Chairperson, it is often noted by environmental stakeholders that South Africa is either in the midst of a water crisis, or is facing one. In reply, government, whatever sphere, usually replies defensively that there is no crisis. Granted we are a large country and the extent to which water, both with regards to quality and availability, is a problem differs from town to town and region to region. Whether there is a national crisis at the moment is debatable, but we have to be vigilant.
Where I believe there is a major problem is in the management of water, whether at a national or local government level. In securing our water future for all South Africans so that we can develop as a country in order to satisfy human and environmental health and create opportunities and jobs, water needs to be at the forefront of planning.
At the outset, let me acknowledge that since this Parliament last debated the budget of the Department of Water Affairs, we have a new Minister. The hon Molewa inherited a department plagued by management and institutional problems. There is no director-general in place. This has been the case since late July 2009 when the former director-general was placed on special leave, pending an investigation.
The Auditor-General's subsequent investigation painted a damning picture of over R1 billion of irregular expenditure on, among other things, the irregular extension of contracts, deviation from procurement policies and the paying of service providers without contracts in place. The director- general was formally dismissed more than a year later, but the matter has dragged on in the bargaining council.
They say a fish rots from the head down, and that is what happened in the past in this department. Besides the director-general, in recent months the chief financial officer, the Deputy Director-General of Corporate Services and the chief information officer were all placed on suspension pending investigation.
While it is disturbing that one department could have such severe problems at senior management level, it is nevertheless commendable that action has been taken against employees who have betrayed South Africa through their grossly poor financial management. In addition to that, let me pay tribute to the many good men and women who serve this department, some of whom are in senior management, and who are committed to securing our country's water future. I realise the burden that you are facing in turning around this department. Your efforts are being noticed, and I wish you well.
I also wish the hon Minister well in her new position. The Minister has shown determination in wanting to turn around this department and we are already, from a management point of view, seeing some positive results. I commend our new chairperson Adv Johnny de Lange for bringing new rigour to the work of our committee's oversight. I suspect the department will be the better for it.
With regard to sound financial governance, the qualified audit report of the department needs to be turned around, and it is fortunately receiving attention. The water trading entity, which is in a complete mess, needs to be put in intensive care. Fortunately, the department and the Auditor- General have diagnosed the ailments, and the condition is not terminal.
This entity, which is responsible for billing water users and collecting revenue, has had two qualified opinions and two disclaimer opinions in the past five years. Before this country even has a discussion on reviewing water pricing, and before we introduce an independent regulator for water, which the DA is fully supportive of, we need to improve the confidence of water users in the water trading entity.
It is commonly noted by the department that 98% of water is already allocated. Unless we start recycling water in a massive way and unless we start using new sources of water, this country's economy will not grow, new jobs will not be created, and we will put human and environmental health at risk.
The DA welcomes the review of the water resources strategy in South Africa, which is critical for long-term planning. But we question the lack of consideration in Minister Patel's New Growth Path of the environmental constraints on growth. Minister Patel wants five million new jobs by 2020. Yes, we need those jobs, but those jobs will not be created unless we understand the constraints on growth. Not only is there the carbon and soils constraint, but there is the water constraint. It cannot be business as usual when it comes to water.
Minister Patel wants to create more jobs through mining and agriculture, both of which are water-thirsty. But there is not much water left to allocate. Let us be honest with our citizens.
We must commit ourselves to finding ways to generate a higher GDP with fewer units of water. As noted by Dr Anthony Turton recently in a presentation to a water conference, in order to sustain growth we need 62 billion cubic metres of water, but we have only 38 billion cubic metres now. We can do this, Madam Minister. We have to do this. Let us commit ourselves to recycling, efficiency and reuse. The department also has to learn to say no to certain developments when they apply for water licences. With this is mind the DA is disappointed that the Department of Water has provided the Vele Colliery, located near the sensitive Mapungubwe area, with a water licence. In my opinion, there is insufficient water in the catchment for this mine. The mine is likely to have a detrimental impact on the shared water courses with Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. This decision should be reviewed.
It is time to declare moratoriums on new mining in certain critical areas under threat, like the Vaal, Usutu and Komati River Basins. It is time to crack down on users that are using water illegally. It is simply unacceptable that as of June last year there were 120 mines in South Africa operating without water licences.
We need to move away from the old South African thinking of prioritising water for energy and mining at all costs. With this in mind, Madam Minister, I ask you to apply your mind to the issue of the proposed gas exploration rights in the Karoo, which, if granted, will see the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as a technique. It is your colleague, the Minister of Mineral Resources' responsibility to decide on the awarding of these rights. But you and your department have influence.
