Water Resources Management Strategy 2011-2015.

This Water Resources Management Strategy 2011-2015 of the Ministry of Natural Resources primarily seeks to operationalise the National Water Resources Management Policy, which was recently formulated by the Government. It will enhance stakeholder engagement (especially private sector participation) and improve financing and coordinated planning. National development towards a medium income country with a healthy and productive population, as laid out in Vision 2020 and medium term plans, such as the second being the Economic Development and Poverty reduction Strategy (EDPRS) 2007-2012, implies strong demands on the country’s water resources. Strategic exploration and productive utilisation of water resources such as through hydropower production, supplying clean water to all Rwandans, expanding irrigated agriculture, and supporting industrialisation, will increase considerably. To meet this demand sustainably, Rwanda will restore the productivity of its watersheds, control pollution and promote efficient use. It will also have to strengthen the synergy among the different sectors dependent on water resources. Rainwater harvesting is being piloted, a number of watershed rehabilitation projects are ongoing, and we have adopted a Sector-wide Approach (SWAp). Thus the main challenge of this strategy is meeting increasing multiple water demands, in the face of declining water quantity and quality, and inadequate governance framework.
The country’s water resources management (WRM) capacity is limited in terms of human resources, institutional systems, and infrastructure. Rwanda’s water resources are severely degraded – primarily due to land degradation resulting in siltation of water bodies; pollution from point and non point sources, including agricultural chemicals, inappropriate human settlements and poor urban and industrial waste management. Because of increasing population pressure and declining water quality and quantity, access to clean water is a problem. Coordinated internal use and enhancing trans-boundary water cooperation are some of the critical and immediate priorities for the Government.
This Strategy will, for the purpose of reaching the policy objectives, realise 6 strategic outcomes and 39 outputs. The main results areas are - an effective framework for water resources governance; cost-effective water resources assessment and monitoring system in place and operational; critical watersheds and catchments are rehabilitated and basic ecological functions restored; establishment of a efficient and equitable water allocation and utilisation framework, an effective framework for water-related disaster management; climate change mitigation and adaptation in place and implemented; basic capacities installed and effective framework for sustained WRM capacity development and knowledge management developed; appropriate and reliable data and knowledge regarding water resources; creation of an effective framework for managing shared waters. Priority actions that must be undertaken as a logical first step are outlined. These concern mainly policy and governance issues.
The strategic actions to be undertaken for sustainable management of water resources include i) Monitor and assess water resources to identify its spatial and temporal occurrence and distribution in the country; ii) Develop a coherent Water Resources Information System and a clearing house for information on the water resources of Rwanda; iii) Formulate a water resources management strategy addressing, inter alia, watershed protection and provides mechanisms for the designation of special conservation and or protection zones; iv) Develop and promote best practices of efficient and appropriate watershed management to maximize water yields and maintain quality; v) Promote water conservation techniques and technologies, including rainwater harvesting, water recycling and other appropriate technologies; vi) Identify and institute measures to make productive use of all water resources, including thermal water for economic development, such as energy and tourism; and vii) Institute measures for managing water related disasters and stresses, arising from climate change, floods, droughts and demographic trends. Other strategic actions will be undertaken in the fields of integrated but decentralized governance, co-operation in the sustainable management and equitable utilization of shared water resources, development of the human, technical and managerial capacity of institutions, and financing mechanisms for water resources management. There are also some crosscutting issues highlighted in Vision 2020 such as on gender equality, protection of the environment and climate change, and promotion of science and technology.