Strategy for Operationalizing Stakeholder contribution towards Water Source Protection.

This Strategy seeks to guide stakeholder contribution towards water source protection as provided for in the Water Sources Protection Guidelines (2013). The purpose of the Strategy is to provide the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) and stakeholders in water sources protection, a roadmap for ensuring an effective structured engagement of stakeholders in contributing towards water sources protection, enhancing inclusivity and ensuring improved understanding of problems affecting water quality and availability. The Strategy elaborates on the Goal and Objectives of Stakeholder contribution to water sources protection, stakeholders targeted to contribute to the water sources protection, sources of contribution, modalities for managing and utilizing the contribution, priority actions that benefit from the contribution as well as implementation requirements and arrangements for this Strategy. Stakeholders in water resources management will be engaged throughout the entire process of water source protection involving the following stages: a) identifying water source protection issues and planning for water source protection per location; b) identifying protection measures, and options; c) identifying implementation requirements and designing implementation arrangements and processes; d) contributing to protection costs; and, e) defining means to monitor and evaluate protection progress and outcomes. However, institutions with mandate to supply water would have a bigger stake in order to ensure they are able to fulfill their obligations. The Long-term objective or goal of the stakeholder contribution to water sources protection is “To sustain supply of good quality and affordable water” for the socio-economic and livelihood needs. This goal will be realized through the following objectives: a. To mobilize and sustain stakeholders contribution to water sources protection. b. To enforce measures for ensuring an efficient and effective management and utilization of stakeholder contributions. c. To protect water sources from threats to water quality and water quantity. These objectives will be implemented through the following three broad strategies regarding contributions.
The Strategy describes the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in implementing the strategies and interventions. The MWE and Water infrastructure developers and operators will play the lead role. However, Lead agencies responsible for managing environmental and or land-based activities affecting water sources (e.g., forestry, wetlands, rangelands, river banks and lake shores, land, agriculture, housing, population, road infrastructure, hydropower generation, etc.) will be required to provide technical leadership and policy guidance and take lead in implementing priority water sources protection interventions that fall under their mandates. This requirement will ensure that water source protection activities remain integral components of their mandate and programmes. The Strategy recommends the following measures for managing identified risks that could render the Strategy ineffective - the contribution to water source protection shall be mandatory for all stakeholders and water users defined in the Source Protection Guidelines; the requirement that water infrastructure developer includes this contribution as part of the budget for capital development; integrating water source protection contribution within the conditional grants to districts and ensuring that such funds are utilized for the intended purpose; regular contributions towards water source protection must be integral components of the Operations&Maintenance budgets of water infrastructure; strengthening of enforcement tools; ensure that stakeholder obligations are met and the generated funds are utilized in accordance with the approved Water Source Protection Plans. This measure will be realized through applying an effective Monitoring system applicable at policy by Water Policy and MWE, sector level by Water and Environment Sector Working Group, and at catchment levels by the Directorate of Water Resources Management (Water Management Zone Offices), as appropriate. The following incentive measures will be applied to achieve compliance - all water source protection activities shall be defined in the Water Source Protection Plans developed and approved in accordance with the procedures defined in the Water Source Protection Guidelines; communication and creating awareness; transparency and Equity; participation in decision making; designing and applying planning and implementation tools that ensure that water source protection activities supported by the stakeholder contributions compliment running and previous programmes of various stakeholders in the water source catchment; mobilize water users and water source stakeholders.