L. Nare; J. O. Odiyo; M. B. Sekhwela; N. Potgieter

Stakeholder Involvement and Participation in Water Quality Monitoring and Management in Luvuvhu Catchment of South Africa

Water Safety Conference 2010

1. INTRODUCTION

Definitions and concepts of participation in development projects have evolved over time. Their roots can be traced back to community and popular participation, promoted mainly by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the 1950s and 1960s (Karl, 2000).Participation is a broad term used in different disciplines and applied to many fields with many variations in meaning and interpretations (Heyd and Neef, 2004).

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

• In the context of development plans and programmes, participation can be defined as the process through which stakeholders influence and take part in decision making in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects (Kaosa – ard et. al., 1998).

• The term public participation describes a variety of relationships between the implementing agency and its stakeholders (DWAF, 2001).

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Rifkin and Pridmore (2001) describe the relationships in a continuum of participation;

• Information sharing - is equated with professionals giving information to lay people.

• Consultation – involves people being asked for their opinions which maybe considered when the final decision is made.

• Involvement – implies people being included as a necessary part of something

• Empowerment – continuous process whereby individuals and/or communities gain the confidence, self esteem, understanding and power necessary to articulate their concerns, ensure that action is taken to address them and more broadly, gain control over their lives.

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

•Information sharing—consultation—involvement—empowerment

Figure 1: Continuum of participation; Adapted from Rifkin and Pridmore (2001)

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

• Nikkhah and Redzuan, (2009) summarise relationships among approaches, types of participation and level of empowerment

APPROACH TYPE OF PARTICIPATION LEVEL OF EMPOWERMENT

Top – down Participation as means to an end Low empowerment

Partnership Working together Moderate

empowerment

Bottom - up Participation as an end to itself

(active, dynamic, self -

mobilisation

High empowerment and

sustainable

development

Table1: Relationships among approaches, types of participation and level of empowerment

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

• Sherry R. Arnstein (1969) as cited in Goethert, (1997) describes “A Ladder of Citizen Participation”

• She explains that this classification is necessary to unveil the manipulation of people in the garb of community participation projects by professionals and policyholders.

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

Fig. 2: A Ladder of Citizen Participation: Source: Goethert, 1997

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

The benefits of stakeholder participation include the following;

• Increasing democracy• Empowering people• Mobilizing resources

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

2.STUDY AREA

Figure 3: Map of Luvuvhu and Letaba WMA showing land use patterns in Luvuvhu Catchment

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3. METHODOLOGY

• Review of all the frameworks relating to stakeholder involvement and participation in water quality monitoring and management

• Interviews with all critical stakeholders including around 8000 members of the community

• Participatory tools were used to gather qualitative data which was then converted into quantitative data.

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

4.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

• DWAF (2004) defines a stakeholder as any individual or organization who uses water. The major users of water in Luvuvhu Catchment are agriculture (commercial and rural small scale farmers), environment and domestic consumers. There are no major industries and mines in the catchment.

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

• Although South Africa has very comprehensive policy and legal frameworks that could promote stakeholder participation in water quality monitoring and management, the current institutional framework does not promote this

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

• The institutional framework is in transition from government dominated management to the more democratic catchment management system

• Although DWAF (2005) says that the current stakeholders in water quality monitoring and management include Water Services Authorities (WSAs), Department of Water Affairs (DWA), Department of Health (DoH), Department of Provincial and Local Government and Civil Society only DWA and DoH currently meet on a monthly basis to discuss water quality issues

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

• Communities were not involved in water quality monitoring and management activities according to DWA officials

• Communities confirmed this position with 95% of the respondents feeling that it was purely a government activity

• On their part the communities were willing to participate in water quality monitoring and management, with 90% of the respondents saying they would be willing to pay for the activity

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

• 98% of community respondents said communities held meetings where development issues including water quality management were discussed

• This could provide an opportunities for the authorities to engage communities as primary stakeholders

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

5. CONCLUSION

• Water quality monitoring and management in Luvuvhu Catchment is dominated by top down approaches with only “experts” being involved in the activity

• There is non participation (passive) by other stakeholders besides DWA and DoH.

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia

6. RECOMMENDATIONS

• There is need to complete the establishment of a catchment management system in Luvuvhu Catchment since this will promote participation by all stakeholders including communities

• There is a need for a major “overhaul” of the mindset among stakeholders especially policy makers, managers, implementers and community leadership towards stakeholder participation in service delivery

Water Safety ConferenceNovember 2-4 2010, Kuching, Malaysia