National Water Resource Strategy

1

• National Water Resource Strategy
• Presentation to Portfolio Committee
• 15th September 2004
• Department of Water Affairs and Forestry

2
Outline of presentation

• NWRS purpose, mandate, etc
• National water picture
• Resource protection measures
• Priorities for allocation
• Meeting water needs
• Water resources under control of Minister
• Infrastructure development
• Major challenges
• Implementation of NWRS
• Financial implications
• WSSD target

3
National Water Resource Strategy

• National Water Act
• legal framework under which the nations water
  resources are protected, developed, managed, etc
• three key principles equity, efficiency and
  sustainability
• requires the establishment of a National Water
  Resource Strategy
• After public consultation
• Minister, DG, state, water management
  institutions must give effect to the NWRS when
  exercising any power or performing any duty in
  terms of the Act
• Must be reviewed at least every five years
• Approved by Cabinet 1 Sept 2005 now to be
  Gazetted

4
Purpose of the NWRS

• Provides the framework for managing water
  resources, and for preparing catchment management
  strategies
• Provides water-related information and
• Facilitates the identification of development
  opportunities and constraints

5
Informed by and informs

• National Spatial Development Framework
• Provincial Growth and Development Strategies
• Local Integrated Development Plans and Water
  Services Development Plans
• Public sector investment plans
• Identification of opportunities for
  interventions in the first and second economy

6
Contents of the NWRS include

• Details on water availability, use, strategies to
  balance supply and demand
• Strategies for water resources management
• eg protection use conservation, pricing
  institutions monitoring and information
  disaster management
• Programme and financial implications
• Major activities including new infrastructure
• Complementary strategies
• eg capacity building, consultation, research
• National planning and coordination
• Including international cooperation

7
National Water Picture

• Water is necessary for growth and development
• South Africa needs to create jobs
• South Africa is a water scarce country
• Of 180 countries, SA is 30th with least water per
  capita
• SA subject to irregular rainfall floods and
  droughts
• DWAF is the custodian of the nations water
  resources

8
Water Resource Protection
9
(No Transcript)
10
Reserve determinations

• The Reserve
• Water quantity and quality to meet basic human
  needs and ecological requirements to protect
  aquatic ecosystems
• 1450 Reserve determination applications since
  October 1999
• 600 Reserve determinations approved
• More than 12 catchments at medium high
  confidence
• Resource Quality Objectives
• Set of narrative and numerical management
  objectives in line with the Resource Class
• Will take account of all water users
  requirements

11
Reserve, Class and RQOs
Directorate Resource Directed Measures
RDM and other Directorates
Preliminary determination of the Reserve
Preliminary determination of the Class
Resource Quality Objectives
1999
Reserve scenarios (preliminary)
Preliminary determination of the Class
Select Reserve scenario
Resource Quality Objectives
2001-2004
Set Class of resource
Set Resource Quality Objectives
2005-
Set Reserve
Reserve scenarios
12
Classification System development and classifying
water resources

• Classification System
• Classification System sets principles,
  guidelines, procedures and specify stakeholder
  participation when water resources are classified
  
• A Resource Class will ensure an appropriate
  balance between utilisation and protection
  ensuring sustainability
• The Process of Classifying (Determine a class)
• Determine and set the class
• Could be an iterative process
• Proposed Classes
• Natural
• Moderately used
• Heavily used, and
• Unacceptably degraded

13
River Conservation Planning

• Purpose to conserve a representative sample of
  aquatic biodiversity
• Give effect to National Environmental Management
  Biodiversity Act (Act 10 of 2004)
• Initial indication is that freshwater
  biodiversity is more urgent than terrestrial due
  to the state of water resources

14
Priorities for allocating water

• Target
• To achieve greatest overall social and economic
  benefits, within framework of equity and
  sustainability
• Apply to
• Long term allocations (water use authorisations)
• Short term allocations (during water
  restrictions)
• Subject to specific circumstances, and may change
  over time

15
Priorities for allocating water

• General guide in descending order of importance
• Provision for the Reserve (human and ecological)
• International agreements and obligations
• Primary social needs (poverty eradication,
  domestic, social stability)
• Key economic sectors (power generation, key
  industries)
• General economic uses (dictated by economic
  efficiency)
• Convenience uses, private recreation etc.

16
Reconciliation strategies - meeting the needs for
water

• Water demand management and conservation
• Surface water resource management (operation of
  dams) and conservation
• Managing and use of groundwater
• Re-use of water
• Eradication of invading alien vegetation
• Re-allocation of water
• Development of surface water resources (e.g.
  dams)
• Transfer of water

17
Water resources under direct control of the
Minister

• Water in South Africa is a national asset
• Some water in each WMA under direct control of
  Minister - quantity and quality
• Reserve (ecological Reserve, basic human needs)
• water to meet international rights and
  obligations
• water use of strategic importance (e.g. to
  generate electricity)
• transfers of water between water management areas
• contingency to meet future growth

18
Infrastructure development

• Indicative list
• Creation of infrastructure branch in Dept
• Possible establishment of NWRIA
• Formal process of approval for any infrastructure
  development
• Economic infrastructure off budget, social
  infrastructure exchequer funded

19
Major Challenges

• Reallocating water use to -
• achieve equity of access
• make water available for productive livelihoods
  in rual areas
• ensure that existing beneficial uses can continue
• meet international obligations in shared rivers
• Balancing use of water resources with protection
  to ensure sustainable development

This has given rise to what is perhaps the most
important challenge facing our water manager,
which is the need to introduce equity in resource
distribution. Minister Sonjica
20
Major Challenges

• Creating sustainable water management
  institutions that are
• financially viable from water use charges
• technically competent
• representative of water users and stakeholders
• 5 CMAs to be established before March 2005
• Funding infrastructure development from user
  charges, where appropriate.

21
Implementation

• Implementation will be -
• Multi-year
• Prioritised
• geographically in respect of water stress
• in accordance with developmental needs
• Integrated
• in management approaches and strategies
• with other programmes and initiatives
• Document will be translated
• Easy to read version will be produced

22
Financial implications

• Pricing strategy review under way
• Waste discharge and abstraction charges
• CMAs intended to be financially viable
• Extra costs to be dealt with in normal budget
  process

23
WSSD - JPOI target

• WSSD - JPOI target - all countries must have
  integrated water resource management plans and
  water conservation plans by 2005
• NWRS meets this target, a year in advance

24

• Thank you