scholarly journals Water for sustainable development in the Berg Water Management Area, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 114 (3/4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan J. Cole ◽  
Richard M. Bailey ◽  
James D.S. JCullis ◽  
Mark G. New
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Water Losses ◽  
Freshwater Aquaculture ◽  
Management Area ◽  
Water Scarce

Water is fundamental to human well-being and economic growth. Measuring how water contributes to sustainable development is an important aspect of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, ‘Water and sanitation for all’. This importance is especially significant for water-scarce developing countries such as South Africa. Appropriate indicators can support decision-making and highlight key issues on inequality, unemployment and sustainability. In this paper, additional indicators for SDG 6.4 on water-use efficiency are proposed that focus on how individuals and households benefit, both directly and indirectly, from the allocations and use of water resources. The Berg Water Management Area (WMA) in the southwest corner of South Africa is used as a case study to illustrate the results. Residential per capita water use and municipal water losses were determined for all towns in the area. Figures for jobs and income per unit of water use were calculated for the heavily water-dependent industries, namely, agriculture, agriprocessing, freshwater aquaculture, mining and steel processing. This approach to measuring the socio-economic benefits of water use are relevant for other countries seeking to measure the role that water plays in achieving inclusive sustainable development, and could be included in the final SDG 6 indicator suite.

Counting the lost drops: South Africa's study into non-revenue water

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 502-508
Author(s):  
J. Bhagwan ◽  
W. Wegelin ◽  
R. Mckenzie ◽  
A. Wensley
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
The State ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Water Losses ◽  
Non Revenue Water ◽  
Water Scarce

The Draft Second National Water Resources Strategy of South Africa, which has been published for comment, has identified the implementation of water use efficiency, conservation and water demand management as a core strategy to ensure sufficient water to meet South Africa's needs going into the future. This, ‘non-negotiable performance area’, it says, must be implemented immediately in all water use sectors, specifically municipalities. ‘In view of water scarcity, it is essential that such water losses must be curtailed, especially in terms of the need to provide for the growing water demands of new socioeconomic development’, the strategy points out. While South Africa's non-revenue water levels compare well internationally, as a water scarce country it needs to do all it can to prevent the unnecessary loss of water. This is one of the main recommendations of a recent study into the state of non-revenue water in South Africa commissioned by the Water Research Commission (WRC). To improve the current situation, the water sector must have a clear indication of the current status of non-revenue water in South African municipalities, more specifically what the actual water losses are and how they are split between physical leakage (real losses) and commercial losses (apparent losses). It is for this reason that the WRC, in collaboration with the Department of Water Affairs, launched the latest investigation into the state of non-revenue water in South Africa, which has now been published. In the most comprehensive and detailed study of its kind, to date, data were gathered from 132 municipalities throughout South Africa representing over 75% of the total volume of municipal water supply. The study follows on from similar WRC assessments undertaken in 2001, 2005 and 2007. This is the first time the country has a single, representative estimate of non-revenue water as opposed to various estimates in previous years. The paper shares in more detail findings from this study which have highlighted on average 38% non-revenue water and provide a deeper insight into the problems and challenges faced in tackling water losses in South Africa.

Improving efficiency in water use and conservation in Spanish hotels

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 273-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cobacho ◽  
F. Arregui ◽  
J.C. Parra ◽  
E. Cabrera
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Fundamental Component ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Water Scarce

Hotels are a fundamental component within the tourist Spanish sector, and their role in water management turns out even more relevant taking into account the fact that tourist areas, in which they are generally located, are water scarce. Trying to go further from the standard ratios and estimations to plan water conservation, this work intends to really measure and quantify water use in rooms. Only by doing this, can subsequent conservation actions, now able to be reliably specified for each specific use, achieve a real success.

Quantification of ESG Regulations: A Cross-Country Benchmarking Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 097226292110541
Author(s):  
Monica Singhania ◽  
Neha Saini
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Social Awareness ◽  
Financial Disclosures ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Economic Choices

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria mean investment in economic choices which, without interference with the environment, are intended to promote long-term economic and social well-being. Due to high environmental and social awareness, customers expect companies to devote time and efforts to such sustainable practices. This attitude has led to an overall rise in ESG disclosures and reporting instruments globally with a focus on influence of ESG disclosures on financial performance of companies. Many European countries have already introduced mandatory disclosure of non-financial information. This transition from voluntary to mandatory motivated other countries to adopt mandatory ESG disclosure practices for sustainable development. The practice of reporting non-financial disclosures has been rising due to several reasons, such as increasing visibility, informing customers, avoiding the risk associated with firm performance and achieving sustainability. Countries in the early stages of ESG disclosure need to understand the benchmark practices used by countries with a well-developed ESG system. For preparing the ESG disclosure index and benchmarking based on disclosure score, this study considers a set of developed and developing countries with their ESG disclosures. On the basis of ESG disclosures, the countries have been classified into four different categories. We found Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, Belgium and France, to have high ESG scores and have been classified as Countries with Well-Developed ESG Framework. Germany, Italy, USA, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Brazil and South Africa have medium to high ESG scores and fall under the category Rapidly improving ESG framework. While Singapore, India, China, Philippines, Malaysia and Argentina are categorized as countries with ESG framework at developing stage, Russia, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria and Vietnam are classified as Countries with early-stage framework due to low ESG scores.

