5.4 Results
5.4.3 Participants perceptions on the challenges in the catchment and their recommendations
catchment (Figure 5.3). The lack of financial capacity and human resources is the main challenge as perceived by most of the participants. This relates to the issue of institutional memory loss where experienced professionals are retiring or skilled professionals are employed elsewhere. Infrastructural failures and poor maintenance are the second challenge most of the participants deem to be a priority. A decrease in water availability is partly attributed to leaking pipes which forms an additional pressure on the overall water supply.
Many of the participants elaborated on the uMkomazi project which is the construction of a new dam along the uMkomazi River, located west of the uMngeni catchment, which is supposed to supplement the water supply in the uMngeni catchment. Participants stated that the infrastructural failures and leaking pipes will continue to be a challenge if not dealt with appropriately, despite the increase in water supply in the catchment. Another major challenge in the catchment is the lack of political will which relates to the delay in establishing a CMA, poor leadership, corruption and a lack of accountability regarding roles and responsibilities.
A number of the participants attributed the lack of coordination in the catchment and poor implementation of IWRM and AM to an absent CMA who would be responsible for integrating multiple roles in the water sector.
137 Figure 5.3 The challenges in the uMngeni catchment as prioritised by the participants
Due to the complex nature of water management and catchment management activities, some government departments have overlapping roles and responsibilities. Consequently, the issue of a department not taking responsibility over an issue as they assume it will be handled by another department becomes a reality. Moreover, many heads of departments do not have a focus on water management. The issue of corruption is publicised in the catchment as the Msunduzi Municipality is under administration and the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality appointed a new mayor due to ongoing investigations of corruption (Magubane, 2019;
Ndaliso, 2019; Singh, 2019). A fewer number of participants emphasised the issue of invasive alien species (IAS), poor awareness and education on wise water use by civil society; the implementation and enforcement of legislative tools; and poor water quality.
Alien vegetation is widespread in the catchment with gum, pine and wattle trees consuming large quantities of water compared to indigenous vegetation. As perceived by the participants, civil society has a role to play when it comes to using water sparingly and reporting leaks and damaged infrastructure. In middle to low-income areas and informal settlements, the blockage of sewerage systems is largely attributed to the incorrect disposal of animal carcasses, used nappies and solid waste, which ultimately affects water management.
A few of the participants deem it important to recognise the gaps and inconsistencies in our legislative tools. Some believe that the National Water Act 36 of 1998 (NWA) is complex and needs to be updated to cater to current issues. In addition, Specific Environmental Management Acts (SEMAs) have become more complex causing a lack of understanding among role-players in the water sector. As an example is, every citizen has the right to an
138 environment that is not harmful to their wellbeing and health and a number of SEMAs have been enacted to enforce this i.e. the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (NEM:AQA), the National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEM:WA) and the NWA. The challenge arises when role-players need to analyse the suite of laws and determine how to implement them. Similarly to the management of water resources, there is a suite of laws that pertain to water resources which need to be examined to ensure that they align and are implemented.
Other issues that were mentioned include poor water quality, illegal dumping of solid waste which is transported into rivers by rain and wind, the low degree of planning among different governmental departments, lack of knowledge to inform decision-making, variability in climate, illegal sand mining that increases siltation and reduces water availability and quality, and water being treated as a commodity rather than a precious resource. Furthermore, certain role-players or stakeholder groups are not part of the water management process. On one hand, farmers’ perception on their role in contributing to the degradation of the river system may be distorted, as they believe that they manage their land appropriately and there are no cumulative effects. This is an indication that farmers may not be sensitised to the issues in the catchment. On the other hand, the private sector is also not a part of water management as they should be considering the fact that some are water users. Companies who are registered water users and have attained Water Use Licences (WUL) are not obligated to be involved in water resources management. However, when companies gain the understanding that catchment wide water resource challenges (water scarcity, poor management and water pollution) can negatively affect their business, they may see value in investing in better water resources management activities, even if it is a small component. In doing so, it is beneficial for the catchment when companies have an interest in water resources management beyond their role of a water user, considering that they may have resources which are otherwise not available or limited within local government. The lack of participation by some stakeholder groups links with the issue of poor representation in CMF meetings as attending meetings is not compulsory. Finally, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), now Human Settlement, Water and Sanitation offices are in Pretoria and they may not fully understand the challenges in the catchment; and with the amalgamation of the two departments, roles and responsibilities will continue to overlap.
Based on these issues identified by the participants, three themes have been identified.
Firstly, there are missing role-players in water resource planning in the catchment. Secondly,
139 there is confusion between water resource management and catchment management. Thirdly, the nature of water resource management in the uMngeni is largely focussed on water services rather than resource planning. However, the latter seems to be changing with the draft of the CMS. Therefore, to improve water management in the catchment and potentially create an environment for IWRM and AM implementation, a few recommendations were suggested by the participants.
Many of the participants highlighted the need for institutional development to facilitate coordination. At the regional level, there is a serious need for an operational CMA to be established which will result in additional resources directed towards water management. At the local level, under the administration of the CMA should be the establishment of WUAs which is already detailed in water legislation and are statutory bodies. With the establishment of WUAs, all water users will have a platform to participate in water resource management and could potentially attract interest groups that were previously uninvolved. WUAs are advantageous because they would allow decision-makers to tap into indigenous knowledge which could facilitate informed decision-making. The establishment of a CMA and WUAs would also enable capacity building in communities, municipalities and schools, leading to better stewardship and wise water use. CMFs need to gain legitimacy by increasing their sense of identity so as to attract funding streams and role-players. Participants mentioned that CMFs need to improve their identity by creating logo’s and letterheads making them official organisations. By strengthening these organisations, not only will catchment management be streamlined in different government departments and private organisations to improve water use, but there will be improved regulation and enforcement. In addition, some participants reiterated the need to focus on overall water quality and prioritise resource protection downstream. A few participants recommended that water quality should be a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) across all sectors and departments. However, the enforcement of Resource Quality Objectives (RQOs) will depend on the institutional capacity of the DWS and the CMA once it has been established.
5.4.4 Participants willingness to change behaviour for improved water resources management