National Water Resources Strategy-2

1. National Water Resources Strategy-2 Comments from the SA Water Caucus, 24 October 2012 Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Water and Environment

2. Who is SA Water Caucus? • Network of more than 20 CSOs, NGOs, trade unions and activists • Founded in lead up to World Summit on Sustainable Development • Provincial caucuses in Western Cape, Mpumalanga, KZN, Free State, Limpopo, Gauteng, Eastern Cape • A civil society voice in policy and implementation

3. History • Large dams • NWRS-1 • Water Dialogues • Prepaid meters, cut-offs and tricklers • Water quality, green drop, industrial pollution • CSO regulation group met regularly • Water Leadership Group

4. Water quality affects the most vulnerable

5. Process for NWRS-2 • Met on 16 and 17 Aug 2012 • Input by DWA officials • Provincial discussions • Water Sector Leadership Group 16 October • Wants to participate

6. View on NWRS-2 • Welcome emphasis on democratic developmental state • Welcome idea of active citizens who shape developmental state • Water resources belong to the people • State is custodian and regulator, NWRS describes the strategy • Active citizens can support strategy

7. Active citizens supporting Green Drop in Rietspruit

8. Power of NWRS-2 • Framework for protection, use, development, conservation, management and control of water reosurces • Binding on all implementing National Water Act, 1998 • Only 4% of DWA officials knew about NWRS-1 • NWRS-2 should be known outside water sector too

9. Difficult process • 3 years late • Various teams worked on it • Lack of co-operation within DWA? • Political framing of democratising water governance and technical planning still separate • Early consultations with big water users, are they water custodians?

10. How pro-poor is NWRS? • People-centred language is used • We need to check if technical strategies are people-centred and pro-poor • Saying people “benefitting directly and indirectly” raises questions • Ecological and social reserve must remain the first priority • Polluter pays principle must remain in force

11. Currently economy does not operate within ecological limits • Acid mine drainage on goldbelt and 1000s of abandoned mines on coalfields: nearby communities and the public pay the bills • Not convinced that new mines have water licences and rehabilitation funds • Fracking is another such disaster in the making • Clear commitment need to “no go areas”, Ekangala grasslands, Mapungubwe • Water footprints should be calculated

12. Make participation real • Welcome emphasis on participation, but make it real • 9 CMAs are far from people – so local catchment management forums need to be strengthened • Include marginalised communities, make their participation easy • Give forums teeth – e.g. consider water use license properly, DWA should follow up complaints based on local knowledge • Also builds culture of co-operation

14. An explanation that makes it easy to know who is polluting

15. Participation in practice • Fund travel to support civil society and community participation • Translate into people’s languages • Simplify technical language, and support NGOs who build capacity for governance • Proper notice of meetings, accessible venues • Access to documents e.g. Enviro Monitoring Plans, mining licences, rehabilation funds transparent

16. Ensure Water Demand Management is pro-poor • Example of technical strategy at risk of discriminating against the poor • NWRS must specify requirements to contain municipal water losses • Water leaks programmes, climate change proofing can create jobs • Encourage rainwater harvesting

17. Re-allocate water resources • Stronger voices of communities and small farmers in allocation decisions • We welcome statement that commercial farmers’ savings to be reallocated to rural women, but reallocation should go beyond just these savings

18. Strengthen civil society voices • Sustainable business principles or sustainable development principles? • Engaging civil society on equal footing to private sector • UN CEO Mandate and SA Strategic Water Partners Network have privilegted access • Support those who strengthen civil society • Rural dwellers feel alienated

19. Climate change is real • NWRS-2 too little on climate change • It’s a reality and needs to be factored in pro-actively • Water sector should take its carbon footprint into account – energy for waste water treatment and not recovering resources like nutrients, paradigm shift needed • Water and energy issues need to be considered together: desalination energy intensive, coal mining threat to water, fracking • Desalination has high carbon footpring and is last resort • Technologies for waste water treatment, cement use, should

20. Algal ponding system for climate change and resource recovery

21. Restrict timber plantations • Plantations have high water requirements • Threaten grasslands and wetlands, which are water spunges, and grasslands species • Do not expand plantations • Do not export this model to our neighbours, such as Mozambique

22. NWRS-2 needs commitment • NWRS-2 should be a living document • DWA should play role as sector leader • Water needs to be put at the centre of decision making • DWA should be a strong regulator – for example fight to protect water resources against sharp mining practices • DWA should go beyond green drop to deal with pollution from municipal waste water works

23. Water is politically important • Water services are always part of social protests • Marikana is example – it happened on the day of our caucus meeting • Poor living conditions and services in informal settlement, including water and sanitaiton • Competition of water uses prejudice the poor • Water Caucus would like to support consultation process