Water Charter for Sustainable Management of Lake Chad Basin

The legal instrument was presented to member countries on Friday December 6, 2013 for ratification by parliaments.

The Lake Chad Basin Commission has drafted a legal instrument which it says if ratified by the parliaments of the member countries would help to ensure the sustainable development of the basin for the good of the present and future generations. The "Water Charter" as it is known, was presented to member countries of the Commission on Friday December 6 during a popularization workshop chaired by the Minister Delegate in the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Yaouba Abdoulaye.

The legal instrument, he said, sets out the terms and conditions for an integrated, equitable and coordinated management of the shared water and other resources of the Lake Chad Basin. Deliberations at the Yaounde popularization workshop, which came on the heels of the 59th session of the council of Ministers of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, focused on the stakes of the charter for an indispensable balance between ecosystem conservation and economic development, good practice commitments contained in the charter such as respect of minimum flows, volumes available, sustainable fishing and livestock practices, mechanisms for conflict prevention as well as institutional mechanisms provided for by the charter.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, Nigeria's Sanusi Imran Abdullahi, said the legal instrument once ratified will empower the Commission to enforce the regulations that are set for integrated water resources management in the basin. "When the Commission was established, the leaders then established a rule on the utilization of water but because of the current situation of climate change, population pressure and scarcity of water, there is need to enact an additional instrument that will allow the Commission to work efficiently," he said.

The legal document, he noted, contains international rules regarding utilization of trans-border water resources and other natural resources which were not captured in the convention of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. By the instrument, a country wishing to utilize the water coming into Lake Chad writes to the Commission, giving reasons for the use and the Commission passes them to all member States for the technical committee to scrutinize and present the positive and negative impacts. "The Heads of State have done their job and we want parliaments to ratify this instrument and give us the power to regulate the utilization of natural resources in the basin. This will allow for equitable and rational utilization of the resources by each member," Sanusi said.