Integrated Water Resources Management & Transboundary Water Cooperation In NIGER

1. Integrated Water Resources Management & Transboundary Water Cooperation In NIGER Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

2. Main resources: • Niger river (permanent) and its tributaries (semi-permanent) • Lake Chad (almost dried up in Niger) and Komadougou river (semi-permanent: 6 months/yr) • About 1’000 ponds (175 permanent ponds) • Temporary rivers • Annual renewable surface water resources: • - About 33 billions m3 (>95% from Niger River) WATER RESOURCES IN NIGER : 1) SURFACE WATER RESOURCES Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

3. About 40 different aquifers grouped into: 1. Bedrock /fractured Aquifers, 2.- Iullemeden Basin Aquifers located from the centre to the West of the country, 3.- Chad Basin Aquifers located from the centre to the East of the country. WATER RESOURCES IN NIGER : 2) GROUNDWATER RESOURCES 1 2 3 1 1 • Annual renewable groundwater resources: about 2.5 billions m3 • Not renewable groundwater reserves (fossil): about 2’000 billions m3 Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

4. KEY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES (1) Increasing needs: demographic growth (3.3%), economic development (GDP<400$/inhab.; 80% of households derives its income from agriculture and livestock), mining activities (oil, uranium,…) Conflicts of use: drinking water vs. water for oil refinery (in Zinder); agriculture vs. livestock needs Sustainable development: disparity of the distribution of renewable resources (>10’000m3/yr/inhab. in the Niger river valley and less than 300m3/yr/inhab. in other regions); limited annual refilling of some bedrock aquifers Cost of water: new infrastructures (>100$/capita for drinking water), operation costs, renewal of infrastructures Continuity of funding: for instance, to control and monitor piezometers and gauging devices (1’267’000 km2) Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

5. KEY WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES(2) Lake Chad: 1973 to 2001 (NASA) Ecological changes and threats :Lake Chad drying up: from 25’000km2 in 1960 to <2’000km2 today; Niger river: sand deposits in river bed, erosion of banks, proliferation of weeds; desertification and reduction of ponds water surfaces in eastern Niger; pollutions (no wastewater treatment plants) • Transboundary issues : impacts of the construction of dams on the Niger river; shared aquifers • Technical expertise: need for more water specialists • Water quality: about 90% of cemented wells with E.coli; fluorine, nitratates and nitrites in some areas; mineralization of deep aquifers Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

6. NATIONAL UNDERSTANDING / INTERPRETATION OF IWRM Transbondary cooperation: shared vision to use the Niger river water for irrigation and power production New institutional actors (CNEA, CREA, Water Management Units) with the goal to develop the sector and improve water management Some water specialists see IRWM as a key approach to develop the country and a necessity to better control and manage water resources • Or: is it a new donor-driven « product » that will feed Consultants and a couple of Technicians? Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

7. International level: 2 transboundary Institutions (Niger Basin Authority; Lake Chad Basin Commission) Ministry of Hydraulic (national, regional and departmental levels) National level: CNEA - National Commission for Water and Sanitation (Government, water users, research,private sector, civil society,…) – advisory commission Regional level: CREA - Regional Commission for Water and Sanitation (declination of CNEA); will evolve in the future to be based at the main aquifers level (7 Water Management Units) and will be in charge of operations Local level: timid involvement of Municipalities and users in the water sector ---------------------------------------------------------- Executive Secretariat of “Code Rural” and COFO: Land Commissions (in charge of the use of natural resources and of conflicts prevention (reg. and local levels) EXISTING IWRM FRAMEWORK and REFORMS UNDERWAY • Main reforms: • Project of a new water law • Project of an IWRM national action plan (funded by ADB since 2008, but studies not yet in progress) • Pilot actions to improve the water resource knowledge and control (database update, rehabilitation of piezometers,…) • Some sectoral policies and strategies (drinking water, sanitation,…) Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

8. DONOR SUPPORT to IWRM UNDP: test and promotion of IWRM at the level of one Water Management Unit (Liptako Gourma) – from 1999, ongoing ADB: design of IWRM National Action Plan (2008, but not yet in progress) AFD: (Hycos) transboudary hydrological monitoring of the Niger river Global Environment Facility (FEM): land management, anti-desertification pilot projects,… DANIDA: scale-up of groundwater monitoring network in 2 regions; institutional support; update of database with involvement of decentralized entities Other donors and NGOs: small scale projects and studies Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

9. ACHIEVEMENTS, LESSONS LEARNED, FACTORS OF SUCCESS The groundwater resource was better monitored during the 90’s than today, thanks to the continuous support of a Donor (SDC) CNEA, CREA: have hardly reached a « rythm » of 1 meeting/year Niger Basin Authority: Water Charter, Shared Vision 2025, Sustainable Development Action Plan, involvement of civil society Lake Chad Basin Authority: Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Strategic Action Plan Increased dialog around water issues Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

10. CHALLENGES and RISKS Lack of IWRM national action plan Ownership of the approach New Water Law not yet endorsed by the Government Cost of IRWM; who will support IWRM in the long term? IWRM may remain ineffective, like several attempts to develop national systems; « top-down » decisions may continue Water Management Units cover areas shared by several administrative regions; coordination with admnistrative authorities (Agriculture, Hydraulic, Environment, Livestock,... Ministries) IWRM bodies: risk of duplication with « Code Rural » institutional bodies (Executive Secretariat and COFO) Environmental protection and rehabilitation require « big money » Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009

11. THANK YOU! Danida Water and Sanitation Seminar, Zambia – 29th September to 2nd October 2009