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National Water Act, 1998 (Act No. 36 of 1998)

A Pricing Strategy For Raw Water Use Charges

2. Water Supply and Demand

 

 

In formulating such a new water pricing strategy, it will be necessary to meet the challenges presented by the existing and growing imbalances between the availability, supply and demand for water in South Africa. The increasing gap between supply and demand has been confirmed by studies carried out by the DWAF, which indicate that the quantity of remaining surface water resources available to meet South Africa’s needs within the most important water catchments will be adequate only until the year 2030 if the present usage patterns are maintained. Some catchments are already over-allocated and the water resources are highly degraded and non-sustainable.

 

2.1 Factors influencing Supply

 

There are a number of factors that influence the supply of water in South Africa.

 

These include the fact that:

• much of the country is semi-arid with relatively low rainfall;
• rainfall patterns are erratic, i.e. not consistent in terms of the parts of the country or the time of year in which it falls;
• regions of high runoff are often situated away from areas of maximum water demand;
• the country’s groundwater - which is often the main source of supply of water in rural areas - is limited and often of poor quality;
• catchments have been infested by invader vegetation which uses more water than the natural vegetation; and
• decreasing water quality has an impact on the availability of water of an appropriate quality for use.

 

2.2 Factors Influencing Demand

On the other hand, the demand for water in South Africa is growing. Factors that contribute to this growth are:

• the high population growth rate;
• rapid urbanisation;
• economic development;
• demands for basic services and higher levels of service (such as in-house water rather than communal standpipes);
• the need to sustain and rehabilitate ecological systems;
• the drive to provide accessible, drinkable water for everyone in the country; and
• ineffective mechanisms, including pricing structures to reduce demand.