How much water do we need for nature, livelihoods and people? : assessing the environmental flow of the Wami River Sub-Basin

The process of conducting an EFA brings together specialists from different disciplines as well as stakeholders in the basin, and the emergent product is a quantitative estimate of the flow needs of the environment. This report is a synthesis of the key findings and conclusions of a longer technical report of the Wami EFA is aimed at the integrated water resource management practitioner. This synthesis describes the process and project outcomes of the environmental flow assessment (EFA) conducted in the Wami River Sub-Basin during 2007. The Wami EFA is one of the first projects of its kind to be facilitated by a basin water office in Tanzania, and represents a realistic, proactive approach to water resources management. Similar work was recently conducted by the Pangani River Basin Water Office. This report summarizes findings, and shares the approach used and lessons learned that can be transferred and replicated in other water basins in Tanzania as well as other countries in Africa and elsewhere. The Wami EFA methodology has already been adopted by the team conducting the EFA for the Ruaha river basin, Tanzania. (Author abstract, modified)