Water and Environmental Affairs Deputy Minister, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi is leading the South African delegation that is participating at the 21st World Water Week WWW), in Stockholm, Sweden. The WWW started on 21 August and will run until today, 26 August 2011.
World Water Week Stockholm is an annual gathering at which the world community of water and sanitation development professionals meets and discusses issues surrounding evolutionary progress and prospects on water. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brings together experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions.
Water is the primary medium through which climate change will impact on humans and the environment. It will amplify challenges related to floods and drought and makes the need for effecting adaptation extreme urgent, hence the theme: “Responding to Global Changes: Water in an Urbanising World”.
Speaking at the High Level Panel Session on Water and Climate in Focus – Raising the profile of Water in the Global Discourse, Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi said, “the Water sector globally is faced with several challenges including climate variability and change, industrialisation, urbanisation and population growth, water quality, unaccounted for water, water availability and accessibility, South Africa is not immune to these challenges. Climate Change will have a drastic impact on the world’s water resources, hence it should be top priority for the water sector globally.”
Water is a cross-cutting issue and if it is not taken seriously, this will have major implications on our sustainable development initiatives. It is important to note that South Africa is amongst the 30 driest countries in the world, therefore there is a need to use our water resources effectively and efficiently, said Mabudafhasi.
Other initiatives that took place during the Stockholm World Water Week were the engagements with various stakeholders regarding COP 17 activities.
The 2011 South African Youth Water Prize winners, Hendrick Fourie and Gideon De Jager who are grade 10 learners in Vredenburg High School in the West Coast of the Western Cape Province, accompanied the Deputy Minister and represented South Africa at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP), where they competed with learners from 28 countries. The two learners developed a new technology to assist farmers who rely on the use of windmills to abstract groundwater to be more water use efficient. The South African Youth Water Prize commences at provincial and then national level whereby the national winner is selected.
Enquiries:
Peter Mbelengwa (Spokesperson for the Deputy Minister)
Cell: 082 611 8197
E-mail: mbelengwap@dwa.gov.za
