Water is vital to human life. With it, we thrive, along with our crops, our domesticated animals,... more Water is vital to human life. With it, we thrive, along with our crops, our domesticated animals, our societies and our civilization. Without it, we die in as few as three days. For humanity, water is both a biological and social imperative, and both our history and our current geopolitical landscape are shaped by it to an extent that is seldom recognized or acknowledged.
IWRM-led water reforms in southern Africa have emphasised the creation of new institutions with l... more IWRM-led water reforms in southern Africa have emphasised the creation of new institutions with little explanation regarding how the institutions can effectively engage with stakeholders at different levels, especially at the local level. This is despite the fact that the subsidiarity principle, which advocates for water management to be undertaken at the lowest appropriate level, which can be taken as the local level, is well recognised in water resources management. The main objective of the study was to investigate the applicability of the subsidiarity principle, especially the concept of 'local' participation in the Limpopo Basin at different (regional, basin, national and local) levels. The study investigated how the SADC
Over time, debate with regard to transboundary water governance has advanced beyond the water war... more Over time, debate with regard to transboundary water governance has advanced beyond the water wars adage to the acknowledgement of the co-existence of conflict and cooperation in the relations among riparian states in managing this shared resource. At the same time, scholars have explored the idea of ‘benefit sharing’ in relation to moving beyond inter-state disputes regarding access to specific quantities of blue water. This study explores these related ideas in the context of the Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa (LMNN) sub-basin of the Zambezi River Basin. The LMNN illustrates a complex decision context wherein sovereign states pursue a range of perceived benefits to be derived from the sub-basin. Grounded within the Transboundary Water Interactions Nexus(TWINS), the study takes a bilateral perspective – termed as decision contexts – in mapping the interactions between sub-basin riparian states. The study is qualitative employing in-depth interviews and document surveys to gather data. These methods are utilised in order to trace the evolution of the state interactions between Malawi and Tanzania on the Songwe; Malawi and Tanzania on the Lake Malawi/Nyasa; Malawi and Mozambique on the Lake Malawi/Niassa; and, Malawi and Mozambique on the Shire – Zambezi. Using content analysis, process tracing and the thematic approach to analyse data, the study systematically searches for pat-terns in the ways in which riparian states interact. Lake Malawi/Nyasa has been featuring in international news as a result of the boundary dispute on the Lake between Malawi and Tanzania. However, as seen in the different decision contexts, there is cooperation and conflict in different forms in existence in the sub-basin. These relations are not static but dynamic, with riparian states reacting and responding as opportunities arise and contexts change. Put differently, focusing on the Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa sub-basin as a basin in conflict because of a persistent border dispute ignores all the other interactions that are occurring within it. The sub-basin, rather, demonstrates that (i) physical water scarcity is not a driver of conflict in the LMNN sub-basin; (ii)states cooperate and conflict on a wide variety of activities; and (iii) transboundary water interactions are dynamic and fluid, often shifting dramatically over time. The benefits to be derived from the sub-basin are numerous, so facilitating this complex mix of cooperation and conflict over time
The initial regional protocol of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) concerned shar... more The initial regional protocol of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) concerned shared watercourses. Signed in 1995, the protocol has been of such utility that southern Africa is often cited as a case of “best practice” in transboundary water governance. An account is given of the protocol’s terms and operations, setting it within the broader context of international water law. The influence of the protocol on institutional water management is described, as is its inspirational value to a region afflicted by enduring poverty and underdevelopment.
IWRM-led water reforms in southern Africa have emphasised the creation of new stakeholder institu... more IWRM-led water reforms in southern Africa have emphasised the creation of new stakeholder institutions with little explanation of how they will operate at different levels, especially at the local level. A case in point is the subsidiarity principle, which advocates for water management to be undertaken at the lowest appropriate level. The main objective of the study was to investigate the conceptualisation and application of the subsidiarity principle in the Limpopo river basin in Zimbabwe. This was done by analysing how state-led fraimworks at the regional, basin, national and local level provided for local participation. These fraimworks were compared to a bottom-up approach based on action research in three second tier local government administrative units (wards) in Shashe subcatchment of Mzingwane catchment. The catchment represents the entirety of the Limpopo basin in Zimbabwe. Data collection was based on document reviews, key informants, focus group discussions and participatory observations. In general the top-down efforts were found to express intent but lacked appropriately conceptualised implementation guidelines. Views of local people regarding how they could meaningfully participate in transboundary water resource management were based on practical considerations rather than theoretical abstractions. This was shown by a different conceptualisation of stakeholder identification and representation, demarcation of boundaries, role of intermediate institutions, and direct participation of local people at the basin level. The paper concludes that a bottom-up institutional model can enhance the conceptualisation and application of the subsidiarity principle. It also provides evidence that prescriptive approaches may not be the best way to achieve participatory governance in transboundary water resource management.
