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Water affairs

The Department of Water Affairs continues to focus on meeting water targets; managing South Africa’s scarce water resources for long-term sustainability; improving the regulatory and institutional environment; spearheading transformation in the water sector; and supporting the development of water resources infrastructure. Ongoing key challenges include the department’s role as a sector leader for water services.

The department adopted the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)approach, which provides a more holistic approach to water management. The IWRM requires intensive planning to ensure efficient, equitable and sustainable management of water resources and for coping with conflicting demands.

The department developed two key strategic frameworks to guide it, namely the National Water Resource Strategy in South Africa of 2004, and the Water for Growth and Development Framework of 2008.The strategy seeks to achieve the reconciliation between the available water resources with growing requirements.

The Water for Growth and Development Framework guides actions and decisions that will ensure water security in terms of quantity and quality to support South Africa’s requirements for economic growth and social development.

Major dams of South Africa

The percentage of households with access to water infrastructure above or equal to the Reconstruction and Development Programme standard increased to 93,8% by
March 2010. Although the rate of increase in the percentage of households with access to water is gradually slowing down, South Africa is likely to achieve the 2014 Millennium Development Goal of universal access to portable water.

More than 400 00 additional people received basic water supply last year. Government will spend R2,6 billion on water services in 2011.

Source: Pocket Guide to South Africa 2010/11
Editor: D Burger. Government Communication and Information System

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Last modified: 24 June 2011 10:58:59.