Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania

Tanzania is currently attempting to improve water resources management through formal water rights and water fees systems, and formal institutions. The water rights system is expected to facilitate water allocation. The water fees system aims at cost-recovery for water resources management services....

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Main Authors: Mehari, A., van Koppen, Barbara, McCartney, Matthew P., Lankford, B.A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40638
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author Mehari, A.
van Koppen, Barbara
McCartney, Matthew P.
Lankford, B.A.
author_browse Lankford, B.A.
McCartney, Matthew P.
Mehari, A.
van Koppen, Barbara
author_facet Mehari, A.
van Koppen, Barbara
McCartney, Matthew P.
Lankford, B.A.
author_sort Mehari, A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Tanzania is currently attempting to improve water resources management through formal water rights and water fees systems, and formal institutions. The water rights system is expected to facilitate water allocation. The water fees system aims at cost-recovery for water resources management services. To enhance community involvement in water management, Water User Associations (WUAs) are being established and, in areas with growing upstream-downstream conflicts, apex bodies of all users along the stressed river stretch. The Mkoji sub-catchment (MSC) in the Rufiji basin is one of the first where these formal water management systems are being attempted. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of these systems in the light of their expected merits and the consequences of the juxtaposition of contemporary laws with traditional approaches. The study employed mainly qualitative, but also quantitative approaches on social and technical variables. Major findings were: (1) a good mix of formal (water fees and WUAs) and traditional (rotation-based water sharing, the Zamu) systems improved village-level water management services and reduced intra-scheme conflicts; (2) the water rights system has not brought abstractions into line with allocations and (3) so far, the MSC Apex body failed to mitigate inter-scheme conflicts. A more sophisticated design of allocation infrastructure and institutions is recommended.
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spelling CGSpace406382025-06-17T08:23:24Z Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania Mehari, A. van Koppen, Barbara McCartney, Matthew P. Lankford, B.A. water resource management water rights water rates cost recovery water users associations catchment areas villages geophysics Tanzania is currently attempting to improve water resources management through formal water rights and water fees systems, and formal institutions. The water rights system is expected to facilitate water allocation. The water fees system aims at cost-recovery for water resources management services. To enhance community involvement in water management, Water User Associations (WUAs) are being established and, in areas with growing upstream-downstream conflicts, apex bodies of all users along the stressed river stretch. The Mkoji sub-catchment (MSC) in the Rufiji basin is one of the first where these formal water management systems are being attempted. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of these systems in the light of their expected merits and the consequences of the juxtaposition of contemporary laws with traditional approaches. The study employed mainly qualitative, but also quantitative approaches on social and technical variables. Major findings were: (1) a good mix of formal (water fees and WUAs) and traditional (rotation-based water sharing, the Zamu) systems improved village-level water management services and reduced intra-scheme conflicts; (2) the water rights system has not brought abstractions into line with allocations and (3) so far, the MSC Apex body failed to mitigate inter-scheme conflicts. A more sophisticated design of allocation infrastructure and institutions is recommended. 2009-01 2014-06-13T14:48:06Z 2014-06-13T14:48:06Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40638 en Limited Access Elsevier Mehari, A.; van Koppen, Barbara; McCartney, Matthew; Lankford, B. 2009. Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 34:299-308. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2008.07.009
spellingShingle water resource management
water rights
water rates
cost recovery
water users associations
catchment areas
villages
geophysics
Mehari, A.
van Koppen, Barbara
McCartney, Matthew P.
Lankford, B.A.
Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania
title Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania
title_full Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania
title_fullStr Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania
title_full_unstemmed Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania
title_short Unchartered innovation?: local reforms of national formal water management in the Mkoji sub-catchment, Tanzania
title_sort unchartered innovation local reforms of national formal water management in the mkoji sub catchment tanzania
topic water resource management
water rights
water rates
cost recovery
water users associations
catchment areas
villages
geophysics
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/40638
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