LAKE JIPE Threatened Ecosystem, Shared Responsibility

Background Lake Jipe is located on the - border, to the North and East of the Pare Mountains. The lake borders Kenya's Tsavo West National Park to the south, while Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro dominates the horizon some distance to the northwest. The lake is 700 metres above the sea level and has an area of 28 square kilometres, maximum length of 12 kilometres, average depth of less than three metres and the width varies between 2-3 kilometres. Lake Jipe is part of the Basin.

The River Lumi is the main river that flows into the lake from Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania passing through Kenya before it reaches the lake again in Tanzania. River Muvuruni flows into the lake from the south. There are several seasonal streams, mainly from the North Pare Mountains that also drain into Lake Jipe. The lake has one outflow, the River Ruvu, located in Tanzania to the North of the lake flowing westwards to Nyumba ya Mungu.

The lake's ecosystem is endowed with rich biodiversity and is known especially for water birds. Commercial activities taking place around the lake include fishing, livestock rearing, agriculture, tourism, especially around the Tsavo National Park. The prosperity and future of the populations who live near the lake, and the well-being of the environment, depend on wise use of the lake's water and wise management of natural resources.

Over the years, the effects of human activity and climate change have conspired to rob the lake of its valuable resources, thereby affecting ecosystem biodiversity and the livelihoods of local populations. Currently the lake is faced with enormous problems which include reduced runoff, increasing siltation, decreasing water levels and quality, and advancing wetland plants that threaten its existence.

Figure 1: Lake Jipe Catchment

Diminishing Water Levels In the recent years, the lake has suffered extreme dry spells, disrupting the lives of people who eke a living out of its resources. Poor farming methods, encroachment on wetlands and weeds blocking the estuary are causing severe environmental destruction on Lake Jipe. In addition, unsustainable extraction of water for agriculture, domestic and other uses has hugely impacted the lake's levels, making it difficult for local communities to access water. The situation has been exacerbated by diminishing agricultural land ownership which has forced farmers to resort to irrigation in order to maximize outputs. Invasive Weed The Evolution of the Collaborative An invasive weed, Typha domingensis, has overrun the lake, Management Programme threatening fishing and tourism activities and the survival of The importance of Lake Jipe in sustaining ecosystems and socio- the lake's flora and fauna. The out-of-control weed thrives in economic activities cannot be overemphasized. Rising concern shallow waters with high nutrients from fertilizers washed into over continued pressure on the lake's meager resources on both the lake from adjacent farms. sides of the border have resulted in a programme aimed at collaborative resource management and the development of Typha, which grows to over five metres high, has reduced the lake's sustainable economic activities. Over time, a number of key open surface area by 60-80% and impaired the quality of water. partners have contributed to this programme, including the East African Community, Coast Development Authority, Kenya Wildlife Efforts to control the Typha invasion will fail unless the Service, IUCN, Wildlife Division of Tanzania, Pangani Basin Water conditions that facilitate its growth (shallow, nutrient-rich waters) Office, Pamoja, InWEnt, communities and local authorities. They are addressed. have initiated the following steps to promote sustainable management of Lake Jipe: • 1994: Tanzania's Pangani Basin Water Office and Kenya's Coast Development Authority met in Mombasa and initiated a cross-border water resources management collaboration. • 1995-1996: A study on management needs of the watershed and waters of Lake Jipe was carried out in both Kenya and Tanzania with financial support from IUCN. • 1999: A follow-up meeting held in Moshi, Tanzania, expressed the need to initiate a cross-border water resource management programme within the Pangani River Basin. • June 2004: The first district level joint cross-border dialogue meeting, popularly known as the “First Multi-stakeholder Dialogue Workshop”, was convened and made a resolution to initiate a process through which dialogue between the stakeholders could be established. A joint interim committee was constituted to produce an action plan to guide the proposed border dialogue process. • October 2004: The first meeting of the interim committee was held in Moshi. Collection and collation of documents on natural resources management within the basin was Declining Fisheries initiated and a draft structure of the dialogue programme produced. • December 2004: The Lake Jipe Fact-Finding and Hydrological Water Balance Study carried out by the Governments of Kenya and Tanzania generated reliable data and information on threats to the lake ecosystem and the water balance, and recommended short-term and long- term measures to conserve the lake and its catchment. • December 2004: A stakeholders workshop held in Lushoto, Tanzania, identified issues which required cross border intervention. • 2005 - 2006: Kenya Wildlife Service and Tanzania Wildlife Division engage in awareness raising and management planning activities. • March 2005: Second district level stakeholders' meeting was held in Taveta, Kenya, • September-October 2005: Follow-up of the resolutions of the stakeholders' workshop by Pangani Basin Water Office. Lake Jipe is known for the endemic tilapia Oreochromis jipe. • November 2005: The second interim committee workshop Fishing on the lake is said to have been booming in the 1960s, was held in Moshi. It led to the drafting of the cross-border attracting a large population of fishermen from different integrated water resource management programme communities like Kenya's Luo, Luhya, and Taita and Tanzania's proposal and the scheduling of policy level workshop, which Pare and Chagga. However, fishing activities have almost was held in March 2006 to endorse the joint programme document for implementation. ground to a halt owing to siltation, receding water levels and the spread of water weeds, especially Typha. Rising demand - The overall objective of the program is to ensure issues on the buoyed by population increase - has also decimated the fish on two sides of the border are addressed in a holistic and the lake, resulting in the migration of fishermen who depended coordinated manner, and shared resources are used in a on it for their livelihood. sustainable and equitable way.

