1st Limpopo Joint Basin Survey marks acceleration in Transboundary Water Cooperation

On the 6th of August, the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) announced the commencement of the 1st Joint Basin Survey (JBS) for the Limpopo River Basin (LRB). The survey is expected to generate data in support of decision making for the joint management of the Limpopo Basin, which is shared by four countries namely Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, in particular on topics such as water quality, river health and ecological flow requirements.

The JBS is the latest development in a series of high-profile events that have taken place this year to mark milestones in transboundary cooperation on the Limpopo. In March, a meeting was held in Musina, South Africa, at which ministers from the  LRB member states signed an endorsement to the Amendment of the LIMCOM Agreement to formalise the establishment of the Council of Ministers as the LIMCOM’s main policy and decision-making body on transboundary water resources development and management issues.

In May this year, member states met in Pretoria to agree on a set of transboundary priorities for the basin, which will guide transboundary and national investments in the basin in the coming years. This took the form of a basin-wide consultative workshop on Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA), a technical process through which the key elements of a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) for the basin can be developed.

The project regional coordinator, Dr. Eddie Riddell, notes that these developments mark the acceleration of the activities of LIMCOM as a River Basin Organisation (RBO): the organisation has existed on paper for some twenty years, leading to formal hosting of the LIMCOM Secretariat, in July 2014 and the appointment of the Executive Secretary in 2018 and investment in the basin through GIZ funding  by means of a situation assessment of the basin, referred to as a monograph. Subsequently though programmes supported by USAID, support was provided for institutional development, enabling the secretariat to appoint a small staff complement in 2018. Currently, LIMCOM is implementing a project supported by the Global Environmental Facility and UNDP which aims “to achieve integrated, cross-sectoral, ecosystem-based management of the Limpopo River to uplift the living standards of the basin’s population and conserve the basin’s resources and ecosystem services”. LIMCOM is the custodian of this project and operates with a six-person core team, supported by the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa. The Joint Basin Survey is a scientific component which links to the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plan for the basin. This project commenced early in 2023 and was followed by a political launch in March this year, featuring its formal endorsement by ministers of the four basin countries. The work streams are therefore underway, there is political buy-in at the highest level, which will lead to both a basin agreement and the development of a strategic basin plan.  

Contrary to the situation in many RBO’s in their early stages of development, and because there has been a lot of project level investment in the Limpopo basin in the past, the approach of the joint basin survey is focused on closing remaining data gaps rather than commencing a broad-based baseline assessment.  Considerable data gathering has taken place during the development of the Limpopo Monograph, further improvement made under the USAID Support, particularly on ecological flow requirements a gap to determine a complete river health of the system was identified. The current JBS aims in particular to close these gaps.  In addition, the ‘data drive’ will be used to build a transboundary environmental flows team, in dialogue with national environmental specialists which have each developed their own approaches to environmental monitoring, such that a gradual harmonisation of the approaches of the different countries can be achieved under a common environmental monitoring framework.

In parallel, the countries sharing the basin will be requiring more clarity on the procedures for sharing of data. A document on data and information sharing protocol is being drafted, which will need to be workshopped and validated by the member states. Ultimately the data will feed into a management system: the Limpopo Management Information System (LIMIS), which is being updated and rebuilt to capture all the geospatial information, biological data from the river basin, as well as remaining open ended and flexible functionality that can respond to management tools, research outputs contributed by the countries in a cooperative process.

The 1st Limpopo JBS started on the 7th of August 2024 and will span two months. It will involve comprehensive data collection and analysis of the water quality and aquatic ecological status to assess the current state of the river basin’s water resources, ecosystems, and socio-economic conditions to inform policymaking aimed at preserving and enhancing the basin’s ecological, hydrological, and socioeconomic well-being for present and future generations.

A multidisciplinary team of experts led by Rivers of Life (consultant) and representatives of the four LIMCOM Member States as well as the LIMCOM Secretariat will conduct the survey that is also expected to pave the way for the establishment of a transboundary river health monitoring team in the LRB. The key areas of focus for the survey include the following:

• Water Quality: Gathering critical data and insight on the water quantity to establish a baseline for future monitoring and management efforts. This will assist in identifying significant areas requiring attention and ensure the sustainable use of water resources.
• Ecosystem Health: Evaluating the health of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems within the basin and detecting key biodiversity hotspots and areas needing conservation to protect endangered species and habitats.
• Socio-Economic Impact: Examining the socio-economic conditions of communities within the basin and highlighting their dependence on the river to inform the development of sustainable water management practices.
• Climate Change Resilience: Assessing the basin’s vulnerability to climate change impacts and developing adaptive strategies to enhance the resilience of both human and natural systems.

LIMCOM Executive Secretary, Mr Sergio Sitoe said the findings from the 1st Limpopo JBS will also provide a foundation for the development of a comprehensive and updated Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plan for the basin. “The IWRM plan for LIMCOM will be critical as it will guide future actions to ensure the sustainable use and protection of the basin’s water resources, promote regional cooperation, and enhance the well-being of communities,” Mr Sitoe said.

 LIMCOM Project Regional Coordinator, Dr. Eddie Riddell noted that 1st Limpopo JBS will have a positive impact on how transboundary water resources are managed in the basin. “LIMCOM extends its gratitude to its Member States, the lead consultant for the JBS, partners, and all stakeholders for their commitment to undertake this important initiative that will go a long way in making the Limpopo River Basin a Dynamic, Prosperous and Sustainable River Basin for All,” Dr. Riddell said.

The 1st Limpopo JBS is being executed under the project “Integrated Transboundary River Basin Management for the Sustainable Development of the Limpopo River Basin.” The project, which aims to uplift the living standards of the basin’s population and conserve the basin’s resources and ecosystem services is being implemented by LIMCOM in partnership with the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). More information about the project is available HERE.

The Limpopo Basin drains an area of about 412,000 km² and flows over a length of 1750 km, starting at the confluence of the Marico and Crocodile rivers in South Africa. It forms the border between Botswana and South Africa, flowing north eastwards over a distance of 394 km to the confluence with the Shashe River which flows in from Zimbabwe and Botswana. It then flows in a southeasterly direction for 219 km, forming the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe, before flowing into Mozambique. More than 80% of the population of the basin lives in its upper reaches in South Africa, including major metropolitan areas like Johannesburg and Pretoria. There is widespread water scarcity throughout the basin, and Botswana in particular is an arid country which depends to large degree on the waters of the Limpopo. Both in Zimbabwe and in Mozambique, irrigated agriculture is an important economic activity, while in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe there are also significant mining activities in the basin.