Reviving Swakop’s river basin management

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform and its partners are making efforts to revive the Upper Swakop River Basin management committee, which became dormant a few years ago.

Recently, the ministry held a forum to revive the committee in Windhoek.

The basin provides water to central Namibia – including the country’s capital.

At the forum, ministry senior official Aune Amwaama said the main objective of the forum was to mobilise and engage stakeholders on the importance of reviving the committee.

The forum also aimed to create awareness of the basin’s boundaries, available water, competing water users, as well as current and future water demands on the basin.

Amwaama said stakeholders of the basin need to know the role of the committee, the impacts of climate change on the basin, early warning systems, and about investments in the water sector.

The forum also helped committee members understand the provisions of the Water Resources Management Act with regard to the establishment of a basin management committee.

At the same event, deputy director at the ministry’s department of water affairs Dina Nashipili said a basin is a management unit for water resources, and Namibia started with this approach in the Kuiseb River Basin.

A basin involves an area in which water resources are shared by natural or artificial conditions, she said.

Nashipili said this includes an area determined by the watershed limits of a system of surface water and groundwater, draining into a river mouth or delta, into the ocean or an inland lake, pan, delta or wetland.

According to Nashipili, Namibia features 24 river basins.

She said a basin management approach fosters natural resource management activities at the river basin level, ensuring sustainable natural resources management, and encourages the most beneficial use while maximising social and economic benefits.

Nashipili said the committee’s main role is to coordinate activities in the river basin as well as to advise the ministry on the sustainable use of the river basin.

The ministry appoints the basin support officer and gives training to committee members about legal provisions and water management.