| Excutive
summary: |
People
living in arid areas with highly variable rainfall, experience
droughts and floods and often have insecure livelihoods. Small
multi-purpose reservoirs are a widely used form of infrastructure
for the provision of water. They supply water for domestic
use, livestock watering, small scale irrigation, and other
beneficial uses. The reservoirs are hydrologically linked
by the streams that have been dammed. Although reservoir ensembles
store a significant quantity of water and have a significant
effect on downstream flows, they have rarely been considered
as systems, with synergies and tradeoffs resulting from the
number and density of their structures.
Often
reservoirs were constructed in a series of projects funded
by different agencies, at different times, with little or
no coordination among the implementing partners. That a significant
number are functioning sub-optimally and/or are falling into
disrepair indicates that there is room for improvement in
the planning, operation, and maintenance of small reservoirs.
The water management institutions in Volta, Limpopo, and Sao
Francisco Basins are being revamped to better serve their
constituencies. We have an opportunity to collaborate with
government officials, stakeholders, and farmers who are actively
looking for ways to improve the planning process.
We propose
a project with two paired objectives. The basin/watershed
level objective is to promote and support the planning, development,
and management of small reservoir ensembles. Planning reservoirs
at this scale limits conflicts over water, markets, and other
resources and minimizes undesirable environmental interactions
among the reservoirs. The local/community level objective
is to support use of small multi-purpose reservoirs that are
properly located, well designed, operated and maintained in
sustainable fashion, and economically viable while assuring
they improve the livelihoods of the local residents.
To reach
our objectives, we have assembled a multi-disciplinary team
to develop, two purpose built sets of analytical tools and
implementation procedures based on economic and biophysical
research. The hydrologic, economic, ecological, health, and
institutional dimensions of small reservoirs will be considered.
The first set of tools will assist stakeholders to site, build,
and manage ensembles of small multi-purpose reservoirs. The
second set of tools will assist planners and stakeholders,
particularly farming families, to develop economically and
environmentally sustainable small multi-use reservoirs and
institutions for their communities. The project team will
work with planners, decision makers and farmers in an iterative,
consultative process to develop tools appropriate for the
use of the stakeholders who will use them. The toolbox will
be comprehensive and not only include the necessary analytical
instruments, but also a set of process oriented tools for
improved participatory decision making.
By harmonizing
the interests of individuals served by small multi-purpose
reservoirs and other people living in the basin we will reach
our paired goals: 1) to maintain water related ecosystem services,
the long-term sustainability of local water supplies, and
adequate downstream flows as we make use of small reservoirs
and 2) to improve food security at the household level and
increase sustainable livelihoods through the provision of
those small multi-purpose reservoirs.
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