Staff Reporter
THE Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM), ReNOKA, and GIZ’s Transboundary Water Management (TWM) programme recently engaged stakeholders in Aussenkehr, //Kharas Region, to discuss the dynamics of the Orange River both upstream and downstream.
This is part of their Orange-Senqu Transboundary Source to Mouth Awareness Campaign, which includes stakeholder engagements not only in Namibia but also in South Africa, Lesotho, and Botswana.
“The Kingdom of Lesotho – the ‘water tower’ of Southern Africa – covers only 3% of the Orange-Senqu Basin territory, while contributing more than 40% of the runoff water to the Orange-Senqu River, on which more than 16 million people and associated industries depend for their water security. The location and distribution of these water resources create interdependency between different key players, be it for catchments, countries, river basins, users, or the SADC region,” ORASECOM explained.
The commission further emphasised that the availability of these resources depends on management at various levels by different stakeholders.
“This calls for well-defined water resource management at catchment, country, and basin levels, as well as communication between these levels and the respective Member States and their national institutions. ORASECOM, in its capacity as the secretariat of the Orange-Senqu River Basin, coordinates these activities across the four countries: Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia,” ORASECOM added.
The commission explained that raising awareness among various water users and understanding the upstream-downstream dynamics are crucial for ensuring that local actions have a regional impact. This is the purpose of the Source to Mouth campaign, with planned engagements in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa.
“At each stop, awareness-raising activities highlighting the impacts of upstream activities on the local situation will be discussed, and an appreciation of the impact of one’s own activities on downstream users will be fostered,” ORASECOM added.
The next stakeholder engagement will take place in Bokspits, Botswana, on Tuesday, 22 October 2024. However, before that, ORASECOM, ReNOKA, and TWM will be hosting a regional high-level meeting in Upington, South Africa, on Monday, 21 October 2024.
“Upington is a town in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province. The town, with approximately 90,000 people, lies right next to the Orange River and is home to many irrigated farms. It is situated almost midway along the Orange River’s journey from its source in the Lesotho Highlands to its estuary at Oranjemund, Namibia, where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. As part of the Source to Mouth campaign, a high-level event is planned at this strategic location to consider both upstream and downstream perspectives, with representatives from the four Member States, ORASECOM, and the SADC WD. The discussion will highlight the importance of regional collaboration on transboundary water management and raise awareness of the potential benefits of jointly protecting upstream areas for the entire basin,” ORASECOM revealed.
