Department receives good reviews of water and sanitation master plan

Participating in a debate on the State of the Nation Address in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Sisulu said there is a need for water users to restructure their thinking around the use of water, noting that water is being used as if it is in abundance.

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu have assured South Africans that the country is on top of the water crisis and has a plan, the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan.

She said the department has received very good reviews of the plan, and they are encouraged that they are in the right direction.

Participating in a debate on the State of the Nation Address in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Sisulu said there is a need for water users to restructure their thinking around the use of water, noting that water is being used as if it is in abundance.

She said the master plan is a call to action to raise awareness.

“It is intended to guide the water sector with investment planning for the development of water resources and the delivery of water and sanitation services over an initial planning horizon until 2030, and beyond.

She said the plan will prepare society to better manage incidents of water shortage, address dysfunctionality and provide certainty to people, industries and the agricultural sector.

“Our average, domestic water use in South Africa is around 237 liters per person per day, whereas the world average is 173 liters. South Africa’s mean annual rainfall is 500 millimeters, considerably below the global average of 860 millimeters and the distribution across the country is very uneven.

“We need to drastically change our habits if we are to give certainty about water security. The reality is that we are a water rapacious country on our diminishing water resources, and it is predicted that if we continue to use water the way we do, we will face a deficit of 1.1 Trillion liters by 2035. This is half the capacity of the Vaal Dam,” Sisulu warned.

She said that the water loss due to negligence, aging infrastructure, deteriorating water quality due to mining, agriculture as well, as a general unawareness of the critical importance of water for both life, economy and environment, one begins to realise the enormity of the challenge.

She said that the full impact is felt by the most fragile sector of government, which is a local government level, and one that does not have the necessary skills and expertise. 

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)