Berg River Partnership fosters local water supply

THE PROLONGED dry spell over South Africa, resulting from lower-than-normal rainfall since last year, has caused water stress in many areas across the Western Cape.

In response to these water challenges, it needs to be pointed out that there are sound interventions and pockets of excellence, one of which is the Berg River Partnership (BRP).

By holding our partners accountable for their respective mandates, the BRP forum ensures that the water quality of the Berg River is improved and sustainably managed. Our stakeholders are all-inclusive: provincial and local government, private sector and civil society. Our partners have effectively aligned their programmes, projects and budgets to prioritise the identified challenges that impact on the water quality of the Berg River.

The Berg River is an important waterway in the Western Cape, its economic contribution to the region is enormous.

The Berg River and its tributaries supports a 10th of the countries’ irrigated fruit production. More than 4 million people, including a significant portion of local fruit producers (including exporters) work productively in the area

There are about 22 500ha of irrigated crops on about 600 farms along the banks of the Berg River, which contributed to earnings of more than R2 billion a year. Of this, about R1.5bn were from exports.

The key success areas of the BRP are education and awareness of communities about looking after the environment, upgrading waste water treatment and encouraging communities to report pollution incidents.

Since the inception of BRP, the Berg River’s water quality has improved significantly. Street theatre presentations helped hundreds of children in the areas around the Berg River catchment to get excited about protecting our natural resources.

The Department of Water and Sanitation, in conjunction with stakeholders, will continue to monitor and undertake appropriate steps to improve the Berg River’s water quality as this will maintain and improve the integrity of our rivers. MALUSI RAYI Deputy Director Communications Department of Water and Sanitation, W Cape