|
Acknowledging the value of water to sustain life and development
2008-06-30 09:33:50
By PEREGE GUMBO
Unlikely other natural resources such as gold, wild animals, and forests, whose absence has no direct effect on human life, water resources are the basis of human life and economic development.
But with emerging competing uses of water, how can this resource be managed sustainably?
A historic expression--`Egypt is Nile and Nile is Egypt` can probably explain well how water resource has an unexplainable economic value to nations Tanzania included. For years, Egypt has had very little rain water to sustain its economic development.
But because of life-giving water of the river Nile, the country managed to sustain its economy using the Nile river water for irrigation.
At a time it became one of the leading African countries for the production of cotton.
History further shows that the United States of America\'s current socio-economic development could be attributed to the nation`s early recognition of the importance of economic value attached to water.
From the Foundation of the USA, water resources became major factor of the economic development, resulting from 1776-1875 water policy formulation focusing on improvements of navigation on the US Rivers.
The policy was followed 25 years later by projects on flood control and irrigation which sprang up throughout the country to aid economic growth and national development, signifying how water and human life were intertwined to the extent that without safe drinking and clean fresh water human could not grow food or sustain its own existence!
World water as shared asset:
While about 70 percent of the earth\'s surface is covered by ocean water, these waters are too salty to be used for economic activities including drinking.
This leaves only about 3 percent of the earth`s water fresh and ideal for human socio-economic undertakings.
It is the percentage of world fresh-water that has been useful for activities such as livestock development, hydro-electric power production, industrial production, wildlife water uses, drinking water and sanitation as well as for ecosystem sustenance.
Scientists say for instance that humanbeings could live without food for more than two months, but only a week without water.
Moreover, humanbeing must take in about 2.4 liters of watery diet daily, failure of which the body starts facing problems.
Tanzania waters and economic value:
Tanzania has sufficient water resources to meet most of its present needs and demads. About 50 per cent of her surface run-off water is derived from the main rivers flowing directly to the Indian Ocean such as Pangani, Wami, Lukuledi, Ruvuma, and Ruvu.
The remaining 50 per cent water is derived from rivers flowing into the Lakes which have no outlet to the sea.
Tanzania Development Vision 2025 has given priority on attaining food sufficiency and security, and attaining universal access to safe water with currently 54 per cent of rural population and 73 per cent of urban accessing safe water.
As basic natural resources for social economic development, water has been fundamental for various economic activities.
Apart from being a human right, it has been the basis of Tanzania`s agricultural production.
The importance of water to Tanzania`s agricultural sector is even set to increase as the government planed to diverge from dependence on rain water to irrigated agriculture.
The 2005 agriculture growth of 6.8 per cent and 42 per cent Gross domestic Product (GDP) contribution to national economy was possible because of water resources availability, which saw irrigated land increasing from 227,476 to 249,982 hectares.
``This increase was attributed to the development of 83 irrigation schemes, contribution of 12 irrigation dams and 12 rain-harvest irrigation schemes`` the 2008 agro-industry report underlines.
On the other hand, fish exports between 1990 and 2003 increased 20 fold from US$ 1 million to US$ 154 million attaining 13 per cent of the country`s total merchandise export which made the sector to be the second largest foreign currency earner after Gold.
Tanzania water and forest are interdependent and affect one another.
With about 33.5 million hectares of forest and woodlands which offered habitat for wildlife, beekeeping, and unique natural ecosystems, it has also been the main sources of rainfall which filled rivers and Lakes.
The forests continued to be sources of fuel for rural population accounting for 92 percent of the total energy consumption in the country.
Likewise, water and the environment were importantly related since they enhance good ecological system which in turn helped maintaining good climate and rainfall distribution.
The ecological system-wetlands, floodplains, estuaries and costal zones which served as important hydrology and ecology have helped to safe-guard biological diversity and maintenance of fresh water balances.
Permanent and seasonal fresh water swamps enabled development of special types of plants and animals essential for environmental conservation and productive of natural environments.
