Innovative Solution

Water Resource Protection, Water Resource Use, Guideline, WULA, Water Users

technical

Institutional, Legal and Policy

To provide a user-friendly guideline to be used in the water use license process for the protection of South Africa’s water resources.

It will be implemented in the nine (9) provinces of South Africa, at regional level.

The Chief Directorate: Resource Directed Measures, Department of Water Affairs is developing this solution and will also initiate the project, The Chief-Directorate Compliance, Monitoring and Evaluation will ensure follow-up of the solution.

A draft document has been produced for comments from internal stakeholders, the comments will be incorporated and then a workshop with external stakeholders (i.e. specialists in water resource management, private sector, water users, regional offices) is scheduled for January 2012.

How to better improve and deal with impacts caused on South Africa’s water resources, as a result of water users (as stated on the South African National Water Act 36 of 1998)? This will help water users to be weary of the impacts caused and also the importance of protecting water resources.

The guide will be the first of its kind and shall form part of the licensing process; this shall compel users to abide by the set conditions.

The key output is that this will be a “guide” aimed at mitigating the impacts caused on SA water resources.
Innovation is that this document will be “a management tool which is effective, quick, user-friendly, inexpensive, and easily accessible”.
A draft document was presented internally in the department and was well received, hence the decision to make this guide/conditions part of the final licensing approval process.

The guide should form part of the licensing process each time a water use license is issued
To ensure compliance to stipulated conditions where monitoring will be conducted by the regional offices and the applicant.
The document will be made available to stakeholders in the water sector (WRC, WISA, CSIR,Higher learning institutions) and also will be made to departments that deal with environmental issues (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Environmental Affairs, Mineral and Energy).
Audits to be done regularly by the Compliance, Monitoring and Evaluation (CME) Directorate.

The regional offices, the Chief Directorates: Regulation and CME: This management tool shall enable directorates to better deal with impacts on SA’s water resources and be able to set up improved monitoring tools.

If the guide forms part of the licensing process and the conditions are included in the issuing of the license, this shall compel users to comply with the requirements failing which shall result in legal disputes.

Minimum investment needed: human resource (specialists – specialist scientists, engineers, and legal team), time (12 months), infrastructure (office equipped with printers, computers, telephone, and stationery), financial resources (internet, man hour ratings)   

This project was inspired by the work done in the directorate Recreation, where they have developed a conditions manual for section 21 (c) and (i) of the South African National Water Act 36 of 1998.

National departments: Water Affairs, Environmental Affairs, Agriculture, Minerals and Energy, Municipalities and the different sectors including water bodies like WRC, WISA, CSIR, Higher Learning Institutions and Municipalities should commit to this solution.
Private sector industries,mining, farmers, etc, i.e., all the water users should also commit to this solution.

We are in the process of getting commitments from each of the above departments.

Department of Water Affairs: RDM Chief Directorate
Yakeen Atwaru: AtwaruY@dwa.gov.za

Draft PowerPoint Presentation, Poster.