DWS long term plans for reconciling water supply and demand for most of the catchments in SA; with Deputy Ministers

Water and Sanitation

22 March 2022
Chairperson: Mr M Mashego (ANC)
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Meeting Summary

The Committee received a briefing in a virtual meeting from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) on its long-term plans for reconciling water supply with the demand in most of the catchment areas in South Africa. The water resource reconciliation strategies were the plans that identified key actions for water resource management and allocated roles and responsibilities to the water sector -- from government, the private sector and other stakeholders -- for the implementation of the plans. They included a list of key programmes, projects and actions to be implemented to ensure that all water use sectors of the country had access to water.

Detailed work to develop South Africa's water resource reconciliation strategies had been going on in the Department since 2007. This work was a key recommendation from the first edition of the national water resource strategy, a five-yearly high-level integrated water resource management instrument that was prescribed by the National Water Act. Water resource reconciliation strategies were key to identifying future water sources for the country's growing population, prioritising the future water resource development options, highlighting the need for proper operation and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure, dealing with the management of water quality, and outlining measures to ensure resilience to climate change impacts. The objective was to ‘reconcile or balance’ water availability with water requirements. When requirements exceeded water availability, strategies were needed to put the system back into balance. This could be achieved by implementing measures to reduce water consumption, or to increase the water supply or, more commonly, through implementing both approaches.

South Africa was a water scarce country with net a negative precipitation index. Pressure on water resources was increasing. Water availability was affected by pollution from agriculture, mining, industry, energy and sanitation; inefficient water management practices; lack of infrastructure maintenance; and governance and institutional capacity. The DWS undertakes and updates scenario planning to ensure water security for the country over at least 25-year planning horizons. Reconciliation strategies feed water security perspectives into national, provincial and local planning instruments. Due to the dynamic nature of the water balance in a water system, reconciliation strategies were continuously monitored and updated. Over the years, several reconciliations had been developed and updated. The presentation provided estimates and scenario planning for the next 30 years.

Members appreciated the long term planning of the Department. Given the huge amounts of investments required, they asked if the National Treasury was well aware of such initiatives, and the possibilities of partnering with the private sector. They also asked about the possibility of installing small hydropower projects at some of the dams.

The Department responded that water security must be guaranteed. It was important, as it was a social and economic social right in the Constitution. The purpose of today’s presentation had been to show that there was a plan in line with the National Development Plan. R100 billion had to be spent on water projects within the next ten years. The Department's water resource strategy continued to be revised every five years, and version three would be submitted to the Committee before the end of the year. The water and sanitation plan also emphasised water security.

Government-supported water projects through infrastructure grants. The President had centralised these issues in the presidency for mobilisation of capacity and investments. The Department did not have all the funds required, so it was planning and urging public private partnerships and special purpose vehicles. There was no additional water, so water in the ecosystem had to be used wisely. Exploring groundwater was also another way. While desalination technology had been around for some time, the cost had not gone down. Fixing leaks was important, as municipalities lost almost 35% of water through leaks. There was a need to take advantage of technology, as there had been many advances in the water sector. There was also a need to adapt to the realities of climate change. The DWS was also looking into the construction of small dams which could be used in times of crisis

Meeting report

The Chairperson read out the agenda for the day and welcomed the Deputy Ministers and officials from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

Deputy Minister's opening comments

Ms Dikeledi Magadzi, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, said today was 22 March, and this day had been adopted by the United Nation as the International Water Day since 1993. The theme for this year was “Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible.” The focus of this day was to celebrate and raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water globally. This initiative was about an action to tackle global water challenges. The core focus of the world water initiative was to support the achievement of sustainable development goal 6: sanitation for all by 2030.

South Africa had also dedicated the month of March as the water month. The Minister would be leading a press conference today to outline the essence of this day to the people of the country. The main focus this year was to explore the use of groundwater to enhance water availability. Led by Mr Senzo Mchunu, Minister of Water and Sanitation, the Department had completed provincial consultations, where it had visited the nine provinces to meet with the water sector partners at all levels to gain insights into the issues confronting the country. This process had concluded with the National Water and Sanitation Summit held over 18-19 February. The summit had come up with concrete actions in line with the National Water Resource Strategy, which would support the priorities in the State of the Nation Address (SONA), as well as other developmental initiatives.

The DWS had the core responsibility to protect, develop, manage, and control the water resources of the country for the benefit of all. To fulfil this function, the Department develops and implements long-term strategies on how the resources would be developed and managed. This culminates in a water resources development road map that would be interrogated in this meeting.

The water resource reconciliation strategies were the plans that identify key actions for water resource management and allocate roles and responsibilities to the water sector -- from government, the private sector, and other stakeholders for the implementation of the plans. They include a list of key programmes, projects and actions to be implemented to ensure that all water use sectors of the country have access to water. The detailed work to develop the water resource reconciliation strategies had been going on in the Department since 2007. This work was a key recommendation from the first edition of the National Water Resource Strategy, a five-yearly high-level integrated water resource management instrument that was prescribed by the National Water Act.

