Shedding light on watersheds. How to develop water resources and their use in drought-prone areas

Availability of water - and right of access to it - are key factors for survival in Drought Prone Uplands (DPUs). Competition for water is increasing. Which are the right technologies to pursue? What institutional change is needed to make them effective? Researchers at the Overseas Development Institute examined these issues in several developing countries. They recommend supporting innovative technologies and building on the capabilities of local artisans. But this will require institutional arrangements which bring together government responsibilities for agriculture and for water.

Land use systems in DPUs vary widely, but they share the problem of significant water scarcity and seasonal drought. Typically they are socially and politically marginalised. They lack the bargaining power to support long-term claims to water or to improve faulty infrastructure. Until recently, planners saw the water resources of DPUs as an exportable commodity for consumers downstream, especially for irrigation in the plains.

Improved agriculture and sustainable water use depend on better water conservation and management techniques to reduce seasonal drought and erosion. Various approaches have been devised in recent years. They often involve on-site research with local farmers. Many include soil and water conservation, small-scale irrigation and agroforestry elements. But there is no coherent framework to guide the choice of technologies or institutional arrangements for replicating or scaling-up projects. Differences between approaches reflect ideologies of implementing agencies as much as local social, economic and ecological conditions. Technical and institutional choices need to be made in more organised ways and should reflect project experience.

Many pilot projects are underway. The challenge is how to apply these lessons to projects that enable larger numbers of poor rural people in DPUs to benefit. Moreover, a central reason for project failure has been a fundamental mismatch between local people's needs and capabilities and the type of intervention offered. The study report's main conclusions on the situation of DPUs are that:

• competition for water is increasing on account of rising population densities, intensification of agriculture, and upstream/downstream conflicts over water access

• policies that make separate government agencies responsible for agriculture and for water can stunt development

• indigenous systems are a good basis for assessing improved technology because they are based on local physical and socio-economic characteristics.

Recommendations for agencies developing DPUs flag the need for:

• long-term commitment, documentation and analysis of impact, plus rapid dissemination of lessons learnt
• assessment of current water availability and future demand, to improve planning and allocation of rights
• using participatory research to support local artisans in applying innovative water and soil technologies
• guidelines for practitioners on developing a range of alternative technology options for rain-fed areas,
• in parts of Africa, applied research on low-cost, labour saving technologies for water delivery and storage
• preconditions for scaling up watershed management programmes and assessment of worthwhile sites.

Source(s):
Water resource development in the drought-prone uplands, ODI Natural Resource Perspectives #18, by C.Turton and A.Bottrall (1997) > Full document.

Funded by: ESCOR, UK Department for International Development (DFID), 1997

id21 Research Highlight: 13 July 1998

Further Information:
C.Turton and A.Bottrall
Overseas Development Institute
Portland House
Stag Place
London SW1E 5DP
UK

Tel: +44 (0)171 3931600
Fax: +44 (0)171 3931699
Contact the contributor: agren@odi.org.uk

Overseas Development Institute