Press Release: Proposed Luapula River Water Transfer to Kafue River can Boost Hydropower Generation
Lusaka
African Rivers, a non-profit international organization has welcomed the initiative taken by Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) to develop a Comprehensive Water Plan for Kafue river catchment area and embark on inter-basin water transfer from Luapula river basin to Kafue river basin with a view to strengthening water, food and energy security in the country currently ravaged by unforgiving climate change events and exponential demand for freshwater in the economy. We encourage stakeholders to explore opportunities that come with the inter-basin project and harness the Luapula river water transfer to Kafue river to modernise the riverbank towns that have lagged behind in terms of infrastructure development. Additionally, African Rivers wishes to appeal to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) including Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) and Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) to urgently consider hosting a regional SUMMIT & INDABA addressing water scarcity, food insecurity, energy crisis and animal starvation.
On 29th February 2024, the President of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema declared drought as a national disaster and emergency stating that: “This drought has devastating consequences on many critical sectors such as agriculture, water availability, and energy supply, risking our national food security and livelihoods of millions of our people. This also negatively affects our economic development programme.” We therefore welcome any such plans that reaffirms the Government’s determination and commitment towards finding a long-term and sustainable solution to the myriad water scarcity induced challenges in our country. Our philosophy is “Water, Life and Peace” acknowledging that we all cannot survive on planet earth without water and rivers.
We wish to urge Government through the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation to consider conducting a “comprehensive feasibility study” for the Luapula river water transfer to Kafue river anchored on rigorous water sector data mining, punctilious hydrologic connectivity analysis, and inclusive stakeholder consultations. This is because inter-basin water transfers are often considered a controversial practice, as the environmental and socio-economic consequences for the exporting basin are undetermined.
The two natural rivers, thus, Luapula river and Kafue river are endowed with freshwater resources that supports, inter alia, human livelihoods, fisheries, wildlife welfare, hydropower generation, forestry, and crop production in Zambia. African Rivers further believes that this initiative by the Government of Zambia is a smart climate adaptation strategy which if carefully implemented could significantly help the country in the future to effectively prevent water stress, increase electricity generation, modernise some riverbank rural towns through the accompanying infrastructure development and increase economic resilience whose direct benefits would include improved food and energy security in Zambia.
African Rivers values the health of all rivers on the continent including the Luapula river and Kafue river considering their inherent positive impact on human livelihoods, capacity to boost hydropower generation, animal welfare, and environmental protection. Against this backdrop, we wish to propose the following to the Government of the Republic of Zambia through the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation ahead of the inter-basin water transfer project development and subsequent possible implementation:
Comprehensive Water Plan Development Process and Implementation remains crucial
During the development process and implementation of the comprehensive water plan, particular emphasis should also be given to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), Multi-Sectoral and Multi-Disciplinary Approaches in order to foster integrated water resources management, inclusiveness and sustainability of the plan.
Establish the Luapula River Authority
There is need to accelerate bilateral negotiations between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia for the establishment of the Luapula River Authority (LRA), that will help regulate and manage the transboundary water shared resources.
The existence of an Authority will ensure that inter-basin water transfer does not disrupt any water-dependent activities or access in the exporting basin and that all relevant environmental protection laws and regulations are satisfied, thereof.
Once established the Luapula River Authority can then sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Zambezi River Authority in order to maximize both economic and social welfare of the two river basins in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.
Utilise Independent Technical Expert Peer-Review
The feasibility study can be subjected to an independent technical expert peer-review process in order to benefit from an alternative and impartial technical opinion on the best possible designs and cost-efficient non-natural pathways, e.g. building of canals or pipelines, or engineered channels to divert water from the exporting to the importing watershed.
Develop a Water Conservation Strategy and Monitoring & Evaluation System
The comprehensive water plan ought to be complemented with a water conservation strategy and a robust monitoring and evaluation system to strengthen maintenance of diversion and storage structures including minimizing potential transfer water loss and ensure maximum efficiency of resource use.
Finally but not the least, rivers and basin ecosystems by their nature, continue to boost growth of almost every economic sector and also support a significant proportion of the world’s aquatic biodiversity. As an international river conservation organization, we endeavour to adopt best practices in protecting the health of rivers and defending the rights of the people that depend on rivers across the 54 African countries and beyond through research, innovation, advocacy and global partnerships. By so doing, we help safeguard the health of rivers, improve biodiversity, mitigate the adverse impact of climate change on rivers, promote water infrastructure resilience, and transforming the mindset of the local communities to use water wisely.
