Equitable Water Resources Underpin Democratic Reform

Restricting access to water and sanitation was an effective weapon in South Africa’s apartheid government’s arsenal of oppression and control. Black people had very few rights and the independent homelands had to negotiate to obtain water rights in competition with users outside of their territories.

The provision of basic water supply and sanitation to the majority of South Africa’s people, as well as the need for equity in the allocation of water were given high priority following the democratic elections in 1994. The National Water Act of 1998 was a key milestone in the government’s water reform process and will have far-reaching effects on social and economic development as well as environmental management. Water is now treated in an integrated manner, being a resource common to all.

South Africa is the first country in the world to have adopted national water legislation that serves as a tool in the transformation of society based on social and environmental justice, and the government is working to secure socioeconomic development priorities that are also ecologically sustainable.

Dr Everard says: “Capacity-building, supported by affluent nations to help developing nations emerge from poverty, inequity and inefficient resource use, has been identified as an international priority. Skills in the concepts and language of ecosystem services constitute a core theme of that capacity-building, along with capabilities in institutional reform, facilitation and learning. Underpinning all of this are the aquatic ecosystems that need to be protected and, ideally, restored if they are to continue to provide the many ecosystems services sustaining human wellbeing and potential.”

Dr Everard will be presenting his talk ‘Equity, sustainability and efficiency: aquatic ecosystems and democratic reform in South Africa’ at CIWEM’s Annual Conference on 30th April in the Climate Change and Sustainability session. The conference will be on 29th to 30th April 2009 at the Olympia Conference Centre, London.