Water, Sanitation and Wastewater Management: Some Questions for National Water Security in South Africa

In the last decade, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) has come to be seen by policy-makers as a novel technology that will significantly advance water security in South African coastal regions. Water purveyors, from the private sector, local/district municipalities and provincial authorities, are undertaking studies to explore the feasibility of SWRO to meet growing demand and relieve mounting pressure on current bulk water supply infrastructure. With this in mind, it is suggested that national strategic planning should be introduced to present the opportunities and constraints of the desalination option within the national water and energy policy. In absence of this, piece-meal decisions will be made at local authority levels and the construction of SWRO plants will be determined by regional circumstances (e.g. drought) as opposed to national water policy agenda. This paper explores the value of such a strategy by considering the drivers of SWRO in South Africa, the risk of unplanned large-scale SWRO implementation (with a focus on environmental impacts) and the initial steps that could be taken toward a Strategic Environmental Assessment for SWRO in South Africa.

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Water Security and Judicial and Administrative Confusion in South Africa: The Trustees of the Time Being of the Lucas Scheepers Trust, IT 633/96 and Others v MEC for the Department of Water Affairs, Gauteng and Others Case nr 40514/2013

Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal/Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad ◽

10.17159/1727-3781/2017/v20i0a1686 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Ed Couzens ◽

Devarasi Maduramuthu ◽

Adrian Bellengère

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Water Use ◽

Water Rights ◽

Water Security ◽

Water Law ◽

Environment Protection ◽

High Court ◽

The North ◽

Relative Scarcity ◽

National Water

One of the gravest constraints which South Africa faces in its efforts to promote development and to lift much of its population out of poverty is the relative scarcity of its water. Significant changes were made to South Africa’s water law in the 1990s, especially with the promulgation of the National Water Act 36 of 1998. In terms of this Act a Water Tribunal was created which ought to have enhanced water security and to have provided a settled forum to adjudicate disputes and to assist in developing the jurisprudence of water law. Instead the Tribunal appears to have created almost as much confusion as clarity before it was dissolved in much uncertainty over whether it would continue in existence or not. A recent judgment in the Gauteng High Court (The Trustees of the Time Being of the Lucas Scheepers Trust, IT 633/96 and Others v MEC for the Department of Water Affairs, Gauteng and Others) has created uncertainty by departing from the precedent of a relatively recent judgment in the North Gauteng High Court (Escarpment Environment Protection Group and Wonderfontein Community Association v Department of Water Affairs and Xstrata Alloys (Pty) Ltd and The Water Tribunal). In the context of the uncertainty created by the falling into desuetude, at least between 2011 and 2016, of the Water Tribunal, and contradictory indications from National Government, litigants have been forced to seek other fora for remedies. On occasion, courts have been sympathetic and given sensitive judgments – on occasion they have not. Against this background of inconsistent jurisprudence, it is important that there be greater clarity of rights, duties and institutions, and that institutions become settled as soon as possible so that a consistent jurisprudence can begin to emerge in the water rights field. While the situation stabilizes, which it is hoped that it will soon begin to do, it is suggested that both courts and government act with circumspection in considering applications concerning water use rights; and be sensitive of the current uncertain circumstances when making decisions. The difficulties of ensuring water security and administrative fairness in South Africa demand nothing less.

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Systems view of integrated water quality monitoring within the requirements of the new national water policy in South Africa

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1998.0455 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 38 (11) ◽

pp. 141-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. Marjanovic ◽

M. Miloradov

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Water Quality ◽

Water Policy ◽

Systems Approach ◽

Water Quality Management ◽

Water Quality Monitoring ◽

Point Sources ◽

Quality Monitoring ◽

Efficient Manner ◽

National Water

The new National water policy will change the way water quality is managed in South Africa. The paper considers the water policy and the repercussions it will have for water quality monitoring in South Africa. Using the systems approach the paper discusses an integrated water quality monitoring system for ambient water quality and point and non point sources of aquatic pollution. The proposed methodology makes possible continuos assessment of water quality in an efficient manner so as to support water quality management in South Africa.

