Call to boost water security laws

LEGAL protection must be given to strategic water source areas – the 8% of land area that provides half the country’s surface water.

That’s because these “water factories”, mainly in the eastern half of the country, feed the national rivers, lakes and dams, said Amanda Mkhonza, an attorney for the Centre for Environmental Rights.

But while key to water security, they receive little legalprotection, which could limit the impacts of coal mining, forestry and land degradation.

There are 22 water source areas that span five provinces, i ncluding t he Enkangala Drakensberg, Table Mountain, Upper Vaal and the Waterberg, crucial for resilience to drought and to mitigate the growing impacts of climate change.

They are considered foremost among strategic natural resources, supplying 70% of the country’s irrigation water, sustaining 51% of the country’s population and contributing to 64% of the national economic activity, said Dr David le Maitre, the principal researcher in biodiversity and ecosystems services at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

He has helped map the country’s water source areas, together with the SA National Biodiversity Institute, Water Research Commission, SANParks and the departments of Water and Sanitation and Environmental Affairs, and work is continuing with the WWF-SA.

“We have to be very sure we’re doing the right things in managing our water source areas because this will have enor mous implications for water security,” he said.

“They are critical for sustaining water flows in our rivers and to keep our ecosystems functioning.

We know that water quality is a serious issue in South Africa.”

The wide-ranging research has shown that only 13% of water source areas are protected.

Thirsty plantations of pine and wattle reduce stream flows and other water users’ access to water.

Poorly managed and overused land areas, too, cannot recover from droughts and floods.

“Providing legal protection for strategic WSAs – limiting activities in those areas that could damage the ability of the WSA to provide surface water to downstream users, and requiring positive steps to rehabilitate damage – is absolutely crucial for South Africa’s resilience to drought, and to the growing impacts of climate change.

“Fortunately, many of our WSAs are still in relatively good condition, and providing legal protection will secure our water for people and economic development, for now and for the future.

“We need stronger legal protection but we have to recognise these are working landscapes, with farming and mining activities in parts of them.

“Our strategy must be to not do additional activities in these areas that will compromise them.”