Can diatom-based pollution indices be used for biomonitoring in South Africa? A case study of the Crocodile West and Marico water management area

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 592 (1) ◽  
pp. 455-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Charles Taylor ◽  
Jean Prygiel ◽  
Andre Vosloo ◽  
Pieter A. de la Rey ◽  
Leon van Rensburg
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Pollution Indices ◽  
Management Area

Water withdrawal for brackish and inland aquaculture, and options to produce more fish in ponds with present water use

Water Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (S1) ◽  
pp. 52-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. J. Verdegem ◽  
R. H. Bosma
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Brackish Water ◽  
Water Withdrawal ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Water Losses ◽  
Pond Aquaculture ◽  
Freshwater Aquaculture ◽  
Increase Productivity ◽  
Freshwater Use ◽  
Brackish Water Aquaculture

This paper reviews freshwater use in inland and coastal pond aquaculture, and focuses on options to increase productivity while reducing water use. Total freshwater use depends on system-associated and feed-associated water losses. System-associated water losses depend on total area, evaporation, infiltration and water replacement. About 8,750,000 ha freshwater and 2,333,000 ha brackish water ponds are in use today. Total water withdrawal in freshwater aquaculture is estimated at 16.9 m3/kg production, representing 429 km3/yr, which is 3.6% of flowing water globally. Infiltration and replacement water recharges aquifers; if these losses are clean, their re-use decreases aquaculture-related water withdrawal by nearly 60%. A further reduction in freshwater use in aquaculture can come from intensification and aquafeed development. The goal should be to feed the pond, not the fish. A tripling of average pond production should be possible, without increasing total freshwater use. Such improvements will also benefit brackish water aquaculture, which could in turn further reduce freshwater use by increasing the productivity of saline systems.

scholarly journals SUSTAINABLE WATER USE DOCTRINE IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (72) (2) ◽  
pp. 383-391
Author(s):  
I. N. Rozumovich
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Sustainable Water Use ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Russian Law ◽  
Further Development

The inclusion of the Russian Federation among the list of States that are the most endowed with water resources, which is associated with the significance of the scale of the country’s territory, the issue of revenues and consumption of clean water not only to ensure the well-being of the population and its vital needs, but also to maintain the existence of Thus, the leading direction of the state policy of Russia in the environmental sphere today is to ensure sustainable water use in the territory of the whole state, which is determined through the prism of sustainable development. However, there is no uniform understanding in its disclosure in science and the norms of the current legislation, which becomes an obstacle to the further development, improvement and promotion of concepts and trends of sustainable development. The solution may be the formation of the Sustainable water use Doctrine, which will unite the scientific efforts of Russian scientists-lawyers, economists, sociologists and environmental specialists. Combining the scientific views of the above branches of Russian law, will not only determine the range of problems in each sphere of life, but also will be the starting point for their best solution.

scholarly journals A framework to support alien species regulation: the Risk Analysis for Alien Taxa (RAAT)

NeoBiota ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 213-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Kumschick ◽  
John R. U. Wilson ◽  
Llewellyn C. Foxcroft
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Almost All ◽  
New Framework

Human livelihoods and well-being in almost all regions of the world depend on taxa which are alien. Such taxa also, however, threaten human health, sustainable development, and biodiversity. Since it is not feasible or desirable to control all alien taxa, decision-makers increasingly rely on risk analyses to formalise the best available evidence of the threats posed and whether and how they can be managed. There are a variety of schemes available that consider the risks of alien taxa, but we argue a new framework is needed: 1) given major recent developments in international frameworks dealing with biological invasions (including the scoring of impacts); 2) so that decisions can be made consistently across taxa, regions and realms; 3) to explicitly set out uncertainties; and 4) to provide decision-makers with information both on the risks posed and on what can be done to mitigate or prevent impacts. Any such scheme must also be flexible enough to deal with constraints in capacity and information. Here we present a framework to address these points – the Risk Analysis for Alien Taxa (RAAT). It outlines a series of questions related to an alien taxon’s likelihood of invasion, realised and potential impacts, and options for management. The framework provides a structure for collating relevant data from the published literature to support a robust, transparent process to list alien taxa under legislative and regulatory requirements, with the aim that it can be completed by a trained science graduate within a few days. The framework also provides a defensible process for developing recommendations for the management of assessed taxa. We trialled the framework in South Africa and outline the process followed and some of the taxa assessed to date.

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