Water Conservation and Water Demand …

1 Page 1 ForewordIn South Africa, Water is key to winning the battle against poverty and its scarcity could be a limitingfactor to growth. No socio- economic development can take place without Africa's Water resources are indeed limited and scarce. The situation is worsened by theoccurrence of droughts and the increasing Demand associated with population growth and a developingeconomy. As a country, we are approaching the full utilisation of our available Water resources. Furtherwater augmentation schemes will be costly and are likely to be detrimental to our environment. Wetherefore require a strategic change in the use and Conservation of our Water resources. Our wateris a precious resource that has to be used as efficiently as possible before we consider any new waterresources are opportunities to increase Water use efficiency in all Water use sectors. Most of the sectorsare expected to experience growth and use more Water as our country develops. The Water Servicessector is no exception to Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Strategy is a fundamental step in promotingwater use efficiency and is consistent with the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) which emphasiseseffective management of our Water resources.

2 Water Conservation and Water Demand Managementshould not be seen as punitive or restrictive but as a responsible approach that will contribute to consumers and Water institutions have therefore a duty towards our country, our environment andthemselves to implement adequate measures that contribute to Water use efficiency through WaterConservation and Water Demand Management. The Water Services sector has its role to play in thisregard and as outline in this us work together towards the prosperity of our nation and for the benefit of future generations byusing our Water efficiently and by protecting our SonjicaMinister of Water Affairs and ForestryAugust 2004page 2 Executive SummaryThe management of Water resources and theprovision of Water services in South Africa callfor a new approach in which Water Conservationand Water Demand Management (WC/WDM) areexpected to play a crucial role to ensureenvironmental sustainability, social equity andeconomic National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) and theWater Services Act (Act 108 of 1997)

3 Haveprovided an enabling environment for established institutions with roles andresponsibilities are expected to integrateWC/WDM into their document, focusing on WC/WDM for theWater Services sector, is part of four documentswhich together, constitute the Water Conservationand Water Demand Management Strategy. Itshould be read in conjunction with the first ofthe four documents, the National WaterConservation and Demand Management Strategy(NWC/WDMS). This document outlines theapplicable principles and definitions and spellsout the eight generic objectives of the overallstrategy. The remaining two sectoral strategydocuments deal with: Agriculture; and Industry, Mining and Power sectoral strategy document provides adetailed background of the sector with regardto WC/WDM, and outlines the expected strategicoutputs which are each linked to at least one ofthe objectives of the overall strategy. For eachoutput, it prioritises the approach that the sectoris expected to take and the activities it shouldcarry out in order to give effect to three sectoral strategy documents arecomplementary to the NWC/WDMS.

4 They providedetailed information on each sector, its strategicoutputs, prioritised activities and responsibilitiesof key Water Services sector is expected to play agreater role in Water Conservation and waterdemand management in the future. This will benecessary due to the expected growth in waterdemand in this sector. Water Demand is likely toincrease comparatively steeply because of acombination of population growth, the increasedproportion of the population that will have accessto Water services (as the current backlog isaddressed), and the expected improvement inthe standard of living that will result in greaterper capita Water Strategic Framework for Water Services(September 2003) recognises the role ofWC/WDM in ensuring sustainable service 3 Table of ContentsPreface / of The Water Services Sector and Water Conservation andWater Demand Linkage with the National Water Conservation / Water Demand Management Strategy Structure of the Water Services Sector Strategy Former white Former black Peri- urban areas or informal Rural AND Objectives of the National Water Conservation andWater Demand Management ANALYSIS.

5 CONSTRAINTS AND Reduction of leaks in reticulation network distribution Reduction in plumbing leaks in Retrofit of existing plumbing Reduction in gardening Water Reduction in Demand by new consumers - reduction of growth The role of the Department of Water Affairs and The role of a Catchment Management The role of a Water Services The role of a Bulk Water Supplier (including Water Boards).. The role of Water Services OUTPUTS, ACTIVITIES AND Water Services Bulk Water GUIDELINES AND 4 GlossaryDemand-side management:Any measure or initiative that will result in areduction in the expected Water use or management:Any function relating to the management,maintenance and operation of any system ofstructures, pipes, valves, pumps, meters or otherassociated equipment, including all mains,connection pipes and Water installations that areused or intended to be used in connection withthe supply of use of Water : Water used for a specific purpose over and abovethe accepted and available best practices andbenchmarks or Water used for a purpose wherevery little benefit is derived from Planning:A method of analysing the change in demandand operation of Water institutions that evaluatesa variety of supply-side and Demand -sidemanagement measures to determine the optimalway of providing Water Water .

