1. SOUTHERN AFRICAN WATER CO-OPERATION – LESSONS FROM THE OKAVANGO BASIN
Anthony Turton & Peter Ashton
Gibb-SERA Chair in IWRM and CSIR – Environmentek
P.O. Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
© 2004

2. OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
Understanding the background to the problem
Practicalities and difficulties
What can we learn for environmental peacemaking?
What do we want to communicate to decision-makers on environmental peacemaking?
Conclusion

3. UNDERSTANDING THE BACKGROUND TO THE PROBLEM

4. SITES OF DISPUTES OVER WATER
Most disputes over water occur in areas of transition from perennial to ephemeral systems, or where availability is uncertain
250
500
Kilometres N
SITES OF DISPUTES OVER WATER

5. NAMIBIA
(254)
BOTSWANA
(400)
SOUTH AFRICA
(497)
ZAMBIA
(1,011)
ZIMBABWE
(652)
ANGOLA
(1,050)
D. R. C.
(1,534)
TANZANIA
(937)
MOZABIQUE
(969)
SWAZILAND
(788)
LESOTHO
(760)
MALAWI
(1,014)
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1250
1500
2000
2500
Mean annual
Rainfall (mm)
250
Kilometres N
MEAN ANNUAL RAINFALL
Large areas of the Okavango / Makgadikgadi basin receive low rainfall
Only Cubango and Cuito rivers are perennial

6. MAKGADIKGADI CATCHMENT
Map sourced from GEF Report on Okavango Delta Study
100 km N
ZAMBIA
Boteti River basin
ZIMBABWE
NAMIBIA
ANGOLA
BOTSWANA
R.S.A.
Deception Pan basin
Ntwetwe Pan basin
Lake Ngami
Okwa R.
Nata R.
Omatako R.
Cubango R.
Okavango Delta
Cuito R.
Kavango R.
Cuando R.
Chobe R.
Zambezi R.
Deception Pan complex
Okavango Basin
DRC A T Za Zi Ma Mo B S L SA
Sowa Pan basin
Extent of Ramsar Site

7. WATER ABUNDANCE / SCARCITY
Annual Availability
(“Normal” Year)
Supply >> Demand
Supply ≈ Demand
Supply << Demand
Availability in Driest Month
(“Normal” Year)
Source:
Biggs & Scholes (2004)

8. PROPORTION OF WATER INFLOWING / TRANSFERED FROM NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
0 % % % %
> 50 % 5 8 76 91 58 9 7 10 32 60 50 33 25 12 42
PROPORTION OF WATER INFLOWING / TRANSFERED FROM NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES

9. PRACTICALITIES AND DIFFICULTIES

10. THE LEGACY OF CONFLICTS

11. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PEACEMAKING?

12. SHARED RIVER BASINS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Cuvelai
Kunene
Zambezi
Limpopo
Pungué
Buzi
Save-Runde
Orange
Maputo
Incomati
Umbeluzi
Okavango/
Makgadikgadi
Congo
Nile
Lake Chad
Namibia
Botswana
South
Africa
Congo (DRC)
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Lesotho
Swaziland
Malawi
Mozambique
Angola
250
500
Kilometres N
Rovuma
SHARED RIVER BASINS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
The types of “solutions” that are selected for the Okavango / Makgadikgadi basin could be used in other SADC basins

13. DAMS AND SHARED RIVER BASINS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Cuvelai
Kunene
Zambezi
Limpopo
Pungué
Buzi
Save-Runde
Orange
Maputo
Incomati
Umbeluzi
Okavango/
Makgadikgadi
Congo
Nile
Lake Chad
Namibia
Botswana
South
Africa
Congo (DRC)
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Lesotho
Swaziland
Malawi
Mozambique
Angola
250
500
Kilometres N
Rovuma
DAMS AND SHARED RIVER BASINS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
South Africa and Zimbabwe are listed amongst the top twenty countries in the world in terms of the numbers of dams built (WCD 2000)

