A stakeholder-driven process to develop a more equitable and sustainable water resource management plan

D Gwapedza, JL Tanner and SK Mantel
April 2021 – March 2024
Sponsor: Water Research Commission
Collaborators: B Paxton (FRC, South Africa), O Barreteau (INRAE, France), B Bonte (INRAE, France)

Water scarcity is a significant problem in South Africa. Low average rainfall results in limited water available for human and environmental needs. The water availability situation has received further shocks from droughts and the increasing impacts of climate change. The South African National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) and Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) were instituted to manage human water use and protect the environment by establishing Environmental Water Requirements (EWR). An EWR stipulates the amount of water needed to ensure that a river system remains functional and sustainable. However, due to low rainfall in many areas, water-holding areas (catchments) retain too little water in rivers and reservoirs, barely meeting human and environmental needs.

Consequently, competition for water resources is increasing and has resulted in water-related conflicts among water users in many areas of South Africa. Unfortunately, when competition for water use exists, EWRs are often ignored, thus impacting the health of riverine ecosystems. This project responds to this problem by negotiating a shared water management strategy that achieves equity in water access and respects the EWR. While the problem exists in many regions of South Africa, the project focuses on the KoueBokkeveld (KBV) region, Western Cape, where the problem is prominent. Conflicts are rife between upstream farmers with initial access to river water and downstream farmers who are forced to use what remains after upstream users satisfy their needs (Paxton & Walker, 2018). Unfortunately, the numerous dams have led to a depletion in EWR supply and threaten riverine ecosystems and the various plant and animal species that depend on the river systems (Paxton & Walker, 2018).

The situation entrenches inequality and fuels conflict and, if left unmanaged, may turn into an environmental disaster (e.g., there are several endangered endemic fish species in the rivers) and lead to a breakdown in relationships in the farming community. Additionally, the potential loss in agricultural productivity will affect local food security, the economic return from exports, and the livelihood of the thousands of farmworkers who work in the area. Effective water management is vital to ensure equity in water access to foster shared growth, reduce water conflict, promote ecosystem health, and prevent biodiversity loss. This project aims to assist the KBV stakeholders in co-developing a water resources management strategy that results from a shared understanding of the catchment. The specific aims are to:

1. Work with/build relationships between stakeholders while expanding their understanding of the bigger picture of water resource use and management in their catchment;
2. Negotiate a sustainable and equitable water management plan that observes environmental water requirements and protects riverine biodiversity;
3. Explore scenarios of future water demand for growing agricultural development and water availability under climate change to adapt the water management plan to a set of anticipated scenarios ensuring sustainability under change.

Last Modified: Wed, 13 Dec 2023 16:06:23 SAST