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Systems approaches to water resource management in Mali: Exploring opportunities to use engineering frameworks in social sciences research

Abstract

Mali is landlocked nation in West Africa and one of the least developed countries in the world (UNDP 2007/2008).  While freshwater sources are plentiful, the country faces a multitude of social, political, environmental and economic constraints to the provision of safe, sustainable water supplies to its primarily rural population.  According to Earthtrends (2001), Mali has combined surface and ground water supplies of 4,992 m³ per capita.  This is much higher than the minimum livelihood threshold of 1,700 m³ per person identified by Falkenmark and Widtrand (1992), but does not reflect the logistical challenges to water provision in a country such as Mali.  Approximately 50% of Mali’s 13.1 million inhabitants do not have sustainable access to an improved water source and 46% are without improved sanitation (UNDP, 2006).  An international partnership called the West Africa Water Initiative (WAWI) was formed in 2003 to implement field-level projects improving access to water resources as well as tackling agricultural and health concerns resulting from poor water supply and sanitation in Ghana, Mali and Niger. 

Field work conducted between 2006 and 2008 with WAWI-Mali highlighted many of the challenges faced by international development and funding agencies, national governments and local communities in water resource management.  Interdisciplinary projects implemented and maintained by diverse stakeholders demand significant investment, both socially and financially.  This discussion aims to raise the importance of using a “systems” approach to development work to improve long-term resource and program sustainability in regions facing complex development challenges.  Conceptual tools founded in engineering disciplines such as operations research provide a platform for a systems approach to water resource management in Mali, with broad applicability to development programs worldwide.

References

Earthtrends Institute. 2001. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems, Mali (Country Profile). Available at http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/wat_cou_466.pdf (accessed September 2, 2008).

Falkenmark, M., and Widstrand, C., 1992. Population and Water Resources: A Delicate Balance (PRB Population Bulletin). Washington, DC: PRB.

United Nations Development Programe. 2007/2008. Human Development Report. Available at http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics (accessed September 2, 2008).

United Nations Development Programe. 2006. Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis. Human Development Report. Available at http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR06-complete.pdf (accessed September 2, 2008).