A US$1M PROJECT AIMED AT sustainable management of water resources in Tanzania’s Pangani river basin is to be launched later this year.
The project will be supported by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) under its recently established Water and Nature Initiative targeting ecosystem approach in water management. The three- year project aims to ensure the sustainable use of water in the basin for competing demands.
During the planning stages different users of water, including small scale farmers, upstream irrigators and hydro power producers, would seek water rights allocation by negotiation during crisis and droughts. However, the Pangani river basin, which has the potential to generate 400-500MW may end up producing about only half of electricity from its three hydro electric power stations due to the declining water flow in the river basin.
The project would be co-ordinated by the Pangani River Basin Water Office based in Moshi, IUCN’s regional officer for eastern African in Nairobi and local Moshi NGO Pamoja.