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Early Warning Systems
The regional Water/Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Flood Early Warning Sys-
tem was developed in 2015 and integrated into the programme of the SADC Climate Ser-
vices Centre (CSC). This included a central server within the CSC as well as computer
nodes in the hydrological service centres of Member States and at the Secretariat of the
Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM). Tools for disaster preparedness and early
warning systems in the Limpopo and Zambezi river basins were also developed and dis-
tributed to the affected Member States.
An early warning system has been installed at the SADC CSC and it has several
functions. Some of the functions include the provision of operational regional climate in-
formation services to monitor and provide forecasts for all seasonal climatic conditions.
Further to this, the system provides for the development and distribution of meteorological,
environmental and hydro-meteorological products. Though the early warning system is in
place, its integration and automation for online use remain outstanding as of August 2020.
Annual training sessions for national climate experts continue to be conducted with support
from the SADC Secretariat to enhance the early warning system capacity of the region.

Water

SADC has acknowledged the importance of shared water resources for devel-
opment and regional integration, recognizing that these resources cannot be
managed effectively within the restrictive context of national boundaries. Member States 115
therefore adopted the Protocol on Shared Watercourses in 1995, revised in 2000 to reflect
the principles adopted in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Naviga-
tional Uses of International Watercourses. The Revised Protocol came into force in Sep-
tember 2003 with the objective to “foster close and coordinated cooperation in the
management, protection and utilisation of shared watercourses and to advance the SADC
agenda of regional integration and poverty alleviation.”
The principles outlined in the Protocol are operationalised through the Regional
Strategic Action Plan (RSAP) on Integrated Water Resources Development and Manage-
ment. The objective is to provide a sustainable enabling environment, leadership and co-
ordination in the strategic planning and use of water resources, and for infrastructure
development through application of integrated water resources management at national,
regional, river basin and community levels.
The RSAP is being implemented in a phased manner and regularly adjusted to
meet the changing needs of the region. Four phases of the action plan have been imple-
mented since 1999.

River Basin Organisations
The SADC region has a total of 13 major watercourses which are shared by two or more
countries, as shown in Table 4.7. One of the main achievements in the water sector has
been the establishment of River Basin Organisations (RBOs) to coordinate the devel-
opment of shared watercourses within the region. The establishment of these RBOs has
enabled SADC Member States to sustainably manage and coordinate shared resources
without any serious conflicts.
Milestones include the signing of the hosting agreement of the Secretariat for the In-
comati and Maputo River Basins and the establishment of the Cuvelai Secretariat. Another
key development has been the signing of the Buzi, Pungwe, Save (BUPUSA) Tri-Basin co-
operation agreement between the Republic of Mozambique and Zimbabwe in 2019.