For smallholder farmers it is not just about applying farming technologies that conserve water but also growing crops that require little water to ripen. Drought resistant crops have also been advocated as a means to adapt to water scarcity particularly in face of severe climate change impacts.
Yet recent years have witnessed growing concern of businesses all over the world about water scarcity. This calls for the need of the private sector to make significant interventions in water conservation and water resources management in general.
Other stakeholders also increasingly acknowledge the business community as an important partner in implementing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) activities in a bid to deal with water scarcity through efficient use of the resource in industrial production, energy, agriculture and other areas.
Looking for solutions to global water challenges is critical to respond to the biggest issues facing us today: climate change, ecosystem sustainability and growing demand for water from agriculture and industry at a time of an increased water scarcity.
For a country like Tanzania which is undergoing reforms from the state-run centralized system, the contribution of the private sector to water resources management is set to play a significant role.
The recently launched Great Ruaha Restoration Campaign (GRRC), an initiative of 2030 Water Resources Group, SAGCOT Centre, Rufiji Basin Water Board and the CEO Round Table, envisages the role of the private sector in implementing the Rufiji Basin Integrated Water Resources Management and Development(IWRMD) Plan as cutting across many areas with the result that private sector participation would provide leverage to existing efforts to conserve the Great Ruaha River catchment and the Rufiji Basin in general.
“The Rufiji Basin IWRMD Plan is more than a water plan; it is also a business plan. It puts into perspective the business opportunities available in integrated water resources management and how the private sector can address these risks in order to maximize the potential that is available,” said Prof. Aris Georgakakos, President of the Water Resources and Energy Management (WREM) International when introducing the Plan at the launch of the GRRC.
The private sector is a key player in investing in water resources. Financial resources required to implement the Rufiji Basin IWRMD plan are beyond those of the government and development partners put tgether. The private sector will therefore have a major role to play in complementing government efforts by financing construction of water-related infrastructure and watershed interventions.
This could be accomplished through lending money to the government or direct funding of interventions. While the main focus of such interventions could be on infrastructure, other areas could be hydropower generation and agricultural irrigation and food production.
The private sector is expected to play a key role in providing a range of services including technical and advisory services, water resources assessment and construction of water-related infrastructure. It could engage in the construction of water treatment plants, water distribution systems and irrigation canals, construction of storage reservoirs, wastewater treatment systems and drilling of boreholes.
Corporate water stewardship is an important aspect in integrated water resources management. “In a world of growing awareness of corporate social responsibility, businesses are increasingly working to ensure that their operations are environmentally and socially sound. The corporate community is commonly at the forefront in adopting technologies and practices that minimize wastage and promote recycling and re-use of materials including freshwater resources,” explained Prof. Georgakakos.
He said that private companies can also be encouraged to share their knowledge and their experiences with other stakeholders so as to promote green growth in the Rufiji Basin.
Elsewhere in the world, recycling and re-use of water as a measure of reducing wastage is highly encouraged. Recent actions at the European Commission level suggest a high interest in maximising water reuse within Europe as an alternative source of water supply.
“Recognising that water scarcity and drought events will be more frequent in the future, utilising alternative freshwater supplies through targeted water reuse programmes can indeed be a viable option. In particular, the most recent action to develop minimum requirements for reuse of water for agricultural irrigation and groundwater recharge has a high potential to boost water reuse in the EU,” says Prof. Jorg Drewes, Chair of the Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich.
He added that considering the benefits of this practice, reusing local water supplies should be an integral part of a circular economy since it increases water supply resilience against extreme events, offers opportunities to recover resources and releases water quality pressure on receiving streams. It also provides a platform for innovative technologies.
Success in managing water resources requires sound policies, among other things. The private sector can play a strategic role by being a key voice, alongside civil society organisations and academia in highlighting long-term challenges and priorities, and providing feedback on the regulatory framework in the debate on sustainable management and development of water resources in the Rufiji Basin.
As part of good corporate citizenship, private companies could commonly engage in service delivery, thereby complementing the efforts of government. “The Kilombero Sugar Company sets an example in this case. The company co-founded and continues to fund the Kilombero Community Charitable Trust which is a non-governmental organization dedicated to serving the community surrounding Kilombero Sugar Company. In 2015, the Trust built toilets for 600 pupils of Mang’ula Primary School located in Kilombero District,” explained Prof. Georgakakos.
In a business model expected to be applied in the SAGCOT irrigation schemes in the Kilombero and Lower Rufiji sub-basins, large privately-owned “nucleus “ farms are expected to provide support to outgrowers by guaranteeing a market for their produces and providing investment, training and technical support for improvement of productivity and access to tractor hire services and farm inputs.
According to the Rufiji Basin IWRMD Plan, the business community can also play an important role in sharing information on water resources with other sectors of the economy. In many catchments in the Rufiji Basin data availability and quality are a severe constraint on water resources planning.
Thus individual corporations may be in a position to set up and operate different types of water resources monitoring stations such as streamflow stations, climatic stations, groundwater level stations and effluent quality monitoring stations, among others. These institutions may agree to share the data with Rufiji Basin Water Board, thereby complementing efforts by other stakeholders in monitoring and assessing water resources.
Some companies already share information. They include Kilombero Sugar Corporation, Unilever Tea Company, Madibira Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society and Ulete Catholic Mission. More private sector institutions should be encouraged to operate monitoring stations and share data with other stakeholders.
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