International Women's Day 2015...!

 Women are involved into the sustainable integrated water resources management and sustainable development, which is one public participation in the development of policies, plans and processes during the just ended multi stakeholders workshop in Njombe Region jointly coordinated by Rufiji Basin Water Board and WWF's Ruaha Water Programme (WWF- RWP), with support from WWF-UK through UK Department for International Development (DFID) (PHOTO: FRIDAY SIMBAYA)

As women celebrates their International Women's Day 2015 worldwide including Tanzania, women in Ihanzutwa, Nyakadete, Nyamakuyu and Mahango villages in the Ndembera sub-catchment of the Great Ruaha River have been unable to access safe water due to illegal gold mining activities upstream.

The illegal gold mining has forced women into using polluted water which were greatly concerned for their families’ wellbeing. 

Having heard about their plight during a field visit WWF working with the Rufiji Basin Water Office and Mbarali district council formed a small facilitation team to go and assess with the women their predicament.  

With the experience of mama Seme from the district council the women were supported in speaking out to the village governments, the local health officers and the media, both TV and radio.

As a direct consequence of the women’s actions local politicians and the environmental authorities were drawn in and the gold mine was forced to relocate away from the river. 

While contamination from the mining is reducing, there are other water-related issues to be addressed. The quality of the water still needs to be monitored, but the women are now better placed to ensure this happens.

The UN theme for International Women's Day 2015 is "Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!” Governments and activists around the world will commemorate the 20th anniversary year of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an historic roadmap that sets the agenda for realizing women's rights.

This was came  light recently during multi stakeholders workshop which had drawn people from all walks of life, which discussed on sustainable integrated water resources management and sustainable development.

 During that workshop all messages presented centered on women participation on the sustainable integrated water resources management and sustainable development, is one of which is public participation in the development of policies, plans and processes.

The workshop is jointly coordinated by Rufiji Basin Water Board and WWF’s Ruaha Water Programme (WWF- RWP), with support from WWF-UK through UK Department for International Development (DFID).

According to the WWF-TCO, Freshwater and Climate Change Coordinator, Keven Robert, Great Ruaha River is drying up and the reduced flows in the river have been recorded since the early 1990s when complete drying of sections of the river was first observed. 

He said It is now drying up completely for long periods – up to 6 months – in the dry seasons, causing amongst other things, water shortages for downstream villages, death of animals in the Ruaha National Park, increased conflict between different water users (e.g. crop farmers, pastoralist, fishermen/women), and water shortages at Mtera and Kidatu dams leading to serious national power cuts,” she emphasized.

The Great Ruaha River Catchment has a total of 84,000 km2, contains 12 sub-catchments, the Usangu Wetlands, plus the downstream section to the Mtera and Kidatu dams. 

The programme has selected the two upstream sub-catchments of Ndembera and Mbarali, the Usangu Wetlands, and the downstream sub-catchment to the Mtera Dam, for this pilot.

Early on, Rufiji Basin Water Officer, Idris Msuya said WWF-RWP in collaboration with RBWO have been working jointly in implementing sustainable water access use and management (SWAUM) which aimed at restoring the flow of Great Ruaha River.

Msuya said SWAUM use multi stakeholders’ action and learning process which enables stakeholders to discuss, share, learning and reach collective decisions on the issues of water resources use and management in the catchment.

SWAUM’s goal is to operate the principles set out in the Water Resources Management Act, 2009, deemed fundamental to the realization of the National Water Policy (2002) and Integrated Water Resources Management.