6 The total of apparent and real losses plus theproportion of authorised consumption which isnot billed)Retro-fitting:The modification, adaptation, or replacement ofan existing device, fitting or management:Any measure or initiative that will increase thecapacity of a Water resource or Water supplysystem to supply Water :The difference between the measured volume ofwater put into the supply and distribution systemand the total volume of Water measured toauthorised consumers whose fixed propertyaddress appears on the official list of waterservices Institutions: Water institutions include both WaterManagement Institutions and Water ServicesInstitutions as defined in the National Water Actand the Water Services Act wastage: Water lost through leaks or Water usage thatdoes not result in any direct benefit to a consumeror Conservation :The minimisation of loss or waste, the care andprotection of Water resources and the efficientand effective use of Demand Management:The adaptation and implementation of a strategyby a Water institution or consumer to influencethe Water Demand and usage of Water in orderto meet any of the following objectives.

7 Economicefficiency, social development, social equity,environmental protection, sustainability of watersupply and services and political 5 AcronymsBWSBulk Water SupplierCMAC atchment Management AgencyCMSC atchment Management StrategyIPIntegrated PlanningIWRMI ntegrated Water ResourceManagementNRWNon-Revenue WaterNWAN ational Water ActNWC/WDMSN ational Water Conservation andWater Demand ManagementStrategyNWRSN ational Water Resource StrategySFRAS treamflow Reduction ActivitiesWCWater ConservationWfWWorking for WaterWDMW ater Demand ManagementWSAW ater Services AuthoritiesWSActWater Services ActWSDPW ater Services DevelopmentPlansWSIW ater Services Institutions1. The Water Services Sector andWater Conservation and WaterDemand ManagementThe Water Services sector represents an overalldemand of the order of 19% of the total wateruse in South Africa. This includes 4% from therural areas but excludes industries supplied bythe Water Services sector. This sector offers thegreatest future opportunity for WC/WDM becauseof the expected growth in Water Demand withinthe sector.

8 This Demand is likely to increasecomparatively steeply because of a combinationof: Population growth; The increased percentage of the populationthat will have access to Water services asthe current backlog is addressed; and The expected improvement in the standardof living, resulting in greater per capita Water Services Strategy is one of the threecomponents of the National Water Conservationand Water Demand Management Strategy(NWC/WDMS). The other two components arethe Agriculture sector strategy and the Industry,Mining and Power Generation sector NWC/WDMS is itself a contribution to theNational Water Resources Strategy (NWRS),being a component of Section 3 of Chapter 3 ofthe NWRS which is the overarching Departmentalstrategy development of the NWRS is itself arequirement of the National Water Act (Act 36of 1998). It sets out ways in which South Africaaims to achieve Integrated Water ResourceManagement (IWRM). It describes policies,strategies, plans and procedures by which thiswill be achieved.

9 It includes contributionsreceived from a wide range of stakeholdersacross the country, within and outside theDepartment. It is an interactive document thatpage 6will continue to grow and change as the needs,capacity and understanding of South is expected that the Water Services sector willplay a major role in WC/WDM. This documentexplains the role of Water Services Authorities(WSA) and Bulk Water Suppliers (BWS) inachieving the strategy. Their strategic outputsare linked to the generic objectives of Linkage with the National WaterConservation / Water DemandManagement StrategyDocumentThis document should be read as an expandedversion of the section on the Water Servicessector in the NWC/WDMS. The reader is advisedto obtain generic background information fromthe NWC/WDMS document, in which: Chapter 1 provides the introduction,background, context and legislativedevelopment; Chapter 2 explains the need for a WC/WDMstrategy; and Chapter 3 provides the applicable definitionsand Structure of the Water ServicesSector Strategy documentThe Water Services strategy document isstructured as follows: A background to the Water Services sectorin South Africa (Chapter 2); A description of the process followed todevelop the strategy, as well as the overallgeneric objectives of the NWC/WDMS towhich the Water Services sector strategy isa contribution (Chapter 3); A situation analysis and the opportunitiesfor WC/WDM in the Water Services sector(Chapter 4); A description of the institutional roles(Chapter 5); Detailed outputs, their linkage to the genericobjectives, activities associated to each andthe responsible institution.

10 These activitiesare provided as a framework for action forachieving the specific output. This chapterconstitutes the bulk of the strategy(Chapter 6); A description of guidelines and tools tosupport the implementation of the WaterServices sector strategy (Chapter 7); and Conclusions (Chapter 8).page 72. BackgroundThe Water Services sector offers the greatestopportunity for WC/WDM because of theexpected growth in Water Demand within thesector. Government policy requires that eachhousehold receives a free allocation of 6(000litres of safe reliable Water per month. However,a large number of South Africans are yet to enjoythis right, especially in the rural Water services sector is still characterisedby skewed patterns emanating from the apartheidera, although the picture is gradually areas can be clustered into four categories:the "former white areas", the "former urban blacktownships", the peri-urban areas (mostly informalsettlements) and the rural areas. The fourcategories are each described Former white areasThe Water services in the former white areas arecomparable in standard to those in industrialisedcountries.)