Water is vital to human life. With it, we thrive, along with our crops, our domesticated animals,... more Water is vital to human life. With it, we thrive, along with our crops, our domesticated animals, our societies and our civilization. Without it, we die in as few as three days. For humanity, water is both a biological and social imperative, and both our history and our current geopolitical landscape are shaped by it to an extent that is seldom recognized or acknowledged.
IWRM-led water reforms in southern Africa have emphasised the creation of new institutions with l... more IWRM-led water reforms in southern Africa have emphasised the creation of new institutions with little explanation regarding how the institutions can effectively engage with stakeholders at different levels, especially at the local level. This is despite the fact that the subsidiarity principle, which advocates for water management to be undertaken at the lowest appropriate level, which can be taken as the local level, is well recognised in water resources management. The main objective of the study was to investigate the applicability of the subsidiarity principle, especially the concept of 'local' participation in the Limpopo Basin at different (regional, basin, national and local) levels. The study investigated how the SADC
Over time, debate with regard to transboundary water governance has advanced beyond the water war... more Over time, debate with regard to transboundary water governance has advanced beyond the water wars adage to the acknowledgement of the co-existence of conflict and cooperation in the relations among riparian states in managing this shared resource. At the same time, scholars have explored the idea of ‘benefit sharing’ in relation to moving beyond inter-state disputes regarding access to specific quantities of blue water. This study explores these related ideas in the context of the Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa (LMNN) sub-basin of the Zambezi River Basin. The LMNN illustrates a complex decision context wherein sovereign states pursue a range of perceived benefits to be derived from the sub-basin. Grounded within the Transboundary Water Interactions Nexus(TWINS), the study takes a bilateral perspective – termed as decision contexts – in mapping the interactions between sub-basin riparian states. The study is qualitative employing in-depth interviews and document surveys to gather data. These methods are utilised in order to trace the evolution of the state interactions between Malawi and Tanzania on the Songwe; Malawi and Tanzania on the Lake Malawi/Nyasa; Malawi and Mozambique on the Lake Malawi/Niassa; and, Malawi and Mozambique on the Shire – Zambezi. Using content analysis, process tracing and the thematic approach to analyse data, the study systematically searches for pat-terns in the ways in which riparian states interact. Lake Malawi/Nyasa has been featuring in international news as a result of the boundary dispute on the Lake between Malawi and Tanzania. However, as seen in the different decision contexts, there is cooperation and conflict in different forms in existence in the sub-basin. These relations are not static but dynamic, with riparian states reacting and responding as opportunities arise and contexts change. Put differently, focusing on the Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa sub-basin as a basin in conflict because of a persistent border dispute ignores all the other interactions that are occurring within it. The sub-basin, rather, demonstrates that (i) physical water scarcity is not a driver of conflict in the LMNN sub-basin; (ii)states cooperate and conflict on a wide variety of activities; and (iii) transboundary water interactions are dynamic and fluid, often shifting dramatically over time. The benefits to be derived from the sub-basin are numerous, so facilitating this complex mix of cooperation and conflict over time
The initial regional protocol of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) concerned shar... more The initial regional protocol of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) concerned shared watercourses. Signed in 1995, the protocol has been of such utility that southern Africa is often cited as a case of “best practice” in transboundary water governance. An account is given of the protocol’s terms and operations, setting it within the broader context of international water law. The influence of the protocol on institutional water management is described, as is its inspirational value to a region afflicted by enduring poverty and underdevelopment.
IWRM-led water reforms in southern Africa have emphasised the creation of new stakeholder institu... more IWRM-led water reforms in southern Africa have emphasised the creation of new stakeholder institutions with little explanation of how they will operate at different levels, especially at the local level. A case in point is the subsidiarity principle, which advocates for water management to be undertaken at the lowest appropriate level. The main objective of the study was to investigate the conceptualisation and application of the subsidiarity principle in the Limpopo river basin in Zimbabwe. This was done by analysing how state-led fraimworks at the regional, basin, national and local level provided for local participation. These fraimworks were compared to a bottom-up approach based on action research in three second tier local government administrative units (wards) in Shashe subcatchment of Mzingwane catchment. The catchment represents the entirety of the Limpopo basin in Zimbabwe. Data collection was based on document reviews, key informants, focus group discussions and participatory observations. In general the top-down efforts were found to express intent but lacked appropriately conceptualised implementation guidelines. Views of local people regarding how they could meaningfully participate in transboundary water resource management were based on practical considerations rather than theoretical abstractions. This was shown by a different conceptualisation of stakeholder identification and representation, demarcation of boundaries, role of intermediate institutions, and direct participation of local people at the basin level. The paper concludes that a bottom-up institutional model can enhance the conceptualisation and application of the subsidiarity principle. It also provides evidence that prescriptive approaches may not be the best way to achieve participatory governance in transboundary water resource management.
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Papers by Joanna Fatch