NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 2222
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 13 NOVEMBER 2009
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 28)
2222 Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental
Affairs:
(1) Whether a revised version of the National Water Resource
Strategy will be published in January 2010; if not, (a) why not
and (b) when will it be published; if so, what are the relevant
details;
(2) Whether a process of stakeholder consultation will be part
of the development of the revised strategy; if not, why not; if
so, when will the consultation process commence;
(3) (a) which government departments will be involved in the
development of the revised strategy and (b) what is the (i)
rationale for and (ii) detail of the involvement of each
department?
NW2931E
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REPLY:
(1)(a) No, a revised version of the National Water Resource
Strategy (NWRS) will not be published in January 2010. However,
Instead My Department has been consulting on the Water for
Growth and Development framework (WfGD), which sets the
foundation for revising the NWRS. The WfGD framework is aimed
at ensuring the centrality of water in all planning activities
in the country.
(1)(b) The 2nd edition of the NWRS will be ready for Gazetting by
January 2011.
(2) Yes, stakeholder consultation will form part of the revision of
the NWRS. The process will commence in 2010, after the
consultations on WfGD have been concluded.
(3)(a) The National Water Act (NWA), Act No.36 of 1998 does not
specify the involvement of any particular government
departments or organisations. However, subsection 1(b) of the
NWA states that, âif any, interested person with appropriate
contents to bring in the establishment of the NWRS (which I
consider to be appropriate)â, I must take notice and give
attention to those interested people. In line with
Intergovernmental Relations framework Act No. 13 of 2005, the
following government departments will be consulted: Department
of Mineral Resources, National Planning Commission, Department
of Energy, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry and
Department of Rural Development & Land Reform and the
Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs Department.
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(3)(b)(i) The involvement will be in line with Section 21 of the
National Water Act, (Act no. 36 of 1998), as follows:
(3)(b)(ii)
⢠Department of Minerals & Resources: Issue mining licenses, which
impact on water quality.
⢠National Planning Commission: Facilitates national spatial
development
⢠Department of Energy: Issue licenses for generation of hydro-
power
⢠Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries: Administer use
of water mainly for irrigation.
⢠Department of Rural Development & Land Affairs: Aligned water
availability to enhance rural livelihoods and land productivity.
⢠Department of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs:
Provision of Water Services.
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