By Lillian Aluanga-Delvaux
Tana River County: Management of the Tana River basin is set for a revolution with the launch of a project aimed at better water management and climate change adaptation.
The Tana River - one of two chosen in Africa - is targeted under a four-year programme dubbed the 'Water Infrastructure Solutions from Ecosystems Services Underpinning Climate Resilient Policies and Programmes,' or simply 'WISE-UP to Climate'. The other river is the Volta in Ghana.
WISE-UP to Climate aims to show use of natural infrastructure as a 'nature based solution' for climate change adaptation and sustainable development.
The project, the first of its kind in the region, will develop knowledge on how to use built water infrastructure like dams, levees, and irrigation channels, as well as natural infrastructure like wetlands, and floodplains, for poverty reduction, water-energy-food security, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.
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Speaking during the launch of the project's first stakeholder meeting in Malindi, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources Prof. Judy Wakhungu said she was optimistic the project 'will generate significant new adaptive capacity at different levels, both in the Tana and Volta basins, and spread the knowledge to other basins at the continental and global levels'.
"The WISE-UP project is coming at the right moment when the Kenya government through the Tana-Athi River Development Authority (TARDA) has identified infrastructure development as a key strategy for meeting water and energy needs, both nationally and within the basin," said Wakhungu.
The project is funded by the International Climate Initiative of Germany's Ministry of Environment Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. It’s co-ordinated by a global partnership that brings together The University of Nairobi's African Collaborative Centre for Earth Systems Sciences (ACESS), Ghana's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and others.
Clashes between pastoralist and farming communities in the Tana delta region, largely linked to a scramble for resources within the basin, have led to the death of dozens and uprooted thousands from their homes over the years.
A history of poor land use and management in the area hasn't helped much either, pitting residents on one hand, and both local and foreign investors on the other. This has seen poverty remain widespread in the Tana basin- with levels as high as 63 per cent- despite the area's wealth in natural resources.
University of Nairobi lecturer Prof Eric Odada, says different interests along the Tana river basin, including use of water for human consumption, production of hydroelectricity, irrigation, agriculture, and conservation, compete for the same water resource, hence the need for the basin's proper management.
The Tana basin occupies over 138,000 square kilometers and serves over 12 million people across 20 Counties. The Volta, on the other hand covers 417,000 square kilometres and is shared by six countries including Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali.
Just like in the Tana, water resources in the Volta basin are under stress due to increasing demand from a growing population, rainfall variability and uncoordinated water resources development.
"If left for survival of the fittest some people will lose out and these water resources will be lost if there is no understanding of fair sharing," says Odada.
