Chairperson, chairperson of the portfolio committee, hon Members of Parliament, chairpersons of boards and chief executive officers of public entities and nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, you are all welcome, distinguished ladies and gentlemen.
As we conclude the first decade of the 21st century, what has come to be known as the "global water crisis" is fast becoming common knowledge in the world we live in. The Overseas Development Institute explains this global water crisis as follows:
Three quarters of the world's fresh water is frozen in glaciers and icebergs. Less than 1% flows in rivers and lakes. That which does, together with the 20% lying underground, faces increasing pressure as the global population grows and demand for water rises.
It is, therefore, a frightening reality that we do not have enough of this resource. It is also clear that if we continue to squander the increasingly limited water resources at our disposal, we will aggravate the shortage and plunge our country into a severe crisis. More so, water is a catalyst for poverty alleviation and economic growth and development.
Last year I committed myself to tackling the challenges faced by communities living near or adjacent to the so-called single purpose dams. Those communities have no access to the water contained in those dams, and they clearly deserve better treatment and attention. The aim is to broaden the access of close-by communities who are currently receiving limited water services from existing boreholes.
I now report that we have started the implementation of ambitious projects to convert the Taung and Jozini Dams from single purpose to multipurpose dams. In the Taung and Naledi areas about 86 000 people stand to benefit from this and another 68 000 people stand to benefit in Jozini. In Jozini alone we are spending a total of R1,1 billion over three project phases. While the implementation of these projects commenced in the 2009-10 financial year, they will be implemented in phases. It is anticipated that the communities will get water by the year 2013-14.
This is a long-term programme with huge financial implications, and it involves the commissioning of 40 dams across the country. We will spend R172 million for Taung and R62 million for Jozini over the next Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period. We intend to proceed with the planning process for the construction of Umzimvubu Dam. The funding requirements will be presented to National Treasury before the end of this financial year.
Chairperson, our department has completed an analysis of the status of water resources within identified growth areas in the country. You will recall that we committed ourselves to investing about R30 billion on megawater resource mega-infrastructure projects for economic development - projects for energy, agriculture and industry. I am also pleased to announce that the department plans to complete seven new bulk raw water augmentation projects during the 2010-14 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework to support sustained economic growth and meet the growing social water needs.
These projects include the following: the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project and the construction of De Hoop Dam, where the partial impoundment of water is scheduled to begin by October 2010. The first delivery is expected by April 2011. Currently 752 people are employed on the project. Then there is the Mokolo River Augmentation Project, which will supply water to the new Medupi Power Station, coal mines and Lephalale Municipality. The project will create opportunities for the development of future power stations and the development of the new petrochemical industries in Limpopo. On average, about 500 jobs will be created over the next five years. Finally, there is the Mooi-Mgeni Transfer Scheme Project, which involves the construction of the Spring Grove Dam for domestic water supply in the Ethekwini and Umgungundlovu areas. The construction of a transfer pipeline from Mooi River to Mgeni River is also planned to commence by the end of 2010, and it is anticipated that the first water delivery will take place by the year 2013.
We are also focusing on rehabilitating existing water resource infrastructure. The department is spending in excess of R1 billion per annum on capital maintenance projects, including the following: the Gamtoos irrigation scheme, the Vlakfontein canal, and the Bospoort and Nsami dams. Eighteen Dams have been completed to date, and this financial year will see the completion of a further seven. The repair of these dams brings substantial benefits, including the sustainability of water supply to water users, the mitigation of water losses and an expansion of the spillway capacity to ensure dam protection as part of disaster management.
South Africa has a boundary of approximately 3 000 km of seawater, and this sea water is unusable at present because of its high salt content. We therefore made a decision to press ahead with unconventional water treatment - in this case, desalination - largely because of the unavailability of river water due to drought. The desalination initiative attracted greater attention when the department requested the affected municipalities, especially along the coastline, to recycle water as part of the municipalities' water management regime.
Coastal towns, such as Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, George and Mossel Bay, have relied on river water for the past 300 years or so, notwithstanding their proximity to the sea. But with the prevailing drought, which is now worse than any in the past 150 years, these towns are obliged to introduce purification processes that can utilise sea water as a source for their potable water supplies. Desalination has become the preferred purification option, in terms of both the cost benefit and the flexibility of application. The concept of recycling waste water, coupled with the desalination process, is a leading example of optimising the use of water by utilising it more than once and thus greatly increasing water security.
Hon members will appreciate that there is the need to maintain the delicate balance between the need for water security and the environmental impact of desalination plants. There is ample scientific evidence that the impact of the effluent from desalination plants on the sea-water environment is to increase the sea water temperature, salinity, water current and turbidity. As the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs we must walk this tightrope skilfully, for the benefit of both present and future generations. So, balancing environmental management and desalination is very important.
Marking World Water Day on 22 March 2010, the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, called on the United Nations to declare access to safe drinking water a basic human right. As hon members are surely aware, South Africa is among the few countries in the world that have access to water enshrined in the Constitution as a basic human right. It is in recognition of this fundamental constitutional obligation that we should respond as a matter of urgency to issues affecting various sectors and communities in respect of access to safe drinking water.
The department pledged to work closely with municipalities to strengthen their capacity and to improve reporting on their water-quality systems. Municipalities that pass the test are awarded Blue Drop certificates. I am pleased to report that last year we awarded 22 of these certificates. We will now redouble our efforts to multiply this number. Our aim is to assess around 450 systems and it is edifying that so many municipalities are eager to improve their systems and their reporting in their bid for Blue Drop status.
