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Water is a source of life of which the true value is not realised by everyone. Despite some progress made on provision of water resources to the poor, little is done to better conserve the natural sources of water for now and the future.
In South Africa it is not surprising to see people rinse their dishes while the water is running; it is also not strange to see people water their plants with fresh water. It is the alternative, which is closing the sink and using ‘second-hand’ water to water the lawn or perhaps washing a car with a bucket of water instead of running water, that seems to be strange.
Occasions such as the National Water Week from 2 to 8 March and the World Water Day on 22 March are intended to change people’s perceptions and attitudes about water.
Fora such as the World Water Forum from 16 to 22 March also attempt to address water-related issues.
According to CSIR researcher Elizabeth Masekoameng, many South Africans do not relate to the fact that they are in a water scarce country because every time they open their taps, water comes out.
Masekoameng says it will be when people do not have any running water, as in the case with energy during the electricity black-outs early last year, that they will know how precious water is.
“Preserving and protecting our water should be a lifestyle, not something we do once in a while. People should know that water is our health and wealth,” she says.
Water institutions and their impact on the water resource
The passionate Masekoameng is the project leader on the ‘Water Sector Institutional Landscape by 2025’ project. She and her research team will look at how governance-related issues affect the future of the water sector, which in turn affect the resource itself.
She says water governance, among others, strongly affects the quality and quantity of water. “Hence it is important to do this study.”
“If institutions are managed well, properly equipped both in terms of human and technical resources, plans and laws are available and enforced, then we will be better positioned in the future.” Masekoameng explains. “But how sure are we that this will be the case in future? This is where ‘uncertainties’ come in – we don’t know for sure. Our project seeks to give different possible scenarios of how the future might unfold instead of absolute predictions/forecasting. While developing scenarios, it is also important that we understand where we are now and how we got here. This might be our eye into the future,” she says.
Understanding the different possible futures of the water sector will be very useful in planning and aiding communities and institutions to adapt to various outcomes. The results will, therefore, provide a decision making tool for decision makers in the sector. Masekoameng and her research team will have their outputs by October 2010.
Process of the research
The process starts by consultation with key stakeholders in the water sector with the aim of identifying key drivers and uncertainties.
“We engage (as broad as possible) with various stakeholders in the water sector - that is everyone who affects or is affected by water, hence everyone qualifies as a stakeholder.
“Drivers such as skills and infrastructure, which are also affected by political will, existing institutional transformations or new government, will be looked at in more depth.
“We will focus on drivers that are most important and most uncertain. Using a matrix of drivers/uncertainties, we will come up with different scenarios that describe how the water sector might look like in future.
“The scenarios developed will help institutions to position themselves in line with the most preferred scenario or to better prepare for other possible scenarios.” she explains.
Outputs of the research
“The future of water institutions will determine the future of water in South Africa.”
The knowledge generated will benefit resource managers and decision makers, and empower all the role players in the water sector to engage in participative governance. This extends from politicians and policy makers, through to government officials, private sector and civil society, from the urban middle class to poor rural communities. While the knowledge will be generated and sourced through structured research and a far-reaching participative process, the beneficiaries will acquire the knowledge both through participating in the process and by accessing appropriate forms of communication.
Education and experience
Masekoameng has an MSc in environmental applied science and management from Ryerson University in Canada. She majored in ecotoxicology and environmental pollution (including water pollution control processes). In 2003 she obtained her bachelor’s degree with honours in environmental sciences from the University of Venda. Her major subjects were ecology and resource management.
At the tender age of 26, Masekoameng is a project leader and has led another major project.
Masekoameng has also worked on the Status of Mercury Waste in South Africa and South African Mercury Emissions Inventory projects, the Development of Integrated Pollution Control Model for Mpumalanga as well as the recently started Comparative Assessment of Waste Collection Standards in South Africa project, the results of which will be used by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
The high achieving Masekoameng has received a Scarce Skills Scholarship Award from the National Research Fund and Department of Labour. She obtained an accolade as the Best Master’s Student in Pollution from the University of Venda. The Canadian Bureau of International Education awarded her the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Award.
CSIR Communication:
Kamogelo Seekoei, email: KSeekoei@csir.co.za
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