Planning and Management of South Africas Limited Water Resources for Sustainability Mike Shand, PrEn

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Planning and Management of South Africas
Limited Water Resources for SustainabilityMike
Shand, PrEng FSAAEBob Pullen, PrEng
FSAAECAETS 2009, CalgaryJuly 2009
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East and West Coast Cape Town
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The Geography of South Africa

• Occupies the southern tip of Africa.
• Influenced by the warm Benguela Current in the
  Indian Ocean to the east and the cold. Agulhas
  Current in the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
• Topography formed by Drakensberg Mountains
  parallel to east coast, with a warped plateau in
  the interior.
• Mean Annual Rainfall 450mm, Mean Annual Runoff
  49040 million m³.

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Rainfall and Evaporation
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Incomati
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Semi-arid country with

• mainly summer rainfall, winter rainfall along
  southern coast (no significant runoff from
  snowmelt)
• highly variable from season to season
• characterised by frontal storms with orographic
  rain along the high Drakensberg
• Johannesburg, the economic hub of the country and
  the centre of the famous goldfields of
  yester-year, is located 2000m amsl with no major
  river in sight.

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Limpopo - Johannesburg
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Orange/Vaal Lesotho HighlandsWater Project
Katse Dam
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Water resources are

• shared with Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana,
  Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland (SADC Protocol)
• non-uniformly distributed across the country
• highly developed and utilized in most catchments
• only 8 derived from groundwater, 92 from
  surface sources
• destined to serve a population of 44 million and
  growing.

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Orange/Vaal Gariep Dam
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Orange/Vaal Vaal Dam
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Legal framework

• from 1908 regulated by an Irrigation Act
• growth in the economy and industrialization of
  the country led to the Water Act of 1956, based
  on principles of riparian rights attaching to the
  land
• after the political transformation in 1994
  policies moved towards equity some for all for
  ever and the principle of dominus fluminis was
  entrenched in the National Water Act of 1998
• basic human needs and water for maintaining
  riverine eco-systems now protected in the Reserve.

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Water Resource Management System

• Central government function
• National Water Resource Strategy
• Water Management Areas
• Catchment Management Agencies

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Water Management Areas
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Water requirements

• In 2000 total requirements were 12 870 million
  m³/a
• Irrigation 62
• Urban domestic 23
• Industries, power and afforestation 15
• In 2000 total water availability was 13 230
  million m³/a.
• Security of supply appropriate to user sector.

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Water requirements
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Growing Water Usage and Limited Development
Potential

• Water Demand Management
• Removal of Alien Vegetation
• Working for Water
• Reuse of effluent in coastal cities
• Particularly by industry
• Ultimately for potable use

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Growing Water Usage and Limited Development
Potential

• Additional interbasin transfers
• Integrated surface water groundwater management
• Ultimately desalination

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Berg River Dam

• First dam in South Africa where both low and high
  ecological Reserve flows and water quality
  (temperature) implemented.

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Conclusion

• Clear direction for sustainable management of
  South Africas water resources is provided by
• National Water Act
• National Water Resource Strategy
• The Acts requirements that ecological Reserve
  flows be provided to sustain the aquatic
  environment is being implemented for all new
  projects.
• The challenge of implementing the ecological
  Reserve flows at existing projects must still be
  addressed.

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Thank you