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Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, July 31, in Dar es Salaam to strengthen cooperation in the use, development, protection, conservation and sustainable management of the Rovuma River basin.
The Rovuma River Basin is shared by three countries and has a total length of 760 km, of which 650 km is the border between Mozambique and Tanzania. It is rich in aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, including the Niassa National Reserve, which covers an area of 42,400 square kilometers and covers parts of Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces. The implementation of integrated cross-border water resources management will promote its development.
The agreement was signed during the Rovuma Basin Ministerial Meeting by the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Carlos Mesquita, Tanzanian Minister of Water Affairs, Juma Hamito Aweso and Minister of Water Affairs and Sanitation, Abida Sidique Miah. The project serves as a platform for Malawian partners, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and member states to assess progress on the basin roadmap and discuss follow-up project implementation. The project is funded by the Global Climate Fund (GEF).
The Mozambican government was represented at the ceremony by the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Carlos Mesquita, for whom the agreement will bring numerous advantages to the three countries, such as opening up the member countries to develop regional projects and the possibility of raising funds for their execution, translating into economic and social benefits for the communities along the Rovuma basin.
On this occasion, Carlos Mesquita stressed that the Rovuma River Basin is an almost unparalleled case in the SADC region, as it is one of the few shared river basins that remains in its natural state, without storage infrastructure.
“This basin has a rich aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity and a large part of it is still intact, especially in Mozambique, where the Rovuma River bathes the provinces of Niassa and Cabo Delgado”. In this sense, Mozambique sees many challenges in its management, focusing on sustainable use and guaranteeing water supply for the main water-using sectors, water-related vulnerabilities (floods and droughts), water quality and the health of the population. Aquatic ecosystems and the implementation of good water governance and integrated water resources management from the perspective of transboundary water management.
He added that these challenges increase the need for structural and non-structural measures, which require collaborative action among the riverine countries: “In the current context of climate change, with our region affected by the El Niño phenomenon, we hope that the ongoing initiative will help establish and promote integrated and sustainable resource management, through the implementation of measures to ensure water security in the Rovuma River basin, in order to reduce the occurrence of waterborne diseases, such as Covid-19 and diarrhoeal diseases, and mitigate the effects caused by water scarcity”.
It is worth noting that the cooperation between the three countries also extends to the Zambezi River Basin, with the establishment of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) in 2024. However, Malawi is the only country that has not yet approved the establishment of the commission.
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