State of the Environment - South Africa: Freshwater Systems and Resources : Outcomes


National State of the Environment Report - South Africa
Main Issues:	Climate	Terrestrial	Water	Marine	Social	Economic	Political	Home page

This part of the report contains the following sub-sections:
Overview	Introduction	Driving forces	Pressure	State	Impact	Response
Outcome	Linkages	Data issues	Conclusions	References	Indicators	Links

Outcomes

The outcomes of the responses mentioned in Responses section are unknown at present. Most of them have only recently been introduced and there has not been enough time to test their appropriateness and effectiveness. Table 3.6 below indicates the possible positive and negative outcomes of each response.

Table 3.6: Likely outcomes of responses to driving forces and pressures on the freshwater environment

Response	Negative Outcomes	Positive Outcomes
International treaties and protocols	Less water available for South Africa in cases where downstream users have a right to water (e.g. Mozambique).	More water available through negotiation with states bordering on rivers (e.g. Limpopo, Botswana and Zimbabwe).
Water Services Act 108 of 1997	Increased access to water will increase demand - human need will always take preference over environmental need.	Abstraction easier to manage and control.
National Water Act 36 of 1998
Development of a national water strategy	Time and finances used to complete the job may exceed its use. Neglects local strategies.	If the strategy is implemented properly, the sustainability of water resources in South Africa may be assured.
Development of catchment management strategies	This may be unsuccessful without the co-operation of other government departments and local authorities.	Smaller management units (i.e. catchments are easier to manage, and more control over development and land-use planning is possible.
Development of a classification system and setting resource quality objectives	Difficulties in determining a classification system that will suit all needs.	In conjunction with catchment management, this could become a good integrative management tool.
Determination of the Reserve	Even if the environmental reserve is determined, basic human needs will still have priority	Will provide information essential to supply planning and water resource development.
Integrated Pollution Control through Receiving Water Quality Objectives and Pollution Prevention	Monitoring and enforcement will still be required. Requires the co-operation of all water users.	Will ensure an integrated approach to pollution control.
Establishment of CMAs and integrated catchment management	Establishment of CMAs is a long-term project that requires substantial institutional change.	If effective,CMAs will have greater power to ensure sustainable use of water in each catchment in a socially-acceptable and integrative way.
Demand management through water pricing	Has substantial economic repercussions for the food-producing sector.	Will create an ethic of awareness of water conservation and the value of water.

> Freshwater: Linkages

There is also information about Freshwater Systems and Resources in the following reports:
Metropolitan reports:
	Cape Metropolitan Council (1998 edition)	Durban Pilot Study
	Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council (1999 edition)	Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Council (1999 edition)