Thursday, January 24, 2008

Appropriate water resources management to mitigate impacts of drought and floods: Tanzania

From Tanzania, Deodatus Mfugale writes a detailed story about the impact of drought and flood in the city of Mwanza (from IPP Media): ....Speaking at the Second Basin wide Stakeholder Consultative Conference for the Zambezi Basin in Windhoek, Namibia, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development in Malawi, G. Malunga, said that taking an integrated approach to developing and managing water resources can more effectively tackle specific water challenges such as controlling flooding, mitigating the effects of drought, and eliminating water-borne diseases.

It implies that in order to mitigate the effects of the Mwanza flash floods, for example, residents should embark on proper planning of settlements on the slopes and hilltops. Moreover, settlements should be built in a discernible order providing room for the construction of drainage systems including storm drains so that water is directed through a defined ``route`` down the slopes and thus save houses from being washed away. It is all within the concept of managing water and land related resources to improve the social welfare of the residents and at the same time sustain the ecosystem. ...

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