BY BUSINESS EDITOR
MBABANE – L.E.C Lohe Environmental Consultancy (Pty) Ltd from Namibia was enlisted as the best evaluated tenderer to be awarded the Joint River Basin Authorities Project Board tender.
This was disclosed by the Eswatini Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ESPPRA) on their website, and the company is expected to begin executing it after a period of 10 working days, should they not be contested.
Joint River Basin Authorities Project Board was looking for a consultancy services for improving knowledge on groundwater availability through the assessment of groundwater resources, capacity development and innovative groundwater information management system establishment.
Worth noting, in 2021, in its quest to sustain the water sector institutions and programmes, the Government of Eswatini launched the Joint River Basin project worth over E 29 million.
The project was launched on Wednesday by the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Peter Bhembe.
It came as a collaboration between the Government of Eswatini and that of Netherlands.
The project was themed ‘All Hands on Deck Project’, and is the brainchild of The Blue Deal Programme made by the Government of Eswatini and the Government of Netherlands.
Bhembe launched this project along with the Joint River Basin Authorities (RBA) Project Board.
Reforms
He said water sector reforms in the country started upon the enactment of the Water Act of 2003.
He said this Act called for a paradigm shift in water resources management and re-organidation of the water sector through the establishment of decentralised water management institutions across the five River Basins in the country.
The five river basins include; Lomati, Komati, Mbuluzi, Usuthu and Ngwavuma.
He said the country has been making some efforts to ensure the realisation of the decentralisation agenda.
“The first main step in this process was
The Eswatini RBAs are involved in a partnership with Vechtstromen Regional Water Authority executing a project called ‘All Hands on Deck’. The project aims to cement three crucial elements of good water management: Generating sufficient water knowledge and expertise, creating a wellfunctioning technical organisation, and facilitating involvement of stakeholders.
These efforts will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 6.3 – 6.6. Locally, the ‘All Hands on Deck’ issuance of the first gazettes establishing River Basin Authorities in 2009,” said Bhembe.
The minister acknowledged the efforts made by all role players in ensuring that decentralisation of water management reached a functional milestone as witnessed on Wednesday.
The minister conveyed gratitude to Vechtstromen Regional WaterAuthority from the Netherlands, for providing the collaborative support to facilitate that the country’s RBAs became operational.
Phase 1 of the All Hands on Deck Project under the Blue Deal Programme was supported jointly by the Netherlands and the Government of Eswatini and through this support; the Joint RBAs Project Board had been established and was operating from the Lubovane Dam at Siphofaneni. project works to modify the monitoring and evaluation of natural resources through systematic data collection. This involves the installation of near real-time data measurement equipment and systems.
Eswatini will benefit in keeping track of the availability and use of water resources, in turn, informing the water resources masterplan on a strategic level. Overall this partnership anchors on the values of Inclusiveness, gender mainstreaming, sustainability, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation.