Water resource reconciliation strategies were key to identifying future water sources for the growing population, prioritising the future water resources development options, highlighting the need for the proper operation and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure, dealing with the management of water quality, and outlining measures to ensure resilience to climate change impacts. The focus on this work by the Portfolio Committee underlined the importance of this work to the water sector and contributes to raising awareness and improving cooperation in water resource management for the benefit of the country.

She was very pleased that the Portfolio Committee was actively helping the DWS shape its vision of managing water and sanitation in the country in a sustainable manner. This engagement was key to exploring the water resources available for the various key areas of South Africa, working together as a team to build their understanding of how they could continue to ensure water security for the country. Despite many laudable initiatives and considerable financial investments since 1994, which had seen equitable access to water improve considerably, there was still significant outstanding work to be undertaken to adequately address the country's water supply and sanitation backlogs. This required timely development of the water resources to ensure security of supply.

Inequality in South Africa remained a major concern, as it caused the hardship and unrest that now pervades the communities. South Africa was noted as one of the most unequal countries in the world. It featured very high measures of socio-economic development like the GINI coefficient. There were too few “haves” and too many “have-nots”. Water availability for all South Africans across all water use sectors would assist in unlocking growth and development opportunities, as well as food and energy security. This could be seen in the citrus export industry in the Eastern Cape due to the transfer of water from the Orange River; industrial growth, such as steel manufacturing; extensive irrigation, mining and many other examples of economic and social development that had been spurred on by the investments in water resource development initiatives. Through development of water resources, South Africa would continue to unlock other economic hubs that would be centres for job creation and hence contribute to poverty reduction.

Every South African in villages, local municipalities, the districts and the province had to be assured that the water resource plans could be relied upon to continue to improve their living standards and sustain the environment. She hoped the Portfolio Committee could take some tangible plans arising out of the significant progress the DWS was making through judicious water resource planning, back to Parliament and the people. She was pleased to welcome the Portfolio Committee to the DWS for this important session, where they would look at long-term plans for reconciling water supply and demand for most of the catchment areas in South Africa.

Briefing by DWS on long-term water supply plans

Mr Livhuwani Mabuda, Chief Director: Integrated Water Resources Planning, DWS, said that water resource reconciliation was a process of planning the water balance for a specific area -- a catchment, metro, town or cluster of villages. The objective was to ‘reconcile or balance’ water availability with water requirements. When requirements exceeded water availability, strategies were needed to put the system back into balance. This could be achieved by implementing measures to reduce water consumption or to increase the water supply or, more commonly, through implementing both approaches. South Africa was a water scarce country with net a negative precipitation index. Pressure on water resources was increasing. Water availability was affected by pollution from agriculture, mining, industry, energy and sanitation; inefficient water management practices; lack of infrastructure maintenance that leads to unaccounted for water; and governance and institutional capacity.

The DWS undertakes and updates scenario planning to ensure water security for the country over at least 25-year planning horizons. Scenario planning was a cost effective way and scientifically sound approach for planning for what had historically occurred, and what was likely to happen, taking into consideration climate change and associated uncertainties. Outputs of the scenario planning were reconciliation strategies. Role players in planning and implementation were government, civil society, municipalities, water entities, water use sectors, etc. Reconciliation strategies feed water security perspectives into national, provincial and local planning instruments like the national development plan (NDP), the national water resource strategy (NWRS), the provincial growth and development strategy (PGDS), water services development plans (WSDPs) and vice versa.

Due to the dynamic nature of the water balance in a water system, reconciliation strategies were continuously monitored and updated. Over the years, several reconciliations had been developed and updated. Ongoing work involved updating the water balances and strategies across the country. Since 2007, 13 reconciliation strategies had been developed for the key large water supply systems. Further strategies had been developed to cover all other towns and villages (945) in the country. These strategies were currently being reviewed and updated to keep them relevant, with four studies currently in progress. The analysis would prioritise areas that were under stress from a water resource availability perspective.

The Portfolio Committee was invited to make representations to request Members of Parliament to assist in echoing the importance of water conservation /water demand management and water user registration, among others, as this helps to improve management of the limited water resources. For example, farmers should consider irrigation in between late afternoon and early mornings, and the incorporation of climate-smart agriculture practices to reduce their water use. Communities must be encouraged to protect water infrastructure and report any damage, vandalism or leaks. The Committee needed to promote the reduction and reporting of any pollution of rivers and dams, as this reduced the amount of water available for consumption and may lead to health-related issues. More so, users and operators had to adhere to system/dam operating rules as provided by the DWS to minimise system water losses and/or operational costs.

The greater part of the presentation was made up of graphs and diagrams on scenario planning and estimated costs in various catchment areas across the country for the next 30 years.

Discussion

Mr A Tseki (ANC) said the report was too long and comprehensive and asked how the Committee was going to package it into two pages. He asked about the cost implications of not meeting requirements for the demand and supply of water. Tariff regimes needed to be balanced. He appreciated the 25-year planning horizon and asked if these plans continued when a new administration came in. He asked how a daily reduction of water consumption could happen. Did dam projects also include plans for hydropower generation to minimise power costs?

