Lau Watershed Management Project

The Lau Watershed Management project is one of the four fast track projects prepared in 2007 under the Eastern Nile Watershed Management (ENWM) Project. The Lau Watershed project area is administratively located within Maiwut County, Upper Nile State in Southern Sudan. Maiwut County has six Payams, four of which (Maiwut, Kigille, Jotome and Turuw) fall within the Lau Watershed Project area. The watershed (the part in South Sudan) has an area of 700 km² that is characterized by rugged densely vegetated mountainous highland terrain at its head and plain lowland in the downstream parts. The altitude ranges from 415 to 1904 m amsl, with about 90 percent of the watershed falling below 500 m asl. During dry seasons, many people move long distances with their livestock in search of forage and water. The people that remain behind in the watershed have great difficulty finding adequate water (for domestic use and for the livestock that has not been driven away. Conflicts over water resources and grazing grounds are common in the watershed. Other issues identified in the watershed include deforestation, overgrazing, land degradation and soil loss, water pollution, and loss of wildlife from hunting and habitat destruction, impacts of climate change manifesting as changes in rainfall patterns, and weak institutions.

The Lau Watershed Management project is one of the four fast track projects prepared in 2007 under the Eastern Nile Watershed Management (ENWM) Project. The Lau Watershed project area is administratively located within Maiwut County, Upper Nile State in Southern Sudan. Maiwut County has six Payams, four of which (Maiwut, Kigille, Jotome and Turuw) fall within the Lau Watershed Project area. The watershed (the part in South Sudan) has an area of 700 km² that is characterized by rugged densely vegetated mountainous highland terrain at its head and plain lowland in the downstream parts. The altitude ranges from 415 to 1904 m amsl, with about 90 percent of the watershed falling below 500 m asl. During dry seasons, many people move long distances with their livestock in search of forage and water. The people that remain behind in the watershed have great difficulty finding adequate water (for domestic use and for the livestock that has not been driven away. Conflicts over water resources and grazing grounds are common in the watershed. Other issues identified in the watershed include deforestation, overgrazing, land degradation and soil loss, water pollution, and loss of wildlife from hunting and habitat destruction, impacts of climate change manifesting as changes in rainfall patterns, and weak institutions.

The project objective was to restore community capacity to sustain and develop livelihoods in an environmentally responsible manner. The project had four components namely: (a) capacity building and institutional strengthening; (b) provision of basic services; (c) support to livelihoods, and; (d) project management.

Specific interventions under the project included building capacity of Maiwut County and supporting NGOs; supporting the formation of, and building capacity of Community-Based Organisations; engaging and promoting community participation; constructing water supplies for domestic water use, livestock watering and agricultural irrigation based on sand dams or surface water reservoirs; constructing demonstration pit latrines and carrying out hygiene education; supporting school feeding programmes; introducing adult literacy programs; upgrading rural feeder roads to improve market access; demonstrating improved farming methods (e.g. use of improved seeds and fertilizers, mechanical ploughing; soil and water conservation; pest and disease control, etc); introducing small-scale irrigation; training fishermen in improved capture fisheries; introducing fish farming; supporting establishment of dairy processing cottage industries; establishing fruit tree nurseries, and promoting agro-forestry; diversification of income-generating activities (beekeeping, wood craft and furniture marking, vegetable processing, fruit processing, edible oil processing, grain milling, producing improved stoves, etc.); promoting use of renewable energy sources (biogas, solar); and introducing compressed bricks to replace traditional soil construction techniques.

The project objective was to restore community capacity to sustain and develop livelihoods in an environmentally responsible manner. The project had four components namely: (a) capacity building and institutional strengthening; (b) provision of basic services; (c) support to livelihoods, and; (d) project management.

Benefits - building capacity of Maiwut County and supporting NGOs; supporting the formation of, and building capacity of Community-Based Organisations; engaging and promoting community participation; constructing water supplies for domestic water use, livestock watering and agricultural irrigation based on sand dams or surface water reservoirs; constructing demonstration pit latrines and carrying out hygiene education; supporting school feeding programmes; introducing adult literacy programs; upgrading rural feeder roads to improve market access; demonstrating improved farming methods (e.g. use of improved seeds and fertilizers, mechanical ploughing; soil and water conservation; pest and disease control, etc); introducing small-scale irrigation; training fishermen in improved capture fisheries; introducing fish farming; supporting establishment of dairy processing cottage industries; establishing fruit tree nurseries, and promoting agro-forestry; diversification of income-generating activities (beekeeping, wood craft and furniture marking, vegetable processing, fruit processing, edible oil processing, grain milling, producing improved stoves, etc.); promoting use of renewable energy sources (biogas, solar); and introducing compressed bricks to replace traditional soil construction techniques.