CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT – LET’S LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS

2. CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT – LET’S LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS Mike MullerVisiting Research FellowSchool of Public and Development ManagementUniversity of Witwatersrand VAALCO CONFERENCE 2005: CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT

4. Introduction Initiative is very welcome. Professionals perform a vital task by promoting a better understanding Government could not work without you. Vital step in ensuring that water shortages, poor water quality and high water prices do not block our development goals.

5. Context of SA’s National Water Policy • Water resource constraints • Inequities in wealth, income & opportunity • poverty and unemployment. • Key principle: • water management is everyone’s business. • highlighted by USA Hurricane Katrina • a man-made natural disaster.

7. Lessons from New Orleans • The resistance to technocratic management; • Failure of attention to detail; • Fatal imbalance between the interests of different users; leading to • Failure to develop common position on the risks that New Orleans was facing and the actions needed to address them.

9. Key Issues for South Africa • SA recognizes that water management failures can devastate our society. • Policy and strategies in place • long term projects, • visibly beginning to bear fruit. • Our challenges: • maintain the momentum, • implement strategies effectively • avoid predictable mistakes.

10. Policy and Strategies Are In Place • National Water Resource Strategy progress made: • Limpopo, mine/agriculture water swaps • Cooperative control of Komati into Mozambique • Impala and Blyde Water User Associations • allocations to emerging farmers • Unused water transferred from Fish to Orange • Transfers for golf courses assessed on merit • On Vaal, • Achieved water security for another decade • funded by users; • Constructive approaches to mine waters.

11. Examples demonstrate: • Policy and legislation guiding our work • Supports flexible arrangements • that are respected; but • decisions can be challenged - • Tribunal acts for interested parties; and • courts can rule if needed (e.g. disputes on the Impala WUA).

12. Recognition - Water Management Failures Can Devastate Society • Helped by drought and flood • Impact of restrictions in the Cape • Environmental concerns about infrastructure in perspective. • Support for key projects to maintain water security • And for new institutional arrangements to manage them.

13. Maintain Momentum, Avoid Predictable Mistakes • After NWRS, Catchment Management Strategies are logical next step • Some tough issues: • Regulation of resource use - normal and acceptable in democratic societies • Expropriation in public interest also acceptable • Equity must come from sharing the benefits of water use! • Substantial efficiencies can still be achieved by many water users

14. Trade offs must be made between uses and users • People who benefit will support measures • Those who don’t will oppose them • Mechanisms needed to resolve disputes • Will have to be: • fair • accessible • reflect nation’s priorities to • increase access to opportunities; • not impoverish people; • build a better, fairer nation; • Designed to reach conclusion!

15. Process for developing catchment management strategies • Will have to include an approach • allows all to identify their challenges; • enables alternative solutions to be tabled, • costs and benefits to be evaluated • responsibilities to be allocated; and then • decisions to be taken. • Will have to include effective dispute resolution process to produce consensus without higher level intervention

16. Challenges in the Vaal • Implementing the Reserve • Controlling illegal use • Controlling activities impacting dolomites • Establishing recreational goals and strategies • Developing demand management and forecasting • Promoting necessary development • Managing impacts of old mines • Mine water progress an indicator of success • Accept responsibilities • Recognise need for common solution • Waste water a resource but potable overcapacity • There is a deal to be done!

17. Outstanding Concerns • Government capacity to play its role • Myopic users will exploit Government weakness • Powerful interests will bamboozle politicians and technicians promoting selfish strategies … • claiming equity to promote interests of wealthy few at expense of broader community • Forewarned is forearmed ! • make sustainable water management a reality or we will be the losers • and our children, • and our childrens’ children …..

18. Lessons From New Orleans • US Army Corps of Engineers • responsible for control of Mississippi • complexities of federal government • funding system - institutionalised corruption • Flood protection probability once in 200 years • Compare 1/10 000, Netherlands, Japan • Engineering decisions by budget legislation • prevented designing for worst case • did not consider overtopping of flood walls! • Environmental protection rather than lives and livelihoods, despite imminent, peril.

21. Combination of • Voicelessness of the poor • “Green” antipathy to uniformed engineers • Inability of Corps to play budget game • bureaucratic constraints on engineers • . . . . . . . .let the waters breach the walls.

23. Don’t let it happen here ! • Get balance between different interests • environment versus water security • agriculture versus domestic and industrial • poor and the rich • Don’t dictate technocratic solutions • Pay attention to details; • small institutional and physical failures can trigger larger disasters; • Disasters take many forms • worry about unemployment and inequity as well as water quality and efficiency • Learn from other peoples’ mistakes, and our own successes!