Key Challenges Facing Water Resource Management in South Africa Peter Ashton & Devlyn Hardwick Aquatic Ecosystems Research Group Natural Resources and the Environment CSIR, Pretoria 2 nd Biennial CSIR Conference Session: A Clean South Africa Keynote Pretoria, 18 November 2008
Outline 1. Our geographic reality - water availability and water security 2. Challenges and opportunities facing water resource managers 3. The importance of good governance 4. Concluding remarks
1. Our Geographic Reality: Water Availability and Water Security
Water in South Africa In South Africa, water is usually found in one of three forms: There is either too much, Or there is too little, Or it is too dirty We could also add that water is often: Out of sight (underground), Prof. Desmond or Midgley On someone else s property (Wits University)
Mean Annual Rainfall MOZABIQUE (969) ANGOLA (1,050) ZAMBIA (1,011) ZIMBABWE (652) MALAWI (1,014) BOTSWANA (400) N 500 km NAMIBIA (254) SOUTH AFRICA (497) LESOTHO (760) SWAZILAND (788) Mean Annual Rainfall (mm) 2500 2000 1500 1250 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100
Shared River Systems Angola D.R.C. Zambia Rovuma Cunene Mozambique Zambezi Cuvelai Zimbabwe Pungué Lake Chilwa Malawi Namibia Okavango / Makgadikgadi Botswana Limpopo Buzi Savé - Rundi Incomati Umbeluzi Southern Africa s 15 shared river basins contain: 65 % of area 75 % of people 85 % of surface water 85 % of regional economy Orange / Senqu South Africa Lesotho Thukela Maputo Swaziland N 500 kilometres
Rainfall and Runoff Basin Rainfall (MAP - mm) Runoff (MAR - mm) MAR : MAP (%) Orange-Senqu 332 17 5.1 Limpopo 567 29 5.1 Incomati 763 99 13.0 Maputo 770 109 14.1 Rest of RSA 626 76 12.1 RSA + Lesotho 474 40 8.5 Highly variable rainfalls; unequally distributed 1. Exceptionally low conversion of rainfall to runoff
Key Characteristics of Water Rainfall and river flows highly variable Seasonal and inter-annual extremes of flow (floods and droughts) Flows difficult to predict reliably Extensive areas depend on groundwater Countries see water as national property - but dependent on inflows Water often contaminated with waste products Reliable water supplies problematic
Southern African Situation Angola D.R.C. Zambia Rovuma Cunene Zambezi Mozambique Cuvelai Zimbabwe Malawi Okavango / Makgadikgadi Pungué Buzi Save-Runde Namibia Botswana Limpopo Incomati Water resources approaching closure very little left to allocate for off-channel uses Orange / Senqu South Africa Umbeluzi Maputo Swaziland Water resources under increased pressure need to ensure closer co-operation between users and neighbours Lesotho Thukela 500 km N
Water Crowding Water Crowding Index (WCI) = Number of people per million cubic metres of water River Basin 2000 2025 Population WCI Population WCI Orange-Senqu 11 319 1 183 19 502 1 803 Limpopo 11 906 4 219 18 790 4 974 Incomati 1 122 1 552 1 933 2 310 Maputo 1 165 1 376 2 009 2 366 WCI values: 0 100 = Water security 100 500 = Water sufficiency 500 1 000 = Occasional, seasonal water stress 1 000 2 000 = Frequent water stress; seasonally severe > 2 000 = Beyond the water barrier - chronic water stress
2. Challenges and Opportunities Facing Water Resource Managers
The Dichotomy of Water Source of destruction, dispute and poverty Drought and desertification Flooding and erosion Salinization Malnutrition and starvation Contamination Epidemics and diseases Dispute and conflict Degraded infrastructure Instability and vulnerability Source of production, growth and co-operation Healthy people Healthy ecosystems Fisheries / food production Energy production Cultural values Transport and navigation Collaboration and peace Effective infrastructure Security and safety
Understanding the Implications Destructive Productive Frequent Droughts National Food Security Devastating Floods Hydroelectricity
Key Challenges Water for growing populations and expanding economies quality of life Eliminate disparities in service delivery between rich and poor Food security regional / national level Energy supplies (hydropower) / key industries Cyclical patterns of floods and droughts Conflict prevention / resolution Ability of aquatic ecosystems to deliver ecosystem goods and services Pollution prevention and control
Water: A Basic Human Need Availability : Developing populations need more water; linked to food production & land reform; problems due to urbanization and contamination Accessibility : Poorest proportion of population have lowest access to clean water Affordability : Expensive economic, nutritional and health costs; Heavy opportunity costs for women and children Acceptability : Clean drinking water essential, but many communities lack safe drinking water