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Water security at local government level in South Africa: a qualitative interview-based analysis

The Lancet Planetary Health ◽

10.1016/s2542-5196(18)30102-5 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. S17 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Richard Meissner ◽

Nikki Funke ◽

Karen Nortje ◽

Inga Jacobs-Mata ◽

Elliot Moyo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Local Government ◽

Water Security ◽

Qualitative Interview ◽

Local Government Level ◽

Government Level

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Enhancing Water Security through Restoration and Maintenance of Ecological Infrastructure: Lessons From the uMngeni River Basin, South Africa

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-11537 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Graham Jewitt ◽

Catherine Sutherland ◽

Sabine Stuart-Hill ◽

Jim Taylor ◽

Susan Risko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Human Capital ◽

River Basin ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Critical Role ◽

Water Security ◽

Constitutive Relationship ◽

Ecological Infrastructure ◽

Sustainable Water Supply

The uMngeni River Basin supports over six million people, providing water to South Africa&#8217;s third largest regional economy. A critical question facing stakeholders is how to sustain and enhance water security in the catchment for its inhabitants. The role of Ecological Infrastructure (EI) (the South African term for a suite of Nature Based Solutions and Green Infrastructure projects) in enhancing and sustaining water and sanitation delivery in the catchment has been the focus of a project that has explored the conceptual and philosophical basis for investing in EI over the past five years.The overall aim of this project was to identify where and how investment into the protection and/or restoration of EI can be made to produce long-term and sustainable returns in terms of water security assurance. In short, the project aimed to guide catchment managers when deciding &#8220;what to do&#8221; in the catchment to secure a more sustainable water supply, and where it should be done. This seemingly simple question encompasses complexity in time and space, and reveals the connections between different biophysical, social, political, economic and governance systems in the catchment.Through the study, we highlight that there is an interdependent and co-constitutive relationship between EI, society, and water security. In particular, by working in spaces where EI investment is taking place, it is evident that socio-economic, environmental and political relations in the catchment play a critical role in making EI investment possible, or not possible.The study inherently addresses aspects of water quantity and quality, economics, societal interactions, and the governance of natural resources. It highlights that ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water resources requires both transdisciplinary and detailed biophysical, economic, social and development studies of both formal and informal socio-ecological systems, and that investing in human resources capacity to support these studies, is critical. In contrast to many projects which have identified this complexity, here, we move beyond identification and actively explore and explain these interactions and have synthesised these into ten lessons based on these experiences and analyses.<ul><li>1 - People (human capital), the societies in which they live (societal capital), the constructed environment (built capital), and natural capital interact with, and shape each other</li> <li>2 - Investing in Ecological Infrastructure enhances catchment water security</li> <li>3 - Investing in Ecological Infrastructure or BuiIt/Grey infrastructure is not a binary choice</li> <li>4 - Investing in Ecological Infrastructure is financially beneficial</li> <li>5 - Understanding history, legacy and path dependencies is critical to shift thinking</li> <li>6 - Understanding the governance system is fundamental</li> <li>7 - Meaningful participatory processes are the key to transformation</li> <li>8 - To be sustainable, investments in infrastructure need a concomitant investment in social and human capital</li> <li>9 - Social learning, building transdisciplinarity and transformation takes time and effort</li> <li>10 - Students provide new insights, bring energy and are multipliers</li> </ul>

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Community-Centred Infrastructure Design Process for Resilience Building in South African Informal Settlements: The “Genius of Space” Solid Waste and Greywater Infrastructure Project

Case Studies in the Environment ◽

10.1525/cse.2017.000729 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Lauren Hermanus ◽

Sean Andrew

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Local Governments ◽

Informal Settlements ◽

Interdisciplinary Approach ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Wastewater Management ◽

Western Cape ◽

Water And Sanitation ◽

Public And Private Sector

Due to a lack of adequate water and sanitation infrastructure, growing, unplanned urban settlements in South Africa and elsewhere have been linked to pollution of critical river systems. The same dynamics undermine local resilience, understood as the capacity to adapt and develop in response to changes, persistent social and ecological risks, and disasters. Water and sanitation challenges undermine resilience by causing and compounding risks to individuals, and to household and community health and livelihoods, in a complex context in which communities and local governments have limited capacity and resources to respond appropriately. Household and community resilience in informal settlements is drawing increasing policy focus, given the persistence of these kinds of neighbourhoods in cities and towns in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa, in particular. This case considers whether bottom-up responses that combine public and private sector resources, including community participation, and use an interdisciplinary approach can support the production of novel resilience-fostering solutions. This article presents an analysis of the case of Genius of Space waste and wastewater management infrastructure in the Western Cape, South Africa. While the process has been imperfect and slow to show results, this analysis reflects on the gains, lessons and potential for replication that this work has produced. The Genius of Space approach adds to a growing area of practice-based experimentation focussed on incrementalism and adaptive development practices in urban environments, particularly in developing countries.

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