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TRANSBOUNDARY WATER MANAGEMENTFishing at a dam in Chipata Districtment at national, catchment and subcatchment levels, with strongsector stakeholder participation through water users’ associationsto enhance water governance. Furthermore, the WRM Actrecognizes water as a finite and vulnerable resource, and includesspecific provisions that recognize the responsibilities linked tothe transboundary nature of managing shared water resourceswith a focus on the principles of equity for meeting variousnational water demands and sharing the water of transboundaryriver basins. The Water Resources Management Authority(WARMA), a semi-autonomous catchment management institutionwith catchment and subcatchment councils, was establishedin October 2012. With the WARMA board in place, a stepwiseapproach has been adopted as a strategy for the operationalizationof WARMA from 2013, with a focus on establishing effectivewater users’ associations to facilitate the decentralization of waterresources management service provision. Ongoing water sectorreforms in the water resources management subsector entail theestablishment of a government department responsible for waterresources planning and policy development, and the reorganizationof the DWA in light of the water resources managementfunctions delegated to WARMA.External cooperation from Zambia’s development partnerstakes the form of financing for the water sector on a bilateral andmultilateral, as well as a project approach basis. This has beencritical to the success of the water sector reforms. The supporthas come from countries such as Germany, Denmark, Ireland,Japan, the United States and China among others, and institutionssuch as the Global Water Partnership, European Union,Image: N.F. NgomaAfrican Development Bank and World Bank. SADChas also provided an effective strategic frameworkto Zambia through the revised Protocol on SharedWatercourses and the Regional Strategic Action Plan.Consensus has now been reached on the importanceof Zambia’s participation in the management of transboundarywater resources as a shared responsibilitywith other riparian states.Regional integration and benefit sharing throughriver basin institutions in both the Zambezi and Congoriver basins are a priority for Zambia as it implementsthe legal and institutional framework for the waterresources management subsector. Immediate plansinclude strengthening WARMA and related catchmentinstitutions, capacity building at all levels, developmentof the water resources management strategic plan,catchment plans, collaborative research and projectimplementation, and the re-examination of investmentsfor water-related infrastructure. Examples ofZambia’s current participation in active transboundarywater management include the management of LakeTanganyika by Tanzania, the Democratic Republicof the Congo, Burundi and Zambia through the LakeTanganyika Authority; and management of the KaribaDam Complex with its hydrology by Zimbabwe andZambia. In addition, Zambia has recently indicatedthat it will become part of ZamCom following itssuccessful completion of the water resources managementsubsector. The establishment of the Water SectorAdvisory Group comprising key sector stakeholders,and the coordination of donors through a joint assistancestrategy, was another important milestone inZambia’s water sector reforms.Last, but not least, Zambia is a landlocked countrywith a population now standing at more than 13million. Its river systems are characterized by floodplainsand dambos. Major wetlands are the Kafue flats,Lukanga swamps, Barotse plain, Bangweulu swamps,Liuwa plain, Busanga and Luena. According to Vision2030, Zambia is geared to attaining the status of amiddle-income country through sustainable use ofwater resources to support the main economic pillarsof the economy. The immediate demands for wateruse include domestic, environment, hydropower,irrigation, industrial and mining. However, Zambia’shydropower potential is about 6,000 MW against thedeveloped 1,788 MW; and the irrigation potential isabout 520,000 ha of land out of which only 30 percent is currently irrigated. Mining activities are alsoon the increase.Zambia has made good progress in its water sectorreforms although these reforms have generally beenslow and lengthy, partly due to the national stakeholderconsultative process. Nevertheless, there isevidence that Zambia has positioned itself for effectivetransboundary water resources managementfrom the viewpoint of its policy, planning process,envisaged collaborative opportunities and legal andinstitutional frameworks.[ 95 ]