“The Objectives of the Commission shall be to advise the Contracting Parties and provide recommendations on the uses of the Limpopo, its tributaries and its waters for purpose and measures of protection, preservation and management of the Limpopo (LIMCOM Agreement 2003).”
The Council is designed to act as a technical advisor to the Contracting Parties on matters related to the development, utilisation and conservation of the water resources of the Limpopo.
Functions
Council functions include the following (LIMCOM Agreement 2003):
Measures and arrangements to determine the long term safe yield of the water available from the Limpopo;
The equitable and reasonable utilisation of the Limpopo to support sustainable development in the territory of each Contracting Party and the harmonisation of their policies related thereto;
The extent to which the inhabitants in the territory of each of the Contracting Parties concerned shall participate in the planning, utilisation, sustainable development, protection and conservation of the Limpopo and the possible impact on social and cultural heritage matters;
All aspects related to the efficient and effective collection, procession and dissemination of data and information with regard to the Limpopo;
Contingency plans and measures for preventing and responding to harmful conditions whether resulting from natural causes such as drought or human conduct as well as emergency situations that result suddenly from natural causes such as floods or human conduct such as industrial accidents;
The investigations and studies, separately or jointly by the Contracting Parties with regard to the development of the Limpopo including the construction, operation or maintenance of any water works;
Measures with a view to arriving at settlement of a dispute; e
Any other matters affecting the implementation of the Protocol.
Structure
The Council is the primary organ of LIMCOM. The Council consists of four delegations from each of the Limpopo River basin states. Each delegation consists of not more than three permanent members for a total overall membership of 12 members. A Temporary Secretariat has been established in Maputo, Mozambique to prepare to implement the Agreement. A Legal, Flood and Technical Tasks teams will be established, each consisting of one member from each country.
