Water Resource Protection in South Africa 5 th World Water Forum – Istanbul, Turkey

1. Water Resource Protection in South Africa 5th World Water Forum – Istanbul, Turkey 16-22 March 2009 Harrison Pienaar - Department of Water Affairs and Forestry Stanley Liphadzi - Water Research Commission

2. Presentation Outline • Legal Framework for Water Resource Protection (WRP) • Contextualizing Water Resource Protection • Giving Effect to WRP - Progress to Date • Remarks • Environmental Flows – A Research Perspective • Ecosystem Goods and Services • Environmental Flows Benefits • Concluding Remarks

3. White Paper on National Water Policy of SA (April 1997) Chapter 18 of Agenda 21 (14 June 1992) Water Law Principles (November 1996) National Water Act (NWA) (Act No 36 of 1998) Water Resource Protection (Chapter 3 of NWA) Constitution of the RSA (Act No 108 of 1996) Legal Framework for WRP in SA

4. Contextualizing Water Resource Protection 1 2 Gazette classification system Classify each significant resource Resource Directed Measures Determine the Reserve Establish resource quality objectives 4 3

5. Classification of Water Resources Present state Level of protection Classification How much water can be used Future state

6. Gazetting of Classification System • Section 12 of NWA provides that the Minister must prescribe a system for classifying water resources – requires gazetting the water resources classification (WRCS) • The gazetted WRCS will provide a definition of the classes that are to be used and the procedures to be followed to recommend a class • WRCS needs to be published in the Government Gazette for comments for not less than 60 days • All comments received will be recorded and considered

7. 7-Step Classification Procedure • Water resources classification system to comprise of: • Biophysical aspects • Socio-economic status and trends • Delineation of water resource units • Functional relationship between resource units • Develop alternate scenarios and outline their possible implications • Evaluate with stakeholders and make recommendation • Authority makes decision on class

9. Resource Quality Objectives • Numerical and narrative descriptors of the conditions that must be met to achieve the recommended ecological management scenario • Based on formally accepted departmental policy statements, methodologies or publications

10. Giving Effect to WRP – Progress • Implementation spans across several sectors and govt. departments • Different govt. depts. have equally strong mandates • Roles and responsibilities not always clearly defined • DWAF - primarily water resource management • DEAT - biodiversity conservation • NDA/LA - land management • DPLG - development planning across government • Initiatives mostly reflect needs specific to one dept. or sector • Collaboration between depts. or sectors easily complicated • Cooperative governance inevitable to facilitate effective implementation • DWAF has strong mandate wrt. water resource protection (chapter 3 of NWA)

11. Remarks • Implementation of protection provisions in NWA • Integration of decision-making processes • Strategies to be technically sound (scientific and legal) • More vigorous implementation crucial

12. Environmental Flows – Research Perspective • South Africa has been active in E-flows research for years • Environmental flows understandably linked to socio-economic growth and development • Government and water institutions have e-flows related programmes/departments • There is effort to empower local communities and users in managing their catchments • Have began to acknowledge our limitations or short comings • Strong research programmes and leadership

13. Ecosystems Goods and Services • This must be done in the African (South African) contest- to be relevant and credible • Working for Water and Working for Wetlands programmes had projects that advanced payment for ecosystem services (PES) and benefited local communities too: • Increased water services and goods • Rehabilitation (job and wealth creation) • Downstream users compensate /pay landowners for the good stewardship of the land (natural capital)- Government carry the costs • More still has to be done especial to accommodate intangible benefits

14. Environmental Flows Benefits • Africa’s Economy depends on Water • Imagine the National Parks without water • Biodiversity / wild life • Tourism • Jobs • GDP of the country • Baseflows are important in rural areas (people, livestock/agric, and businesses) • Strengthen relationships between neighboring countries • Removes water from the political arena (Quality and quantity are equal important)

15. Concluding Remarks • Redressing past inequities in water allocation and ensuring equity between generations simultaneously • Ensuring “some for all forever”, together • Protection often viewed as competing with socio-economic needs • Administrative capacity to implement protection provisions of water legislation • Linking water resource protection to water services provision critical

16. THANK YOU!