DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS AND FORESTRY (DWAF) Role, Involvement and Impact on Rural Development and Urban Renewal

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DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS AND FORESTRY (DWAF)
Role, Involvement and Impact on Rural Development
and Urban Renewal

• 2 November 2004

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Core Business Areas of DWAF

• Water resources management
• Water in rivers and underground
• Water supply and sanitation services
• Water and wastewater in pipes
• Forestry
• plantations and indigenous forests

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Positioning these Business Areas in terms of the
medium term Strategic Areas
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Support to Accelerate growth of economy

• Water a key resource for economic, social and
  environmental development requires integration
  with economic and social sectors
• Provincial Growth and Development Strategies and
  National Water Resource Strategy are being linked
• Priority activities include allocation and
  development of water for agriculture, tourism,
  energy, industry/mining and municipal purposes
  (all nodes)
• Water resource infrastructure development in
  various nodes e.g. Olifants River in Sekhukhune
  DM
• Water services (supply and sanitation) a key
  service for all economic activities

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Support to Accelerate growth of economy 2

• Forestry a key economic activity forest
  management, wood production and processing of
  wood products e.g. pulp for paper, furniture,
  industry, etc.
• Substantial employment in rural areas
• Opportunities for expansion partnership with
  industry to promote community afforestation on
  60000 hectares in Eastern Cape, similar in KZN
• Associated forestry economic activities include
  tourism and recreation

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Support to Improving quality of livelihoods for
the marginalised - 1

• Water resources support quality of life through
  services and economic use
• Basic water services together with environmental
  management and protection reduce water related
  diseases, improve health and bring dignity
• Job creation through infrastructure development
  and operation of water services and water
  resources schemes
• As part of EPWP, Working for Water promotes
  biodiversity and protects water resources
• Preferential water allocations and support
  programme for resource poor farmers
• Water resources and forests offer important
  recreational and spiritual environments and
  opportunities for all

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Support to Improving quality of livelihoods for
the marginalised Free Basic Services

• Three main means of delivering free basic water
• For all, through a common tariff structure
• (suited to metros and similar with own incomes
  and consumers metered)
• Only for the poor, through a municipal indigent
  policy
• (suitable in smaller towns with low income and
  most consumers metered)
• For all through appropriate service levels eg
  public standpipes
• (suitable in rural areas where majority is poor,
  municipalities have limited finance and few
  consumers are metered)
• Recommended that a differentiated approach to
  free basic water supply be noted and supported
  since attempts to impose a one size fits all
  approach are unlikely to be appropriate in all
  municipalities
• Free basic sanitation is a major challenge,
  especially where water-borne sewerage is used

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Support to Improving quality of livelihoods for
the marginalised - 3

• Forestry supports food (fruits, plants, bee
  keeping) medicinal herbs, energy through wood and
  charcoal, grazing for livestock, tourism
• 123 000 people in forestry economic sector
• medicinal plants trade valued at R60 million per
  year
• National Parks and conservation areas located in
  forests contribute an estimated R15,5 billion per
  year
• Forest restructuring has directly benefitted
  local communities (lease rentals and
  participation in operating companies)

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Support to Maintaining social security net,
mobilising human resources and investment in
community services

• Water services an essential basic service
• Water supply and sanitation (Rural supply backlog
  (Nodes) 36 of National backlog)
• Free basic services an important element of
  comprehensive social security framework
• Support for services in public facilities notably
  clinics, schools, etc.
• Support to municipalities to produce Water
  Services Development Plans focusing on operations
  as well as new investment

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Support to Improving capacity and effectiveness
of the State

• Policy making DWAF as sector leader
• Development and maintenance of sector strategies
• Current focus on sanitation challenge
• Suport sector capacity especially at Local
  Government level (Water Services Development
  Planning)
• Various support programmes eg Masibambane,in
  cooperation with partners SALGA, DPLG and NGOs
• Development of regulatory systems
• Growing focus on service quality
• Promotion of apropriate institutional
  arrangements (Water Boards and other providers
  institutional review)

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Support to Regional and International
partnerships for growth and development

• Model agreements on shared rivers
• Inter-basin development (Lesotho, Swaziland,
  Mozambique, Namibia)
• SADC involvement and co-operation
• Africa involvement and support (AMCOW)
• International involvement (EU Water Facility,
  Dams and Development)

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Specific impact and support to Nodes 1

• Active member of ISRDP and URP management
• Support website and knowledge management
• Support basic services through MIG (still 43
  supply backlog and 57 sanitation backlog in
  nodes) R765 million allocated to nodes
• Support water resource allocation for economic
  development surplus water for irrigation
  development, tourism, food production
• New bulk water infrastructure development
  (Olifants River, Limpopo)
• Support free basic services and associated needs
  (schools, clinics) - 48 of total nodal
  population at present served with free basic
  water, need improvement

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Specific impact and support to Nodes 2

• Interim scheme operations and transfers - 91
  Water services schemes to be transferred R153
  million (R32 million refurbishment allocation)
• Soft projects Capacity building and Sustainable
  management - R45 million investment for service
  management support (excludes free intellectual
  support international). Another 38 programmes
  valued at R84 million linked to nodes (Soft
  projects)
• Best practices and Knowledge management support
• Management programmes - WSDP support, water
  resources strategies, institutional development,
  environmental protection
• Associated business support forests, nurseries,
  tourism, job creation - Working for Water 33
  projects, 1 174 DWAF forests in nodes with
  potential support

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Specific Issues

• DWAF not responsible for funding the provision of
  water services infrastructure now DPLG and
  Local Government through the MIG with DWAF
  oversight
• DWAF goal and function is to ensure effective
  services
• Economic and social development requires
  integration and alignment with other sectors
  (water resources through National Water
  Resource Strategy)
• Planning through (inter alia)
• provincial growth and development strategies
• Local government integrated development planning
• National Spatial Development Perspective
• Clusters
• DWAF committed partner in cooperative government

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THE END
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THE END

• Questions

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Role of DWAF - 1

• DWAF core role is sector leader, custodian and
  regulator
• Limited financial input (sponsor), except bulk
  water infrastructure
• Key management (governance) areas
• Ensure effective sustainable services
• Policy development
• Sector strategies and planning
• Institutional arrangements and planning (roles
  and responsibilities)
• Sector guidance and support
• Monitoring, control and regulation
• Knowledge management

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Role of DWAF - 2

• Key functional areas
• Water availability and use reconciliation -
  ensure efficient and appropriate use of water
• Water allocations
• Bulk resource development
• Resource protection
• Integrated water management
• Interim management
• Basic services infrastructure
• Infrastructure and scheme management (OM)
• Scheme transfers