ZIMBABWE, which has seen an increase in the occurrence of extreme weather events and is currently seized with mitigating an El Nino-induced drought, is soliciting for partnerships with India for solutions to improve the management of water resources.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Deputy Minister, Vangelis Haritatos, told the 8th India Water Week 2024 currently underway in New Dehli, India, that the increase in the occurrence of these extreme events has underscored the need to find solutions especially in the context of integrated approaches and cooperation in water resources management.
“This is why the idea of “partnerships and cooperation” becomes important as it creates a platform to share different perspectives, bridge gaps and ensure inclusivity in water resources management,” said Haritatos.
He said Zimbabwe and India share common challenges in water management with both countries facing significant water scarcity issues, which affect agricultural productivity, public health, and overall economic development.
Challenges related to aging and inadequate water infrastructure, poor land management practices as well as groundwater pollution to mention a few, are also common in both countries and hence the need to tackle the challenges in a collaborative manner through partnerships and sharing of ideas.
“Despite the challenges, Zimbabwe continues to make efforts to ensure increased access to water, amid realization that water management is a vital pillar towards achieving upper middle-income economy status by 2030,” said Haritatos.
The country continues to make robust investments in the areas of dam construction, development of groundwater resources, water supply, irrigation development and rural development projects to empower local communities.
Currently, the country has 12 large dams under construction in different provinces to improve water supply and irrigation development and cushion the community against the adverse impacts of climate change and climate variability. Zimbabwe is recognized amongst the most dammed countries in Southern Africa.
“The 8th India Water Week 2024 provides a unique platform for us to come together, share experiences, and learn from each other. The event is a critical milestone in the harnessing of productive collaborations, partnerships and opportunities that exist in the water sector. By working together, we can address these challenges more effectively and ensure water secure future for all,” he added.
This year’s event is running under the theme: “Partnerships and Cooperation for Inclusive Water Development and Management”.
Regarding cooperation, Haritatos said Zimbabwe has made strides through various transboundary arrangements as the country lies wholly within transboundary river basins.
The country is party to the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), the 2000, SADC Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses, the Zambezi Watercourse Commission with 8 riparian states, the Limpopo Watercourse Commission with 4 riparian states and the Buzi, Pungwe and Save Watercourse Commission with Mozambique.
“We are also party to Joint Water Commissions with South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana all in an effort to maximize the benefits of water cooperation in line with SDG6. This is robustly demonstrated by the result of the reporting exercise measuring progress to achieve SDG indicator 6.5.2 on transboundary cooperation, where the percentage of Zimbabwe’s shared waters covered by an agreement and institutional arrangement was 69.9% in the 2020 report. This improved to 90.4% in the latest report submitted to UNECE and UNESCO in 2023 showing the Zimbabwe’s commitment and willingness to cooperate with other countries on management of our shared watercourses,” he said.