Development Imperatives Urban & Industrial Growth Rural Development Assured Water Supplies Ecosystem Services
Typical Challenges Inadequate Service delivery Erosion and Sedimentation Industrial Effluent Urban Waste
Contamination Problems Domestic Effluent Eutrophication Arsenic Waste - Mining Problem Plant Control
Large Dams in Shared Basins Namibia (7) Zimbabwe (25) Mozambique (2) Botswana (3) Orange-Senqu Limpopo Incomati Maputo Swaziland (4) Lesotho (3) South Africa (497) Key Shared river basin N WMA boundary 500 km Episodic river
Inter-Basin Water Transfers Rovuma Cunene Zambezi Cuvelai Pungué Okavango / Makgadikgadi Buzi Savé - Rundi Limpopo Incomati Umbeluzi Orange / Senqu Maputo Thukela N 500 kilometres
Runoff and Water Capture Basin Runoff Volume (10 6 m 3 ) No. of large dams Dam Volume (10 6 m 3 ) Dam : Runoff (%) Orange-Senqu 10 609 138 20 550 193.7 Limpopo 5 295 100 3 060 57.8 Incomati 2 851 27 440 15.4 Maputo 1 888 8 3 068 162.5 Rest of RSA 29 535 227 9 876 33.4 RSA + Lesotho 50 177 500 36 995 73.7 1. Numerous large dams small dams not included 2. High proportion of runoff is impounded in large dams
Dealing with Disputes Angola D.R.C. Zambia Mozambique Zimbabwe Malawi Botswana Most disputes over water occur in areas where supplies are uncertain, or where there is a transition from perennial to ephemeral rivers Namibia South Africa Lesotho Swaziland All recorded disputes have occurred at small or local scales N 500 kilometres
National Responses : Implications Many countries adopted internal approaches to resolve water problems Aligned with broader principles But, little or no agreement on equitable sharing of water Difficult to manage co-operatively across country boundaries Concerns about sovereignty issues National water security achieved at the expense of regional water security
3. The Importance of Good Governance
Key Governance Issues Related to Water Resource Management The context of a governance system is shaped partly by social values and imperatives, and partly by prevailing constraints and opportunities The effectiveness of a governance system is determined by extent to which stakeholders engage in decisionmaking and benefit from the process
Important Considerations Decision-making based on imperfect and / or incomplete knowledge Sharing information / data - key to improved management Technical ingenuity generate data Social ingenuity legitimize data : Reduce uncertainty Focus on wider (e.g. regional) benefits All sectors of society are responsible for participating in decision-making
Stakeholder Engagement in Water Resource Management Local Governments National Governments Statutory agencies The An Empty Silent Generation Chair? Local Water User Groups Local Stakeholders / Communities Communication Vision and Plan Negotiation International Stakeholders (Donors) Traditional Leaders / Authorities Technical Specialist Groups Non- Governmental Organizations
4. Concluding Remarks
Critical Learning Points Most water decisions made outside the water sector - but must be appropriate Water security is essential for sustained economic growth and poverty eradication Water security depends on effective and efficient water infrastructure and institutions Water is a public good - therefore it is a public responsibility and some public finance is essential to achieve objectives Regional co-operation is essential where supplies are scarce, vulnerable or shared
Inevitable Future Options Extensive additional water supply infrastructure needed throughout RSA, plus improved maintenance of existing systems Greater focus on water quality and pollution control throughout the country Inaugurate and implement Catchment Management Agencies Improve water management processes and efficiencies of use + use of ground water Greater application of water conservation and demand management Improved interactions with neighbouring states on shared basins
Potential Future Outcomes of Business as Usual Prolonged and severe water shortages in drier regions of RSA Difficulty in supplying water for the Ecological Reserve sacrificial rivers? Limited water available for neighbours sharing river basins High potential for future conflicts - especially at local scales Strategic decisions needed on new technologies / alternative water sources
Water Decisions = Ethical Decisions Water debates always mirror debates of social ethics: Water as a common good Water and human dignity Water as an economic good Water as a facilitator of well-being Water and social justice Rights and responsibilities of access Water as a generator of wealth Water as a symbol of reconciliation, healing and regeneration
South Africa s water resources present us with an enormous range of opportunities, most of which are cunningly disguised as insurmountable problems