1. OPERATOR ORGANIZATIONS

IWMI is a non-governmental research institution, established in 1984 and member of the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research. Its Headquarters are in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Regional Programs exist in South Asia, Central Asia, South-East Asia, and East Asia (China). IWMI is active in Africa since 1986 (Morocco, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal). Since 1998, IWMI operated a non-resident program in South Africa. In November 2002, a resident Africa Regional Office was opened in South Africa.
The yearly budget of IWMI globally is USD15 million. Permanent research staff globally is 75.

Address IWMI Regional Africa Program

Private Bag X813, Silverton 0127, Pretoria, South Africa

Phone 27 (0)12 - 8459100

Fax 27 (0)12 - 8459110

Email. D.merrey@cgiar.org b.vankoppen@cgiar.org

Project correspondent: Barbara van Koppen b.vankoppen@cgiar.org

(Information compiled for the period; 1 April 2000 - 31 March 2001.

RP Number: 88-2001, ISBN Number: 0-621-30820-X)

The Department is mandated -

o By the National Water Act (No. 36 of 1998): to ensure that South Africa's water resources are protected, used, developed, conserved, managed and controlled in a sustainable and equitable manner, for the benefit of all persons.

o By the Water Services Act (No. 108 of 1997): to create a developmental regulatory framework within which water services can be provided.

o By the National Forests Act (No 84 of 1998): to ensure that South Africa's forest resources (indigenous and plantation) are protected, used, developed, conserved, managed and controlled in a sustainable and equitable manner, for the benefit of all.

o By the National Veld and Forest Fire Act (No. 101 of 1998): to create a framework to prevent and combat veld, forest and mountain fires throughout the country and thereby limit and reduce the damage and losses caused by fires to life, fixed property, infrastructure, movable property, stock, crops, fauna and flora and veld in South Africa.

The Minister of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry has Executive Authority over the 18 National Water Boards. The Minister also has Executive Authority over the Water Research Commission, the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority, the Komati Basin Water Authority, the 264 Irrigation Boards, the 13 newly established Water Users Associations and the Catchment Management Agencies.

Yearly Budget: Rands 5 005 381 967

Departmental staff: 27 361

Physical Address: 185 Schoeman Street, Sedibeng Building, Pretoria, 0001.

Postal Address: Private Bag X313, Pretoria, 0001.

Phone: +27 (0) 12 336 8830; Fax: +27 (0) 12 336 8849;

E Mail: Karare@dwaf.gov.za

Project correspondent; Ms Eiman Karar, Director Catchment Management.

In order to facilitate mutual exchange of experiences in national and transboundary river basin management between South Africa and other African countries, and thereby strengthen the capacity of the concerned river basin organisations, a gradually growing network is envisaged, which would also further support the establishment of an Africa Regional Network of Basin Organizations. Governments, in particular the national authorities for basin management and the managers at basin and sub-basin level in charge of implementation, local government, other line agencies, NGOs, CBOs, and national research and training institutes are targeted.

Two potential options exist: the envisaged network can either be made up of southern African countries only or Africa as a whole depending on the obtained support to the initiative by the respective countries. In case of the latter option: in the course of 2002, the current African members of the International Network of Basin Organizations will be contacted, as well as member organizations engaged in basin management of the Southern, Western and Eastern Africa Regional Water Partnerships, the SADC Water Sector Coordination Unit and the GWP Associated Programs WaterNet/CapNet. Further, links will be established with the various initiatives in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, in particular the Africa Water Task Force and the Water Dome (The IWMI Africa regional office acts as the technical secretariat). Partner organizations in ongoing collaborative research projects of the International Water Management Institute, Africa Regional Program in various national and internationally shared African basins will also be included (e.g. Inkomati, Limpopo, Rufuji, Nile, Tana, Volta, etc.). In 2003 and 2004 further networking is envisaged in other Southern, Eastern, Western and Central African basins.

Initially, the project will be managed from Pretoria, South Africa, where the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and the International Water Management Institute, Africa Regional Program, are located. Depending upon the basins to be covered, other locations will be included, and hosted, for example, by the IWMI sub-regional offices in Ghana and Kenya.

South Africa is divided into 19 Water Management Areas. In conformity with the National Water Act (1998) WMAs will be governed by Catchment Management Agencies, which are currently being established. As the first African country where nation-wide new catchment management institutions focusing on poverty alleviation are being established, the South African experience will be informative for the continent as a whole. On the other hand, experiences of other African countries will further inform South Africa. Depending upon the expansion of the network, other basins will be included, starting with basins South Africa shares with other countries.

The following objectives are derived from the INBO publications which match the desired objectives of the submission. They are envisaged to be implemented in a phased manner. Clearer definition and specified projects can be submitted at a later stage.

