In the Blue Deal South Africa Programme, local water institutions are working together with the Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) to provide 2.5 million people in South Africa with access to clean, sufficient and safe water. Phase 1 of the programme has come to an end.
By Kirsten Kelly The programme started in 2019 and will end in 2030. There will be three phases of four years each. It is unique in that there is a large focus on knowledge sharing, collaboration and governance. It has assisted in improving water resources and water services via four projects in the following catchments:
“This is essentially a learning programme. We cannot solve all water management problems with a few projects, but we want the lessons learned in these projects to be applied in other regions. We hope that these projects will act as a multiplier, where their effect can be felt in 40 or even 400 different regions,” explains
Marion Wierda, member of DWA and chief executive of the Blue Deal South Africa management team. Since 2004, the Netherlands and South Africa have shared knowledge in the field of decentralisation of water management and the political and strategic aspects of water management. This developed into the Kingfisher Programme in 2014 that assisted with the creation of various catchment management agencies (CMAs). The Blue Deal Programme has built on experience acquired through the
Kingfisher Programme. It aims to improve rivers and wetlands in poor ecological condition, assist in water conservation, combat pollution, optimise wastewater treatment plants and reduce invasive species
. “There is plenty of expertise in South Africa; what the Blue Deal focuses on is bringing parties together, making them cooperate with each other. We have contacts in national, provincial and local government, as well as with a variety of stakeholders. We ask questions, put issues on the agenda, open discussions. That is the Blue Deal magic,” explains Wierda.
Dutch Water Authorities “The Netherlands has over 700 years of experience in water management. There are 21 regional water authorities in the Netherlands. Essentially a delta area, nearly half of our country is below sea level. We receive water from rivers from other countries. This makes water management for the Netherlands a national security issue, especially with the maintenance of the country’s system of dikes and pumps for flood defence. Half of our country would not exist without water management,” says Wierda. Climate change has caused both torrential rains and drought in the country, posing an additional challenge for the DWA. “While we have a lot of knowledge and experience to impart, we also want to learn from other countries like South Africa on how they are dealing with climate change. We have already learned a lot from South Africa in terms of stakeholder management. It is well structured and fundamental in every project,” she adds. Wierda lists three fundamental water management lessons that they would like to impart to South Africa:
- Water management is a long-term issue: Water management is realised in small steps and it is important to have good, steady policy like the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan (NW&SMP).
- We are all in this together: There are many stakeholders and parties who are needed to improve water management and the chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Cooperation is essential.
- Everything is here: South Africa is a country rich in both expertise and resources. These resources can be best utilised if there is better alignment between the national, provincial and local government.
When choosing projects, the Blue Deal South Africa Programme placed huge importance on the support of stakeholders within the project. “We can use the energy and commitment from stakeholders to turn that project into a success. We also tried to have projects that had a good geographical spread and that covered a variety of water quality and water management issues.” Wierda explains that Blue Deal South Africa is about listening. “We are not here to tell people how to do their jobs. It is about asking questions and building relationships. In order to develop any valuable insights, we have to work closely with everyone. It is a real privilege to travel abroad, gain experience in water management in other countries and make a difference. My work in South Africa has change my outlook. You begin to look at your work through South African eyes. I appreciate what we have developed in the Netherlands, but I also see inefficiencies where South Africans have implemented certain policies and technologies faster than the Dutch.
Hydronet Hydronet has been used when implementing the various Blue Deal South Africa projects. A web-based operational decision support system, Hydronet, transfers weather and water data (from different sources) into actionable dashboards and reports. It can be used for historical weather information, compliance monitoring, water allocation, water balances and water quality monitoring. Currently, there are over 500 users, which include the South African Weather Service, Gauteng Disaster Management, Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Agricultural Research Council, as well as various farmers, CMAs and wineries.
Partnerships The Blue Deal South Africa Programme is aligned to the NW&SMP, the National Development Plan as well as the Water Services Improvement Plan. The DWS and DWA are working closely together to ensure the Blue Deal South Africa Programme’s success.
Eustathia Bofilatos, director: Institutional Governance, DWS, says that water management is built on relationships; one may have great systems, but if there are no relationships between institutions and stakeholders, those systems will likely fail. “The Blue Deal South Africa Programme is built on collaboration between different spheres of government as well as the public. It has brought into focus the fact that we all need to stop working in silos and work more closely together, and pitch in to solve a particular problem together wherever possible, regardless of your allocated responsibility or mandate. “The Blue Deal South Africa Programme has provided a much needed outside perspective on water management in this country. They are determined to get things done, and we all need a little Blue Deal magic at times. The only way that we can solve water problems is through partnerships between countries and partnerships within countries,” says Bofilatos. Last November, phase 2 of the Blue Deal South Africa was signed, symbolising the long-term commitment on both sides to continue the collaboration.
