adminMany countries are increasingly facing challenges related to the management of water, and although the nature of these challenges differ from one country to another, it has become ever more vital to equip people with the basic knowledge on how they can positively contribute to sustainable water management especially in this age of climate change.Although the climatic pattern in Zimbabwe has always been characterised by long dry seasons, the water situation before the advent of the climate change phenomenon has generally been good.
However, due to the rising demand of water as a result of climate change, growing population, increasing industrial activity, the shift from rain-fed to irrigation farming among other factors, water scarcity has gradually become one of the major challenges facing the country.
This has put the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and other stakeholders in the water sector in a very critical position.
Now, more than never before, it has become essential to promote cross sectoral collaboration in relation to water management.
The authority fully understands the importance of adopting integrated approaches to water management and improving water utilisation regulatory processes with a view to ensure that water resources in the country are sustainably managed.
However, while ZINWA has remained committed to fulfilling its mandate as encapsulated in section 5 of the ZINWA Act (Chapter 20:25), efforts to guarantee water security have continually been hampered by inadequate public interest in water management issues, a scenario which has created a knowledge gap in water management.
If truth be told, public knowledge of water issues is very sketchy and this is one area that needs to be improved as a precursor to the adoption of a collective multi-sectoral approach to water resources management.
There is huge gap between what the general public know and what they should know about the water sector and this poses a great threat to water management initiatives.
At the just ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), the authority noted that there is a deficiency of public knowledge in water management issues.
Despite water being a critical part of human life, most of those who visited the authority’s stand didn’t know much about critical issues relevant to the water sector in general and water resources management in particular.
Some of the critical issues that most people still don’t have adequate knowledge about are: the relationship between ZINWA and local authorities, the roles and functions of catchment and sub-catchment councils, the water permit/agreement system, borehole registration process, water conservation techniques, among others.
Sadly, for as long as the obtaining knowledge gap in water management is not decisively dealt with, it is difficult to envision successful implementation of measures to mitigate effects of droughts, floods and other forms of climate change induced weather disasters.
For example, it is difficult to explain the importance of water harvesting to someone who has little knowledge about and interest in water management issues.
In the same vein, it is almost impossible to embrace water conservation at home, in business or at the farms when someone knows little or nothing about water management and therefore does not appreciate the problems bedevilling the water sector in Zimbabwe.
In other words, bridging the knowledge gap in water management has almost become a prerequisite for successful water resources management.
There is a compelling need to adopt collaborative approaches to water management as this will provide forums for bringing together diverse, and often competing, interests in water through constructive deliberation and negotiation of possible solutions.
We must however realise that this will only be possible if the knowledge gap in water management is bridged.
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Online Reporter