Abstract
South Africa faces significant inequities in the allocation of water for productive purposes. Water allocation is one component of a wider government mandate to address the inequities of the past. Water allocation reform is being implemented by the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), through the Water Allocation Reform (WAR) Programme. This paper presents an approach for determining indicators that can be used to monitor targets for WAR and for prioritising areas for specific WAR interventions. The approach integrates water use data with environmental, economic and equity data to provide a holistic picture of the progress and benefits of WAR. Limitations of the approach are discussed, specifically related to the data on which the indicators are based. The development of data for the equity indicator presents specific challenges which are discussed through examples from its application in four case study areas.
Highlights
Integrated water resource management (IWRM) is not an end in it itself but a means to achieve the objectives of efficiency, equity and environmental sustainability in water resource management
At the conclusion of the project, the results were discussed at two workshops with the regional offices responsible for the four water management areas (WMAs)
The data are based on Department of Land Affairs (DLA) data that was obtained in March 2007 and Water Authorisation Registration and Management System (WARMS) data obtained in January 2007
Summary
Integrated water resource management (IWRM) is not an end in it itself but a means to achieve the objectives of efficiency, equity and environmental sustainability in water resource management. If an IWRM approach reflects a process and not an outcome, it is important to develop a means of monitoring how effective certain water resource management decisions are in achieving the desired outcomes of efficiently managed, equitably allocated and environmentally sustainable water resources. To this end, water resource management initiatives, that adopt an IWRM approach, should include appropriate indicators, supported by well managed information monitoring systems. Undertaking water resource management within an IWRM framework faces the challenge of continuing to improve the traditional hydrological focus areas, while concurrently developing more holistic,
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