Law and Catchment Law and Catchment ManagementManagement

What is it?What is it?

Cont. The PresentationCont. The Presentation

Theory of Catchment ManagementTheory of Catchment Management Integrated Water resources ManagementIntegrated Water resources Management Water Management: The International Water Management: The International

ArenaArena The trigger of the reformsThe trigger of the reforms Activities leading to reformsActivities leading to reforms Changes to the water Act Changes to the water Act Formation of Catchment CouncilsFormation of Catchment Councils

Theory of Catchment Theory of Catchment ManagementManagement

Human activitiesHuman activities Causes of ErosionCauses of Erosion Catchment managementCatchment management Catchment PlanningCatchment Planning Water ManagementWater Management

The environmentThe environment

AtmosphereAtmosphere HydrosphereHydrosphere LithosphereLithosphere

LithosphereLithosphere

LandLand vegetationvegetation FaunaFauna HumanHuman waterwater

Human activitiesHuman activitiesHumans are at the centreHumans are at the centre Keeps animalsKeeps animals

• overgrazeovergraze• trump grass and vegetationtrump grass and vegetation

cultivate the landcultivate the land Puts various forms of infrastructurePuts various forms of infrastructure

• roads, industries, mines, waste dumps, waste treatment , etcroads, industries, mines, waste dumps, waste treatment , etc • which discharge toxic wastewhich discharge toxic waste

cuts down treescuts down trees burns grassburns grass

All this result in bare land & water degradationAll this result in bare land & water degradation

Causes of ErosionCauses of ErosionErosion is a result of a imbalance in the Erosion is a result of a imbalance in the following forces following forces

• Energy forcesEnergy forces– rainfall intensityrainfall intensity– runoff volumerunoff volume– slope steepnessslope steepness– slope length slope length

• resistive forcesresistive forces– soil erodibilitysoil erodibility– organic matter contentorganic matter content– infiltration capacityinfiltration capacity

Causes of ErosionCauses of Erosion

• protective forcesprotective forces– vegetation covervegetation cover– population pressurepopulation pressure– conservation practiceconservation practice– conservation educationconservation education

when resistive and protective forces are when resistive and protective forces are low compared to energy forces erosion low compared to energy forces erosion occursoccurs

What weakens protective What weakens protective & resistive forces& resistive forces

Protective forcesProtective forces• population pressurepopulation pressure

– cultivation cultivation – trumping by animalstrumping by animals

• conservation practicesconservation practices– cultivation down the slopecultivation down the slope– lack of stable slopeslack of stable slopes– lack of vegetation coverlack of vegetation cover

Resistive forceResistive force• cutting down treescutting down trees• overgrazingovergrazing• burning of vegetationburning of vegetation

Consequences of ErosionConsequences of Erosion

Land degradationLand degradation• creation of gullies creation of gullies • depletion of the soildepletion of the soil• loss of soil nutrientsloss of soil nutrients• loss in agricultural yields loss in agricultural yields

water degradationwater degradation • siltation of dams siltation of dams • siltation of riverssiltation of rivers• chemical water pollutionchemical water pollution

Catchment managementCatchment management

Catchment Management attempts to introduce Catchment Management attempts to introduce good management land & its resources practices good management land & its resources practices in order to avoid land & water degradationin order to avoid land & water degradation

Areas of focus areAreas of focus are• Catchment PlanningCatchment Planning• Land ManagementLand Management• Forestry managementForestry management• Animal management Animal management • water managementwater management

Catchment ManagementCatchment Management

Main Beneficiaries of catchment managementMain Beneficiaries of catchment management• Soil conservation Soil conservation • water resources conservationwater resources conservation

the following are areas coveredthe following are areas covered • land managementland management

– cultivation along the slopecultivation along the slope– contour ridgingcontour ridging– stabilization of slopesstabilization of slopes– deforestationdeforestation– gradients and stabilization of roadsgradients and stabilization of roads– streambank cultivationstreambank cultivation

Catchment ManagementCatchment Management

• forestry managementforestry management– protection against firesprotection against fires– afforestationafforestation– avoiding indiscriminate cutting of treesavoiding indiscriminate cutting of trees– avoiding overstockingavoiding overstocking

• animal managementanimal management– no overstockingno overstocking– no overgrazingno overgrazing– grazing land (paddocks)grazing land (paddocks)

