Slide 1

Theme : Information, monitoring &research

NWRS Workshops

October - December 2012

Managing Water for an Equitable and Sustainable Future

WATER INFORMATION AND MONITORING

CD: Water Resources Information Management

Importance of Monitoring and Information

•It is indispensable for effective water management;

•More and more reliable information will be critical in future;

•It is needed to address escalating challenges in:

–Increased water needs for growth, development and equity;

–Complexities and uncertainty brought about by climatechange;

–Competing needs of different water users and aquaticecosystems; and

•Good information on water depends on effective monitoringsystems, good data management, secure archiving and highlyaccessible dissemination systems.

Present Situation.

•Most hydrological datasets are still adequate, but withinsufficient growth and some decline in places;

•Inadequate maintenance, vandalism and theft of monitoringequipment;

•Many rainfall gauges have been closed down by SAWS;

•Not enough data sharing between governmentdepartments;

•Need more shared water information with countries inshared river basins;

•Information in the National Register of Water Use is stillincomplete;

•Several water information systems are still “stand alone”and with limited accessibility; and

•Resources (staff, skills, funding and equipment) formonitoring are still inadequate.

Drivers for Improved Governance of WaterInformation and Monitoring

•The scope is extensive and complex: availability, distribution,quantity, quality, use of water, costs and authorization;

•Monitoring happens at local, regional and national levels ofgovernment and in the sector;

•Significant information needs of many stakeholders must beaddressed;

•Many institutions are now involved in water informationmanagement and monitoring;

•Resources in funds, skills and manpower are limited;

•The is a growing resulting need to optimise efforts in monitoringand improve availability of information, and

•Great benefits and potential synergy will be gained througheffective collaboration and pooling of efforts in this field.

Strategic Approach

DWA will lead with a national plan in partnershipwith organs of state, water managementinstitutions, water users and water sectorinstitutions to improve, facilitate and coordinatethe ongoing monitoring, recording, assessment anddissemination of data and information on water atall levels.

Strategic Objectives

•Raise awareness about the value of water information;

•Improve national water monitoring governance;

•Improve the collection of water data and information;

•Rationalize data and information on water on a national scale;

•Increase efficient access to timely and related water information;

•Improve national coverage by data and information;

•Ensure reliable and quality-checked data and information;

•Increase investment in water and related information, and

•Improve the use of advanced and appropriate technologies inwater monitoring and information

Managing Water for an Equitable and Sustainable Future

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Key Issues to Address

•Raise awareness on the need to invest in collecting high qualitywater-related information in collaboration with water sectorinstitutions;

•Implement a national monitoring and information managementplan for the water sector, evaluated & updated every 5 years;

•Establish an integrated water information management systemaccessible to institutions and sector users by 2019;

•Ensure that high quality data and information for supportingscientific research, regulation, monitoring and complianceenforcement are made accessible to public and private institutions;

•Invest in building technical expertise needed to collect, analyse thewater information and to produce reports for decision-makers insupport of the “water footprint” concept;

More Key Issues…

•Build a network for data collection by water users,government, scientific institutions and members of the public;

•Work jointly with SAWS and the ARC to ensure improvedinvestment in rainfall monitoring.

•Develop a data sharing protocol and set national datastandards;

•Initiate the development of national and WMA-level wateraccounts during 2013 in preparation for NWRS-3;

•Ensure the necessary resources to improve the current watermonitoring infrastructure over the next five years to achievean effective monitoring network across the country as part ofthe 5 Year Monitoring Plan.

MOTIVATION

•The water sector in South Africa faces urgent challenges suchas the scarcity of the resource and the deterioration of thequality thereof

•This leaves us with no other alternative but to invest in thefuture through the development of R&I in the water sector

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

•Publicly-funded water R&I currently use the waterresearch levy, administered by the Water ResearchCommission (WRC) - currently approximately R150million/annum

• The total level of water-related R&I funding (public plusprivate) is higher – between R250 and R350million/annum for the sector as a whole

•Most of the water research is conducted at universities,science councils, parastatals, private sector organisations,water utilities and NGOs

KEY ISSUES

•Fragmentation between the water sector R&I strategy,national science and technology, the national R&D strategyand the National System of Innovation

•Reliance on international research and innovations, whilethere are local solutions available (sometimes outside therecognised formal sector)

•Researchers must be trained and encouraged to contributetowards solutions for the water sector

•Over-reliance of water-related R&I on public funding

•Uptake of research and innovation products

•No consolidated database of R&I roleplayers and products

SOLUTIONS

•DWA to take a lead role in directing and supporting researchand innovation to address specific water sector challenges

•Develop a framework for monitoring and evaluation of R&Iprogress and uptake/use

•Promote innovation and technology in the private and publicsector by making funds available for pilot projects, supportknowledge sharing and continue to award outstandingachievement in various forums

•Utilisation of indigenous knowledge to enhance waterresource conservation and management

•Establishment of a comprehensive inventory of water relatedR&I data for the South African water sector

•Establish a viable funding model for the sourcing andallocation of financial resources to water sector R&I

•Effective utilisation of mobile technology and satellite imageryin resource monitoring, compliance monitoring andenforcement activities

•Establish public-private partnerships to secure funding forwater-related R&I

SOLUTIONS