NEWS
DWS works on plan
to secure water
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has embarked
on an initiative to develop a plan intended to secure the delivery
of water and sanitation services until 2030.
According to a media statement issued by the
department, the matter of water security for South
Africa not only circumscribes the entire water sector,
but also has far-reaching consequences across the
entire economy of South Africa. It touches on growth
and development of all sectors of our economy. There
is another initiative called the National Integrated Water
Security Framework, which is driven by the National
Planning Commission. This is in recognition of the
importance of water security in our country.
In the context of the NW&SMP, water security touches on
many facets, such as identifying future water sources for the
growing population, the operation and maintenance of water
and sanitation infrastructure, and proper management of water
quality.
Within the framework of the water security initiative, cabinet
identified the need to develop a comprehensive integrated
master plan, which will incorporate and coordinate relevant
water sector plans available from the many sources and
initiatives. The core purpose of the NW&SMP is to provide an
overall perspective on the scope of the water and sanitation
business to provide a comprehensive schedule of actions
needed to address present challenges, to estimate the
investments required to ensure effective water resources, and
water and sanitation services delivery, as well as to facilitate
effective integrated investment planning, implementation of
actions, and evaluation of achievements.
The master plan is the plan that identifies key actions in the
water sector and allocates roles and responsibilities to all in
the water sector, from the various tiers of government, the
private sector, and other stakeholders for the implementation
of the plan.
The master plan will include a list of key programmes,
projects, and actions to be implemented for the protection and
development of the national water resources, and for the provision
of adequate and reliable water and sanitation services for all
citizens. It will also address the enabling requirements, such
as the institutional and legal arrangements for implementation,
operation and maintenance, funding requirements and models,
and monitoring and evaluation models. It is vital that the
NW&SMP is developed collectively by all key role players and
service delivery authorities in the water and sanitation sector,
and that it enjoys their full support, acceptance, and agreement.
A key challenge to all, which has somehow hampered capacity
to deliver, is the issues around institutional and funding
arrangements for water and sanitation. Such issues touch on
policies and legislation, as well as strategies, the institutional
arrangements, and funding financing options.
The NW&SMP has a website that is currently being developed
and will be updated regularly. The website will contain the latest
revisions of the available documentation forming part of the
NW&SMP, which includes the following key elements:
• Volume 1: Call to Action (a summary document
highlighting only the key challenges and the key actions
required for their resolution).
• Volume 2: Plan to Action (full NW&SMP document).
• Volume 3: Schedule of Actions (not available yet).
The department invited stakeholders as well as interested
and affected parties to participate in the development of the
NW&SMP. PA
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