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Selling the Selati – South Africa
South Africa is a country richly endowed with natural resources. It boasts seven World Heritage Sites and its National Parks are global environmental attractions. These natural resources are becoming pressurised through population growth, urbanisation and economic development. Increasing pressures on water resources in particular are threatening the whole ecology, and ultimately the economy, of the region. Stringent measures are being taken by the Government to preserve the quality and supply of these natural resources. One example of a watershed that represents the political, social, and ecological pressures in South Africa is the GaSelati Watershed. Here, initiatives are under way to find creative solutions to prevent further degradation of the watershed that may ultimately be used to improve other watersheds in the country.
South Africa Overview
South Africa is currently classified by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as approaching a situation of chronic water scarcity. Average annual rainfall is about 500 millimetres (19 inches) per annum, with significant variations across the country. It is estimated that the country will reach the limits of economically usable, land-based fresh water resources in the first half of this century.
As demand for water increases, more creative solutions are being considered to deal with this seemingly intractable situation. One approach focuses on payment instruments for environmental services. These instruments can be flexible, direct mechanisms that encourage both the suppliers of improved water services and the users of the services to engage in active participatory exchanges to produce an improvement in the quantity and/or quality of water resources. Programmes in South Africa are exploring the potential of using market-based mechanisms within the framework of a well-defined water legislative and policy environment to address the issues around equity, efficiency and water productivity.
Payments for Watershed Protection Services
Various pieces of legislation have been passed in South Africa, seeking to establish sustainable environmental management. The National Water Act (Act No. 36 of 1998) is regarded as one of the most progressive examples of water resources legislation in the world. The purpose of the act is to ensure that the nation’s water resources are protected, used, developed, conserved, and managed in an ecologically and environmentally sound manner. The legislation makes access to water a basic human right and every South African is entitled to at least 25 litres (5.5 gallons) of fresh water per day. Another innovative aspect of the legislation is that it recognises the importance of the health of the river itself. In future, catchment management agencies will have a legal obligation to ensure that there is sufficient water left in a river to meet its ecological requirements. This is known as the ecological reserve.
The act also makes provision for the use of economic instruments such as pricing to manage water resources. These provisions will influence the establishment and nature of Payment for Watershed Protection Services (PWPS). Payments for these services may not however infringe on the provision and management of the ecological or basic needs reserve.
Payments could potentially take two forms:
- Payments levied by State bodies to provide services.
- Voluntary payments made between a willing buyer and a willing seller. For this to be effective the buyer must perceive the economic value of the service to be greater than any existing charge, or must recognise the value of guaranteeing the service by linking it to any payment made.
The Problems in the Selati Watershed
The Selati River rises in the Volkberg Mountains near the small agricultural town of Tzaneen. The headwaters of the river lie in a protected area called the Legalametse Nature Reserve.
Three problems are evident in the headwaters of this catchment.
- The rapid spread of an alien invasive plant, commonly known as Black Wattle. These trees consume vast quantities of water. It is estimated that in South Africa, alien invasive plant species altogether consume 3300 million cubic metres (4,300 million cubic yards) of water, which amounts to 7 per cent of South Africa’s annual run-off.
- Communities neighbouring the protected area are using the nature reserve to graze their cattle, which in turn trample the sponge areas that trap water. This contravenes the guiding principles for the management of the nature reserve.
- A tributary in the upper reaches of the Selati River, the Ngwabitsi River, has been dammed. This effectively stops all flow downstream and the river is dependent on groundwater contributions to flow. A coffee project that was intended during the dam’s construction has never been established, and now the dam water is used for domestic purposes in neighbouring catchments.
In the middle of Lagalametse Reserve is an irrigated avocado orchard. The irrigation scheme diverts water from the Selati and from a small tributary, the Wolfspruit. However, the methods used are very inefficient – the water is delivered to the orchard via an unlined canal about 250 to 300 metres
(275 to 330 yards)
long in which at least 75 per cent of the water is lost. The trees are irrigated by either flood irrigation or an ancient gravity-fed sprinkler system. Although the orchard provides employment to about 25 people, some are seasonal workers, the economic future is uncertain as the trees in the orchard are very old and many of the trees have a severe fungal infection. The remaining trickle in the Selati is solely due to the inefficiency and age of the irrigation system.
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| Irrigation channel |
Just outside of the reserve, and located on the first commercial farm, are some freshwater springs, known locally as the Machichi Springs. These originally flowed into the Selati River. The area surrounding the springs is rich in biodiversity. The same engineer that designed the irrigation system for the avocado orchard also diverted the flow from these springs. As in the avocado orchard, the unlined canal delivers only a small proportion of the water to the sump from which it is pumped into a drip irrigation system.
