From the Concept to the Tap—Integrated Water Resources Management in Northern Namibia

Namibia is the most arid country in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Cuvelai-Etosha Basin (CEB) in central northern Namibia in particular is experiencing various ecological and social-ecological challenges such as high climate variability, saline groundwater, dependence on Angola for freshwater supply, high population growth and density, and increasing urbanisation. These challenges make water supply and management difficult and threaten the livelihood of the local population and the health of the ecosystem. Facing up to these challenges, the German-Namibian research project CuveWaters has developed, adapted and set up different technologies as pilot plant s. The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) concept of CuveWaters is based on a multi-resource-mix in which water is obtained from different sources (rainwater, floodwater, groundwater and wastewater) and used for various purposes. High quality water is used as drinking water; water of a relatively low quality is used for irrigation. In cooperation with the residents of four villages and one small town, the project partners are implementing different technologies to collect and store, produce, treat and reuse water. The implemented technologies are rain- and floodwater harvesting, groundwater desalination, and the combination of sanitation, wastewater treatment and water reuse. The aim is to improve peoples’ livelihood through research on innovative and adapted solutions which contribute to a successful and adapted application of IWRM. To this end, the project integrates science, technology and societal aspects in a transdisciplinary research approach by linking scientific knowledge from natural, engineering and social sciences with the everyday practices and know-how of the stakeholders involved. Thus, the technical aspects are complemented by a wide range of societal and scientific components, such as capacity development, monitoring, participation or knowledge management. These ensure societal embedding of the technologies and knowledge transfer. This paper will illustrate the transdisciplinary approach, implemented technologies and accompanying measures as well as key results.

[1]  Matthias Bergmann,et al.  Transdisciplinarity: Between mainstreaming and marginalization , 2012 .

[2]  John Gould,et al.  Rainwater Catchment Systems for Domestic Supply: Design, Construction and Implementation , 1999 .

[3]  Alexandra Lux,et al.  Water use options for regional development. Potentials of new water technologies in Central Northern Namibia , 2009 .

[4]  B. Cook,et al.  Ecosystem services and integrated water resource management: different paths to the same end? , 2012, Journal of environmental management.

[5]  United NationsDevelopment Programme.  Assessing Progress in Africa toward the Millennium Development Goals , 2011 .

[6]  T. Kluge,et al.  Benefits of rainwater harvesting for gardening and implications for future policy in Namibia , 2014 .

[7]  Cj Little.  A comparison of sewer reticulation system design standards gravity, vacuum and small bore sewers , 2007 .

[8]  J. Mendelsohn,et al.  Atlas of Namibia : a portrait of the land and its people , 2009 .

[9]  François Molle,et al.  Nirvana concepts, narratives and policy models : insights from the water sector , 2008 .

[10]  H. Tropp.  MAKING WATER A PART OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The economic benefits of improved water management and services , 2015 .

[11]  J. M. Kahinda,et al.  Domestic rainwater harvesting to improve water supply in rural South Africa , 2007 .

[12]  K. Watkins.  Human Development Report 2006 - Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis , 2006 .

[13]  C. Ringler,et al.  The nexus across water, energy, land and food (WELF): potential for improved resource use efficiency? , 2013 .

[14]  Asit K. Biswas,et al.  Integrated Water Resources Management: Is It Working? , 2008 .

[15]  P. Heyns.  Water institutional reforms in Namibia , 2005 .

[16]  T. Kluge,et al.  IWRM concept for the Cuvelai Basin in northern Namibia , 2008 .

[17]  Matthew C. Freeman,et al.  Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis , 2014, PLoS medicine.

[18]  Jacqueline de Chazal,et al.  Climate change 2007 : impacts, adaptation and vulnerability : Working Group II contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , 2014 .

[19]  Claudia Pahl-Wostl,et al.  ‘Glocal’ water governance: a multi-level challenge in the anthropocene , 2013 .

[20]  M. Brenda,et al.  Stakeholder participation and capacity development during the implementation of rainwater harvesting pilot plants in central northern Namibia , 2012 .