Abstract
This chapter provides background to the state of water resources in South Africa and how those resources have been strategically developed and managed and the policy environment that guided their allocation and use pre- and post-1994. The topography and weather patterns strongly influence rainfall and evaporation, which result in highly varying rainfall patterns and even more erratic surface run-off. Requirements for water and the resultant needs for the development of the resource have also been strongly influenced by social, political and economic factors. The chapter gives a brief account of the water supply and management infrastructure that was developed. The current overall balance between available water and water requirements is also analysed as well as the challenges that water resource managers in South Africa are currently facing in a country that is rapidly approaching the limits of its available fresh water supplies.
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References
DWA (Department of Water Affairs) (1956) Water Act. Republic of South Africa, Pretoria
DWA (Department of Water Affairs) (1986) Management of the water resources of the Republic of South Africa. Pretoria, Department of Water Affairs
DWAF (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry) (1997) Overview of the water resources availability and utilisation in South Africa. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria
DWAF (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry) (2004) The national water resource strategy, 1st edn. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria
RSA (1998) National water act. Government gazette, vol 398. Office of the President, Cape Town, 26 August 1998
SANCOLD (South Africa National Committee on Large Dams), (1994) Large dams and water systems in South Africa. SANCOLD, Pretoria
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van Rooyen, J., de Lange, M., Hassan, R. (2010). Water Resource Situation, Strategies and Allocation Regimes in South Africa. In: Schreiner, B., Hassan, R. (eds) Transforming Water Management in South Africa. Global Issues in Water Policy, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9367-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9367-7_2
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