Water deal for SA
Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane has signed a landmark water cooperation agreement with Italy. The memorandum of understanding, which was signed on Tuesday, saw both countries committing themselves to developing initiatives aimed at mitigating climate change by providing sustainable and integrated water resources.
Part of the agreement is that both South Africa and Italy will ensure education, training and research in the fields of water quality enhancement, water resource management, water service management and rural sanitation technology.
The agreement will also ensure that both countries work on joint projects that will enhance capacity building, technology transfer and technical assistance. These projects will mainly focus on empowering previously disadvantaged groups in the society such as women, youth and people with disabilities.
Mokonyane said the agreement will ensure that both countries share knowledge expertise to fight climate change.
She said South Africa’s partnership with the Italians is aimed at assisting the country to strengthen its waste water treatment capacity as well as rural and urban onsite and offsite sanitation systems.
“We have also agreed to cooperate in integrated water management solutions, including the reuse of waste water for material and energy recovery. Given our current water challenges as a result of drought, water management is a critical resource,” said Mokonyane.
“We have made it our goal to ensure that we transform the water sector by making it inclusive of women and youth, those who were previously excluded. “Our other area of focus as the country is food security and we hope that by coming into this agreement with Italy, the set objectives will be realised,” the minister said.
Italy’s Deputy Minister of Environment, Land and Sea, Barbara Degani, who led the Italian delegation, said she is glad to have signed the agreement with South Africa. She thanked Mokonyane for all her efforts in making sure that the two countries work together.
A Joint Steering Committee will be established to ensure the commitments made in the agreement are carried out. The committee will comprise three representatives from the Department of Water and Sanitation and Italian Republic Department of Environment, Land and Sea. – SAnews.gov.za