Water Sector response to
ASGISA IMC
Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry
June 2008
Content
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Background
Drinking water quality
Water services infrastructure
Water resources infrastructure
Compliance and enforcement of the NWA
Regulation and compliance in water services
Raw water quality
Water conservation and demand management
Skills crisis
Conclusion
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Background
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9th May: DWAF presentation to ASGISA IMC
DWAF to report back on various issues raised by the IMC
Key issues raised by IMC relate to:
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“A Response to the Immediate Challenges facing the Water Sector”
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Provides response to issues raised by IMC
Deals with issues that require immediate intervention in water services sector and water resources
sector
Request came while DWAF was drafting a Strategic Framework on Water for
Sustainable Growth and Development
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Water infrastructure and universal access, including water for electricity generation
Compliance and enforcement
Water quality (raw water and drinking water)
Water conservation and demand management and
Skills and human resources
Will follow this Response to the Immediate Challenges facing the Water Sector
Will outline strategic response of sector to ensuring water supports growth and development
Will deal with issues in Immediate Challenges document and other longer term issues and
opportunities
Will be available for comment in October 2008 and presented at Cabinet Lekgotla in January 2009.
In parallel, work will begin on revising the National Water Resources Strategy
(NWRS)
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Provides framework for protection, use, development, conservation, management and control of
water resources
NWRS must be revised and completed by January 2010.
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Drinking water quality
• Challenge:
• Under-budgeted and under-resourced function
in many municipalities
• Poor water quality impacts on people’s lives,
particularly those with compromised immune
systems
• Monitoring and reporting improving but still
inadequate
• Many rural water schemes and small schemes
not monitored at all
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Drinking water quality
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Response:
DWAF and DPLG to investigate options and processes for placing water
services functions under administration
– where a Water Services Authority is unable to perform these functions effectively
– particularly where human lives are put at risk due to non-performance and
– where a quick response is needed.
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Regulation of water services includes regulation of drinking water quality
– action will be taken against Water Services Authorities where it does not meet
standards.
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Where appropriate, Water Boards to
– assist in monitoring drinking water quality
– assist DWAF to audit the results submitted by municipalities on drinking water
quality, or
– Act as WSP on behalf of a WSA.
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DWAF will put in place an urgent programme to build capacity in regional
offices to support municipalities in drinking water quality management.
DWAF and National Treasury to further investigate ways to incentivise good
municipal asset management and sufficient budgeting for drinking water
quality management and monitoring.
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Water services infrastructure
• Challenge
• Aging, poorly maintained infrastructure leading to
increased failures
• Lack of investment in maintenance and refurbishment
• Poorly managed waste water and sewage infrastructure
leading to high pollution levels, sewage spills
• Many VIPs now full leaving households without
functioning toilets
• Bulk infrastructure not sufficient for increased demand
(sanitation and water)
• FBW not sufficient for AIDS affected and vulnerable
households
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Water services infrastructure
• Response
• DWAF and NT to investigate funding for bulk water
services infrastructure and refurbishment of water
services infrastructure to catch up on backlog of O&M
and refurbishment.
– total additional requirement is estimated at around R3.7-billion
per year
• DWAF to investigate, with DPLG and NT, measures /
incentives to ensure that
– O&M is planned and budgeted for in all new and existing
services, and
– WSPs commit a minimum percentage of value of infrastructure
to annual O&M
• DWAF, DPLG and NT to review funding arrangements
for free basic services through Equitable Share,
including feasibility of ring-fencing part of Equitable
Share to support sustainable water services.
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Water services infrastructure
• Response cont:
• DWAF to establish task team to review current approaches to basic
sanitation improvement, including
– advisability of providing further funding to permanent VIP structures;
– MIG conditionalities to ensure bulk infrastructure is sufficient for new
networked sanitation services.
• DWAF, with SALGA, to
– develop strategy for dealing with full VIPs and
– review appropriate technology for communities previously served with
VIPs.
• DWAF to finalise and implement the National Infrastructure Asset
Management Strategy
• DWAF, with SALGA, to review quantity of water allocated under
Free Basic Water (FBW) and the mechanisms for providing/funding
FBW, including to HIV and AIDS affected households and other
vulnerable groups.
• DWAF to finalise Free Basic Sanitation Strategy and submit to
Cabinet
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Water resources infrastructure
• Challenge
• Asset management systems need
upgrading
• Decisions to be made on augmentation
options for major cities where demand is
high relative to supply (Cape Town,
Gauteng, Port Elizabeth)
• New infrastructure needed urgently to
serve Eskom and SASOL
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Water resources infrastructure
• Response
– Establishment of National Water Resources Infrastructure
Agency (NWRIA) to be fast-tracked to
• support the provision of sustainable and reliable infrastructure to
strategic water users eg Eskom and Sasol, and
• support economic growth and development across the country.
– DWAF to complete National Water Resources Infrastructure
Action Plan with regard to infrastructure that serves Eskom by
end June 2008.
– DWAF to complete and implement the review of Government
Water Scheme operation and maintenance systems and
procedures
– Decision on new infrastructure to augment water supply to
Gauteng to be taken in 2009
– Further feasibility studies to be completed before a decision can
be made for Cape Town’s augmentation needs.
