Pictured: Minister of Water Affairs, Edna Molewa

The Strategic Water Partners Network – South Africa (SWPN-SA) is developing a “No Drop” Programme, building on the successful Department of Water Affairs Green Drop and Blue Drop programmes, to assist municipalities to assess and improve their water use efficiency.

This was announced by Minister of Water Affairs, Edna Molewa, at the recent water session held at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa 2013 Summit at the Cape Town International Conference Centre on 8 May 2013. The Programme has been developed in light of President Jacob Zuma challenging South Africa to reduce water loss by half in 2014 and the Department of Water Affairs introducing the “War on Leaks” Project.

According to Molewa, as part of this package, the network is developing a tool to support municipalities take on the challenge to reduce water leakage in the systems. “When rolled out, the research suggests we will be able to save 619 million cubic metres, closing the country’s water gap by 3,5% by 2025.”

The SWPN-SA is an initiative that was announced by Molewa 2 years ago with the 2030 Water Resources Group, with the vision of engaging all stakeholders, enhance collaboration and create partnerships in an effort to support South Africa secure its water future and close the projected 17% water gap in 2030.

“A cornerstone of the SWPN-SA is developing innovative solutions that leverage the strength and expertise of the Department of Water Affairs, the SA private sector, civil society and expert organisations. By consolidating resources and technical capacity, we can create shared value for all stakeholders. It is through this mentality that this partnership is yielding early and tangible results,” said Molewa.

She highlighted the “No Drop” Programme as one of the SWPN-SA National Impact Projects, along with other initiatives that, for example,address the treatment and reuse of water from mining operations. Here the SWPN-SA is looking at one specific catchment, where estimates indicate that mine water is expected to contribute 11% in fulfilling future water requirements. The SWPN-SA’s focus is on defining institutional and pricing models that would make it worthwhile for government and mines to work together and expand the treatment and re-use of mine water “to maximise its contribution to closing the water gap.”

“I will continue to champion the SWPN-SA within South Africa and also to share our experience and learnings with new country partnerships. I invite all of you here today to also join me in our efforts to close South Africa’s water gap,”concluded Molewa.