The book first reviews the availability and use of water resources in the basin, outlines the basin’s economic potential and highlights key concerns related to climate vulnerability and risk. Focus is then devoted to hydropower and the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, sustainable agricultural water management, and threats and opportunities related to provision of ecosystem services. The impact of urbanisation and water quality is also examined, as well as ways to enhance transboundary water cooperation. Last, the book assesses the level of water security in the basin, and provides suggestions for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. Throughout, emphasis is placed on entry points for basin-level management to foster improved paths forward.
Jonathan Lautze is Senior Researcher at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), based in Pretoria, South Africa.
Zebediah Phiri is Executive Secretary of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission, based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Vladimir Smakhtin is Director of the United Nations University, Institute for Water, Environment and Health, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Davison Saruchera is a PhD candidate at the Wits School of Governance, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.