Wildlife and tourism has had enormous contribution to Tanzania`s socio-economic development.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism indicates that recently the sector accounted for about 16 percent of the total GDP and nearly 25 per cent of total export earnings, directly supported 14,800 jobs in 1999 while increased foreign exchange receipts from US$ 259.4 million in 1995 to US$ 737.2 million in 1999, thanks to the water availability.
Availability of water has enabled Tanzania to have more than 60 percent of all electricity supply derived from hydropower generation (water generated electricity).
As a result there has been spill over socio-economic activities resulting from artificial lakes which provided fishing and other agricultural activities to nearby communities.
Tanzania`s recent mining sector growth cannot be separated from availability of sufficient water supply to the mining processes.
The mining factories require abundant water supply to flourish and the sector`s performance explain positive contribution of the water resources. As a result the mineral output increased from US$ 43.5 million in 2000 to US$ 835.6 million in 2006.
However, the sector`s contribution to national GDP remained relatively small (4 percent) only partly due to un-streamlined tax structure which according to Dr. Daniel Ngowi attracted little revenue.
Part of Tanzania Rivers such as Rufiji, Kilombero, Kagera, and Malagarasi were being used for internal transportation while the three great East African Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa were being used as important national and inter-country navigation water bodies.
Competing for water and its consequences:
Water as finite resource and vulnerable has recently been subjected to pressure of becoming scarce resulting from increasing multi-sectoral demands on one hand, and rapid population growth on the other.
For over 15 years ago, increased multi-sectoral water demands have become apparent also due to increased economic activities in industrial production, hydro-power production, mining sector, livestock keeping, fisheries, environmental sanitation, and wildlife water uses.
As a result, conflicts started surfacing in various parts of Tanzania between different interested water users.
In Pangani and Rufiji basins for instance, the conflicts have been between hydropower production and irrigated agriculture, environment and irrigated agriculture, hydropower production and environment, and between upstream and downstream water users.
Continued population increase of 2.8 per cent per year was likely to perpetuate Tanzania\'s water scarcity.
The World Resources Report of 2000/01 projected that Tanzania`s population increase from 32 million in 2002 to 60 million in 2025 would reduce available annual average water per capita by 45 per cent.
The reduction from 2,700 cubic meters of water per person per year to just 1,500 cubic meters will be below internationally set standard of 1,700 cubic meters of water per person per year.
Extensive irrigations during dry season have tended to dried up rivers thereby disturbing ecosystems and wildlife.
Inefficient water uses in irrigation estimated at 15 per cent coupled with 52 per cent water losses caused by leakages from domestic water supplies have been cited as factors which will cause severe water shortages in the near future.
Water vulnerability has also come about due to increased environmental degradation which led to unsustainable availability of the resource and failure to meet water demands.
Severe widespread water shortages also occurred due to low and high variable rainfall resulting in inadequate river water flows and reservoir level.
The cumulative consequence of the above factors has been negative on the overall water availability for domestic uses, food production, hydropower production, environment sanitation leading to competition and conflicts among different socio-economic water uses.
So what next?
As has been envisaged, lack or presence of water would still be the major source of conflicts in the future, and there could indeed be no democracy or peace without peoples` control over main resources like water.
The challenge is for the government to ensure protection of water sources and prevent users from environmental pollution.
This will be critically important to enhance good water quality and availability for mutual multi-sectoral water users` benefits.
Availability of water would require Tanzania to put in place holistic programme which allowed equitable and shared water resources among life forms on one hand, and utilization for agricultural production and hydropower generation purposes on the other.
As the 2006 Ruaha Water programme Report clearly directs, the above measures would prevent re-occurrence of problems that resulted in unsustainable and unmonitored utilization of the water causing drying up of the Great Ruaha; decrease of water levels within the Usangu plain and Ruaha National Parks.
Since most Tanzania`s arid and semi-arid areas suffered from frequent droughts resulting into crops, livestock losses, hunger and widespread poverty, catchments protection and rain-water harvesting measures are urgently needed to ensure the little available water was properly conserved and utilized during the drought periods.
|
