Cape Town - Water security remains a sensitive topic even after the UN 2023 Water Conference concluded with Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu, enhancing measures to ensure water security in the country with collaborations between global partners.
Mchunu signed agreements with Finland and the Netherlands to promote water security.
The conference took place in New York from March 22 to March 24.
Mchunu and his director-general Sean Phillips signed a new memorandum of understanding (MoU)s with Finland and renewed one with the Netherlands on the sidelines of the conference.
These agreements aim to address the skills gap in the water supply value chain and in technical areas within the water sector, as well as initiatives to better protect and manage future water resources.
Mchunu and Finland’s Agriculture and Forestry Deputy Minister Jaana Husu-Kallio signed the MoU on behalf of the governments of South Africa and Finland as Finland has considerable expertise in water resources management and protection as well as in water-related technology, planning, construction and research.
Mchunu explained that the MoU between South Africa and Finland was focused on integrated water resources management (IWRM) and river basin management, including mitigation of the impacts of climate change in water resources management as well as hydrological extremes, including flood, drought, water quality and other water-related risk management.
Mchunu said: “IWRM is the dominant paradigm in contemporary water resources management. Finland has implemented such an approach for decades, aiming at win-win partnerships. It has also been the guiding principle in Finnish water legislation. Signing this MoU is a much-needed boost the sector requires back home.”
South Africa also renewed its MoU with the Netherlands for another four years.
Liteboho Makhele, programme manager of sustainable and resilient cities at the South African Cities Network, gave some insight into the precarious water situation in the country.
Makhele said that despite the fact that South Africa was a water scarce country, the national water system was over-exploited and unsustainable water consumption patterns continued unabated, with average reported consumption levels of 237 litres per person per day compared to a global average of 180 litres per person per day.
“Our current water usage already exceeds the reliable supply and the consequences are increasingly becoming obvious (with persistent droughts and more),” Makhele said.