• water managementwater management

Catchment PlanningCatchment Planning

Land use planningLand use planning land development & management land development & management

planningplanning Forestry deve. & management Forestry deve. & management

planningplanning Animal dev. & management Animal dev. & management

planningplanning water dev. & management planningwater dev. & management planning

Effect of poor Catchment Effect of poor Catchment management on water management on water

Less groundwater rechargeLess groundwater recharge decline of fish habitats (pools)decline of fish habitats (pools) less water is availableless water is available

• in damsin dams• as ground wateras ground water• as baseflowas baseflow

the incidence of flooding is increasedthe incidence of flooding is increased moisture recycling is reducedmoisture recycling is reduced Chemical and biological pollution increasesChemical and biological pollution increases

Water ManagementWater Management

Water Management (WM) is a subset of Water Management (WM) is a subset of Catchment Management (CM) and is the subject Catchment Management (CM) and is the subject of our discussionof our discussion

The benefits of CM accrue to water conservation The benefits of CM accrue to water conservation and WMand WM

WM involves dealing with some of the followingWM involves dealing with some of the following::• Socio-economic issuesSocio-economic issues• Institutional Set upInstitutional Set up• legal processeslegal processes• technical issuestechnical issues

Socio-economic issuesSocio-economic issuesSome of the socio-economic issues Some of the socio-economic issues

dealt with are as followsdealt with are as follows

Water is important for lifeWater is important for life• Equal accessEqual access• Stakeholder participationStakeholder participation• equitable allocationequitable allocation• water for basic needswater for basic needs• affordabilityaffordability

– subsidiessubsidies

Socio-economic issuesSocio-economic issues

water as an economic issuewater as an economic issue• water for productive purposeswater for productive purposes

– cost recoverycost recovery – water use efficiencywater use efficiency– Competing demands ( Allocation)Competing demands ( Allocation)– demand management demand management – Sustainability of water resourcesSustainability of water resources– polluter payspolluter pays– the user paysthe user pays

Institutions Set upInstitutions Set up

Hierarchical (Regional) set upHierarchical (Regional) set up• nationalnational• 1st tier (basin)1st tier (basin)• 2nd tier (catchment)2nd tier (catchment)• 3rd tier (sub-catchment)3rd tier (sub-catchment)• 4th tier (water user)4th tier (water user)

Institutions Set up (cont.)Institutions Set up (cont.)

ResponsibilitiesResponsibilities• policypolicy• judiciaryjudiciary• regulatoryregulatory• implementationimplementation• monitoring water usemonitoring water use

the main issues here are :the main issues here are :• water should be managed at the lowest appropriate water should be managed at the lowest appropriate

levellevel• Management should be streamlined as given aboveManagement should be streamlined as given above

legal processeslegal processes

InstitutionsInstitutions• what is institutional set up?what is institutional set up?• what are the functions ?what are the functions ?• and what are the powers?and what are the powers?• what procedure do they follow?what procedure do they follow?

AllocationAllocation• who is eligible to apply?who is eligible to apply?• Who allocates water?Who allocates water?• what is the procedure?what is the procedure?• under what conditions?under what conditions?

legal processes (cont.)legal processes (cont.) ShortagesShortages

• who has priority over who?who has priority over who?• what are the procedures of informing users what are the procedures of informing users

of the situation?of the situation?• how to deal with shortage?how to deal with shortage?• legal obligation of users?legal obligation of users?

Dispute resolutionDispute resolution• who deals with disputes?who deals with disputes?• what is the procedure?what is the procedure?• where does one appeal if not satisfied by a where does one appeal if not satisfied by a

decisiondecision

Technical issuesTechnical issues

Surface & GroundwaterSurface & Groundwater• hydrological monitoringhydrological monitoring

– quantityquantity– scarcity (drought)scarcity (drought)– abundance (flooding)abundance (flooding)

– qualityquality– utilizationutilization

• allocation systemsallocation systems• assessment methodsassessment methods• water balancewater balance

monitor

Allocate

Water balance

Assess

Technical cont.Technical cont.

Water DevelopmentWater Development• flood controlflood control• supply and demandsupply and demand

– Water supplyWater supply– irrigationirrigation– energyenergy

• demand managementdemand management• conjunctive useconjunctive use• environmental impact assessmentsenvironmental impact assessments