1. Progress report on establishment of Water Management Institutions
PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
06 SEPTEMBER 2006
Eustathia Bofilatos
Director: WMIG

2. Contents
Transformation of Irrigation Boards into Water User Associations
Establishment of Catchment Management Agencies

3. Transformation of IBs to WUAs
Transformation of irrigation boards (IB) into WUAs is a statutory requirement in terms of section 67 of the NWA (Act 36 of ‘98)
Due date of transformation of IB to WUA was 6 months after promulgation of the NWA
Due date was postponed to 2000
Process not concluded to date

4. Legal framework Irrigation boards operate in terms of the 1956 Act
WUA operate in terms of chapter 8 of NWA (Act 36 of ‘98)
Voluntary membership promoted by the NWA (Act 36 of ‘98)
WUAs do not have to comply with the PFMA unless they have government loans

5. Vision for WUAs
To promote self-determination in local water management, to stimulate economic development, especially among the poor and to utilise existing water management capacity to the benefit of the population
Inclusive membership organisations that provide quality services to the benefit of all its members, especially for productive water uses that are dependent on collective operation and maintenance of water supply infrastructure
Public awareness to maximise the ability of water user groups to use the WUA tool to their advantage, especially among historically disadvantaged individuals.

6. Statistics on water user associations
279 Initial number of irrigation boards
Transformed irrigation boards
38 WUAs from transformed IBs
211 Irrigation boards to be transformed
23 New WUAs established

7. Internal challenges
Insufficient capacity in Regional Offices to prioritise transformation of IB and new establishments of WUA
Policies not in place by the time the due date of transformation completed
Interpretation of policies by both Head Office and Regional Offices not aligned
Establishment of WMI not done in coherent manner
Water allocation (entitlements) to HDI not in place as Water Allocation Reform has yet to take place.

8. External challenges Policy implementation
Policy required extension of former IBs boundaries - required extensive consultation
Irrigation boards felt that it was not their mandate to consult outside their boundaries
Initially Government did not provide support for this process- (financially / technically)

9. External challenges Cooperative government
Successes of WUAs depends on the business of agriculture (Department of Agriculture)
All water users need land in order to use water (Department of Land Affairs)
Water is just one input to local economic development (Local government)
Local government to sign off on establishment of WUA
Co-operation with Local Government has proved difficult in some areas

10. External challenges Viability
Farmers are reluctant to establish due to challenges facing the future of the institutions, e.g.
Absence of financial support and after care to WUAs
Drought impacts upon viability
Agricultural issues can impact upon viability (market, increasing costs. etc,)

11. External challenges Redress
HDIs do not have access to water and do not see benefits of joining WUA if they do not have water
Time is needed to promote equal understanding of IWRM
Capacity building requires time and money
Some irrigation boards see transformation as part of a political agenda of disempowering commercial water users
Government responsibility for consultation and public participation

12. Fast tracking establishment
DWAF is assisting irrigation boards to
transform (consultation/ public participation ) and is investigating seed funding possibilities
Focused pilot projects in KZN and Mpumalanga - aligned with CMA establishment
DWAF is reviewing the chapter on WUA in the NWA
To allow for smaller WUAs to be members of a larger WUA
Improved policies on WUAs need to be developed and implemented
Alignment in interpretation of policies between HO and regional staff is being addressed

13. CMAs Role
Manage water resources in a defined Water Management Area (WMA)
Co-ordinate the functions of other institutions involved in water related matters
Involve local communities in water resource management

14. Progress of CMA establishment
CMAS
GAZETTED
FOR
ESTABLISHMENT
AC PROCESS INITIATED
AC PROCESS
FIN
BOARD APPOINTED
INKOMATI
19 March 2004
March 2004
October 2004
July 2005
BREEDE
September 2004
September 2005
September 2006
CROC WEST
17 August 2005.
Jan 2006
October 2006
MVOTI
20 May 2005.
October 2006
USUTU
TUKELA
OLIFANTSDOORN GOURITS
July 2006
Dec 2006

15. Developmental Imperatives
pro-poor, developmental WMI represent interests of all stakeholders, especially poor/ marginalised
More poor women and men using more water more productively - farming, livestock, fisheries, forestry
(Re-) allocation of water
Better sharing in benefits of water-based large-scale enterprises - farming, mining, forestry, tourism
Flood protection
Water is a social and economic good; water use by the poor for multiple purposes is priority ‘beneficial use’
Community-based integrated water management for livelihoods is corner stone of the WMI

16. Time Frames - CMAs 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Inkomati Mvoti Breede
Croc West
Thukela
Usuthu
Gouritz
Olifnts/Doorn
Olifants
Upper Vaal
Berg
Middle Vaal
Levuvhu
Limpopo
Fish
Upper Orange
Lower Orange
Lower Vaal
Mzimvubu

17. The Establishment Process
THE PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT (1-2 years)
THE PROPOSAL EVALUATION (8 months)
MINISTER’S APPROVAL (4 weeks)
PROPOSAL GAZETTING FOR COMMENTS (60 days) AND REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS TO ADVISORY COMMITTEE (1 month)
ANNOUNCEMENT OF ESTABLISHMENT (2 weeks)
ESTABLISHMENT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND NOMINATIONS FOR GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS (3-4 months)
GOVERNING BOARD TRAINING (2weeks)
GB FIRST MEETING
AVERAGE 3 YEARS

18. Restructuring resource implications
Transfer of staff people
Funding for CMAs - R170 million over next 8 years
Fully functional CMA - 5 yrs
WRM tariff - less than 4% of the total water charge

19. Thank you