Strategic Plan: A Situation Analysis 2009

According to the Situation Analysis 2009, Water Reconciliation Strategy Studies were initiated for large metropolitan areas – of which the town of George was one – to determine aspects of current water availability, water use, and future requirements for water, and how these three topics can be reconciled through different strategies (SA, 2009:6). The goals of the studies were to develop future scenarios, to investigate all possible water resources which could be added to current resources, to investigate and recommend how demand for water can be reconciled with currently available supply, and the creation of a system to monitor and update these strategies. Target areas for the reconciliation studies were identified as primary growth areas in the National Spatial Development Plan. The studies conducted on metropolitan areas were taken to their specific Strategy Steering Committee (SSC) which will meet and recommend annually monitoring strategies. This is being done to maintain a 25-year planning outlook (SA, 2009:8).

The studies concluded that in the chosen metropolitan areas WC/WDM activities should be implemented as soon as possible by WSAs/municipalities. Secondly, the re-use of water as a potential source of water for coastal cities is to be recommended; however in some inland areas the re-use of

water has become a necessity. Groundwater has also been identified as a resource. The quest for more surface water resources and more inter-basin transfer schemes has to play a role in reconciling supply and demand for current and future situations (SA, 2009:8).

The Western Cape Water Supply System Reconciliation Strategy Study was completed in 2007, after nationwide studies were initiated in 2005. The situation after 2007 can be summarised as follows: the Strategy Steering Committee (SSC) was formed in 2007 and is active; WC/WDM activities have been put in place and the 2011 estimate of demand exceeding supply has been moved to 2013, and the re-use of water will only be assessed in the 2010/11 financial year (SA, 2009:27). With more of a focus on the supply of water, the current situation includes feasibility studies (also for the financial year 2010/11) for the use of the Table Mountain Aquifer, using already completed drilling pilot studies: six surface water feasibility studies had already been executed in 2008. Not many achievements have been listed in the Situation Analysis of 2009, because most supply-orientated studies (boreholes, surface water studies) started later than planned. The spilling of poorly treated wastewater still goes on and Water Demand Management activities in towns outside of Cape Town, in the Western Cape, are not as successful (SA, 2009:28).

Plans for the future in the Situation Analysis make mention of “All Towns Reconciliation Strategy Studies”, that will provide reconciliation strategies for those towns not covered by the studies in metropolitan areas. Every town and village has to be assessed to determine water resource availability (SA, 2009:9). These studies would determine sources of water supply and better inform municipal managers to help them execute the Water Services Development Plans and Integrated Development Plans more effectively. The studies would aim to investigate the water requirements of a town, resource management options, source development options (groundwater, surface water, return flows and re-use) and reconcile demand and supply. WC/WDM measures would also play a key role. Water quality and the state of water services infrastructure will be another aspect to examine. Solutions will be recommended specifically to address infrastructure and capacity problems in towns. This All Towns Reconciliation Strategy Study is aimed to be completed over the next three years, from the adoption of this document (SA, 2009:9).

South Africa has numerous acts of legislation that set the path for better water resource management, especially in urban areas. With the current situation of climate change, Integrated Urban Water

Management has to be considered. Having looked at the legislation, it seems as if the country guided these endeavours. However by doing this thesis, one has now to discover if any of these plans and strategies has been implemented to an urban planning/designing level, to comply with the theme of WSUD. The implementation of legislation fits in well with a conclusion by Gunnel (2009:18) which emphasised that simply reducing negative impacts by a certain percentage is not going to solve the world’s environmental problems, though it can certainly help it to become standard practice.

2.7 CONCLUSION

The literature review reveals how unsustainable conventional urban water management system became, which gave rise to a response. The response across the globe came in the form of a concept called Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM). IUWM is the initial concept that eventually resulted in the formulation of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) in Australia. Outside of Australia, IUWM resulted in Low-Impact Development (LID) in the United States of America, Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) in the United Kingdom and Low Impact Urban Design and Development (LIUDD) in New Zealand. The literature review focused mainly on WSUD since the primary objective of the study is to determine the type and extent of WSUD activities implemented by the George municipality. The history of WSUD is discussed as well as those various WSUD activities which can be implemented. WSUD was not applied without problem in Australia; hence the impediments to WSUD implementation in Australia were also discussed. Lastly, a detailed description of South Africa’s water management legislation was given, to identify which legislative documents incorporate WSUD principles. In conclusion, Speers & Mitchell (2000:3) and Newman (2001:96) mention that WSUD techniques/activities work more effectively if a whole combination of measures is implemented for each unique situation. However, Newman (2001:99) adds that multi-centred cities are emerging because of the economy – but the question remains, whether water management can also be de-centralised with a multiple-site approach, even though the technology seems to be available. In southern Africa however, the implementation of Demand Reduction Techniques or, rather, Water Conservation and Water Demand Management on a local municipality scale is hampered by a lack of human and financial resources, and the focus on water resource augmentation as only a short-term option. The benefits of these techniques need to be emphasised along with national support to maintain the smooth running of the activities (Mwendera et al, 2003:769).

The case study area chosen for the study is the George municipality. To provide a clear context, more background on the municipality is given in the next chapter.

CHAPTER 3: STUDY AREA