1. Stimulate multilateral exchange between the governmental and civic managers of basins in South Africa and a gradually expanding number of basin organisations elsewhere in Africa by:

• Organizing annual regional workshops, hosted by the respective countries (these will be linked to GWP, Waternet/Capnet, Africa Water Task Force and other meetings).
• Facilitating inter-country study tours and exchange of experiences

1. Contribute to equitable, efficient, and sustainable basin management by improving the capacity of implementing water professionals of the governments and civic society to analyze, compare, and evaluate basin management from local to basin level.

1. Facilitate dialogue, training and exchange of experiences for mutual learning among the implementers of integrated water resources management at (sub-) basin level, policy makers, and technical experts.
2. Contribute relevant international experiences from Africa, Asia, Europe and elsewhere through INBO, IWMI's and other global networks and networks in developing countries.

1. Provide a generic analytical framework to analyze basin management and to compare processes and outcomes with similar projects elsewhere
2. Derive generic and site-specific recommendations for basin management, including further needs for capacity building.
3. Develop performance indicators for equitable, efficient, and sustainable basin management.
4. Stimulate and train water management professionals to document, analyse and evaluate pilot implementation processes of basin management, either as part of their regular activities, or in collaboration with senior and junior researchers of universities and commissioned regional consultants, with an emphasis on participatory modes of evaluation and research.
5. Organize technical training courses, in collaboration with regional training and regional institutions, on water resources modelling, GIS, and other tools, that can be used in an interactive framework by stakeholders.
6. Support research by postgraduate students on catchment management institutions, e.g. through Capnet/Waternet.
7. Design and disseminate modules on integrated water resources management at (sub-) basin level for use by training institutes and universities.
8. Strengthen regional capacity for training and research in catchment management issues.

1. Establish a network of implementing water professionals, linked to Sawinet and other African networks, for complementary forms of exchange (email; web-site; literature and other information provision).
2. Foster dissemination generic and site-specific recommendations and performance indicators for policy and implementation of basin management, via the regional and global water community (e.g., SADC Water Sector Coordination Unit, Global Water Partnership, WaterNet/CapNet, and Sawinet).

Many African countries are engaged in the formulation of policies and legal frameworks for basin management. However, till today, most implementers in Africa continue working in isolation of each other. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in collaboration with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry of South Africa recently started capacity building for basin management. In 2000 IWMI in collaboration with the German Foundation for International Development (DSE) and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in South Africa, organized an international seminar in South Africa for implementers of integrated water resources management, policy makers, civil society, water user groups, and researchers from the SADC region and elsewhere in the world (Abernethy, ed. 2001). In 2001 IWMI organized an international seminar in Indonesia focusing on basin studies in five Asian countries (Bandaragoda and Bruns, eds., 2001). Moreover, since IWMI opened its Africa Regional Office in Pretoria end 2000, country-level research and policy support for river basin institution building and training on water resource modelling has further intensified, especially in South Africa and Tanzania. Further, as a Resource Center for the GWP, IWMI has started various support activities for the Southern Africa Regional Water Partnerships. Contacts with the West Africa Regional Water Partnership and the new Eastern Africa Regional Water Partnership have been established. IWMI also provides support to the Africa Water Task Force and the Water Dome.

PROJECT DURATION AND BUDGET DEPEND UPON THE SUPPORT FOR THIS INITIATIVE

Donors: Contacts have been established with DANIDA and the Dutch Government to finance activities in the SADC region. As Resource Center for the GWP, IWMI can provide some seed money for initial contacts/workshop.

• Enhanced analytical, technical, and managerial capacity of water professionals in charge of basin management at national and international level.
• Professional network of implementers of integrated water resources management within Africa, with links to global networks.
• Website with latest publications, practical tools, and relevant events via Sawinet/IWMI.
• Generic conceptual framework to analyze integrated water resources management at (sub-) basin level; to conduct comparative case studies of basin management; and to formulating generic and site-specific conclusions.
• A series of comparative case studies of basin management and synthesis reports (officials' own reporting, process documentation and analysis by researchers and students, reports of study tours, workshop proceedings, syntheses, etc).
• Impact assessments and Performance Indicators for improved basin management.
• Generic recommendations for policy, legal frameworks, and river basin institutions design; implementation and capacity building needs.
• Modules on basin management for national universities, national, regional, and global training centres, and WaterNet/CapNet.
• Enhanced professional development through support of research for MSc and PhD degrees.

Most experience with basin-level management is in middle- and high-income countries, where the institutional frameworks for basin management are relatively sophisticated. However, livelihoods in Africa are still primarily rural, poverty is widespread, and water development for both domestic and productive purposes to combat poverty figures high on the agendas of policy makers. Governmental line agencies and administrative governance structures tend to suffer from scarce human and financial resources. Therefore, a forum to address the range of development issues specific for Africa is urgently needed.