• discusses the principle areas of environmental management related to the water sector;
• presents practical methodologies and approaches to address the major challenges in each of the key areas;
• draws lessons and best practices information on topical issues related to environmental sustainability of water resources management for dissemination; and
• recommends specific actions for effectively integrating environmental sustainability criteria in water policies, for improving water resources project planning and management decision making, and for strengthening the capacities of water and environmental management agencies.

Chapter 1 Environmental Sustainability in Water Resources Management: A Conceptual Framework presents the conceptual tools for defining and mainstreaming environmental sustainability (in social, ecological and economic terms) in water resources management in the SADC region, and points to opportunities to build upon the existing policy and institutional reforms at both the national and regional levels.

Chapter 2 Water and the Economy provides the socioeconomic and ecological context of the water sector in the region, and describes the principle characteristics of the water resources, the present and projected multi-sectoral uses of water, and their implications to the region’s economy.

Chapter 3 The Role and Importance of Aquatic Ecosystems in Water Resources Management describes the critical role of aquatic ecosystem structure and function, presents the major aquatic ecosystems of the region and discusses their importance, and describes current initiatives in the region to understand and manage aquatic ecosystems more effectively. The principal threats to freshwater ecosystems are examined, including the regulation of flow, water pollution, habitat destruction and the introduction of alien species of fauna, as is the threat and severity of species extinction.

Chapter 4 Valuing the Environment in Water Resources Management focuses on a central issue in the debate on the sustainable management of water resources, and describes the methods for the valuation of environmental damage and the economic trade-offs often made in allocation decisions. It describes the economic benefits of water use, the economic trade-offs involved in allocation decisions, the main causes of aquatic ecosystem degradation, and the valuation of environmental damage using different methods representing the state of the art in natural resource economics. It presents examples of the impacts of environmental degradation on water supply, and the different values of ecosystem services and functions as well as the costs of their degradation. The chapter recommends measures for accounting for environmental degradation in the project decision-making and highlights the principle economic instruments, supply side and demand side measures, for regulating water use.

Chapter 5 Environmental Flows: Requirements and Assessment discusses the single most difficult issue in the environment/water management debate: that is, how much water to allocate for downstream ecological purposes when planning a major storage dam or abstraction project for generating power, or for irrigation, municipal supply or flood control. It draws from a rich array of innovative works in progress being carried out in the SADC region, including water policies in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Tanzania as well as the Instream Flow Requirement Study for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The chapter starts with a description of the ecological relevance of different kinds of flows and the purpose of environmental flow assessment, and the effects of regulation of rivers in the SADC region. The chapter shows the linkage between environmental impact assessment and environmental flow assessment, describes the scope and details of an environmental flow assessment, and reviews and summarizes the currently used methodologies for defining environmental flow requirements. The chapter shows implications for incorporating environmental flow allocation principles into water policies and the existing challenges facing SADC with respect to environmental flow requirements.

Chapter 6 Water Quality Management and Pollution Control addresses the water quality aspects of water resources management, issues which have not received the attention they deserve because of the misperception that water pollution is not yet a serious problem in the region. In fact it is becoming clear that pollution is an important problem impacting public health and that it also exacerbates water scarcity by diminishing beneficial uses of water. The chapter describes the main sources of pollution, both point and non-point sources, summarizes the consequences of water quality degradation, and its severity and extent. Existing technical and institutional options for managing water quality and controlling pollution are reviewed, and a range of recommendations for strengthening water quality management in the region are provided.

Chapter 7 Watershed Degradation and Management links upstream actions (land use and management) with downstream effects on water resources, emphasizing the importance protecting source waters. The chapter discusses the principal causes of land degradation, including poor cultivation practices, overgrazing and deforestation, and associated biophysical and economic consequences which result from the impact of loss of top soil and vegetative cover on runoff and infiltration rates, the impacts of sediment transport and deposition on reducing the economic life of storage structures and hydraulic efficiency of the water conveyance and river channels, the effects of turbidity on water supply and water treatment and on coral reefs in the marine environment. The chapter describes the extent and severity of watershed degradation in the region, and summarizes a range of watershed management strategies, guidelines and mechanisms together with examples of successful watershed management. These strategies include both structural (engineered solutions) and non-structural measures (such as soil conservation programs, land use planning, zoning, etc.). The chapter presents case studies illustrating successful institutional arrangements and community participation (centralized authorities or community based) and financing arrangements for watershed protection, including incentives for participation in watershed protection, cross subsidies, charges or levies for raw water use, and makes policy recommendations.

Chapter 8 Aquatic Weeds and Their Control is a comprehensive review of the growing problem of water weeds and their control in the SADC region, and it evaluates the physical, chemical, biological and integrated methods for controlling water weeds. The chapter reviews the origin, type and extent of water weed proliferation in southern Africa. The five main types of water weeds commonly occurring in the region are identified and their characteristics discussed. The main causes and consequences of the water weed problem are described, including the principle factors that influence the growth of the weeds. The chapter evaluates the different methods (physical, chemical, biological and integrated) for controlling water weeds, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the main control methods. Selected case studies covering a variety of control strategies are discussed, and the adoption of an integrated management programme is recommended. Policy and capacity-building recommendations are given.

Chapter 9 Community-based Water Resources Management focuses on the importance of communities in water resources management, using specific case studies to address a range of issues raised in earlier chapters. The case studies include sustainable cultivation of dambos (wetlands in Zimbabwe), irrigation management in Tanzania, participatory control of water weeds (for example, in the Kwazulu-Natal), provision of rural water supply through sustainable groundwater schemes (e.g., in Zimbabwe), and the protection and management of watersheds (eg Umgeni Water). The cases highlight key principles relating to beneficiary participation in the design of water management projects and programmes. Key design features and specific policy recommendations are provided for institutionalising community based water management practices.

Chapter 10 Policy, Legislative and Institutional Framework reviews the environmental elements of water resources management in existing national environmental policies and national water policies and planning instruments. The chapter also evaluates the adequacy of existing planning and regulatory instruments, such as EIA, for integrating environmental issues into water resources planning and management. Specific case studies are used to evaluate the effectiveness and weaknesses of the EIA process and actions for strengthening the EIA process are recommended. The chapter recommends the strengthening of environmental management aspects of water policies, calls for developing harmonized sector policies, and improving coordination between sector agencies, and the use of participatory instruments for underscoring the importance of environmental stewardship as an element of national water policy and strategy for water resources management.

Chapter 11 A Framework for Mainstreaming the Environment in Water Resources Management proposes a number of priority areas for action by governments and other stakeholders in southern Africa to enhance sustainability in terms of water and environmental management. The central message is to simultaneously encourage the development of water resources to meet the growing multiple demands, but at the same time to recognize the limits of sustainable use and institute appropriate, cost-effective measures for protecting the resource base.