Metodología

Greater cooperation between basin states is needed to ensure sustainable utilization of shared resources and to achieve regional and basin objectives of economic development and poverty re- duction. An analysis of the Zambezi Basin reveals that the yearly average cost of non-cooperation could reach US$350 million per year, which is 10 percent of the annual benefits derived from the system (Tilmant and Kinzel- bach 2012).

To advance sustainable management and utilization of the basin’s resources, several bilateral and multilateral agree- ments have been put in place at regional level to manage transboundary waters, notably the Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) con- cluded in 2000. This facilitated the Agree- ment on the Establishment of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission, con- cluded by the basin riparian states in 2004. Another institution established previously is the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) founded in 1987 through a bilateral agree- ment between Zambia and Zimbabwe. These and other policies and institutional arrangements are discussed briefly below.

Revised SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses

Fifteen major watercourses in the SADC region are shared across borders by two or more Member States, a situa- tion that demands their cooperation for sustainable development of these pre- cious resources. To this end, SADC Member States approved a Protocol on Shared Watercourses in the SADC in August 1995 which was revised in Au- gust 2000. After ratification, the Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses in the SADC Regionentered  into force  on 22 September 2003.

The Protocol aims to foster closer cooperation among Member States for the protection, management, and use of shared watercourses in the region. Mem- ber States agreed to cooperate on policy and projects, and exchange information on shared watercourses, consulting each other and collaborating on initiatives that balance development of the river basins with conservation of the environment. The Protocol contains an institutional framework that sets out a Water Sector Organ, its committees and units, and its duties for the joint protection and devel- opment of shared watercourses in south- ern Africa (SADC 2013c).

Zambezi Watercourse Commission

A key intervention area resulting from the Protocol was the establishment of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) by the basin states that share the Zambezi River. The ZAM- COM agreement entered into force in June 2011. As agreed by the basin states, the headquarters was formally estab- lished in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2014.

ZAMCOM was established “to pro- mote the equitable and reasonable utiliza- tion of the water resources of the Zambezi watercourse as well as the effi- cient management and sustainable devel- opment thereof ”, as stipulated in the ZAMCOM agreement and in accordance with the revised protocol on shared wa- tercourses. The main ZAMCOM objec- tive is to assist the riparian states to achieve regional cooperation and integra- tion through sharing benefits from the cooperative development and sustainable management of the water resources of the Zambezi River. The envisaged pro- motion of such cooperation is significant towards peace and prosperity of the basin and southern Africa as a whole.

ZAMCOM is governed by three main organs – the Council of Ministers, the ZAMCOM Technical Committee (ZAMTEC), and the Secretariat (ZAM-

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SEC). The Council of Ministers is the de- cision-making arm, while ZAMTEC is a technical advisory body. The ZAMCOM Secretariat, headed by an Executive Sec- retary, provides overall management, sup- ported by a Project Implementation Unit and working groups components (SARDC and ZAMCOM 2013). To en- sure effective participation by stakehold- ers, the National Stakeholders Coordination Committees (NASCs) have been established in each of the eight ri- parian states. NASCs fall under the work- ing groups of the ZAMCOM structure to ensure that decisions at national level reach the basin-level discussions.

SADC Regional Water Policy

The Regional Water Policy for the SADC (2005) is aimed at providing a framework for sustainable, integrated and coordinated development, utiliza- tion, protection and control of national and transboundary water resources in the SADC region. This policy is in- tended to support the SADC Common Agenda of socio-economic develop- ment and regional integration and im- provement of the quality of life of all people in the region (SADC 2013d).

The policy includes nine thematic areas, addressing key water resources man- agement issues and challenges, such as re- gional cooperation in water resources management, water for development and poverty reduction, water for environmen- tal sustainability, security from water-re- lated disasters, as well as integrated water resources management and development. Within each of these areas, activities are identified which contribute to the achieve- ment of the strategic objectives: Water Re- sources Information and Management, Water Resources Development and Man- agement, Regional Water Resources Insti- tutional Framework, Stakeholder Participation and Capacity Building, and Financing Integrataed Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Region (SADC 2013d).

SADC Regional Strategic Action Plan

The SADC Regional Strategic Action Plan for Integrated Water Resources De- velopment and Management(RSAP III) is the SADC Water Sector’s implementation plan, which gives practical effect to ap- plication of the Revised SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses. RSAP III(2011- 2015) focuses on three strategic areas, which are water governance, infrastruc- ture development and water management (SADC 2013c).

IWRM Strategy for the Zambezi River Basin

The Integrated Water Resources Man- agement (IWRM) Strategy and Imple- mentation Plan for the Zambezi River Basin is a set of medium-to-long-term measures in support of integrated water resources management. These measures address the main issues and challenges for the development and management of the water resources of the Zambezi River to enable the sustainable socio- economic development of the Basin in particular and the region as a whole (SADC 2013a).

The Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan

The Regional Indicative Strategic Devel- opment Plan (RISDP) is a comprehen- sive development and implementation framework established to guide the SADC regional integration agenda over a period of fifteen years (initially 2003-2018) and to provide clear strategic direction with respect to SADC pro- grammes, projects and activities in line with the SADC Common Agenda and strategic priorities, as enshrined in the SADC Treaty of 1992. The ultimate objective of the plan is to deepen re- gional integration to accelerate poverty eradication and attain economic and non-economic development goals (SADC, 2013b). The revised RISDP was approved in 2015 after a period of re- gion-wide consultation and review.

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Introduction

Water is a key strategic natural resource in the Zambezi River Basin. The presence of water governs the location of homes and cities. It is a necessary input for most productive activities including agriculture, forestry, mining, commercial, and live- stock development, energy production, tourism, and wildlife conservation, among others. Too much water or a shortage of water can result in deaths among people, animals and plants.

Water is also the driving force in wet- land ecosystems, playing a critical role in the biosphere. The distribution, occur- rence and availability of water resources

varies across the basin and its availability depends on rainfall. The basin’s water re- sources are stored in natural lakes such as Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa and other smaller lakes, and in artificial lakes such as Lake Kariba and Cahora Bassa, and many rivers and streams.

The key issues related to water re- sources in the basin are water availability, water use and access, water quality, groundwater depletion, and wetland degradation. The contribution of women to water resources management is an es- sential factor in the basin, as women are both managers and primary users of water. Policies and institutional arrange-

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WATER RESOURCES

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SARDC IMERCSA, I. Musokotwane Environment Resource Centre for Southern Africa, 2015. Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa is shared by Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania with national boundaries in the lake, which is known by a different name in each country.

ments include the Revised SADC Proto- col on Shared Watercourses, the Regional Strategic Action Plan Phase III, the ZAMCOM Agreement, and other re- gional cooperation instruments in water resources management.