Member States to Consider and Approve Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis Report for the Limpopo River Basin

Summary

The TDA Report is a comprehensive document that identifies and prioritizes key transboundary water-related environmental problems that need urgent attention at both national and transboundary levels.

The Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) will convene a special basin-wide meeting on 10-12 June 2025 in Bilene, Gaza Province of Mozambique for its Member States to consider and approve the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) Report for the Limpopo River Basin (LRB).

This follows the successful validation of the draft TDA Report at the national level by each of the four LIMCOM countries late last year. The basin-wide approval by Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe is thus a significant step towards collective ownership of the TDA analytical process and its outcomes.

The TDA Report is a comprehensive document that identifies and prioritizes key transboundary water-related environmental problems that need urgent attention at both national and transboundary levels. Some of the key transboundary water-related environmental issues identified and agreed upon by the four riparian states include:

• Land degradation; •
• Sedimentation;
• Deteriorating water quality;
• Loss of biodiversity;
• Weak transboundary water resources management;
• Resilience to climate variability, climate change and extreme events; and
• Uncertainty about the available water resources.

LIMCOM Senior Technical Advisor, Dr. Ebenizáo Chonguiça, said once the TDA Report is approved, the formulation of a Strategic Action Program (SAP) for the LRB will commence, adding that “the TDA provides a factual basis for the formulation of an SAP that will be negotiated and agreed upon by the four riparian countries and will be aligned to the national and regional policies of Member States.”

The formulation of the TDA/SAP process for the LRB is an initiative of the project “Integrated Transboundary River Basin Management for the Sustainable Development of the Limpopo River Basin.” LIMCOM is implementing the project in partnership with the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project aims to uplift the living standards of the basin’s population and conserve the basin’s resources and ecosystem services

LIMCOM

The Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) was established through the LIMCOM Agreement signed in November 2003 by the four Member States — Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The main objective of LIMCOM is to advise and “provide recommendations on the uses of the Limpopo, its tributaries and its waters for purposes and measures of protection, preservation and management of the Limpopo.”

Media Contact

Should you require any additional information, kindly contact Mr. Kizito Sikuka – LIMCOM Communications Specialist at ksikuka@limpopocommission.org and/or José Carlos Masinde — Communication Officer at the National Directorate of Water Resources Management (DNGRH) at jmatsinhe@dngrh.gov.mz or +258820250230

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