Once the Petroleum Agency of SA receives the environmental management plans from applicants, it is obliged to consult with the Departments of Water and of Environmental Affairs. If the Minister of Mineral Resources will not declare a moratorium on gas exploration, which I have asked her to do, then I ask you to make the case from a water and environmental point of view during consultation.
There is no policy on fracking in South Africa. Each fracking event uses millions of litres of water - water that we do not have - and makes use of a cocktail of toxic chemicals. Pollution events do occur, and none of the applicants can promise that the process is foolproof. We need to proceed with caution. We do not know enough about the deep geology of the Karoo. We should take note of the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA, mandated by Congress, is currently conducting a study on the relationship between fracking and water quality.
If a country like the USA, where tens of thousands of wells have been fracked, is concerned, so should we be concerned. The National Environment Management Authority, Nema, is very clear on the precautionary principle. Where there are uncertainties we should not proceed. Join this debate, Madam Minister, and defend our water. In dealing with the legacies of our past and, it is hoped, learning from them, the response to acid mine drainage in the Witwatersrand now has to be full steam ahead.
The threats to water quality in our country are numerous. Whether it be failing wastewater treatment plants at a municipal level, industrial pollution or acid mine drainage, there is a problem that needs to be tackled head-on. This country, the 30th driest country in the world and a country which will likely increasingly suffer some of the worst impacts of climate change, simply does not have sufficient dilution capacity to deal with pollution in its water courses.
Poor water quality is a risk to human health, especially for those people who still draw water directly from water courses. It is also a risk to agriculture, hence potentially jeopardising our food security and our ability to earn foreign exchange from exporting food.
Pollution from wastewater treatment works is a daily occurrence in South Africa. This is indicative of underspending on infrastructure by many municipalities and of poor planning. Our fleet of wastewater treatment works are literally creaking at the seams. In Limpopo, the Eastern Cape and North West, 95% of treatment plants exceed their design capacity, while 100% of treatment plants in North West are not compliant with effluent discharge standards.
Directives and notices of compliance are increasingly being issued by the national Department of Water Affairs against municipalities, and that is to be commended. But a general improvement in the management and capacity of the fleet of treatment plants needs to be prioritised at a local government level.
The last published Green Drop report, released in April 2010, revealed that only 3% of all wastewater treatment plants in the country had Green Drop status, which is a badge of honour for plants that are well managed across a number of criteria. In the second assessment period, close to all wastewater treatment plants have been assessed, which is a commendable achievement by the department, compared to the first reporting period. We know that the Green Drop system is generally having a positive impact, as many municipal managers who previously neglected their sewerage systems now know their poor management is being exposed nationally.
While the next Green Drop report is only due for release in June 2011, more than a year after the previous report and containing information already six months out of date, we already know a few general findings: 52,5% of plants have showed progress, 22,3% of systems remain unchanged, and 25,1% have regressed. The majority of provinces improved on their wastewater services profile in the last year, with the exception of KwaZulu-Natal.
The DA has previously called on the Minister to release the full findings of the Green Drop report before the local government elections so that voters can know how their administrations have managed wastewater treatment plants. [Interjections.] But, sadly, that has not happened. Our people have a right to regular and accurate information on sewerage infrastructure as it has consequences for their health. Besides treating sewage, municipalities and water boards also have to purify water for drinking purposes. Our country regularly trumpets the quality of its drinking water and, as the Minister has said, it is generally very good. But that is cold comfort for areas where so-called drinking water turns toxic.
Take, for example, the Moqhaka Municipality in the Free State, where last October the municipal administration knowingly pumped water through the purification system without chemicals, resulting in over 1 000 people getting diarrhoea and more than 350 people having to be treated in hospital. One could also take the case of Madibeng in North West where residents of that municipality had to put up with dirty brown water coming from their taps for many months in 2010. Fortunately, treatment capacity in that municipality is improving following a refurbishment. But the response from the previous Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs - and, I stress, previous Minister - was scandalous. Upon visiting Madibeng on 28 October last year, three days before, interestingly, she was relieved of her duties, she said the residents could expect a "Christmas present" of clean drinking water by the end of last year. Water is a right, not a gift from the government, which is something the previous Minister did not quite understand.
In conclusion, the provision of water, for whatever use, whether it is for human consumption or productive use in the economy, needs to be at the forefront of planning. Let's get the priorities right. The primary focus must be on ensuring that the backlog in the provision of water to our people is eradicated, and where the provision has already been secured, that it is maintained. There must be sufficient water of an acceptable quality in our water courses to satisfy the needs of the ecological reserve.
We must use water efficiently and smartly for productive purposes to grow jobs and opportunities. The Department of Water Affairs must be at the forefront of planning, and it must resist attempts from other state entities to divert water to projects that are not in the long-term interests of our country. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]