Botswana Integrated Water Resources Management & Water Efficiency Plan.

The Botswana Integrated Water Resources Management & Water Efficiency Plan (IWRM-WE Plan) seeks to implement in Botswana IWRM principles as defined in the Global Water Partnership (GWP) by covering the three core components: developing comprehensive policies and laws are developed with clarity on entitlement to water, allocation of water, as well as roles and responsibilities of water users and providers; creating appropriate and effective institutional and organisation framework, as well as institutional capacity building for skilled and informed human resources at all levels, are essential for the implementation of IWRM; establishing an appropriate and effective institutional and organisation framework, as well as institutional capacity building for skilled and informed human resources at all levels, are essential for the implementation of IWRM. The Vision of the IWRM-WE Plan that all people and the environment have adequate access to sufficient water of adequate quality and economic production and growth is not curtailed by water shortages. The overall goal of the IWRM Plan is therefore to improve people’s livelihoods and welfare, as well as contribute to sustained economic growth, economic diversification, social justice and poverty eradication through efficient, equitable and sustainable water resources development and management. The Plan, among other things, analyses the current state of the water resources and sector of Botswana, describes conclusions and Lessons from Southern Africa, gives an outline of the current legal, institutional and policy framework, specifies cross-cutting water resource management issues (such as public and environmental health, climate variability and water resources, poverty and gender), deals with water resources demand and supply forecasts, sets out basic issues of the Plan, defines ten strategic areas of the Plan, lays down the institutional structure for plan implementation and deals with monitoring & evaluation system and funding and costs of the implementation plan. It also provides a roadmap for implementation.
The IWRM-WE Plan is a coordinating and catalytic framework that supports water use and management in different sectors leading to greater economic and environmental efficiencies. The water sector reforms have given the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) (together with the Water Resources Board (WRB)) the responsibility for water resources management and planning. Therefore, the implementation of the Plan will be driven by DWA. The Plan distinguishes ten strategic areas (SAs) for action. For each strategic area, specific objectives are developed together with activities required for implementation. A total of 55 activities are recommended, which must be implemented either immediately, on the short-term, medium-term or long-term. Key institutional features of the Plan include; (i) greater inclusiveness and participation of stakeholders; (ii) a holistic approach with close linkages to development and land use planning; (iii) decentralised catchment area institutions linked to national institutions; (iv) separation of water sector management tasks; v. full integration of transboundary water management; vi. based on current institutional capabilities, and realistic capacity building efforts; and (vii) integration of fresh and wastewater planning and management. The institutional set up for the Plan implementation is fully aligned with the water sector reforms. The strategy for implementation of the IWRM-WE Plan does not seek to create entirely new water institutions but rather increase capacity and effectiveness of existing ones.
The strategic areas, covering the three key areas of IWRM are: Water supply and demand management, increasing of efficiency of water allocation, IWRM mainstreaming in development and land use planning, establishment of an IWRM-WDM enabling environment, development of catchment area management approach, management of Shared Water Resources, institutional capacity building in IWRM, stakeholder participation in IWRM, maintaining water quality and pollution control, ecological water requirements.