Scoping mission on water in rwanda - Partners voor Water

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<strong>Scoping</strong> Mission on Rwanda for Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Kigali (v) Mining is important as employer and export earner (2008: 30%). Although the Policy on Mining promotes modern mining techniques, the practice shows serious pollution of water bodies resulting from outdated and inefficient practices. (vi) Forestry and agro-forestry has a two-fold purpose: ongoing agricultural transformation requires erosion control and increases land productivity, while from an ecological perspective it protects water catchments and biodiversity. (vii) Eco-tourism is one of the economic development spearheads of Rwanda, which will only succeed if the natural resources including water are well protected and are attractive for tourists. • Water governance in Rwanda is hardly practised; the multiple water interests are not effectively managed at national and decentralised level. Equitable and effective participation of the various stakeholders is still absent. Monitoring systems on use, water quality and quantity that should inform the management and decision-making process are limited. This information and documented experiences are also required for a reliable and effective water governance at local and national level. 2.1.2 Trans-boundary water • Reports indicate that 75-90% of Rwanda’s waters are trans-boundary. Basically, there are two water major water basins: the Nile Basin and the Congo Basin, receiving 67% and 33% of the total water discharge respectively. Internationally shared waters are providing a natural way of fostering regional cooperation; common international governance of trans-boundary waters is well structured in organisations like the Nile Basin Initiative in which all riparian countries of the Nile are represented. The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) and the Lake Victoria Basin Committee (LVBC), and its Kagera Basin Management, appear to demonstrate, next to water, their political and socio-economic gains. • The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) 2 has identified a number of projects for Rwanda to promote poverty alleviation, economic growth, and the reversal of environmental degradation in the sub-basin. The projects are grouped into two major areas: Natural Resources Management and the Environment and Hydropower Development and Trade, and target investments in agricultural development, fisheries development, water resources management, water hyacinth control, hydropower development and trans<strong>mission</strong> interconnection. • For transboundary water issues around Lake Kivu and the Rusizi River, where further development of a series of important hydro-power stations is planned, a Lake Kivu Water Basin Authority is in the process of being established. This authority (ABAKIR) is expected to create a constructive platform to discuss and agree on trans-boundary issues on the Lake Kivu Basin between DRC, Burundi and Rwanda. This is an important development as the hydropower potential of the Rusizi is seen as a major contributor to Rwandan energy needs. Only through intensive communication with riparian countries such a development can be realized timely and without creating causes for conflicts. 2.1.3 Rural and Urban Water Supply and Sanitation • Rural and urban water supply/service The JMP 3 figures on use of improved drinking water sources for Rwanda show a remarkable picture. Where urban water supply had an access figure of 96% in 1990, it dropped to 77% in 2008, mainly due to the high influx of people to urban centres, while still 1.5 million people got new access to improved water sources. For rural water the figures are 66% in 1990 to 62% in 2008. The reliability of these urban and rural figures are doubted by all sector staff, as it may not incorporate the non-functionality of many systems, meaning that the actual effective access figures are lower A Management Information System is being established that will also provide more reliable information on actual access. Rwanda is not at all on track for the MDG target on access to improved water supply. The Energy, Water ad Sanitation Authority (EWSA) is managing all urban 2 Nine countries participate in NELSAP: Burundi, D.R. Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda 3 JMP is the Joint Monitoring Programme of WHO and UNICEF – Progress on sanitation and drinking water, 2010 Update Page 5
<strong>Scoping</strong> Mission on Rwanda for Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Kigali water services. EWSA constructs new rural water supply infrastructure. The Districts own the physical asset of the rural water supplies; management is done by so-called PPP, a private service provider contracted by the District. On the basis of previous experiences, it was concluded that water service management by community-based Water User Associations did not work satisfactorily; all or nearly all rural water service will be done through the PPP model. CBOs, contracted by the PPP, may have a role in final water supply distribution to users. • Rural and urban sanitation. The situation for sanitation is different and Rwanda is on track for the sanitation MDG, quite unique for Africa. The 2008 urban access to improved sanitation is 50% as compared to 35% in 1990; and for rural these figures are 55% and 22% (JMP, 2008 figures). Urban sanitation is the most critical part due to high urbanisation and high population densities. At the recent AfricaSan-3 Conference 4 , the GoR made a commitment that before the end of 2012, there would be 100% coverage on rural improved sanitation. The much talked-about Open Defecation Free Villages movement is less an issue in Rwanda as 98% of rural households has a basic sanitation facility. The sanitation and hygiene improvement approach by MINISANTE is implemented through the apparently successful Community Hygiene Clubs that address a spectrum of hygiene interventions and behaviours. 2.1.4 Water for Agriculture (including livestock and fisheries) • The second Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (PSTA II) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, developed in line with the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) of AU-NEPAD, describes the need for rapid agricultural growth. The pressure from high population density has left virtually no potential land unoccupied for food production, except marshlands. Intensification and development of sustainable production systems are needed. The way to increase production addresses the need for rapid agricultural growth. Development of irrigation is seen as a key instrument to reach harvest security (sub programme 1.4 of PSTA II). • Irrigation potential in Rwanda is 590,000 ha. By mid 2011 some 17,000 ha is under irrigation. The Rwanda Irrigation Master Plan aims at realizing 100,000 ha under irrigation by 2017, including 65,000 ha of marshlands. This agricultural development will have an impact on the water resources sector in terms of quantities used. It also introduces a risk when inadequate legislation does not control negative effects of pesticides and nutrients on the quality of receiving surface waters. • Economic Growth in the Agricultural Sector has more effect on poverty reduction than the same level of growth driven by the non-agricultural sector. Among agricultural subsectors, growth driven by increased staple food production has the greatest poverty reduction effect. One Euro invested in agricultural staples generates 3.84 Euro of increased GDP, much higher then returns on investments in export crops. (IFPRI, 2010). • Rwanda has banned pastoralism. Livestock is therefore confined to farms, making facilities for watering the animals that do not pollute water much easier and reducing the risk of contaminating water sources. 2.1.5 Water for Energy • Rwanda’s electricity produced from hydropower is increasing from 69MW in 2009 to 130MW in 2012. Other big schemes under development include Rusumo Falls (90MW) and Rusizi 3 (147MW), while at a later stage Rusizi 4 could add almost another 300MW. Construction of Nyagorongo 1 is on-going, while the multipurpose Nyagorongo 2 would cater for water supply, energy supply and irrigation. • Since further development of the Rusizi potential has trans-boundary implications, a new basin management organization for Kivu and Rusizi has been set up in 2011 together with DRC and Burundi and is called ABAKIR (Autorité du Bassin du Lac Kivu et de la Rivière RUSIZI). 4 AfricaSan-3 Conference was held in Kigali on 19-21 July 2011 Page 6
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