REPORT TO PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DETAILED PLANS FOR THE RAINWATER
HARVESTING PROGRAMME (RWHP)
15-16 MARCH 2010
1.
BACKGROUND
The war on poverty campaign, of which this Department is a key stakeholder and active
participant, is currently championed by the Presidency in close collaboration with the
newly established Department of Land Affairs and Rural Development.
Relevant sector departments participate in this process and are expected to effectively
contribute towards poverty alleviation of the targeted groups.
The allocation of tanks is done as part of the integrated rural development strategy and as
such they conducted nationwide household surveys to establish needy households.
Therefore, the current interventions are in alignment with a list of households that has
already been compiled and which is selected according to the Presidency’s criteria.
In addition, Sections 61 and 62 of the National Water Act, allows the Minister to provide
financial assistance through grants and subsidies for the capital cost towards the
construction of storage rainwater tanks and, related rain water harvesting works for poor
households in rural areas for family food production and other household economic
activities.
2.
THE OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF RAIN WATER HARVESTING
-
To promote the productive use of water for sustainable livelihoods, food security and
shared growth;
-
To promote access through the harvesting of water during dry seasons to augment the
free basic water allocation of 25 litres per person per day that the municipalities can
offer;
-
To mobilise poor households to become self reliant through rediscovering their own
potential and self worth;
-
To mobilise civil society for sustained development, through practical partnerships
between NGOs, CBOs and municipalities;
-
Training and skills development;
-
To strengthen policy on multiple uses of domestic water supplies, multiple water
sources, and
-
The support of a resource to poor farmers; and
-
Improving implementation guidelines.
Past experiences, however, have forced the programme to also consider households that
have no supply of safe drinking water, and therefore, as an interim solution would benefit
from this programme whilst the responsible Water Services Authority investigates a long
term sustainable solution. This has led to a differentiated approach within, and across,
regions.
2
3.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF BENEFICIARIES AND DISTRIBUTION OF TANKS
This programme should be understood to be a direct response to the Millennium
Development Goals. Therefore although various external factors may influence its roll-out
at grassroots level, the process should be consciously driven by the need to “Reduce by
half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger”.
The following criteria should guide the process;
-
Households or institutions within presidential nodes and listed on the Presidential
beneficiary list for the War on Poverty campaign intervention;
-
Households or Institutions that have no access to water supply and prone to
water borne diseases [including those in water stressed areas.];
-
Poor Households or Institutions not in current financial year water supply plans
by Municipality (PGDPs, WSDP,IDP);
-
Qualifying households that are willing to participate in food gardening activities;
-
Unemployed/Overall income of households income below R800 per month, and
-
Households in the poor margin line, headed by vulnerable groups [women-headed
households; the youth; children; groups affected by ill-health; and unemployed
people].
4.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN FOR 2009/10
4.1
Rainwater Harvesting for Food Security
The following is a breakdown of distribution of tanks per province provided in this current
financial year (2009/10).
Table 1: Number of Households benefiting during 2009/10
Municipality
Targeted
No.
of No. of tanks Household
that
Project area as households
to
be received Training
per Rural Nodes received tanks distributed in
in project area
project area
Eastern Cape
Amathole
Keiskammahoek
44
176
133
OR Tambo
Port St Johns
44
176
128
Alfred Nzo
Gogela
35
35
302
OR Tambo
Lusikisiki
15
15
45
Total
Free State
Maluti
Phofung
Mangaung
Letsemeng
a Phuthaditjaba
Thaba Nchu
Jacobsdal
1138
1402
1608
40
160
283
115
12
230
12
115
17
3
Municipality
Targeted
No.