14. WATER TRANSFERS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Cuvelai
Kunene
Zambezi
Limpopo
Pungué
Buzi
Save-Runde
Orange
Maputo
Incomati
Umbeluzi
Okavango/
Makgadikgadi
Congo
Nile
Lake Chad
Namibia
Botswana
South
Africa
Congo (DRC)
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Lesotho
Swaziland
Malawi
Mozambique
Angola
250
500
Kilometres N
Rovuma
WATER TRANSFERS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Existing water transfer scheme
Proposed new water transfer scheme

15. POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS
100 km N
ZAMBIA
NAMIBIA
ANGOLA
BOTSWANA
Lake Ngami
Omatako R.
Cubango R.
Okavango Delta
Cuito R.
Kavango R.
Cuando R.
Okavango Basin
Possible water transfers into the Cubango or Cuito from the Kasai River
Expansion of irrigated agriculture along south bank of Kavango River – (part of Namibia’s “Green Plan” for food security)
Several potential hydropower dam sites identified on the Cubango River
Could include irrigation supply
One potential hydropower dam site identified on Kavango River in Namibia
(Popa Falls)
Possible water abstraction at Rundu for transfer to Windhoek
Potential expansion of irrigated agriculture near Shakawe
Expanded groundwater abstraction from fringes of Okavango Delta

16. WHAT DO WE WANT TO COMMUNICATE TO DECISION-MAKERS ON ENVIRONMENTAL PEACE-MAKING?

17. LANGUAGE DISTRIBUTION
100 km N
ZAMBIA
Boteti R.
ZIMBABWE
NAMIBIA
ANGOLA
BOTSWANA
SOUTH
AFRICA
Deception Pan
complex
Makgadikgadi Pans
Lake Ngami
Okwa R.
Nata R.
Omatako R.
Cubango R.
Okavango Delta
Cuito R.
Kavango R.
Cuando R.
Chobe R.
Zambezi R. 3 2 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 11
1 = NKANGALA
2 = MBWELA
3 = NYEMBA
4 = KWANYAMA
5 = !O!UNG
6 = KWANGALI
7 = HERERO
8 = KUNGU / TSUMKWE
9 = KUNG / =KX’AU//‘EIN
10 = YEYI / KXOE
11 = MBUKUSHU
12 = KXOE
13 = DIRIKU
Plus:
PORTUGUESE, AFRIKAANS, ENGLISH, TSWANA, UMBUNDU
KEY TO LANGUAGE CODES

18. DEVELOPMENT IMPERATIVES (1)
Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Rural Development
Urban & Industrial Growth
Eco-Tourism Development

19. DEVELOPMENT IMPERATIVES (2)
Subsistence Agriculture
National Food Security
Conservation
Hydroelectricity

20. 2002 ADULT HIV/AIDS PREVALENCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
5.5
5.9
7.8
21.5
22.5
33.7
38.8
13.0
33.4
31.0
20.1
15.0
4.2
7.2
8.3
7.4
8.9
2002 ADULT HIV/AIDS PREVALENCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA % % % %
> 30 %
Data Sources:
UNAIDS, 2003
World Population
Data Sheet, 2003

21. CONCLUSION

22. Conclusion Build on shared values
Ubuntu – “umuntu, abantu, amabantu” (a person is a person because of people)
Cultural heritage
Language
Peace needs for health and prosperity are universal
HIV/AIDS as an opportunity for engagement

23. Conclusion Strategic development ethic: WEALTH W - water
E (2) - education & energy
A (4) - access (markets, finance, justice & ecosystems)
L – land tenure
T - technology that is appropriate
H (2) - health (human & ecosystem)

24. Conclusion Move from national self-sufficiency to food security
Southern African Hydropolitical Complex
Driver of regional economic integration
Move from water sharing to benefit sharing
Parallel National Action (PNA) as a possible model
Deepening the democratic experience