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WATER DOESN’T
COME FROM A TAP
SOUTH AFRICA’S
RAINFALL
Easy access to our most critical
natural resource often leads to an
undervaluing of it, and distances us
from the origins of our water supply
South Africa’s water security depends on the
sustained supply from our water resources. These are
the natural capital on which all our investments into the water sector depend. It is
imperative that they are conserved, restored, maintained, monitored and carefully
managed.
9%
GOES INTO RIVERS AND
SURFACE WATER
4%
RECHARGES
GROUNDWATER
Surface water includes rivers and lakes, and is often used for large urban water
supply. Groundwater includes all subsurface or underground water, stored in soil,
rock pores, crevices and aquifers. It emerges as springs and seeps and is abstracted
via boreholes or wells. Many rural communities are solely dependent on groundwater
for their water supply.
Rivers, wetlands, estuaries, springs and aquifers are all water resources from the
natural environment, replenished by rainfall.
“Ecological infrastructure is defined as the
naturally functioning ecosystems that produce
and deliver services that are of value to society -
fresh water, climate regulation, soil formation and
disaster risk reduction. Ecological infrastructure is
the nature-based equivalent of built infrastructure...
equally important for providing services and
underpinning socio-economic development. ”
− Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and
South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
THE POLICY THAT GOVERNS OUR WATER
South Africa’s waters are governed by the Water Services Act of 1997 and the
National Water Act (NWA) of 1998. The NWA is founded on the principle that
all water forms part of a unitary, interdependent water cycle, and should thus
be governed under consistent rules. It contains comprehensive provisions for
the protection, use, development, conservation, management and control of
South African water resources. The strategic objectives are stipulated in the
National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS; DWAF 2013). Transformation
in the water resource sector includes a shift from central management to
decentralised institutions, including the establishment of Water Management
Areas, defined largely by hydrological catchment borders, and administered by
Catchment Management Agencies.
Water Facts & Futures: Rethinking South Africa’s Water Future | Page
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