Information is a prerequisite for water demand management: experiences from four cities in Southern Africa

Abstract

Implementation of urban water demand management (UWDM) in Southern Africa has been dismal since the inception of its promotion and advocacy as part of the broad framework of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) after the Rio Earth Summit in the early 1990s. Part of the reason for this failure is the absence of proper information system and technology within urban water utilities. This paper outlines a possible Management Information System (MIS) for effective implementation and monitoring of Water Demand Management (WDM) in urban centres of Southern Africa. The paper exposes why a MIS for WDM is the technology backbone for implementation and monitoring and this is substantiated by observations made on four case studies namely Bulawayo, and Mutare in Zimbabwe, Maputo in Mozambique and Windhoek in Namibia and through a survey of available MIS modules. The four case studies reveal that cities with a comprehensive MIS and WDM strategy have a sustained long term successful WDM programme. This paper is an extract of a report directed and funded by the World Conservation Union (IUCN).