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	[[Africa Groundwater Atlas Home \| Africa Groundwater Atlas]] >> [[Additional resources \| Additional resources]] >> [[Case studies \| Case studies]] >> An example of groundwater management from South Africa		[[Africa Groundwater Atlas Home \| Africa Groundwater Atlas]] >> [[Additional resources \| Additional resources]] >> [[Case studies \| Case studies]] >> Case study: An example of groundwater management from South Africa

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	See also the [[Hydrogeology of South Africa \| '''Hydrogeology of South Africa''']] page.		See also the [[Hydrogeology of South Africa \| '''Hydrogeology of South Africa''']] page.


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[[Africa Groundwater Atlas Home | Africa Groundwater Atlas]] >> [[Additional resources | Additional resources]] >> [[Case studies | Case studies]] >> An example of groundwater management from South Africa

See also the [[Hydrogeology of South Africa | '''Hydrogeology of South Africa''']] page.

This page is still being developed. Please check back soon for updates

==An example of groundwater management from South Africa==

This case study describes a groundwater management strategy used in South Africa in the 2000s to tackle two groundwater problems: groundwater pollution and groundwater depletion.

===Groundwater Pollution===

Two particular types of groundwater pollution were identified in South Africa in the early 2000s as needing urgent management:

* Acid mine drainage. An example of this in Gauteng Province is given by the [[Case Study Acid Mine Drainage South Africa | case study on acid mine drainage in South Africa]].

* Agricultural pollution. Particular problems were contamination of groundwater by nitrate, potassium, ortho-phosphate and faecal microbes; and increases in salinity caused by irrigation return flows. Pesticides used in agriculture and infiltrating into groundwater were also a problem.

===Groundwater Depletion===

It was recognised that there was increasing and unsustainable groundwater abstraction in response to three main drivers:

* To meet increased demand for drinking water that was driven by growing urbanisation

* To meet growing demand for irrigation

* Encouraged by increasingly cheap abstraction technologies and other facilitating factors such as electrification of rural areas

===Institutional response===

The institutional response from the South African government, specifically the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), was based on the National Water Act (1998), which defines groundwater as a common, public resource. Under this Act:

* National government is the custodian of the nation’s water resources, including groundwater.

* All water uses, excluding reserves for basic human use and for ecological health, are subjected to an allocation system promoting equitable and sustainable development.

* The riparian system of allocation, in which right to use water is tied to ownership of land along rivers, was effectively abolished.

* Water use allocations are not permanent but are given for a reasonable period (maximum 40 years).

* Existing water users have to apply to register their water use within a set period.

* To promote efficient water use, there is a policy to charge users for the full financial costs of providing access to water, including infrastructure development and catchment management activities.

===Defining basic principles for groundwater resource management===

DWAF defined three basic principles for groundwater resource management:

[[File:3principles.png|thumb| 500px|center| Three basic principles for groundwater resource management defined by DWAF, South Africa]]

===A tiered implementation strategy===

This approach taken by DWAF involved a three-tier strategy of implementation:

[[File:3tiersimplentation.png|thumb| 500px|center| The three tier groundwater management implementation strategy taken by DWAF, South Africa]]

At regional level, the DWAF delegated responsibilities for groundwater management to statutory [http://www.dwa.gov.za/IO/Docs/CMA/CMA%20GB%20Training%20Manuals/gbtrainingmanualchapter3.pdf Catchment Management Agencies], which in turn deal with smaller scale water user groups.

===Sources===

Department of Water Affairs 1998. [http://www.dwa.gov.za/Documents/Legislature/nw_act/NWA.pdf Republic of South Africa National Water Act: Act No. 36 of 1998].

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. 2000. [http://www.dwa.gov.za/groundwater/Documents/GWQualityApr2000.pdf Policy and Strategy for Groundwater Quality Management in South Africa]. Report Number W.1.0: First Edition 2000 by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), Republic of South Africa.

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. 1998. [http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/Publications/NWAguide.pdf Guide to the National Water Act]. Report by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), Republic of South Africa.

Tewari DD and Kushwaha RL. 2008. [https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060801927630 Socio-economics of groundwater management in Limpopo, South Africa: poverty reduction potential and resource management challenges]. Water International, 33(1), 69-85. doi: 10.1080/02508060801927630

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