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Compliance and enforcement
under the National Water Act
• Challenge:
• High levels of unlawful water abstraction in
some areas, particularly the Vaal
• Unlawful effluent discharge leading to high
levels of pollution
• Illegal dam construction
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Compliance and enforcement
under the National Water Act
• Response
• DWAF to ensure sufficient funding for development of a
strong Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement function
to
– Prevent and control unlawful raw water use and pollution
– Take action against around 300 illegal water users in the Vaal
• illegal water use = around 290 million m3 per annum= approx 8.5
million households using 100 litres per day = almost entire yield of
Mohale dam in Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
• DWAF to discuss with National Treasury and Asset
Forfeiture Unit possibility of retaining assets seized
during action against illegal water users.
• National Environmental Management Act to be amended
to give powers to appoint DWAF officials as
Environmental Management Inspectors so that they are
empowered to take compliance action under both NEMA12
and the National Water Act.
Regulation and compliance in
water services
• Challenge:
• Poor regulation of WSAs and WSPs
resulting in
– Drinking water quality problems
– Interruptions in supply
– Low maintenance levels
– Failing waste water treatment infrastructure
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Regulation and compliance in
water services
• Response
• DWAF to determine appropriate institutional
arrangements for water services regulation,
including
– institutional arrangements for national regulator
– revision of Water Services Authority (WSA) and Water
Services Provider (WSP) functions to take into
account de facto lack of separation of functions
between the two.
• DWAF to strengthen drinking water quality
regulation by end of September 2008 through
strengthening of current capacity.
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Raw Water Quality
• Challenge:
• Poor maintenance and operation of
WWTW leading to high levels of pollution
• Pollution from industry, mines and
agriculture
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Raw Water Quality
• Response
• Phased implementation of Waste Discharge Charge
System to begin in Upper Olifants, Upper Vaal and
Crocodile Marico water management areas in 2009.
• Directives to be issued by Minister
– to municipalities to rehabilitate Waste Water Treatment Works
where severe problems have been identified
– during Enforcement Week in October 2008
– action to be taken against municipalities that do not comply with
directives
• Infrastructure Asset Management plans to be developed
for all waste water treatment works and other municipal
water services infrastructure.
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Water conservation and demand
management
• Challenge:
• High levels of water wastage in water
services and agriculture in particular;
• Results in
– High costs for municipalities
– Early need for augmentation of supply
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Water conservation and demand
management
• Response
• DWAF, through MTEF, DBSA, Land Bank and
Commercial Banks, to establish effective mechanisms
for funding Water Conservation and Water Demand
Management (WC/WDM)
• DWAF, with other stakeholders, including SALGA,
municipalities, and SAAWU to
– develop national programme for WC/WDM in key metropolitan
and agricultural areas,
– investigate options for funding and resourcing this programme
including finding sufficient technical skills to support the
programme.
• Regulations for WC/WDM to be completed by December
2008.
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Response to the skills crisis in
the water sector
• Challenge:
• Shortage of technical skills in water sector
– engineering
– finance
– technical and artisan
• Continuing drain of skills from the sector
• Large number of institutions in the water sector requiring
skilled staff
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Civil engineering capacity in the
municipal sector
DPLG 2008
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Civil Engineering Staff in Local
Government in 2005
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Response to the skills crisis in
the water sector
• Response
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Review of designation of municipalities as WSPs and potential for creating
regional WSPs to be conducted, with focus on areas of poor water services
provision.
Review of MFMA to be discussed with DPLG and National Treasury re
bringing in greater private sector capacity for management and delivery of
services.
DWAF to discuss with DPLG and relevant departments on legislative
requirements for national government to intervene in water services
functions in municipalities that are unable to provide an effective service.
DWAF to continue to drive development and implementation of a
comprehensive sector skills response strategy (Vision for Capacity Building
and Training 2025)
DPSA to speed up review of salaries and conditions of service for
engineers, technicians and scarce occupational classes in water sector.
DWAF to examine how to bring private sector expertise back into the
Department and how to build capacity in a dedicated fashion.
DWAF to investigate absorption of people with theoretical training as
Process Controllers into municipalities for internships and hands on training
DWAF, with DBSA and other partners, to build on current programme of 22
placing engineers in municipalities, and to increase deployment.
Conclusion
• Government must recognize crucial role of water supply and
sanitation in achieving ASGISA goals
• Concerted action is needed from all spheres of government to avoid
potential failure in water sector
• Government must invest significantly in water sector to avoid
potential water crises and to ensure water management supports
ASGISA growth targets
• Current investment in water sector across all spheres of government
is below what it should be
– Current investment is around 1.2% of GDP
– Benchmark level for water resources and water services investment in a
country of the economic status of South Africa should be around 2-3%.
• Some of this investment must be found through improved revenue
management
• There is need for substantial injection of fund from fiscus for next
decade at least
– must be carefully targeted and monitored
– conditions attached to ensure that it does not create perverse
incentives but sets up virtuous cycle of good asset management.
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Thank you
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