*3.2. Rufiji Basin, Tanzania*

The Rufiji River Basin is the largest river basin in East Africa, covering almost 180,000 km2—or one-fifth of Tanzania's area [76]. The basin varies widely in elevation (from sea-level to 2960 m) and climate, ranging from hot and humid along the coast, to cool and moderately dry in the highlands [77]. From an administrative viewpoint, the Rufiji River Basin comprises 26 districts; while, hydrologically, the basin is divided into four river catchments: Great Ruaha, Kilombero, Luwegu and Lower Rufiji. The Great Ruaha is the largest catchment, accounting for almost half of the basin's area and over 80% of its consumptive water uses—although it only contributes one-fifth to the 31 BCM/year of the basin's flow at the delta.

Over the last decades, managemen<sup>t</sup> of natural resources in Tanzania has undergone a significant transformation to a decentralized system. During pre-colonial times, natural resources were managed under customary rules [78], and it was not until the early 1900s that formal water law was introduced by German and British settlers. By the 1950s, and until two decades after independence in 1961, water governance remained vested under the national governmen<sup>t</sup> [79]. During the 1980s, widespread and poor infrastructure performance, and also negative environmental outcomes, drove a shift towards decentralization and the introduction of river basins as water governance entities. The 1990s and 2000s were dominated by a comprehensive reform, culminating in the passage of the *2002 National Water Policy* and the *2009 Water Resources Management Act* [80].

The water-governing authorities are structured on five levels of management: (i) national; (ii) basin; (iii) catchment; (iv) district; and (v) community [81]. At the national level, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MoWI) is Tanzania's uppermost water authority and is responsible for formulating and updating the country-wide policies. Under the MoWI, there are nine Basin Water Boards that are responsible for the allocation and protection of water resources. Beneath the Boards are Catchment Water Committees (CWC) intended to coordinate Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) plans and to resolve regional water conflicts. Only a few CWC have been established [80] so to overcome this water governance gap, District Facilitation Teams have emerged from administrative District Councils and are responsible for conflict resolution, water infrastructure planning, and the formation of Water User Associations (WUAs) [82,83].
