Under the PAWD program, the Swaziland Country Water Partnership embarked on an IWRM demonstration project to “test” the applicability of IWRM principles on the ground. The project aimed to revitalize the dam and set up management rules. The demonstration project is an initiative to integrate water into poverty reduction at a local and practical level.
Involvement of stakeholders from governmental bodies, NGOs and local dwellers was ensured through community meetings. Both, technical and institutional measures were implemented. A bio-physical and socio-economic situational study that included the collection of hydrological, physiographic, demographic and socio-economic data, through setting up a Geographic Information System (GIS) for routine data assembly and reporting was conducted by AfroGIS a local consultant funded under the PAWD project. The KaLanga community was assisted to formulate a Project Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.
Important element of the project included the training and education of the local community. In KaLanga community, the involvement of youth was recognized an important element to achieve sustainable results. Also, changing in social behavior depends on ability to solve conflicts. Conflict resolution techniques were applied. Several conflicts and disputes were held during the project implementation.
Regulatory instruments used in the Ka-Langa project included self and social regulation which were applied concurrently. During project inception, the community drafted and adopted a project constitution (self-regulation), a document that served as an overall regulating and governing document. The statutes provided rules of the game and prescribed fines and penalties for non-compliance. On the other hand, small fines were charged for absenteeism and late coming for meetings or project work. The imposition of fines resulted in positive change on behavior towards project participation and meetings attendance.
The project involved:
- The construction of drinking troughs for cattle to eliminate the current water pollution caused by sharing water use with livestock
- The construction of sanitation facilities viz. laundry areas, showers, and pit latrines to control other polluting activities by the community
- Setting up of an irrigation infrastructure and rehabilitation of the agriculture scheme that the dam was originally intended for
- Prospecting and drilling of boreholes in suitable sites to enhance potable water supply in the communities
- Protection of a spring at the earth dam’s head waters by fencing it to minimize pollution and prevent access by animals
- Setting up of standpipes for the supply of potable water at the dam site depending on whether the water from the dam meets safe water quality standards.
- Capacity building through training and awareness creation, and skills transfer on issues of water and institutional management.
- The construction of a low-level bridge across the earth dam for purpose of access to opposite reaches of the earth dam.