DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS
A GUIDE ON DEVELOPING A PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Directorate: Stakeholder Empowerment | INSTITUTIONAL OVERSIGHT
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
BACKGROUND

The Department of Water Affairs is responsible for ensuring that the public and stakeholders
participate in the various facets of water resource management. As a response to this, various
guidelines have been developed to assist officials and service providers to facilitate the process
more effectively.
The Directorate: Stakeholder Empowerment is responsible for monitoring and supporting public
participation and capacity building for effective water resources management. This guide is meant to
further provide clearer guidance on how to develop a public participation plan.
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS PUBLIC PARTICIPATION?
The International Association of Public Participation defines participation as “a process to make better
decisions that incorporate the interests and concerns of all affected stakeholders and meet the needs of the
decision-making body”.
WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION?
 To inform and involve the community and the stakeholders about Water Resources Management and
the establishment process of the WMIs
 To identify and address community and the stakeholders concerns concerning the Water Resources
Management within the Water Management Area
 To provide opportunities for the community & stakeholders to identify priorities and determine
alternatives water resources management system improvements, and water related land use actions, as
well as the relative qualities of community water resource management behaviors
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
WHAT ARE THE TYPICAL STEPS TOWARDS ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION?
S TEP 1: D ETERMINE THE DEGREE OF PARTICIPATION
The facilitator need to assess the degree of stakeholder involvement required by looking at two things:
The type of stakeholder (interested, affected, etc): A stakeholder’s level of participation will be
determined by their level of interest in the project and the potential impact of their involvement.
A water user will be highly affected by establishment of a WUA and therefore will want to be
involved intensely, whilst a stakeholder who is represented by a group will not benefit much by
being closely involved.
The type of process (establishing a WUA, establishing a CMA, establishing a forum, etc): The
different process requires different levels of intensity for different stakeholders, and this affects
the design of the process. In establishing a forum, focus will be on organized stakeholder
groupings, whilst in establishing a WUA, focus is on affected water users.
S TEP 2: I DENTIFY THE ACTIVITIES / TASKS THAT NEED EACH LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION
High Participation means:
 Involving multiple stakeholders and stakeholder groups
 Broad representation (as opposed to stakeholders interests being represented by one structure, such as a
small reference group)
 The process of participation will aim to be collective or empowering
Low Participation means:
 Involving multiple stakeholders and stakeholder groups
 Restricted representation (stakeholders are represented by a small, representative committee)
 The process of participation will aim to inform , consult or involve
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
S TEP 3: S ET PARTICIPATION PARAMETERS
When planning for effective participation, the following questions need to be answered:
What?
 To clarify each step of the project that the stakeholders are involved in, e.g. here the facilitator
will need to state what is expected from the stakeholders within each of the project steps.
Where?
 Relates to the location, the affected or/and involved area also to which stages of the project where
participation will be required from the stakeholders
When?
 Specifies the timing for the activities/tasks, and it becomes an essential tool for monitoring and
management of the project
Who?
 Clarifies the participants for each task; it is important to address the issue of power when
addressing this question. There are also four things to consider:
− Who is able to participate and who is not, and why is this the case?
− Is the person representing a particular group legitimate?
− Whose interests does the representative speak for, those of the stakeholders or, their own
interests?
− Is the representative accepted by the stakeholder group that he/she represents?
Why?
 States the purpose of need for the stakeholders’ participation within the project and how this
should be conveyed to stakeholders to gain their support of the process.
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
How?
This question looks at the implementation of the activities involved in participation; what steps should be
followed to achieve the objectives set for the process? It also looks at the costs, feedback, facilitation and
provision of learning support materials.
S TEP 4: D ETERMINE THE INFORMATION , SKILLS , COMPETENCY & CAPACITY BUILDING
NEEDS FOR SUCCESSFUL PARTICIPATION
Capacity building is an important aspect for effective participation, as it ensures that the participants
know how to perform their roles and responsibilities. It has been defined as the “task of developing levels
of human and institutional capacity”, (One world Capacity Building Guide, and 2003).