2007 Parliamentary Tour 2007 Parliamentary Tour IWRM Case Study - Pangani Basin

Background In 2005, the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada funded a project of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), entitled Making the Linkages Conservation as a Core Asset for Livelihood Security and Sustainable Development in East Africa. The purpose of the project was to ensure that sustainable natural resource management (or conservation) is recognized and integrated as a key component of livelihood security and development strategies in East Africa. Several different sets of activities are being conducted to address this objective, including: undertaking technical studies, formulating regional position papers, and convening meetings and study tours for awareness-raising and exchange of experience and lessons. In 2005, IUCN organized the first Tour for Members of Parliament from East Africa to Mt. Elgon, a shared ecosystem between Kenya and Uganda to raise awareness on the importance of natural resources to local livelihoods and the threats to these resources. This year a similar tour has been organized to Pangani Basin in Tanzania with a focus on raising awareness about the status of water resources in the region and efforts that are underway to ensure a sustainable water future.

Objectives of the Tour Why Pangani Basin?

Specifically, the tour has the following The Pangani Basin is one of Tanzania's nine (river or lake) basins objectives: and includes the Pangani River Basin and several other smaller basins. The Pangani River Basin is about 43,650 km2 (with about 1) Share information, experiences and 5% of this area in Kenya). It has an estimated population of 3.8 understanding on the state of water resources million people, most of whom rely either directly or indirectly on in the region and the threats to these agriculture for their livelihoods. resources, especially climate change; 2) Share information, experiences and The Pangani River System is about 500 km long, originating from understanding on integrated water resources Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,985m) and Mt. Meru (4,566m) which give rise to management (IWRM) and best practices to the Ruvu and Kikuletwa Rivers, respectively. These two rivers join address the threats to our water resources; at , which is drained by the Pangani River which passes through the arid Masai Steppe, draining the Pare and 3) Discuss the needs of MPs in promoting a Usambara mountain ranges before reaching the estuary and Indian sustainable water future in East Africa. Ocean at the coastal town of Pangani. Pangani Basin is one of the most productive areas of Mt. Kilimanjaro is a World Heritage Site and its declining Tanzania with nationally important agricultural outputs and glacial ice cap has become an international symbol for hydropower production (almost 90% of the surface flow in climate change. Mt. Kilimanjaro has lost about 80% of the the Pangani Basin is used for irrigation and hydropower surface area of its glaciers in the past four decades and generation). The basin has forest and biodiversity they are expected to disappear completely between 2015 resources of global importance, including the Eastern Arc and 2025 if current climatogical patterns persist. Mountain Forests, Mkomazi Game Reserve and Kilimanjaro and Arusha National Parks. It is against this background that the Pangani Basin Water Office (PBWO) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Despite this importance, Pangani is a water stressed- are collaborating with other partners to: basin having less than 1,200 cubic meters of water per person per year and already water supplies do not meet • Collect technical information to inform water the demand for water for agriculture, hydropower management production and nourishing the basin's natural resources. • Develop forums for communities to participate in Reducing freshwater resources have had several water governance impacts in the basin: the environment at the estuary is • Produce an IWRM plan for the basin through multi- severely degraded, with seawater intruding about 20km sector consultations upstream from the estuary. Many conflicts are emerging among water user groups between upstream and • Raise awareness about climate change impacts downstream water users, between farmers and and adaptation strategies pastoralists, between small-scale and large scale water These project activities are funded by the Government of users, between farmers and municipalities. These Tanzania, the IUCN Water & Nature Initiative, the Global conflicts are expected to worsen as climate change and Environment Facility through UNDP, and the European uncoordinated abstractions jeopardize water supplies. Commission.

