Water resources |
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• Only that water required to meet basic human needs and maintain environmental sustainability will be guaranteed as a right. This will be known as the Reserve.
• In shared river basins, Government will be empowered to give priority over other uses to ensure that the legitimate requirements of neighbouring countries can be met.
• All other water uses will be recognised only if they are beneficial in the public interest.
• These other water uses will be subject to a system of allocation that promotes use which is optimal for the achievement of equitable and sustainable economic and social development.
• The new system of allocation will take into consideration the investments made by the user in infrastructure for water use.
• The new system of allocation will be implemented in a phased manner, beginning in water management areas which are already under stress. This system of allocation will use water pricing, limited term allocations and other administrative mechanisms to bring supply and demand into balance in a manner which is beneficial in the public interest.
• The riparian system of allocation, in which the right to use water is tied to the ownership of land along rivers, will effectively
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be abolished. Transitional arrangements will, over time, ensure an orderly, efficient and gradual shift in water use allocations as and when necessary.
• Water use allocations will no longer be permanent, but will be given for a reasonable period, and provision will be made to enable the transfer or trade of these rights between users, with Ministerial consent.
1.5. Water supply and Sanitation Policy( 1994)
In a country with nuclear power, cellular telephones and vast intercatchment water transfer schemes, more than 12 million people do not have access to an adequate supply of potable water; nearly 21million lack basic sanitation.
Public action is needed to remedy this unacceptable situation, but it must be action based on a clear policy which is premised on the rights of all people to determine their own future. The goal of Government is thus to ensure that all South Africans have access to essential basic water supply and sanitation services at a cost which is affordable both to the household and to the country as a whole.
The Reconstruction and Development Programme( RDP) adopted by the Government is more than a list of the services required to improve the quality of life of the majority of South Africans. It is a programme designed to achieve this objective in an integrated and principled manner.
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The lack of basic services such as water supply and sanitation is a key symptom of poverty and under development. The provision of such services must be part of a coherent development strategy if it is to be successful. The way in which South Africa’ s limited water resources are used must also be part of such a development strategy.
The creative management and use of water will be vital to assure the RDP’ s objectives of eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable economic and social development. Water is central to development.
A small amount is essential for people’ s physical survival. Beyond this, a limited amount is needed for basic personal hygiene and household uses. In more affluent communities, water is used as a“ luxury”, for gardens and swimming pools.
In a similar manner, basic sanitation services are required to ensure personal and public health. Many communities desire and demand the convenience and comfort which higher levels of sanitation service can provide.
The contribution of water and sanitation services to development is of course far wider than their impact on households. Water is a key factor of production in manufacturing industry, power generation, mining and agriculture.
It sustains the natural environment which is why it is not only the quantity of water available which is critical but also its quality, its
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fitness for use. For this reason, both sanitation services and economic activities which can pollute water and render it unfit for use must be controlled. The limited water resources of South Africa are a national asset which must be properly managed if they are to bring maximum benefit to the country as a whole. As custodian of this precious resource, the Department of Water Affairs has the national responsibility of ensuring that both the needs of people and of the economy which sustains them are effectively met.
In this context the provision of water supply and sanitation services cannot be separated from the effective management of water resources for other, economic, purposes. Only by addressing both aspects together, in an integrated manner, can the objectives of the RDP be fully met.
Next time – the authors detail Rural Development Related Policies and Programmes and the importance of the National Development Plan in relation to core elements of a decent standard of living.
Acknowledgements
The Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Research Council on behalf of the Department of Water and Sanitation undertook the study. It was fully funded by the Department of Water and Sanitation.
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2. REFERENCES |