The Department of Water Affairs is leading efforts to clamp down on massive illegal use of water by irrigation farmers in the Vaal River System (VRS). The current priority is to address 92% of possible unlawful use in VRS by March 2012. This was among the decisions reported to the fourth meeting of the Strategy Steering Committee of the VRS.
To date 244 million m³/a (cubic meters per annum) (180 million m³/a in the Upper Vaal Water Management Area (WMA), 34 million m³/a in the Middle Vaal WMA and 30 million m³/a in the Lower Vaal WMA) of the water is allegedly being used unlawfully in this system. This is over 15% of the total volume of water used in the VRS.
In addition, government’s quest for renewable energy resources could prove to be beneficial to the VRS, because a water transfer scheme planned to augment the Crocodile (West) River System and the coal-fired power stations near Lephalale in Limpopo from the Vaal system has been postponed.
This will reduce the water requirements in the VRS; however, to have sufficient water up to 2050, key strategies must also be successfully implemented.
Eradication of unlawful irrigation water use
The unlawful use of water by irrigation farmers has been identified as a practice which is putting the VRS water supply balance at risk. Validation of water use has been completed in the Upper and Middle Vaal Water Management Areas (WMAs) and has commenced in the Lower Vaal WMA.
Water Conservation and Water Demand Management
The department has set Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WCWDM) targets for all metros and municipalities within the Vaal River System which collectively amounts to a target of 15%. Municipalities are busy implementing various WCWDM activities of which some are even financially supported by the department, however metros and municipalities should make a concerted effort to expedite their implementation efforts to meet the target by 2014. Workshops between the Gauteng Departments of Local Government and Housing and the various municipalities where held to facilitate the financial prioritization by the municipal CFO’s to prioritise budget allocations for their WCWDM initiatives.
The largest four water users, the City of Tshwane, the City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni Metro and Emfuleni Local Municipality are reporting on their WCWDM efforts to the strategy steering committee.
An observation from water use patterns within the Vaal River System was that smaller water and bulk water users indicated variations in growth in water consumption. Rand Water was asked by the VRS SSC to investigate these variations which would indicate the next steps to be taken. The provision of emergency water supply by Rand Water to the Victor Khanye (Delmas), Thembisile and Kungwini Local Municipalities was identified as one of the reasons for the large growth in water use.
Due to the general under-investment in WC/WDM in its area of supply, Rand Water started a process to partially co-fund approved water demand reduction projects with municipalities. The Department and several municipalities have appointed Rand Water to implement WC/WDM projects in its area of supply as well as in adjacent areas such as Western Highveld.
Water Quality
The integrated Water Quality Management (WQM) Strategy for the VRS has identified salinisation, eutrophication and microbial pollution as the three major causes of deteriorating water quality that require attention. In order to maintain and/ or improve the water quality in the system, the Department is implementing various management interventions which include the determination of in-stream fitness-for-use Resource Water Quality Objectives, improving source controls to prevent and minimise water pollution at source and improving management of the water resources through more effective monitoring, assessment, reporting and management participation. The establishment of the Vaal River Integrated WQM Strategy Implementation Committee should assist, and provide more impetus and momentum to WQM efforts in the VRS.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) appointed a Team of Experts (ToE) to help deal with the AMD situation in the Witwatersrand. The tasks of the ToE included reappraising the risks posed by AMD; assessing available solutions and technologies; interrogating and assessing the viability and costs of critical short-term interventions; proposing integrated lasting and sustainable medium- and long-term solutions/measures and exploring possible partnerships with the private sector. The findings and recommendations of the ToE were presented in a report that was approved by Cabinet on 09 February 2011.
To implement certain critical short term interventions recommended in the ToE report, the Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) was appointed on 6 April 2011 to:
- Perform emergency work such as the installation of pumps for the extraction of mine water,
- Construct three on-site treatment plants with an option to refurbish existing plants,
- Install infrastructure to convey treated water to nearby watercourses, and
- Facilitate a model for the operation and maintenance of the pump stations and treatment works.
In order to achieve the above tasks, discussions with the relevant mines to use their infrastructure are currently taking place.
Since the West Rand area is experiencing surface decant of AMD, an emergency solution that will increase the treatment of AMD from 12 million litres (ML) per day to 30 ML per day was recently approved and is expected to be commissioned by late-2011.
Potential short-term solutions that will maintain underground mine water levels in the East Rand and Central Rand mining basins thereby preventing surface decant of AMD in these basins are also being formulated.
AMD may pose a risk to continued water supply security in the VRS due to excessive dilution-releases from the Vaal Dam that will be required to curb the effects of the associated salt loading on the VRS. For this reason, it is imperative that a long-term, sustainable solution is developed. The Department has therefore initiated a process to commence with a feasibility study to address AMD in the long-term and is awaiting proposals from specialists. On conclusion of the tender process, the Department will embark on a feasibility study for a long-term solution to address AMD in the East, Central and West Rand mining basins.
Several other detail investigations are being initiated by DWA which will focus on the potential risk of pollution in the Grootdraai Dam catchment, identify the most feasible long term options for dealing with Acid Mine Drainage, undertaking a salinity study of the Orange River which will be used to develop integrated water quality management strategies of the Vaal River and Orange River systems.
Review of the Reconciliation Scenarios
The system water balance and reconciliation scenarios are constantly being revised as information changes regarding water use and return flows; revised water requirement and return flow scenarios; possible transfers to the Crocodile West River System, mine effluent management scenarios as well as the eradication of unlawful irrigation water use.
Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) Phase 2
An agreement to proceed with LHWP Phase 2 was signed by the Ministers of Water Affairs in Lesotho on 11 August 2011. After ratification by both Parliaments the project implementation will commence for water delivery by 2020.
General information
Detail progress reports on the water resource management strategies can be found here.
Membership of the Strategy Steering Committee include representatives of agriculture, local authorities, water service providers, mines, energy and industry sectors, national departments and provincial government, representing a wide variety of stakeholder groups in the Vaal River System. The Committee meets twice a year.
For more information contact:
Linda Page (media enquiries)
Tel: 012 3368250
Cell: 083 460 4482
Peter van Niekerk (Chairperson of the Committee)
Tel: 012 336 8762
Solly Mabuda (Chief Director: Integrated Water Resource Planning)
Tel: 012 336 8779
