Kila mwaka, tarehe 6 mwezi wa Novemba maadhimisho ya Siku ya Kimataifa ya Kuzuia Uharibifu wa Mazingira Wakati wa Vita na Migogoro ya Kujiami. Hapa tunazungumza kuhusu jinsi ambavyo mradi muhimu unaosimamiwa na Shirika la Mazingira la Umoja wa Mataifa (UNEP) katika eneo la Darfur umefaulu kuleta pamoja jamii zilizokuwa zinapigana ili kusimamia vizuri rasilimali hiyo adimu.
Kwenye eneo kame la Darfur nchini Sudan, maji yamesalia kuwa rasilimali muhimu mno. Pasipo na maji, hapatakuwepo na viumbe.
Kutokana na mabadiliko ya tabianchi, upatikanaji wa maji ya kilimo na ya matumizi hautabiriki. Mvua haitegemewi, na joto linaendelea kuongezeka na kupelekea kutokuwepo na chakula cha kutosha na mizozo wakati ambapo wakulim na wafugaji hupigania rasilimali hiyo adimu.
"Maji yanahitajika kwa dharura kokote kaskazini mwa Darfur. Wakati mwingine, mvua hunyesha tu mara moja kwa mwaka, na mara nyingi, kidogo mno kiwango cha kati ya milimita 150 na milimita 200 kwa mwaka," alisema Mohamed Siddig Lazim Suliman, mfanyakazi wa UNEP wa mradi wa usimamiaji wa rasilimali ya maji katika eneo la Darfur.
Tatizo siyo tu ukame. Mvua ya masika inaweza kuwa hatari pia na hata kusababisha vifo. Ardhi ikikumbwa na kiangazi kwa mda mrefu, haiwezi kunyonya maji ya mvua kubwa inayotokea kwa ghafla. Maji hayo yanapotokea, husababisha mafuriko, kupitia ndani ya mito iliyokuwa imekauka kwa kasi mno, na kufagia kila kitu kinachopita mbele. Kusini mwa Darfur pekee, kufikia sasa, watu 42 wamesombwa na mafuriko huu mwaka kutokana na hali kama hii.
Madhara yanayosababishwa na mabadiliko ya tabianchi huongezwa na migogoro kwenye eneo hilo. Mzozo kati ya jamii uliathiri eneo la Darfur vibaya mno mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 2000, na kupelea maelfu ya watu kuwa wakimbizi na maelfu ya watu kupoteza maisha yao. Wengi wao hawakudhubutu kurejea makwao. Hali hii iliathiri mazingira ya eneo hilo walipokata miti ili kupata kuni na hivyo kupunguza miti na maeneo ya misitu.
Uongozi wa kupigiwa upatu
Mradi wa Wadi El Ku sasa uko katika awamu ta Pili iliyoanza katika mwaka wa 2018. Hatimaye, kutakuwepo na ujenzi zaidi wa mabawa kadhaa, mifumo ya unyunyuziaji maji, misitu ya jamii, mimea ya kutunza mazingira na mambo mengineyo yatakayowezesha kuboresha maisha ya watu laki moja huku malighafi ikiboresha.
Mradi huu umetoa kipaumbele kwa wanawake wakati wa mchakato wa kufanya maamuzi. Wameshirikishwa kwenye kamati ya usimamiaji wa mradi mbali na wawakilishi wa maeneo ya vijijini. Baadhi yao wamenufaika na ufadhili wa miradi ndogondogo na kuwawezesha kununua mbegu na vifaa wanavyohitaji.
Fawzia Abdelhamid, Msimamizi wa Shirika la Maendeleo ya Wanawake, na mmoja wa wabia wa mradi huu, alisema kuwa mabwawa yao yameboresha mno unyunyuziaji wa mashamba. Hii inamaanisha kuwa wanawake hawahitaji kufanya kazi kwa masaa mengi kila siku kwa kutembea masafa marefu na kuhatarisha maisha yao ili kuteka maji.
"Wasichana walisaidia mama zao na kukosa kwenda shuleni, hali iliyoathiri afya yao na kuongeza idadi ya watu wasiojua kusoma wala kuandika. Hali hiyo imesitishwa na wanawake wanaweza kupanda mboga zaidi ikilinganishwa na hapo awali," alisema.
Adam Ali Mohamed, mwenye umri wa miaka 42, amesema mazao yake ya tikiti maji, matango na adesi iliongezeka mara kumi zaidi. Sasa huyasafirisha hadi sokoni kwa kutumia gari dogo badala ya punda. Hali hii imewezesha mapato yake kuongezeka kutoka takribani Pauni 20,000 za Sudan hadi kwa pauni 300,000 kwa mwezi.
