The World Commission on Dams: A fundamental step towards integrated water resources management and poverty reduction? A pilot case in the Lower Zambezi, Mozambique

Abstract

The Cahora Bassa dam in the Lower Zambezi has undoubtedly brought varied economic benefits (such as hydroelectricity) to Mozambique. There is also, however, evidence of certain negative impacts that have increased the vulnerability of downstream populations. Specifically, current water management practices in the Zambezi have affected people’s livelihoods by the frequent unpredictable releases of water that wash away riverbank crops, impoverish fish stocks and fish habitat, and threaten the valuable shrimp exports. These releases have also worsened the effects of large floods, for example the floods of 2001. The ecosystem of the Zambezi delta, which is a Ramsar site, has also suffered since Cahora Bassa’s regulation. The Mozambican government is proposing to construct a new dam downstream of Cahora Bassa at Mphanda Nkuwa. In the feasibility study, there was no due consideration of rural downstream communities and their livelihoods. This has left many potentially affected people uninformed and vulnerable to the risks associated with the new development. The new dam is likely to worsen the already severe impacts of Cahora Bassa. The World Commission on Dams (WCD) developed seven strategic priorities, designed to inform all decisions related to future dam developments. These priorities follow principles of public participation, social equity, environmental sustainability, economic efficiency and accountability. The WCD proposed best-practice guidelines for both addressing existing dams and for any future ones which are planned. According to the WCD, affected communities have a right to participate in the decision to build a dam, they should be the first to benefit from the project, and the rivers on which their livelihoods are based should be protected. Stakeholder participation is one of the fundamental components of integrated water resources management (IWRM). For effective participation in dam projects, affected people need to be empowered, have access to information and adequate capacity. In this context JA!, a Mozambican environmental NGO, is undertaking a project to share WCD recommendations with affected people along the Zambezi River. JA! has adopted a “bottom-up” approach to ensure that the people’s interests are included in government projects. This approach could give Mozambique the power to safeguard the environment while sustaining peoples’ livelihoods.