In order to achieve Capacity Building the following needs to be realized.
 Respect and value pre-existing capacities
Identify pre-existing skills, structures, partnerships and resource and work with and respect these. This is
to acknowledge that the stakeholders have experience, knowledge and skills on the subject, which then
results in gaining a buy-in of the project by the stakeholders.
 Embark on capacity building needs assessment exercise
i. To learn the needs of the stakeholders,
ii. To understand what interventions that will trigger the most positive response to impact the
project,
iii. To determine critical information for planning capacity building for the projects
 Develop a Capacity Building Action Plan
As a result of the CBNA, it provides capacity building interventions in a structured manner.
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
 Implementation of the Capacity Building Plan
The following methods can be used:
i. Skills development training, through a task-oriented approach
ii. Media: radio, newsletters, etc.
iii. Printed tools – Pamphlets, brochures, reports, fact sheets, mailers, press releases & media
advisories, working papers and newsletters
iv. Visualization Tools – website (information posting & update), e-mailers, compact disks, videos,
PowerPoint presentations, “Suite” programs for GIS based interactive computer programs
v. Education – workshops, public meetings, focus groups, advisory committees
5. MONITORING & EVALUATION
Monitoring and Evaluation is a powerful management tool that can be used to improve the Public
Participation Process to achieve best results, also to verify the effectiveness of methodologies and the
value of public participation process.
D: SE has developed a toolkit for evaluating Public Participation within the Water Management
Institutions, which provides the process of evaluation.
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
APPENDIX A: CHECKLIST
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
Who are the
How do they want to
What information and
What tools will we use to
What resources are required to achieve
stakeholders involved?
participate in the process?
support do they want?
maximize their involvement?
effective public participation?
Water users, government
departments, municipalities, civil
society groupings, etc
Do they want to be consulted,
involved, informed, collaborated
with, empowered, etc?
Do they understand the issues and
the process? Do they need to be
supported in any form to
participate meaningfully?
How will we involve them? How will we
inform them? How will we collaborate
with them? How will we consult them?
How will we empower them?
1. Emerging Farmers
They want to be involved in They need basic
the process of establishing
understanding of IWRM.
a WUA.
They need to be
reimbursed for attending
meetings
Nominate reps into steering
committee; have public
meetings in their area; impart
knowledge on IWRM
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Do we need to provide funding for identified activities? Do we
need external facilitators?
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


Reimbursement funding
Media adverts costs
Facilitators (DWAF officials)
Information tools (posters, booklets,
etc)
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
Annexure B: Public Participation Spectrum
INFORM
CONSULT
INVOLVE
COLLABORATE
EMPOWER
Public Participation goals
To provide members of the
To obtain public feedback on
To work directly with the
To partner with the public in each
to have autonomous decision-
public
balanced
analysis,
public throughout the process
aspect
making by the pubic
information to assist them in
decisions
to ensure that public concerns
including
understanding the problem,
are consistently understood
alternatives and the identification
alternatives,
and considered
of preferred solutions
with
alternatives
and
opportunities
of
the
the
decision-making,
development
of
and solutions
Promise to the Public
We will keep you informed
We will keep you informed, listen
We will work with you to
We will look to you for direct
We will implement what you
to and acknowledge concerns and
ensure that your concerns and
advice
decide
aspirations, and provide feedback
aspirations
directly
formulating
on how public input influenced
reflected in the alternatives
incorporate
the decision
developed,
recommendations into the decisions
are
and
provide
feedback on how the public
and
innovation
solutions,
your
advice
in
and
and
to the maximum extent possible
input influenced the decision
Examples of techniques
 Fact Sheets
 Public comment
 Workshops
 Citizen advisory committees
 Ballots and voting
 Websites
 Focus groups
 Polling
 Forums
 Delegated decisions
 Open houses
 Surveys
 Consensus building
 Public meeting
 Participatory decision-making
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
REFERENCES:
http://uk.oneworld.net/guides/capacitybuilding?gclid=CMSGy6HWzJkCFYFA3godRW7ZuA
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A Guide on Developing a Public Participation Implementation Plan
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