Strengthening Local Government Mechanisms through Community-Based Watershed Management

The rivers in Allah Valley are continually changing its course especially after periodic flood events. This requires immediate steps taken to review and assess current project and land use plans. Clearly, strategic investments to elude disasters and other hazards caused by unpredictable water discharges create demands for costly rehabilitation projects. To sustain and improve the socio-economic condition of the people, public funds are expended on high-return projects, and consideration of the rapidly changing physical character of the entire Allah Valley area must be reflected in future government decisions.

The collaboration was an attempt to provide appropriate and functional mechanisms for sustainable management of natural resources within the Allah Valley Landscape using watershed approach. Specifically, the collaboration aimed:

Strategies and Activities Implemented

The strategies implemented for this collaborative engagement include: (a) the establishment of community-based data and information for four pilot communities; (b) the building of a basic GIS database of the landscape; (c) the updating of existing land cover through satellite remote sensing; and (d) coordination and institutional efforts to sustain initiatives of the Project Management Office.

Consistent with the implementation of strategies, the following major activities were carried out:

Poster maps were also developed that spatially depict the situation of the area in terms of siltation and land use and the identified component sub-watersheds.

The collaborative work between ESSC and AVLDA has had two major results: (1) the acquisition of the basic and accurate GIS datasets and tools that the latter can now utilise to arrive at sound analysis for informed decision-making; and (2) the recognition by AVLDA, as an integrative body, of community participation as part of the broader and comprehensive strategy in defining sustainable management strategies and policies for the area. Overall, the significance of the engagement lies in the illustration of the importance of integrating people with the technical tools available for the sustainable management of Allah Valley landscape. What is crucial though are the next steps that need to be defined soon in order that the momentum gained by this initiative that can be brought forward to help AVLDA in achieving its goals.