National Water Security: Planning and Implementation

Abstract

Since South Africa is a water scarce country, water resources planning is a critical part of ensuring national water security. Since 1994, there has been a paradigm shift to a more holistic approach to water resources planning, underpinned by South Africa’s enabling Constitutional provisions, legislative framework and water policy, and implementation challenges. This new paradigm involves an integrated approach to water quality and quantity (for both surface water and groundwater) as well as consideration of water conservation and demand management, reuse/recycling, desalination and other options for water security at various levels of planning.

This chapter examines how planning for raw water supply contributes to ensuring equity in access for the livelihood of communities and to the economic growth and sustainable development of the country. As part of this, the alignment of water resource planning activities with provincial and local government needs, and some of the associated challenges, also forms part of the discussion. Infrastructure development, its role in water security and access, and related institutional arrangements are also addressed.