Although several semi-arid African countries are decentralizing water services and attempting to increase the participation of local actors in water resource management, how effectively this is working, and whether it is improving water access, is not yet well researched. Little attention has been paid to the capacities (in terms of knowledge and resources) that local actors need to successfully influence the operation and management of water services they are made responsible for. In a qualitative study, we asked regional and local actors in the Omusati Region of north-central Namibia for their perspectives on how water reforms, initiated in the late 1990s, have impacted on their participation in water governance. Our analysis reveals that decentralized governance of water resources can be ineffective if governments do not allocate sufficient resources to support and enable local actors to participate efficiently and effectively in the governance system. In the context of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, achieving greater equity and efficiency in the water sector while reducing climate risk will require that local actors receive more support in return for fuller and more effective participation. We suggest that policy and practice around decentralized water governance pay more attention to building the capacities of local actors to absorb the responsibilities transferred to them.

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地方参与权力下放的水管理：纳米比亚中北部的见解

尽管几个半干旱的非洲国家正在分散供水服务，并试图增加当地参与者对水资源管理的参与，但是，这种方法的工作效率如何以及是否改善了水的获取，目前尚未得到很好的研究。对于地方行动者成功地影响他们所负责的供水服务的运营和管理所需要的能力（在知识和资源方面），人们很少关注。在一项定性研究中，我们请纳米比亚中北部奥马萨蒂地区的区域和地方行为者对1990年代后期发起的水改革如何影响其参与水治理的观点提出了看法。我们的分析表明，如果政府没有分配足够的资源来支持和使地方行为者有效，有效地参与治理体系，那么水资源的分散治理可能会失效。在《巴黎协定》和可持续发展目标的背景下，要在水务部门实现更大的公平性和效率，同时降低气候风险，将要求当地参与者获得更多支持，以换取更充分，更有效的参与。我们建议围绕权力下放水治理的政策和实践应更多地关注建设地方行为体承担转移给他们的责任的能力。在《巴黎协定》和可持续发展目标的背景下，要在水务部门实现更大的公平性和效率，同时降低气候风险，将要求当地参与者获得更多支持，以换取更充分，更有效的参与。我们建议围绕权力下放水治理的政策和实践应更多地关注建设地方行为体承担转移给他们的责任的能力。在《巴黎协定》和可持续发展目标的背景下，要在水务部门实现更大的公平性和效率，同时降低气候风险，将要求当地参与者获得更多支持，以换取更充分，更有效的参与。我们建议围绕权力下放水治理的政策和实践应更多地关注建设地方行为体承担转移给他们的责任的能力。