An institutional model of water resources administration in Congo

Abstract

Adequate Water Resources Administration in Congo is a major concern for its government and its people. Water resources administration is a dilemma for government throughout the world, and Congo is no exception. An assessment of water resources administration practices in Congo today reveals several inadequacies attributable to deficiencies in the framework for decision making in the use and allocation of water resources. Actually, the entire field of water resources administration is dominated by one level the national government. In Congo, there is no water law to guide water development. It is known today that the administration of water resources in Congo is notorious for its inability to provide for the public welfare, partly because the structure of decision making is not conducive to an accurate definition of the public interest. There are no specific water organizations at the local level to represent water users and provide the delivery of essential water services, whereas this is the area which is critical to the enhancement of economic and public welfare. The institutional problem in water resources administration in Congo may be helped by adopting one of the three models proposed in this thesis. The first model will be the alternative of organizing water institutions by level of government. The second alternative will organize water institutions on the basis of resource geometry. While the third will be a mixed institutional model between the two systems above. If these models are adopted, successful social and economic development.