South Africa’s economy crippled by wrong thinking on water supply

While South Africa’s water supply was in crisis, delegates at the conference heard how the challenges were not insurmountable and sustainable water supply in the future was indeed possible through improved legislation and recognition of the importance of the role of the Water User Associations (WUA) for the effective management of domestic and agricultural supply.

Water expert Professor Anthony Turton, a keynote speaker at the two-day event on the East Rand, cautioned against halting all development in the country in a bid to save water.

“Water is an infinitely renewable resource, not a finite and limited resource. This latter belief has led us to a situation where we have crippled our economy because of the focus on gathering water in dams and limiting its use. We need to get ourselves into a new paradigm of abundance or our economy won’t progress,” he said.

Focusing on the impact of the drought on the economy of the Western Cape, he said if South Africa continued aggressively managing demand for water it would kill the economy.

“As a result of limiting water there has been massive disinvestment in the Cape and the unintended consequences are unemployment and higher crime. The Reserve Bank is currently busy with a study into defaulting on banking loans due to unemployment in the Cape as a result of the drought. No one can dispute the devastating effects of the drought in South Africa.” Turton said.

The “paradigm of scarcity” which had defined the country’s views on water had resulted in delicate eco-systems becoming “fundamentally altered” and a shift in view was fundamental if both water supply and the country’s economy was to become sustainable. ‘If we shift our view to water being an infinitely renewable resource it will change the way we manage our water and our economy,” he said.

Turton outlined the dire economic situation in the country saying it was crucial to attract investment as the country was “beyond” bankrupt. “Foreign direct investment in South Africa has disappeared. We can’t get it back without water. We can’t create jobs for 26 million people without water.

“We need to base our thinking of water around recycling, desalination and a paradigm of abundance where we invest, not where we just come to a halt. There is a lot of capital that is willing to flow if government is willing to get on board, instead of bringing everything related to water to a standstill in an effort to save it. I don’t see a future in South Africa unless all coastal cities go the desalination route. This is possible and there are companies who want to implement the technology at a fraction of the cost than what was previously thought. This will then free up water that can be used for agriculture.”

Turton said the drought had now forced the country into making improved decisions and was changing the way of doing things around the efficacy of water supply, which would ultimately lead to great improvements. 

“We will turn this thing around – this crisis will not go to waste,” he said.

Improved communication critical for sustainable water resource management

Legislative delays, operational shortfalls and a disconnect along the whole water value chain from users, to government to water management institutions were largely to blame for inadequate water management in South Africa.

Speakers at the water user association conference in Boksburg highlighted the need to improve communication and to find ways to collectively manage water in a sustainable, responsible way geared to improve quality of life and build the economy.

A major stumbling block they said was weak institutional capacity in the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWA), local municipalities, and the delay in establishing Catchment Management Areas (CMA). To date only two out of the nine needed were established and operational.

In a statement relayed to the conference, Thoko Sigwaza, the chief director of institutional oversight at the DWA said the drought had shown the need for effective compliance monitoring and enforcement of water regulations.

This, the statement said, required the presence of strong local institutions to support government in these regulatory activities.

“Sadly CMAs  have only been partially implemented since the promulgation of the National Water Act, partly due to a lack of clarity as to whether to proceed with the establishment of CMAs or not. At the same time, however, DWA’s performance of its water management and regulatory functions has been weak. The two CMAs that were established have been hampered in their operations by an absence of delegations, late budget transfers and other constraints.”

Further problems in water management by government were highlighted in the statement:

• The setting of charges and collection of revenue for water resource management charges have not yet been taken up by CMAs as envisaged. This relates to the slow pace of CMA establishment as National Treasury is insisting on revenue collection and working towards financial sustainable institutions.

• Revenues are insufficient to meet the water resource infrastructure financing needs of the country as a whole. The reasons for this may be threefold: price levels may be too low, fiscal contributions are insufficient and the registration, billing and collection processes by DWA are inadequate resulting in revenue losses.  Some institutions are not paying the Department.

• Progress in allocating water for productive purposes to promote transformation has been very slow and water use patterns are still highly skewed and unequal.

• Uncertainty and a lack of clarity with respect to institutional roles and responsibilities have contributed to poor performance.

