Water, livelihoods and resettlement of displaced people: lessons from Eritrea

In the past decade, the Gash-Barka region in Eritrea’s western lowlands on the borders of Sudan and Ethiopia has become a site of resettlement for refugees returning from Sudan and those displaced by border clashes with Ethiopia. What impact has their arrival had on an already fragile natural resource base? What lessons can be applied to other settlement schemes for displaced people?

A study from South Bank University and the Overseas Development Institute, undertaken with Eritrean partners, highlights the challenges facing the Eritrean Government in absorbing returning refugees, internally displaced people and ex-combatants and providing them with sufficient water for household and livelihood needs.

Displaced people have been attracted to Gash-Barka due to its low population density, the relative availability of agricultural land, wood for fuel and building materials, and the ease of access to Sudan where most returnees still have household members. As people began to resettle, mostly spontaneously but also in organised resettlement areas, the Eritrean authorities established a rapid borehole drilling programme. Planning was not informed by hydrogeological knowledge, nor an understanding of recharge rates. Rural water supply policy has been incoherent and unco-ordinated. There has been little analysis of the impact on livelihoods and the availability of other natural resources.

The rapid development of boreholes in Gash-Barka has caused a significant shift away from traditional water sources. High-yielding boreholes have encouraged larger livestock numbers with a significant impact on grazing and other environmental resources. This has been accompanied by a general commoditisation of renewable natural resources including water, thatch, wood fuel and other building materials.

The report notes that:

• The population increase associated with the new water sources has led to a rapidly deteriorating wood-fuel stock with significant price rises reported.
• Richer households with animal transport have been able to benefit (both as collectors and sellers of commoditised resources), whereas those lacking transport have either had to reduce consumption or spend more time or money in meeting household needs.
• New supply structures are placing significant maintenance and management demands on communities, leading to financing and technical problems which, if not addressed, could lead to the failure of sources in the near future.
• Declining aquifer levels will have serious long-term consequences unless better understanding of aquifer behaviour and recharge and/or management of demand takes place.

If plans for the sustainable reintegration of returnees in water-scarce areas are to succeed, a holistic approach is required to integrate returnee populations and their livelihoods activities. Policy-makers need to:

• realise that knowledge of the resource base has to be the starting point for effective planning strategies for water supply development
• understand the behaviour of aquifers and the environmental impact of larger human and animal populations around settlements before choosing where to sink boreholes
• develop better data on current and anticipated livelihood activities and associated water needs
• understand that the cost of water to households is fundamental to understanding how effective institutional relationships will be established
• utilise local knowledge in the siting of water supplies
• develop co-ordination mechanisms to involve communities, government and other stakeholders in bottom-up planning sensitive to community needs.

Source(s):
‘Returning thirsty: water supply, livelihoods and returnees in the Gash-Barka region, Eritrea’, Water Policy Report No. 1, ODI Water Policy Programme, by Gaim Kibreab and Alan Nicol with Seife Berhe and Yemane Zekarias, 2001 Full document.

Funded by: DFID (SSRU R7586)

id21 Research Highlight: 1 August 2003

Further Information:
Gaim Kibreab
Faculty of Humanities and Science
South Bank University
103 Borough Road
London SE1 0AA
UK

Tel: +44 (0)20 7815 8072
Fax: +44 (0)20 7815 5799
Contact the contributor: kibreag@sbu.ac.uk

South Bank University, London, UK

Alan Nicol
Rural Policy and Environment Group
Overseas Development Institute
111 Westminster Bridge Road
London SE1 7JD
UK

Tel: +44 (0)20 7922 0300
Fax: +44 (0)20 7922 0399
Contact the contributor: a.nicol@odi.org.uk

Rural Policy and Environment Group, ODI, UK

Other related links:
'Returnees in Eritrea: The meaning of ‘home’ '

'One nation, one state? Rebuilding post war Eritrea'

'Poverty vs. conflict: understanding Africa's wars'

'The consequences of refugee flows and managing the aftermath'

'Responding to displacement: Balancing needs and rights' Insights #44