Flowing towards the Indian Ocean

Tanzania

Tanzania’s Pangani River is a vital resource for national economic development. However, it is under severe pressure due to the overallocation of water, altered rainfall patterns and growing populations. Current uses demand more water than is available and streams that formerly flowed year round now run dry for parts of the year. We studied river flows and water uses, bringing people together to develop a wide basin management plan.

The Pangani river drains from the southern side of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro to the Indian Ocean, through a basin with a population of 3.4 million people, 80% of whom rely on small-scale farming.  Ecosystems are in decline and, with aquatic resources supplying up to 25% of household income in parts of the basin, the poorest are those most affected by declining water levels.

Challenges and achievements

Although ultimate authority for water allocations rests with the Pangani Basin Water Board, the dialogue informed the board of stakeholder preferences. Both decision makers and stakeholders learned how to engage in the long-term process of using environmental flow information to negotiate water allocations. The Pangani demonstration project attracted interest both nationally and in the wider region. WANI’s Pangani project is being replicated in the Wami-Ruvu River basin with pilots planned for Uganda and Kenya.

The Pangani project is on-going through continued partner funding. A comprehensive Water Management Plan will be completed for the basin, contributing to longer term water resource security in the region.

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