New environment report says water resources are unsustainable

South Africa’s first ‘State of the Environment’ report by the national department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, shows that water resources in the country are already almost fully utilised and that with the projected population growth and economic development rates, it is unlikely that the foreseen demand on water resources will be sustainable. “Water is increasingly becoming the limiting resource in South Africa, and supply will become a major restriction to the future socio-economic development of the country,” the report said. According to the report, maintaining sustainable water resources is a critical element in the battle against poverty and a “cornerstone of prosperity.” The report cites a number of reasons for the declining water resources, the most important being population growth and increased economic activity. This has led to intensification of land practices, which has in turn led to increased water demands and increased deterioration of water resources. It said that most of the country’s major rivers have been dammed to provide water to an expanding population. Most of the natural wetlands have been converted for other land purposes, and the report estimated that up to 50 percent of the country’s wetland have already been lost. It said that ground and surface water resources have been severely affected by pollution adversely affecting fresh water ecosystems. South Africa is to a large extent a very dry country, with only 8.6 percent of the annual rainfall available as surface water. This is one of the lowest ratios in the world. The country has an average rainfall of about 497 mm, the world average is about 860 mm per year. South Africa is not the only country in the southern Africa region that is facing decreased water resources. According to a recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) water sector report, the region has had “mixed blessings” in rainfall patterns. It said that the rainfall distribution in the region has been erratic and uneven, resulting in recurring droughts in many parts of the region. “In the rural areas of most SADC member states, which have underground water as their resource, shallow boreholes have dried up,” the SADC report said. SADC has maintained that an integrated approach towards the development and management of water resources has to be adopted. A World Bank report said that “the wars of the next century will be over water.” The SADC protocol on shared watercourse systems, which has been ratified by Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, says that “member states shall utilise a shared water system in an equitable way.” The Zambezi River Basin, is the largest in the SADC region and is shared by eight countries, with a total population of 102.9 million people, and flows over a distance of about 2,800 km. It is the fourth most shared river basin in Africa.