2007 Parliamentary Tour 2007 Parliamentary Tour Introduction to IWRM

Water Forecast for Eastern Africa The crucial role water plays in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on poverty, hunger, health and environment is widely recognized in the region, as most of the region's inhabitants depend on water and healthy ecosystems for their agriculture, pastoral or fisheries based livelihoods. In addition, healthy ecosystems support peoples' livelihoods, for example, through harvesting of natural resources (thatch, bricks, medicinal plants, among others) or ecotourism. However, despite the importance of water to local livelihoods, a number of basins within the region are already suffering from water scarcity or water stress. Many other basins are expected to suffer from water scarcity or water stress by 2025. Water scarcity is defined as renewable freshwater supplies that are less than 1,000 cubic meters of water per person per year (m3/per person/year) and water stressed is renewable freshwater supplies that are between 1,000 - 1,700m3/per person/year. In East Africa, at the national level: Kenya's annual per capita water availability has been declining since 1969 from about 1,800m3 to 647m3 in 2003 and is further projected to fall to 235m3 by 2025. In 2004, Tanzania had annual per capita renewable freshwater supplies of 2,400m3, which is projected to drop to 1,500m3 by 2025, while Uganda had an annual per capita renewable freshwater supplies of about 2,800m3 which is expected to drop to between 1,000 and 1,700m3 by the year 2025. Many factors are contributing to the increase in water scarcity and stress in eastern Africa, including: increasing population Per Capity Annual Renewable Freshwater pressure leading to overexploitation of water resources, extreme climate variability and climate change, depletion of Availability water resources through pollution, environmental degradation and deforestation, and inadequate investment in 9000 resource assessment, management, protection and 8000 development, among others. 7000 6000 On the basis of these trends, that are not unique to eastern Uganda 5000 Africa, the international community took important steps 3 Tanzania towards ensuring sustainable water resources during the 2002 m 4000 Kenya World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 3000 Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition to launching the 2000 MDGs, and recognizing the important role that water plays 1000 securing local livelihoods, and developing national economies, the international community launched the WSSD Plan of 0 Implementation, which calls for all countries to develop 1955 1990 2025 Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Plans by 2005, with support to developing countries for this (Article 26 of Source:Source: Tindimug Tindimugaya,aya, 20072007 the WSSD, 2002).

Definition of IWRM basic right for all people to have access to water of adequate quantity Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a process and quality for the sustenance of human wellbeing must be universally which promotes coordinated development and management recognized - equity. The present use of water (whether for domestic, of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the agriculture and/or industry) should be managed in a way that does not resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner undermine its environmental life-support systems thereby ensuring use without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems by future generations of the same resource - environmental and/or (GWP, 2002:1). ecological sustainability. Overview of IWRM Ecological sustainability Water, land and related resources are interdependent. Therefore the planning and management of these must be coordinated in a holistic manner and not in the traditional Management Enabling Institutional fragmented and sector-based fashion. Following the Global Instruments Environment Roles  Allocation  Policies  Level of action Water Partnership's definition of IWRM stated above, there are  Regulations  Legislations  Management  Forums and boundaries three pillars of IWRM, which mirror the three pillars of  Economic mechanisms tools  Capacity for participation sustainable development: Economic efficiency; Social equity; building  International and Environment and/or Ecological sustainability (fig. 1). cooperation Because of the increasing scarcity of water, its finite and vulnerable nature, and the increasing demand on it, water must Social equity Economic efficiency be used with maximum possible economic efficiency. The Planning and implementation of IWRM process IWRM is a cyclical process, which starts with the planning processes and continues into implementation of the framework described in fig. 1 through an action plan and monitoring of progress. IWRM planning means: 1) Moving from sectoral planning towards coordinated or fully integrated planning for water resources; 2) Moving from a view that the state alone is the one responsible for water resources management towards one that promotes shared responsibility with society as a whole; 3) Moving from a centralized and controlled decision- making towards decentralized decision making, sharing results and opportunities, transparent negotiation, dialogue, cooperation and concerted action; 4) Being strategic about seeking solutions that address the causes of water problems rather than symptoms.

Progress on IWRM in East Africa Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have demonstrated progress in creating a conducive environment for IWRM in terms of national policies, strategies, laws, institutional reforms and management mechanisms. Some of the aspects of IWRM reform that have been carried out and/or are ongoing in the three countries include: 1) Updated policies and/or legislation that embrace the principles of IWRM: Kenya's 1999 Water Policy and 2002 Water Act, Tanzania’s 2002 National Water Policy and draft legislation, and Uganda’s 199 Water Policy and 2002 Water Act all include provisions for IWRM. 2) Recognition of the fact that water can only be effectively and efficiently managed within a river/lake basin or catchment area. Kenya is divided into five catchment areas, Tanzania nine (Pangani Basin is one of these nine catchment areas) and Uganda has four water management zones; 3) Promotion of participatory and decentralized approaches in water management and supplies - involving users, planners, policy makers and service providers and taking into consideration gender perspectives; and 4) Establishing institutions that separate policy making from regulation and implementation functions, which helps in ensuring transparency and accountability. In Kenya and Tanzania for example, at the national level, the autonomous Water Resources Management Authority/Board has been established as the main agency responsible for implementation of cross-sectoral water resources management. At basin or catchment level, basin boards (in Tanzania) and catchment advisory committees (in Kenya) have been established with representation from both government and civil society organizations. In addition, Basin or Catchment offices have been established in both countries to implement the decisions from the national and/or catchment boards. Their mandates include: • Water resources assessment, • Water allocation for different users and uses, • Managing and controlling water use, • Monitoring and controlling pollution, • Addressing water-related conflict, • Awareness creation on effective and efficient water use, • Collection of water user and wastewater discharge fees, and • Participating in water conservation programmes. In addition to these basin or catchment offices, Catchment Forums and Water User Associations (WUAs) are also being established as mechanisms to bring water management closer to the water users that depend upon the resource.

