Environmental and Economic Impact in the Incomáti River Basin

Client – Incomáti Basin Management – Tripartite Commission: Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland
Location – Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland
Year – 2000 – 2001
Time – 9 months

The environmental and economic impact assessment on the Incomáti River involved international water rights.

Verde Azul was instrumental in ensuring that a Tripartite Commission was formed with strong national representation on the respective committee, in addition to Swaziland and South Africa.

Verde Azul worked as coordinator of the Mozambique team supporting the National Directorate of Water (DNA) in negotiating fair criteria for the sharing of water resources in this basin.

The environmental study team carried out a survey of the main ongoing and planned projects in the Incomati basin, which focused on the identification of socio-economic and environmental impacts, dialogue and agreement between the parties on mitigation measures, and also verified the effects cumulative probabilities across the basin-related districts.

We identified the recent real restrictions with the forecast of future opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses and presented a proposal for the allocation of water resources. The proposal included measures and systems to maintain control of environmental and social protection for communities that share these resources.

Most of the service consisted of organizing a database for the three countries, and reaching agreements on the conditions for sharing water resources in the Incomáti River basin.

Future developments in the three countries will affect the availability of water, which is an alarming situation.

Water supply is expected to fall short of expectations if the population continues to grow at the current rate of 1.8-2% per year.

The implementation of this agreement occurs as an adjustment to development, undoubtedly resorting to careful strategic planning and monitoring.