete
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Outstanding case*: Case 3
Competition for water between a city and agriculture
Main objective
 to analyse competition for water between a city and agriculture
Main research questions:
1. how is water allocation between a city and agriculture
determined?
2. how does a city in a water scarce environment secure water?
3. how does competition for water between a city and
agriculture manifest impact on institutional dynamics between
the city and other stakeholders?
*Reconceptualization of existing case
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Institutions in water resources management: overall
conclusions
 Formal institutions:
 performance undermined by conceptual haziness
 Informal institutions
 variance between the normative framework and practice in water
resources management
 Importance of context as a driver for conceptual framework
 at the local level: development issues
 Local level more integrative in approach
 subcatchment level: watershed management
 catchment level: allocation and planning
 Gaps between water allocation and resource development
 At the national level: resource development
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Progress to date:
 Empirical chapters: one submitted, two rough drafts in place
 Data collection: three cases completed; one under
construction
 Background material: all data collected
 Three cases presented as symposium papers
Activity
Progress to date
Field work
Case write up
Thesis write up
70 %
50 %
Expected date of
completion
August 2009
December 2009
March 2009
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• Acknowledgements
• Supervision
Funding
•
•
•
Challenge Programme CPN 17
International Foundation for Science (IFS)
Prof. van der Zaag
Dr. Manzungu
Dr. Ahlers
• Logistics
Data
•
•
•
Ministry of Water Resources and
Infrastructural Development
ZINWA-Head Office; Mzingwane Branch
ICRISAT
Dpt. Of Geology (UZ)
My dad
• Data collection
Mzingwane Catchment Council and
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•
•
Blessing Svikiro
Khumbulani Ndlovu
Lewis Ndlovu
all subcatchment councils
Ward 1, Insiza RDC, Zimbabwe
Department of Water and Forestry Affairs
(SA)
•
•
•
Motivation
Nesio
Friends I’ve made along the way
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Thank you
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