of
Project area as households
per Rural Nodes received tanks
in project area
Springfontein
18
185
No. of tanks Household
that
to
be received Training
distributed in
project area
18
18
420
433
KZN
Mhlathuze
Ukhahlamba
Mzimkhulu
Total
Mzimela
Potshini
Mzimkhulu
40
55
35
130
40
160
35
235
71
62
79
212
Limpopo
Mopani
Sekhukhuni
Vhembe
Mopani
Total
Mawa
Sekhukhuni
Tshikonelo
Muyexe
35
30
20
100
185
35
72
20
100
227
141
101
23
100
365
Mpumalanga
Dr JS Moroka
Total
Moretele
40
40
160
160
91
91
North west
Total
Greater Taung
12
12
300
300
70
70
Northern Cape
Sol Plaatjie
Total
Francis Baard
100
100
100
100
100
100
Kopanong
Total
4.1.1
Village level participation
A village Project Steering Committee (PSC) is democratically elected locally to play a
coordinating and synergizing role. The village PSCs have well-documented tasks in the
project implementation process. The approved Project Implementers train the PSCs to
understand their role and develop the necessary skills to ensure successful
implementation including conflict resolution, leadership, etc.
The households are the primary implementing entity in the programme, therefore activities
of all other actors and organizations are aimed at encouraging, supporting and enabling
the household effort.
4.2
Rain Water Harvesting Support to areas affected with Drought
Over and above the history and purpose of the RWH the programme will assist in
alleviating the areas hit with drought.
4
In the above context and in response to the declarations made on drought disaster areas
between September and November 2009 in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, the
Department allocated a total sum of R13,495m (Limpopo : R4,995m and Eastern Cape :
R8,5m) for emergency interventions which include rainwater tanks, water tankering, drilling
of boreholes, ground water exploration and the protection of springs. This is made
available for the 2009/10 financial year and primarily to ensure access to safe drinking
water in the drought affected areas.
The Eastern Cape province since allocated R5 million towards rain water tanks, R2 million
for ground water investigations in Adelaide and R1,5 million for ground water
investigations at Ndlambe. The Limpopo region’s request is R4,995 for a Rain Water
Harvesting Project in Muyexe Village situated in Greater Giyani Local Municipality, Mopani
District Municipality (Water Service Authority). The distribution of these tanks is outlined as
per Annexure A.
This intervention precedes and compliments a parallel process that called for the affected
municipalities and key stakeholders to conduct assessments in the declared areas in order
to quantify the needs and the resources that would be required to bring about drought
relief. The National Disaster Management Centre then consolidated all these submissions
for final submission and approval. Consequently, the Inter-Ministerial Committee has
approved a sum of (a) R86.857 million for the Eastern Cape Province, (b) R141.5 million
for the Western Cape, and (c) R54 million for the Limpopo Province in January 2010.
In North West the project is implemented under War on Poverty initiative spearheaded by
the Premier. The areas targeted are the 2 wards in Greater Taung Local Municipality
affected by abject poverty and draught stricken .About 12 tanks have been completed and
100more under construction. We hope to complete all the 300 tanks by July 2010.
5.
LESSONS LEARNT FROM IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMME
-
-
Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) activities should not be viewed only as poverty alleviation
related intervention but rather as a broader Water Demand Management instrument and
should be promoted and adopted at a larger scale (townships and cities) and could also
have positive implications on urban storm flow management.
Areas with no portable water prioritize drinking water over water for supplementary
irrigation. This makes it impractical to specify the RWH programme for food production
only.
Annual rainfall of the area and size of the catchments should influence the size of the
RWH storage.
Areas with a high water table and igneous rocks are not suitable for underground
storage (proper geological investigation)
Training is crucial prior to the installation/construction of RWH storage however, it would
exacerbate unit costs/investment per household.
Partnership with social sector Departments should include financial commitments in
particular DAFF on food production training.
Infield rainwater harvesting techniques incorporated into the programme appears to be
yielding positive results but tanks are still essential for dry spells and for drinking water
requirements.
Formulation of a RWH strategy is paramount for future implementation.
5
-
Demand for RWH technologies is too high. DWA should find a model to foster
Municipalities to incorporate RWH into their IDPs.