• Frequent changes in leadership within the Department over the last ten years, and the loss of experienced staff have also negatively affected performance.

• Municipal investments in water conservation and demand management activities are sub-optimal.

CEO of SAAFWUA, Nic Knoetze, said while the DWA had admitted its failures, the fact that the National Water Act was still in a draft form and not implemented, was frustrating and indicative of the failure by government to deal with sustainable water supply.

“Meanwhile they are concentrating on amending the bill when the old bill has not even been in use.”

The 75 delegates agreed the WUAs and Irrigation Boards were a proven way to better manage water.

Knoetze said where these institutions were operating effectively, illegal water usage was at a minimum compared with the water supply under government management which he described as a “grey area” difficult to control.

In the statement, Sigwaza agreed economic growth was dependent on a reliable and secure supply of water. “The water management sector is not a significant employer, but it contributes to a flourishing economy through irrigation expansion, it enables sustainable rural livelihoods and ensures water is provided reliably, safely and at least cost to other economic sectors. The sector is also critical for power generation,” she said.

Text Boxes:

Statistics on water in South Africa:

• Average rainfall in South Africa is only 465 mm per year compared to the world average of 860 mm
• Only 9% of rainfall ends up as run-off in rivers
• Only 4% of rainfall recharges our aquifers
• Over 60% of river flow comes from only 20% of the land area
• SA’s water security relies mainly on fresh surface water captured in dams
• There are more than 4395 registered dams, of which 342 belong to the government
• Only 15% of water consumption comes from groundwater sources
• Agriculture is the largest water user at 61% of total available water
• Over the last ten years, the domestic sector water use (including industrial and commercial use) increased from 22% to 27% of the total water usage
• 98% of available high assurance water supply is already allocated, leaving only 2% remaining
• It has been calculated that by 2030 there will be a shortfall of ±17% of available surface and ground water supply

Source: Judge Antonie Gildenhuys

Text box 2:

Where does climate change fit in?

 Farmers should use historical data to mitigate the risks of uncertain weather.

Prof Hannes Rautenbach from the South African Weather Service answered four key questions on climate change:

Q: Does climate change exist?

A: Yes, but it has less of an effect on global weather patterns than is commonly believed. Global warming is taking place, but it is at a very slow rate. Our region has only experienced a 0.5ºC change per decade.

Q: So climate change has not been responsible for the drought in the Western Cape?

A: There is no evidence to suggest that. Historical rainfall trends show variables. There have been wet and dry years. But overall we are not in an area that is favourable for rainfall because of our location on the globe. We are in a part of the world that has some of the biggest deserts. Rain is an anomaly in our area.

Q: But there we have seen some changes in weather patterns?

A: Yes, the intensity of rainfall is increasing and we are seeing rain over a short period. There are more dry days over the eastern part of the country and there are increases in rainfall in the north of the country. The 10 warmest years in the 136 year record have all occurred since 2000 with the exception of 1998. The year 2016 ranks as the warmest year on record.

Q: How can these extremes be mitigated?

A: The focus is so strong on climate change that most people ignore historical records and trends. I can’t stress the importance of keeping sound records and observing your environment enough. This is crucial to prevent disasters because the trends in your records will warn you in advance. Become more informed and prepared. Take note of your surroundings and have a look at your extremes. Use seasonal predictions and basic observations in your area regarding rainfall, temperatures and wind.

Text box 3

Does your Water Users’ Association tick all the right boxes for effective management?

All WUAs should be subjected to an annual performance review to ensure they are functioning optimally.

The National Water Act (No 36 of 1998) provides the following requirements for an effective WUA:

• Performance agreement in place for CEO
• Business Plan
• Latest Annual report
• Water Management Plan
• Operation and Maintenance Agreement in place
• Operation and Maintenance Manual in place
• Signed Billing Agent agreement
• Do you have a signed Risk Management Plan / Emergency preparedness plan (in the case of dams)?
• Are Scheme Regulations in place?
• Do your remunerate Board Members?
• List of approved Policies
• Action plan to address outstanding policies
• Reflection on process to determine tariffs
• Assessment roll of members / water users available

In recent years the Loskop dam in Mpumalanga has been transformed in recent years, from a polluted water source, to a lifeline for the regions farmers, thanks to effective management.

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