Activities: Establishment of the Kikuletwa Catchment Forum

Tanzania has promoted a strong decentralization policy in which mandates and management responsibilities are devolved to lower levels of governance, bringing decision-making closer to the communities involved. In terms of water management, nine major river or lake basins were gazetted and Basin Water Boards and Basin Water Offices have been established to manage and allocate water resources. It is recognized that some of these basins are quite large and have complex water management issues. The establishment of Catchment Forums attempts to further decentralize water management to the catchment level.

The Kikuletwa Catchment occupies the north western part of the Pangani River Basin and hosts a multitude of water users, from small scale subsistence farmers, to municipalities (Arusha and Moshi) and large scale export farms. Their increasing water demands are straining the catchment's already over-stretched water resources. Reconciling these demands will be one of the goals of the Kikuletwa Forum.

The reducing availability of water supplies, coupled with the increasing demand for water has resulted in numerous conflicts among water users in the Pangani Basin. Tanzania's Water Policy provides for the establishment of catchment forums, where water users can: discuss and analyze local water management issues, have a voice in the allocation of water and negotiate equitable solutions to water conflicts.

The National Water Policy, however, does not provide instructions and details regarding the composition, mandate and management responsibilities of the catchment forums. The Pangani River Basin Management Project will design and pilot the establishment of a Catchment Forum in the Kikuletwa catchment. The experiences from this pilot forum will eventually be adapted to other catchments in Pangani River Basin, and perhaps other basins in Tanzania.

The Project will adopt a five step process over three years to design, develop and launch the Kikuletwa Catchment Forum:

1- Inventory Studies
In order to establish a viable catchment forum, partners must first understand the hydrological, institutional and policy settings of the Kikuletwa Catchment. The Pangani Basin Water Office (PBWO) will undertake a detailed hydrological inventory of the Kikuletwa Catchment.

The non-governmental organization PAMOJA Trust will map the formal and informal organizational landscape of the Kikuletwa Catchment. The Consulting Environmental City Planners (CECP) group will analyze the national policy environment within which the catchment forum will operate and provide a policy framework for the composition, mandate and function of the forum. The IUCN - World Conservation Union and SNV - Netherlands Development Organisation will draw from comparative experiences in community participation in water management from elsewhere in Tanzania, Africa and the world to inform the design of the Kikuletwa Catchment Forum.

2- Design Phase
The reports and presentations from the inventories above will form the essential background material for the reference group of specialists that will design the Kikuletwa Catchment Forum. Using the inventories coupled with consultations, the reference group will produce a proposal for the forum, elaborating its composition, mandate, roles and functions.

3- Stakeholder Consultation
The proposed forum design put forward by the reference group will then be the subject of extensive stakeholder consultations, within the Kikuletwa Catchment as well as regional and national levels. Concerns raised in stakeholder consultations will be addressed by the reference group.

4- Launch and support to KCF
Upon reaching consensus among the various stakeholder groups on its design, composition, mandate and function, the Kikuletwa Catchment Forum will be launched. As the Forum begins operations, it is anticipated that it may require additional back-stopping. Specific training activities will be designed for forum members.