Delegates at the recent Water and Sanitation Summit have committed to develop a Water and Sanitation Ten-Year Plan as the water and sanitation pillar of the National Development Plan.

The Water and Sanitation Ten-Year Plan will have four cornerstones. These include the development of an inclusive, empowering and integrated water and sanitation policy and legislative environment.

Further, the plan should provide an innovative and inclusive service delivery model driven by research and technology especially with regards to alternative solutions to ensure universal coverage.

The third cornerstone is the third National Water Resources Strategy which will ensure South Africa’s long term sustainable water security in the wake of climate change and our expanded development needs.

Lastly, a novel public-private sector partnership will both ensure optimum service delivery for all as well as developing a competitive South Africa Water Industry.

Other commitments

The delegates also committed to repositioning of the function of government through a one-stop centre based in the Department of Water and Sanitation.

They further promised to effectively utilise the knowledge and information available to them in order to utilise resources in a diligent and effective manner, as well as to create an enabling environment for those who have been isolated, excluded and marginalized from education, skills development and ownership.