Overview of the Situation and Challenges for Water Quality Monitoring and Reporting in South Africa Wandile Nomquphu Department of Water Affairs and Forestry Pretoria South Africa Work Session on Water Statistics, Vienna June

PRESENTATION OUTLINE 1. Introduction 2. National Water Quality Monitoring Programmes 3. Coordination and Integration of Water Resources Monitoring Programmes 4. National Reporting Initiatives 5. Conclusion

1. Introduction  Development in a water scarce environment  New policy and legislative imperatives eg:

Constitution Act 108 of 1996 Water a human rights issue and need for water quality reporting National Water Policy of 1997 All water is public Unit of hydrological cycle State of water resources report National Water Act 36 of 1998 Sustainability & equity Chapter 14 monitoring responsibilities Establish National Water Resource Strategy National Water Resource Strategy Framework for water resources management Establish water management institutions National Environmental Management Act 108 of 1998 State of rivers report State of environment report

International obligations for data and information reporting eg WWAP, MDG, UNEP-GEMS Water, etc Need for systematic data collection 2. Overview of National Water Quality Monitoring Programmes

19 WATER MANAGEMENT AREAS (WMAs)

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION

3. Coordination and Integration of Water Resources Monitoring Programmes Need for holistic strategy to harmonize monitoring Publication of Strategic Framework document to ensure monitoring programmes are compliant with new legislation. Its basic dimensions are: Information user-centric approach: need clients for monitoring information Scope of monitoring: data acquisition, data management and storage, and information generation and dissemination

Information Generation and Dissemination Data Storage and Management Data Acquisition Programme 1 Programme 2 Programme n Information users Functional Components of a Monitoring Framework Operation Design IT Infrastructure (H/W, S/W, Applications)

Institutional set-up for monitoring governance: three tiers of monitoring governance depending on the resolution of data and information required: National Monitoring Programmes (status and trends) for national and international reporting requirements. Regional or Catchment Monitoring Programmes – at catchment level to ensure compliance with water use licensing, impact assessment, etc, and Local Monitoring Programmes mainly for process control, such as flood control, etc by water boards, local authorities, etc.

National / Strategic information Regional / WMA / Catchment information Water User / local information Hierarchy of information requirements for management of water resources.

4. National Reporting Initiatives Effective governance of the process to ensure delivery of information to three management tiers The governance process to ensure: – Common standards – implementation of common quality assurance criteria – Coordination of relevant stakeholder activities

5. Conclusion Major shift from individual data collection programme to integrated client-focused approach Need for good water quality information to – effectively manage limited water resource – respond to policy and legislative requirements – Provide information for decision-making – Contribute data and information for national and international reporting requirements Produce a ‘single version of the truth’ reporting about the status of the country’s water resources.

END OF PRESENTATION THANK YOU!