Project title
Monitor water pollution in reservoirs and rivers of shared watercourses of SADC
(Project GP‐9)
Project sponsors
The Secretariats of the SADC RBOs or the SADC Water Division where such Secretariats
do not exist.
Participating countries
All SADC Member States
Objectives
To inform on the level of the water quality of the SADC water resources;
Identify the polluters, sources of pollution and pollution “hot spots” to enable
corrective action to be taken;
To improve data sharing among the riparian states of the SADC shared
watercourses.
Project description
The SADC region has witnessed increased developments in the mining and irrigation
sectors in recent years. The planning and implementation of these developments has
occurred with little or no coordination among stakeholders in the neighbouring states
sharing watercourses. The concomitant environmental impacts characterised by
increasing levels of water pollution have also never been addressed at river basin
level.
While this proposed project is not an infrastructure development project per se, it is
an initiative that will inform the extent to which the development and utilisation of
water resources linked infrastructure will and has had in each of the 15 SADC shared
watercourses. Polluted water is more expensive to use as it requires treatment. In
some cases reservoir waters become unusable, with negative consequences to
ecosystems and the environment. Further, the polluters and the “hot spots” in respect
of pollution will be identified and highlighted facilitating corrective action. The data
collected on water resources management and pollution will also be of great
importance in the debates on equitable water allocation across all user sectors in
these shared watercourses. Critical aspects to be monitored and reported on include
water pollution, soil loss and sustainable development. Data sharing among the
riparian states will be imperative if sustainable water resources management is to be
achieved in these shared watercourses.
Expected results
Details of pollution sources, polluters and pollution “hot spots” that will assist in the
better management of the shared watercourses, improvement in the water quality of
the SADC surface and ground waters, as well having sufficient information to enforce
pollution control regulations.
Ongoing related activities in the This project is similar to the Limpopo River Basin Monitoring Project (Project P1‐2).
region
Description of national plan to the It is expected that all SADC Member States will participate in this project through their
project
national institutions that have the water pollution control responsibility.
Status
The project can be considered to be in Phase 3 of the ICA Project Development
Phases.
Next steps
ToR for the project and identification of polluters and “hot spots” should be
completed in 2013. Detailed designs and tendering for construction for any necessary
monitoring stations will then be done in 2014. Procurement of equipment and
instruments and the construction of the monitoring stations would then start in 2015
and be completed by 2016. Monitoring and reporting would commence thereafter.
Business model
This is a study, with infrastructure requirements being the construction of water
quality monitoring stations.
Main parties in place
The departments with the water quality responsibility in each of the SADC shared
watercourse riparian states, as well as the appropriate RBO Secretariat.
Main parties to be procured
Possible project financiers are Sida, the African Water Facility, UNEP and GEF.
Project challenges
The major project challenges are the timely sourcing of project finances, as well as
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