2007 Parliamentary Tour Nyumba ya Mungu Reservoir Regulating Water for Many Needs

Background Nyumba ya Mungu is a man-made lake built for the purposes of generating hydro-electric power, irrigation, and fisheries. It was commissioned in 1968 after 2 years. It has a maximum length of 18km and a surface area ranging from 140 - 180km2 (depending on water levels), Nyumba ya Mungu is the second largest reservoir in East Africa. It is fed by two major rivers, the Kikuletwa and the Ruvu, which drain about 7,50 km2 of wooded grassland, forest, and desert before they enter the north end of the reservoir. The average water depth is 6m. The reservoir provides water to the power generation facility at Nyumba ya Mungu (8 Mega Watts) as well as downstream facilities at Hale (21 MW), Old Pangani (15 MW) and New Pangani (68 MW). Together these facilities comprise 17% of Tanzania's capacity for hydro-power production. In the 1970s the Nyumba ya Mungu fishery was prolific and supported migrant fishers from other parts of Tanzania and Kenya with annual catches on the order of 28,500 tonnes/year. Today, the efforts of about 1000 fishers yield a total catch of approximately 3,000 tonnes/year.

The increase in frequency of extreme climatic events, such as flooding and droughts, has had a significant impact on the water resources of Pangani Basin, and Nyumba ya Mungu Reservoir in particular.

Climate Change Impacts in Eastern Africa The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its 4th Assessment Report in February 2007. The report notes that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate variability. Africa is expected to get warmer by an average of 2oC - 4oC per year (this is 1.5 times greater than the predicted global annual average warming). This warming will significantly affect rainfall and evaporation patterns in eastern Africa, which will likely have the following effects on water resources: Localized flooding Some river basins will be prone to catastrophic floods that will jeopardize communities and livelihoods Water Stress Most of eastern Africa will experience reducing water resources and increased water stress.

Negative Impacts on Economic Sectors Reduced water supplies will reduce hydropower and agricultural outputs at a level that will likely significantly impact countries' Gross Domestic Product. Water Conflicts Increasing water stress and reducing water resources will lead to increased conflicts among water users. Conflicts between upstream and downstream users or large-scale and small-scale users have the potential to shred the fabric of society at a local and regional scale. Increase in rural poverty The great majority of East Africans depend directly on natural resources for their livelihoods through, for example, agriculture, pastoralism, fisheries, logging, and harvesting of natural resources such as thatch, bricks, and medicinal plants. Climate change threatens the productivity of these natural resources and puts these livelihoods at risk. Loss of glaciers Glaciers occur on several mountains in Africa, including the Ruwenzoris, Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mt Kilimanjaro in particular is a World Heritage site and its receding glacial ice cap has become an international symbol for climate change, as it has lost about 80% of the surface area of its glacial ice cap in the past four decades and its glaciers are expected to disappear completely between 2015 and 2025 if current climatologic patterns persist. Health Changes in temperature will also change the geographic ranges of species. Of particular note is that the geographic range for mosquitoes will increase with an expected increase in malaria epidemics. Sea-level rise Coastal cities and villages are very vulnerable to climate change. Warming trends will produce a significant rise in sea level that will affect not only the economic activities ( f i s h e r i e s , f a r m i n g a n d t o u r i s m ) o f c o a s t a l communities but also their very existence

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IWRM: A Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

Though still in its infancy, Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is an important climate change adaptation strategy. Successful climate change adaptation strategies, embedded within an IWRM framework include: Coordinating and integrating sectoral planning processes such as agriculture, water, energy, environment, urban planning, rural development, among others Coordinating land and water resources management in general by catchment, basin or other hydrographic (rather than administrative) entity Protecting and restoring natural systems Capturing public opinion in the planning process Including climate change considerations in planning Increasing water conservation efforts and improving water use efficiency

These measures can go far in decreasing our vulnerability to climate variability and change.

2007 Parliamentary Tour