The 2010 Fifa World Cup Host Cities Blue Drop Certification Report on the quality of drinking water rated all our host cities as excellent. This is not only highly encouraging, but sets the bar at a high level for others to emulate. D-day for the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup is fast approaching, and it is gratifying to know that we can confidently assure our visitors and, of course, the citizens of South Africa, and the rest of the world, that our water is safe to drink.
I know the release of the Green Drop report is long overdue. There has been much speculation about its contents, and I must say that the general state of our waste-water treatment is not pleasing. However, it must be noted that there are pockets of excellence, even in some of our small towns. It must also be borne in mind that the document is reporting on only 55% of the waste-water treatment facilities in the country and the department did not want to be tempted by speculative statements about the rest of the sector. I undertake to release the report in about two weeks or so - I have actually given the media the date 28 April. There is a big problem with acid mine drainage in the Witwatersrand area, which threatens our ground water resources and the very integrity of the environment and human survival. Even the famous Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage Site, is under threat. We are currently engaged in short- term interventions to alleviate the worst effects, but the time has come for those responsible to account for their actions. An intermediate solution is needed for the central basin in order to avert major problems in the Johannesburg and Vaal areas. We set aside R6,9 million for work on this over a three-month period. We also need a sustainable long-term strategy to manage it. I hope you will be encouraged when I tell you that we are presently hard at work with mining operators in search of a lasting solution. I wish to emphasise that we, as government, made these interventions in the western basin to avert a catastrophe. We cannot, as government, sit back and allow the situation to degenerate into a crisis, but we must all appreciate that the polluters must pay. Those who inherited or bought the mines, who now own them, have inherited both assets and liabilities, and this is but one liability. Indeed, they should dip into their pockets to ensure that we manage this situation.
We are also concerned about the issue of ownerless and derelict mines, a matter we are already jointly dealing with, with the Department of Mining. We are in the process of strengthening our enforcement capacity to deal with water crimes. Our Constitution guarantees citizens the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and further makes a commitment to the prevention of pollution and degradation. We are all aware of the problems emanating from the pollution of our rivers and streams, which greatly compromises the quality of our raw water. Also, a substantial proportion of water scarcity and pollution is caused by criminal acts, including illegal obstructions and the diversion of rivers by users greedy to serve their own needs at the expense of communities downstream.
You will be pleased to know that the department has done a lot to crack the whip on many of these defaulters. In the financial year 2009-10, we issued a total of 239 directives. Of these, 31 have been resolved positively, and 14 are currently before the courts. The rest are in the rigorous process of being resolved. We will intensify this aspect of our work and ensure that we bring to book all offenders in this regard.
I am also pleased to announce that we have increased the capacity of the Blue Scorpions. A total of 14 water-management inspectors have been recruited and trained in our enforcement, compliance and monitoring programme. A regulation branch will be established to attract the right level of expertise and enhance our regulatory capacity.
Hon members, we are now prioritising focused support to local government for sustained water delivery. One of the key pillars of the local government turnaround strategy is the focus on improved access and provision of water to communities. We are committed to working closely with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to ensure the successful implementation of this strategy.
The department's efforts to support local government have historically been focused on building and strengthening the administrative, institutional and financial capabilities of municipalities for the delivery of services, particularly of struggling municipalities. This included hands-on technical support through the deployment of engineers in collaboration with key sector partners. However, due to challenges related to noncompliance and ageing infrastructure, the department subsequently reviewed its support strategy and currently addresses these issues by placing more emphasis on regulatory support. This includes positioning and implementing systems to monitor compliance with drinking water quality and effluent discharge standards at municipal level, together with water conservation, demand management and the deployment of technical expertise to guide the compliance processes.
It is opportune, therefore, to note that the local government turnaround strategy provides both a vehicle and a structure to enable the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to work together with us to fast-track the implementation of this strategic move. Further effort is directed towards building the supporting bulk infrastructure for social needs, including the refurbishment of existing infrastructure, such as waste-water treatment plants and water services infrastructure in some areas at risk.
The department will be implementing a comprehensive national ground-water strategy this financial year. This strategy is aimed at the full utilisation of ground-water resources, in conjunction with surface water. Studies suggest that we are using less than 30% of renewable ground-water resources. This number has to be increased to at least 50% if we are to effectively address the challenges of water supply to our communities, especially in rural communities where there is the most need. We will work with local government through our regional offices to ensure an integrated approach which takes into account the economies of scale.
You will also recall that in 2009 I convened a series of provincial water summits, covering all provinces, with the exception of Gauteng and the Northern Cape - which are by no means excluded. At these summits various stakeholders came together to deliberate on critical challenges facing the water sector, with the objective of finding common solutions to such challenges in a collaborative and inclusive manner.
At the summits I urged all stakeholders to give water priority status in provincial development planning and to form provincial water committees to strengthen integrated planning and oversight on programme implementation. To their credit, all provincial water summits acknowledged the critical importance of water in supporting their growth and economic development plans.
Elevating water to the high table of national deliberations is the critical factor which, I believe, will contribute to economic growth and development. Accordingly, later this year we will convene a national summit which will, among others, work to synthesise these deliberations. South Africa has limited water resources, hence water is a finite resource requiring firmly entrenched management. We must roll up our sleeves and start to fight back against scarcity and the wasting of water. We will not be alone in raising our voices for some decisive action. Today, we are joined by a cadre of young activists who will add their compelling voices to our chorus. I'm referring to three stars of television ...