Ms N Sihlwayi (ANC) said the Deputy Minister had presented a very clear way forward to redress past inequities and provide equal distribution of water. She asked if such a plan with the investment requirements had been presented to the National Treasury. Was the Department was aware of water leakages? Groundwater was too salty -- was it healthy? She asked about the benefits of desalination compared to all other options. Dams took time to construct, so what options were there in the short term to alleviate water challenges?

Ms C Seoposengwe (ANC) asked why recycled water was not being used in schools. In most schools, there was no life. When she grew up during apartheid, agriculture was a subject and students were encouraged to grow fruit and vegetables. Covid had taught people the importance of living a healthy life, and growing of vegetables must be encouraged in schools and communities using recycled water. Richards Bay had had a desalination plant for years, and what lessons have been learnt from it?

The Chairperson said that SONA had called for private sector participation, and asked how this was going to happen in the water sector. This report must be given to Parliament.

Department's response

Mr David Mahlobo, Deputy Minister, Water and Sanitation, responded that water security must be guaranteed. It was important as a social and economic social right in the Constitution. Water was also important for the oxygen and food security of the country. The purpose of today's presentation was to show that there was a plan, in line with the national development plan. The NDP had a chapter on water. The NDP was left with less than ten years to go, yet some of the goals had not been realised. To reignite the economy, the government was speaking of connected economies, and water was one of them. R100 billion had to be spent on water projects within the next ten years. This was also part of the infrastructure plan for South Africa and involved long term and short term operating and capital expenditure on water infrastructure.

In the DWS, the water resource strategy continued to be revised every five years, and version three would be submitted to the Committee before the end of the year. The water and sanitation plan also emphasises water security. The water plan was aligned to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union Agenda 2063 plans. Water infrastructure issues had always been discussed in the Presidential Coordinating Council. The government supports water projects through infrastructure grants. The President had centralised these issues in the presidency for mobilisation of capacity and investments.

The Department did not have all the money needed, so it was planning and urging public private partnerships and special purpose vehicles. For infrastructure projects, funding was very important as well as scenario planning. There was no additional water, and water in the ecosystem must be used wisely. Exploring groundwater was also another way. If recycled water was to be used, citizens must be taken on board. Some consider drinking water from a treatment plant a taboo for cultural and religious reasons. While desalination technology had been there for some time, the cost had not gone down. The Department must install hydro projects to use its own power.

The biggest problem was pollution, and this must come to an end. Fixing leaks was important, as municipalities lost almost 35% of water through leaks. Institutions involved in water resource management had to be enhanced, and citizens' behaviour in water use had to be improved. There was a need to take advantage of technology, as there had been many advances in the water sector. There was also a need to adapt to the realities of climate change. The DWS was also looking into the construction of small dams which could be used in times of crisis.

Deputy Minister Magadzi said National Treasury was always involved in South Africa's infrastructure. Pollution by agriculture could damage groundwater. The pesticides and fertilisers that farmers use end up becoming pollutants in the soil and groundwater

Mr Leonardo Manus, Chief Director: Infrastructure Operations & Maintenance, DWS, said that the Department was enhancing its microbial monitoring project to pinpoint areas where pollution was a concern and was also promoting efficient water use. Irrigation was the most ineffective form of water use and also contributed to pollution. Reduction of water use by individuals could be from the current 250 litres per person to 175 litres a day. It involved using only the water needed by taking less time in the shower.

There was consensus with the private sector on having water availability from an industrial and commercial point of view to grow the economy. It had already started partnering with the private sector under the leadership of the Minister, and even through to agricultural development downstream. Municipalities were also encouraged to attend to leaks to avoid wastage. There were partnership projects with the private sector in the North West, Free State, Limpopo and the Nelson Mandela Bay area as well. While there was a need for everyone to have water, water wastage also had to be addressed. The DWS was having conversations with organised agriculture about pollution to improve the environment qualitatively, and as far as water use was concerned.

Mr Mabuda said the Department jointly planned energy storage schemes that Eskom used for its power stations, to help pump water from one catchment to the other. An example was the Tugela-Vaal Scheme that was in the Drakensburg, where part of the water was used by Eskom to generate electricity. There was also interest in installing small hydro stations in its dams, as well as dams that were being planned. At Gariep Dam and Vanderkloof, there were hydro stations installed, which had improved the economics of the project.

Ms Silhwayi asked how Parliament could take these projects to the communities. A comprehensive plan had been presented and had created a lot of expectations. She asked for implementation timelines to help the Committee understand better, so as to make communities excited.

The Chairperson said that when he was still a whip, the Department was brutalised every day as if there was nothing it was doing up until it gave its reports. Most Members of Parliament were not aware of the good work the Department was doing because the officials were introverts who did not talk to Parliament or communities about what was happening. People should know what was happening about water. The Committee, together with the office of the Minister and Deputy Minister, would discuss how it would take the report forward.

The meeting was adjourned.

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