Nimefungua duka katika eneo la El Fasher na hata kununua nyumba. Pia, mmoja wa watoto wangu, mwanangu wa kiume anasomea huko katika chuo kikuu. "Nashukuru Mungu kwa mradi huu kwa maisha yangu."
Hapa kuna taarifa zaidi kuhusu mradi huu
Mfadhili: (Muungano wa Ulaya (EU), Yuro milioni 10
Msimamizi wa mradi: UNEP
Mbia anayetekeleza mradi huu Practical Action
Practical Action hutegemea mno “mtandao wa wahusika” ili kuutekeleza. Kuna mitandao mitatu ya wenyeji inayojumuisha mashirika ya kijamii 260:
- Shirika la Maendeleo ya Wanawake (WDAN)
- Mtandao wa Maendeleo ya El-Fashir Vijijini (ERDN)
- Mtandao wa Kusaidia Maendeleo Vijijini (VNRHD)
Mradi huo hutekelezwa kwa ushirikiano na serikali ya jimbo la Darfur Kusini. Taasisi zifuatazo hushiriki moja kwa moja katika utekelezaji wa WEK II:
- Wizara ya Uzalishaji na Rasilimali za Uchumi (MOPER) ambayo ni wizara "kuu" inayojumuisha iliyokuwa Wizara ya Kilimo
- Idara ya Huduma za Ushauri kwa Wakulima
- Idara ya Mazingira
- Idara ya Mifugo na Lishe (Department Range and Pasture)
- Idara ya Rasilimali ya Wanyama
- Kitengo cha Malighafi
- Idara ya Maji Yaliyo Ardhini (GWWD)
- Shirika la Maji la Serikali (SWC)
- Shirika la Misitu la Kitaifa (FNC)
- Shirika la Utafiti wa Kilimo (ARC)
- Chuo Kikuu cha El Fasher
- Chuo Kikuu cha Khartoum
The Wadi el Ku project demonstrates why it is critical for UN agencies, donors and the government to work hand-in-hand with local communities on restoring the environment.
Leading by Example
The Wadi El Ku project is now in a second phase, which began in 2018. Ultimately, this will see the construction of several weirs, irrigation channels, community forests, shelter belts and other interventions that will improve the livelihood for 100,000 people while restoring the natural resources.
Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to adapt project activities to minimize health risks. Radio programs are now used to reach large areas with simple extension messages. Hands-on training takes place outdoors, and communication with government officials relies more on WhatsApp and SMS than in the past. Through many small adaptations like these, the project continues to deliver efficiently while minimizing the risk of infections.
In consultation with the Ministry of Health, messages about COVID-19 preventive measures have also been incorporated in all outreach activities.
The project has paid special attention to involving women in the decision-making processes. They are members of water management committees along with other village representatives. Some have benefited from micro-financing schemes enabling them to buy seeds and equipment.
Fawzia Abdelhamid, Head of Women Development Association Network, one of the project's partners, said the weirs have led to huge improvements in land irrigation, which means that women no longer having to spend hours every day walking long and dangerous journeys to fetch water.
“Girls used to help their mothers and could not go to school, it affected their health and added to high illiteracy rates. That has ended and women grow so many more vegetables than before,” she said.
Adam Ali Mohamed, 42, has seen a 10-fold increase in his production of watermelons, cucumbers and lentils which he now has to ferry to market by car rather than the occasional donkey trip. It has also seen his income go from around 20,000 Sudanese pounds a month to some 300,000.
“I have opened a shop in El Fasher and bought a house too. One of my sons is studying law at university there too,” he said. “I thank God for bringing this project into my life.”
Below are details on the structure of the project:
Donor: EU, 10 million EUR
Project holder: UNEP
Implementing partner: Practical Action
Practical Action rely on “the networks” for much of the implementation. There are three local networks consisting of 260 community-based organisations:
- Women Development Association NetWork (WDAN)
- El-Fashir Rural Development Network (ERDN)
- Voluntary Network for Rural Help Development (VNRHD)
The project is implemented in close collaboration with the North Darfur state government. The following entities are directly involved in implementing WEK II:
- Ministry of Production and Economic Resources (MOPER) which is a “super” ministry that includes the previous Ministry of Agriculture
- Department for Agricultural Extension
- Department for Environment
- Department Range and Pasture
- Department for Animal Resources
- Natural Resources Directorate
- Ground Water and Wadi Department (GWWD)
- State Water Corporation (SWC)
- Forests National Corporation (FNC)
- Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC)
- University of El Fasher
- University of Khartoum
