Participants & Projects Involved (14)

• Orange-Senqu River Basin Project
• Okavango River Basin Project
• The ORASECOM:

• Three participants from each of the four riparian countries (mostly ORASECOM Council members but may include members of the ORASECOM Technical Task Team)
• Two participants from ORASECOM Secretariat

Host Institution

• International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, Danube Commission, Austrian, Hungarian and Serbian Governments

Other Funding Partners

• GTZ (primary funder)

Introduction, Purpose: Why an Exchange

The Orange-Senqu River originates in the Lesotho Highlands some 3,300m above sea level where the average annual precipitation can exceed 1,800 mm, with a corresponding average annual potential evaporation of 1,100 mm. The river stretches 2,300 km from the source to its mouth (Alexander Bay/Oranjemund) on the South Africa/ Namibia border, where the average annual precipitation drops to below 50 mm, while the average annual potential evaporation rises to over 3,000 mm. The Orange River basin is the most developed river basin in southern Africa, with a total catchment area in the order of 1,000,000 km2, of which almost 600,000 km2 lies within the Republic of South Africa with the remainder in Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia. The effective catchment area is difficult to determine, since it includes many pan areas and also several large ephemeral tributaries, such as the Molopo and Nossob in Botswana and Namibia, which have not contributed to flows in the main river in living memory. The principal anthropogenic threats to the integrity of the basin include: over-extraction of water leading to water scarcity; land degradation, diminishing the water retention capacity of soils; pollution; climate change, expected to lead to greater environmental variability in future (e.g. dislocations in spatial and temporal rainfall patterns); and, loss of biodiversity and introduced invasive species.  Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) was established in 2000 as an advisory body to the four riparian member states to achieve the sustainable development of the Orange-Senqe River basin.

Upon the request from ORASECOM made in 2004, UNDP has been assisting the four riparian countries to secure the GEF resources to ensure the global environmental benefits will be accrued from the basin-wide planning processes through the TDA/SAP approach.  The countries are about to conclude the preparatory phase and has received the GEF Council approval for the full-sized project (USD6.3 million for 4 years).  Preliminary TDA has been endorsed by ORASECOM in April 2008.  Project document will be appraised in June 2008 before it is submitted to GEF Secretariat for CEO endorsement. 

The ORASECOM and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) jointly request IW:LEARN for its financial support to make a learning, networking and exchange of information possible.  A visit of ORASECOM delegation to the ICPDR and the Danube basin is targeted towards knowledge transfer from the Danube’s experience to ORASECOM and strengthening of the institutional capacity of the ORASECOM, especially on its coordination capacity necessary to oversee the implementation of the multi-donor funded ORASECOM Environment and Water Resources Management Programme (ORASECOM Programme).  The timing is opportune as most of activities under the ORASECOM Programme are starting up in 2008.  The first elaborated, integrated work plan for the ORASECOM Programme is about to be finalized by ORASECOM Secretariat for review by ORASECOM Council.

Learning Objectives

To enhance the understanding of the TDA/SAP process and the multi-donor coordination process among both policy and technical level personnel of the ORASECOM.  Specific objectives include:

• strategically design the TDA so it informs the SAP formulation process
• develop national capacity among the relevant agencies through the project
• appreciate the necessity for and develop a strategy to ensure broad based stakeholder participation
• develop a strategy to ensure high-level government commitments toward SAP formulation
• develop follow-on projects in SAP implementation

Outputs/Outcomes

• Enhanced capacity amongst both policy and technical level officials of the ORASECOM delegates from the four riparian countries to meaningfully manage and contribute towards the project objectives
• A possible program for continued cooperation between ORASECOM and ICPDR targeting the institutional capacity strengthening essential for, inter alia, the TDA/SAP development process.
• A report submitted to the governments, UNDP, FAO and IW:LEARN documenting outputs and benefits of the technical cooperation

Related content

Orasecom Newsletter for January to June 2010

ORASECOM protocol for data and information exchange and sharing: Discussion note. Technical Report Number 6.

ORASECOM water information system: Concept note. Technical Report Number 3.

Feasibility Study for the Development of a Mechanism to Mobilize Funds for Catchment Conservation

Capacity Building Programme Report

Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM)

Orasecom Newsletter for January to December 2009