GWPO Executive Secretary visits the KaLanga IWRM demonstration project

In June 2007, Emilio Gabbrielli, Global Water Partnership Organiston (GWPO) Executive Secretary (Chief Executive Officer) visited the KaLanga Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) demonstration project in Swaziland.
The visit which was facilitated by the Swaziland Water Partnership (SWP) aimed to come – up with an action plan to manage the water resources in the kaLanga dam.

The meeting was as a result of community plight over the agriculture scheme that collapsed several years ago after community members failed to cope with the high electricity bills. Since then there has been no equity in access to irrigation land and water in the dam, the scheme was vandalised and no comprehensive water management approach was put in place. The water is now polluted and human beings compete with livestock for “drinking” water while outsiders, “tourists”, use the water for leisure activities leaving it polluted and posing a health risk to the KaLanga community. Conflicts have arisen as to who is responsible for the problems and stakeholders have no framework to resolve the conflicts and manage the resource.

In response the SWP embarked on an IWRM demonstration project to “test” the applicability of IWRM principles on the ground. This is with the context of the National IWRM planning process facilitated by the Swaziland Country water Partnership with support from the Dutch government. The demonstration project is an initiative to integrate water into poverty reduction at a local and practical level. The project targets various stakeholders whose livelihoods depend on the KaLanga earth dam built by government of Swaziland in 1973 for agricultural purposes.

The SWP project is aimed at demonstrating how an IWRM approach can help improve the sustainable management of the water resources in KaLanga earth dam and there by improving the well being and livelihoods of the KaLanga Community. Overall, the project hopes to improve income generation for the community by encouraging the use small gardens, reduce water borne diseases, through improved water management and thus improve the well being of the community.

The project plans are to establish a KaLanga Water Management Forum that will be in charge of management of the water source and surrounding areas. The Forum will involve all water users of the area and with support from the partnership, develop appropriate water management instruments to deal with conflicts and water management issues in the KaLanga earth dam.