Volta River Basin project and its potential contribution to River
Basin Information System Initiative
(PDF-B“Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Togo: Integrated
Management of the Volta River Basin”)
Introduction:
Integrated management of the Volta River Basin is one of the UNEP/GEF
projects (Project Preparation & Development Facility PDF-B) focused on a
shared freshwater basin. It includes land and water related activities in the ninth
largest river/lake basin in Sub-saharan Africa – the Volta River basin. The basin
provides water for hydroelectric power generation, domestic supplies, irrigation,
livestock watering, transportation, and fisheries.
The primary environmental problems facing the Volta River basin stem from
poverty and lack of equity in the distribution of, and in access to, resources.
Throughout the basin, chronic poverty is the main cause and consequence of
environmental degradation, which continues to undermine sustainable economic
development. This is because poverty drives populations into the unsustainable
use of natural resources and onto marginal lands.
The construction of various large and small-scale dams has caused significant
changes to the environment and consequently to the economic situation both
upstream and downstream of the dams. The coastlines of some of the riparian
countries have experienced coastal erosion as the possible consequence of
reduction in sediment flux caused by the dams impeding.
Project Overview:
In 1998, Ghana and its respective authorities proposed an initiative on integrated
ecosystem management of the Volta River basin, which resulted in the GEF
Project preparation & development facility grant, now under the implementation,
to prepare a full GEF project. The Project preparation & development facility
grant will help to establish the framework for a consensus building process to
secure global environmental benefits by reducing the degradation of the Volta
River Basin. This initiative has gathered together 6 riparian countries - Benin,
Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo - to participate in solving joint
problems. The over-exploitation of water resources, silting of wetlands, pollution
and the general preservation of water resources are now addressed at the
regional level. In addition, this effort will contribute to link the freshwater basin
management with coastal and marine ecosystem.
The purposes of the project are to facilitate the establishment of a multi-country
management framework; to produce a diagnostic analysis of the main
transboundary issues; and to define agreed measures to reverse/prevent
resource degradation. It aims to develop and execute a regionally agreed
Strategic Action Programme for the integrated management of the Volta River
Basin addressing the transboundary priorities with policy/legal/institutional
reforms and investments.
PDF-B shall be completed in July this year. The submission of the full project is
expected for October 02 GEF Council Meeting.
Potential information bases:
3 potential clusters of information sources:
1. networking of human resources
2. information basis(es) of relevant data on countries and their water and land
environmental issues
3. information basis(es) of transboundary issues
Examples of potential sources for river basin information systems:
1. networking of human resources
National Coordinators; expert; decision makers; in addition, various organizations
like West Africa Technical Committee (WATAC) under Global Water Partnership,
Green Cross International, Gulf of Guinea Current Project and Centre for African
Wetlands have been networked; linkages have also been established with
institutions like the World Bank, African Development Bank and Agence
Française de Developpement.
2. information bases of relevant data on countries
Data from country reports: biogeophysical characteristics of the Volta River
Basin within each country ; socio-economic characteristic; legal and institutional
framework overviews (water management and land use planning, identification of
responsibilities and conflicts); water resources availability (quantitative and
qualitative assessment of surface and groundwater. issues and problems with
water resources assessment:; water demand and utilization; land use; integrated
land and water resources planning and management; analysis of major land and
water-related concerns and principal issues
3. information bases of transboundary issues
Identified transboundary problems: land degradation; intensive erosion;
desertification processes; water scarcity – institutional or climatic situation;
degradation of water quality; destruction of habitats, loss of biodiversity and
deterioration of biotic resources; deforestation; flooding; water-borne diseases;
explosion of aquatic weeds; coastal erosion; sedimentation/siltation of reservoirs
and river courses
Created composite map on environmental hot spots and sensitive areas.
In addition:
sectoral and environmental studies produced
bibliographic information/compilations
background information on workshops held (conclusions done)
general overview on stakeholders’ involvement
Summary:
The project contains a lot of sub-components or by-activities calling for a need
and enhancement of information issues. This will facilitate overall process in the
stage of project development but more calls will come when full project will be
implemented. Therefore the River Basin Information Systems Initiative is more
than welcome.
A framework for integrating data from similar regional projects will enhance an
efficiency of integrated ecosystem management and will strengthen sustainable
development issues.