The Western Cape Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) hosted a session on water management best practices with a Danish delegation.
The two-day engagement, which began on the 12th of July, provided opportunity to exchange information on water conservation, demand management, governance, and other aspects of water management South Africa through the former Minister, Ms. Nomvula Mokonyane, signed a Strategic Water Sector Cooperation MoU with the Kingdom of Denmark late in 2015. The purpose of the Sector Cooperation Programme (SCP) is to support the South African government agencies and other relevant stakeholders in developing and implementing strategy, management, and regulatory frameworks to contribute to the political visions and selected goals of South Africa’s National Water Resource Strategy (2013), namely that: “water is efficiently and effectively managed for equitable and sustainable growth and development”.The Provincial Head of the Department of Water and Sanitation in the Western Cape, Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa, opened the sessions by saying that water conservation and water demand management are key strategies to mitigate climate change effects.
“This was evident during the worst drought in Cape Town in 2017/18. As a result of the combined efforts of different water users, the demand for water was significantly reduced”, she said During the sessions, high-end industries presented their water use sustainability initiatives, including those that reduced water demand. In addition, the Danish delegation also visited Spier Wastewater Treatment Plant. Bila-Mupariwa further said it was a pleasure to see Denmark and South Africa’s generous commitment to sharing best practices in the field of water management.