The farm on which the springs are located has recently been allocated to a group under Chief Sekororo via a post-apartheid land claim. The new owners of the land are due to settle on the farm in October 2005. The water from the springs is clearly essential to the success of the new owners of the land. The springs are also used as a site for a ‘circumcision’ school, where 800 young men are required to fend for themselves off the land for a period of six weeks. There is a substantial land-use change in the surrounding area as the residents of the small town of Calais seek to supplement their incomes with agro-pastoral activities on land adjacent to the Selati. The area is also a source of firewood for the residents of Calais.
| Amazingly some water still remains in the Selati, because at a point further downstream there is another weir which channels all the remaining water into a large pipe that feeds the Selati Farmers Irrigation Scheme. The amount of water is insufficient for the extensive horticultural activities of these farmers, so they now supplement the surface water with ground water. Further down from the weir, the remaining waters from the Selati go into another irrigation scheme, and then through an extensive area of ranchland where the primary land-use is commercially managed wildlife. |
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It then reaches Phalaborwa, a large mining community. Here the main open-cast pit is 2.3 kilometres (1.4 miles) wide and over 500 metres (1650 feet) deep. The bottom of the pit is below sea level. The companies operating the mine recover copper, phosphates and a variety of heavy metals from the ore. The waste is piped onto two huge tailings dams, one on each side of the Selati river. There has been a substantial investment by the mines to reduce seepage into the river, but this is not 100 per cent effective.
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| Open Cast mine at Phalaborwa |
Once past the Phalaborwa Complex the Selati River converges with the Olifants River, which flows into the Kruger National Park. The Olifants is one of the main rivers providing water for wildlife and the maintenance of the area’s ecology. Currently the flow is less than 10 per cent of the river’s calculated instream-flow requirement (IFR). A news report from August 2005 illustrates the damage being caused. As water levels dropped, herds of hippo congregated together in the remaining pools. In some areas nearly 100 hippos were seen in less than 500 metres (550 yards). The decomposition of the excessive amounts of dung in the water reduced the oxygen supply, causing hundreds of fish to die from oxygen starvation. The Phalaborwa Barrage is required to release water into the park to retain its ecological balance, but competing demands to supply the human population reduced its capacity so water levels were too low to prevent this disaster.
The story of the Selati River illustrates the complex relationship between the needs of the various users of this source of water. Activities upstream impact the livelihoods of all the downstream water users. Currently CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) are assessing incentives for watershed protection to discover the ones that could work to facilitate meeting the needs of the various stakeholders, such as farmers, pastoralists, mine owners and tourists, and also protect the fragile environment. Discussions are being held with them to learn more about their needs and exchange views on how to tackle this situation.
Working for Water Campaign
Another programme that is currently under way in South Africa that facilitates payments for watershed protection services is the Working for Water Campaign. It is one of the world’s largest actions against invasive species is being undertaken through the Working for Water programme, led by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. This programme, with an annual budget of R450 million (£39 million), is employing 18,000 people, who would otherwise be jobless, to chop down and clear away invading alien species such as the Wattle Tree. The programme is also educating private landowners to make them aware of the problems associated with alien species. It is much more effective to take action on lightly infested land, rather than ignoring the situation. It is estimated that lightly infested land would cost around R100 (£9) per hectare (2.5 acres) to clear, whereas land left for 15 years would cost 40 times more to clear because the trees are so invasive.
While the campaign is considered a success, the jobs created are not always sustainable and the campaign may not be sustainable in its present form. Nevertheless, it is being extended to encompass Working for Wetlands, which encourages the sustainable use and protection of wetlands. This is supported by government and private enterprise. It is good example of catchment environmental services, as protection of wetland improves the water quality and flood protection benefits for downstream users. However, like the Working for Water Campaign, it may not be viable without funding from private enterprise and/or the State.
Lessons learnt from the initiatives being undertaken in the GaSelati Watershed will provide valuable experience for any future developments to improve other watersheds in South Africa.
Further Information
Participating Organisations
CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
PO Box 395
Pretoria, 0001
South Africa
Tel: +27 (0)12 841 2911 / 2000
Fax: +27 (0)12 841 2689
E-mail: NAKing@csir.co.za
Website: http://www.csir.co.za
Project website: http:/www.csir.co.za/ere/markets_4_watershed_services
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
3 Endsleigh Street
London
WC1H 0DD
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7388-2117
Fax: +44 (0)20 7388-2826
E-mail: info@iied.org
Website: http://www.iied.org/
References
Claasen M., Damon M., Moloi B., King N.A., Visser A., The feasibility of developing markets for watershed services and improved livelihoods in South Africa by the Division of Environmentek, CSIR, Pretoria. Report No ENV-P-C
CSIR, Enviromentek and IIED, How can market mechanisms help manage watershed sustainability and fairly? Work plan for action learning in South Africa 2004-2006. London, 2004 (Draft)
Quibell G., Stein R., Can payments be used to manage South African watersheds sustainably and fairly? A legal review. South Africa Working Paper Series, Paper 2, July 2005
Resources
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UK
Tel: +44 (0)1926 634462
Fax: +44 (0)1926 634401
E-mail: infoserve@practicalaction.org.uk
Website: http://www.practicalaction.org/
?id=technical_information_service
ITDG Publishing
Schumacher Centre for Technology & Development
Bourton Hall
Bourton-on-Dunsmore
Warwickshire CV23 9QZ
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1926 634501
Fax: +44 (0)1926 634502
E-mail: marketing@itpubs.org.uk
Website: www.itdgpublishing.org
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