Effectiveness of environmental management institutions in sustainable water resources management in the upper Pungwe River basin, Zimbabwe

Highlights

• Runoff and sediment load showed a positive linear relationship (r² = 0.1718).

• Sediment load showed a negative linear relationship with pH levels (r² = 0.0329).

• Mann-Kendal analysis (p > 0.05) revealed no significant trends in the data.

• Limited coordination of water and environmental management institutions.

• No effective regular interaction and cooperation existed at river basin level.

Abstract

The management of environmental resources by separate entities ought to be well coordinated to avoid gaps and overlaps. This study assessed the effectiveness of environmental management institutions and participation processes in water resources management in the Upper Pungwe river basin, a transboundary river basin in Southern Africa. It evaluated interactions between environmental management institutions and how this impacted on the quality of the environment and water resources. A concurrent mixed methods approach was used in the study. Qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques were employed. Twenty self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 17 ward environmental management committee chairpersons and three environmental management practitioners. Three in-depth interviews were held with water resources management practitioners operating in the river basin. Runoff, water quality and sediment load data over a 17 year period were collected and analysed using Mann-Kendal and Regression Analysis Statistics to detect trends and predict future levels. The study revealed a positive linear relationship (r²=0.1718) between runoff and sediment load while sediment load showed a negative linear relationship with pH levels (r²=0.0329). Based on the Mann-Kendal analysis (p>0.05) there were no statistically significant trends detected in the data. The study concluded that water and environmental management institutions lacked effective regular interaction and cooperation at the river basin level. Effective coordination of environmental management institutions remains key to the achievement of sustainable water resources management in the Upper Pungwe river basin.

Introduction

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 adopted a comprehensive and sustainable development strategy for the preservation of biodiversity (Berg, 2010). Five years later, through the Kyoto Protocol, the world's largest industrialised countries agreed to reduce or limit gas emissions into the environment (UN, 1998). Zimbabwe has for a very long time acknowledged the importance of environmental management and sustainability (Feresu, 2010). The country is a signatory to more than 11 major international environmental conventions as well as Agenda 21 which is an action programme borne out of the UNCED of 1992 (Nickerson, 1994). Several disintegrated pieces of legislation for a long time were used to deal with various components of the environment (Nickerson, 1994). The need to manage the environment as a single unit encouraged policy makers to come up with an all-inclusive piece of legislation, the Environmental Management Act (EMA Act) Chapter 20:27 (Government of Zimbabwe, 2002). Meanwhile, the Water Act (Chapter 20:24) of 1998 remained in force to complement the EMA Act although some provisions of the Water Act were moved to operate under the EMA Act (Government of Zimbabwe, 1998a; Government of Zimbabwe, 2002). The EMA Act paved way for the establishment of the Environmental Management Agency (EMA). The EMA is thus the supreme institution for environmental management in the country. At the same time, there are several other institutions responsible for water resources management notwithstanding the fact that water is a component of the environment. It is in the light of this background that the present study sought to interrogate how the EMA was collaborating with environmental management institutions concerned to achieve sustainable water resources management.

The EMA is the lead agency for environment and natural resources management in Zimbabwe and its activities are guided by the EMA Act (Chapter 20:27) which is the principal environmental management legislation in the country. Three approaches are used in Zimbabwe in managing the environment and these are: legislation, regulations and enforcement; the creation of markets and giving companies and institutions incentives to encourage self-regulation (Chidavaenzi et al., 2010). Lead agencies for water resources management like the ZINWA and Subcatchment Councils also feed into the EMA if they encounter any environmental challenges (Chidavaenzi et al., 2010). The Pungwe River basin which falls under Manicaland Province has three major environmental management institutions namely; the EMA Manicaland, the Mutasa RDC and the Nyanga National Park which is run by the Parks and Wild Life Management Authority (PWMA). Other institutions include the Forestry Commission, the District Administrator's office, environmental management committees and traditional leaders such as headmen and chiefs.

Water resources in Zimbabwe are managed through the Water Act (Chapter 20:24) of 1998. The Water Act propagates the notion of integrated water resources management and thus puts in place the various water management institutions for its sustainable management and effective stakeholder participation (Government of Zimbabwe, 2001).

Water resources management in Zimbabwe starts at the lowest appropriate level which is the subcatchment council level (Government of Zimbabwe, 2001). Subcatchment councils are composed of various stakeholder representatives who include local authorities, farmers (both communal and commercial), mines and estates (Government of Zimbabwe, 2000a). The subcatchment councils report to the catchment council which is the highest water management institution at catchment level. The catchment councils preside over all water management issues in the catchment including granting of permits for water use and catchment protection (Government of Zimbabwe, 2000a). The catchment councils report; through the ZINWA who is their secretariat, all water issues and take policy directions on water management from the Department of Water Development (DWD) under the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate (see Fig. 1).

There are basically three major institutions responsible for water resources management in the Pungwe River basin and these are; the Save Catchment Council, Pungwe Subcatchment Council (PSCC) and ZINWA Save Catchment. The ZINWA Save supplies both raw water and treated water to local authorities, farmers and industries (Government of Zimbabwe, 2001). The organisation also provides secretarial services to both catchment and subcatchment councils (Government of Zimbabwe, 1998a, 1998b). The Save Catchment Council is the highest level institution responsible for representing the interests of its members on issues of water resources management at catchment level. The PSCC is the lowest appropriate level of stakeholder participation in water resources management in the upper Pungwe River basin and is composed of representatives of various water users who are elected to defend their stakeholder interests (Dube and Swatuk, 2002; Nyikadzino et al., 2014). Among its roles; the PSCC is also responsible for catchment planning, monitoring of waste discharge and promotion of catchment protection (Nyikadzino et al., 2014).

Integrated water resources management is defined as, “a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in-order to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems” (GWP-TAC, 2000: 22). Integrated water resources management is based on four principles crafted at the International Conference on Water and Environment held in Dublin in 1992 which are:

• “Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development and the environment

• Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach involving users, planners and policy makers at all levels

• Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water

• Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognised as an economic good” (Xie, 2006: 5).

Therefore integrated water resources management cannot be discussed outside the context of environmental management (Manzungu, 2002). As such, The Government of Zimbabwe (2000) stresses that one of the main functions of catchment councils for water resources management is to develop and oversee the implementation of catchment protection programmes in accordance with the EMA Act. In the upper Pungwe River basin, the degradation of watersheds has resulted in the drastic reduction of the quantity and quality of land and water resources (Chifamba, 2011). On the hand, a multiplicity of institutions in environment and water resources management might also result in gaps and even in overlaps in sustainable resources management. It is quite evident from the available literature that water resources management and environmental management processes are closely related. This then calls for environmental management institutions to recognise the close relationship between water and the environment so that they adopt and intensify an all-inclusive approach to water resources management. There is still a gap in literature regarding the collaboration of environmental management institutions and their water management counterparts and how this is impacting on water resources management in the country. The current research therefore endeavours to assess the effectiveness of environmental management structures and the participation process involved, as well as to investigate how these structures interface with water management institutions in the upper Pungwe River basin.