A crash course in changing the world.
Most of the initiatives we're discussing on EVOKE are of the NPO/NGO variety. I want to acknowledge and commend a governmental department that is really getting things right.
Since 1994 access to water supply infrastructure in the sector has improved from 59% to 96% (improved supply) of the population. This percentage includes all people that benefit from access to infrastructure, including those that receive services below basic supply levels.
In 1994 only 49% of the population had access to basic sanitation. By 2007/08 this had increased to 73%. In the year under review there was an increase of 3%, leading to 76% of the population having access to
basic sanitation.
http://www.dwaf.gov.za/doc**ents/AnnualReports/ANNUALREPORT2008-200...
But, challenges and dangers remain. “Water availability and quality have been negatively affected by illegal abstraction, water pollution and the poor management of water resources infrastructure which has culminated in severe water shortages in some places, major health impacts and environmental damage,” said Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Lindiwe Hendricks. She also suggested that without intervention, Gauteng could experience water shortages from 2013 to 2025. In response to this, the Water for Growth and Development Framework was launched in 2009. The framework is being developed to guide actions and decisions that will
"ensure water security in terms of quantity and of quality to support South Africa's requirements for economic growth and social development. Sufficient supply of water is a requirement for the country to achieve its economic growth targets. The provision of potable water to every person in South Africa is also a fundamental developmental goal that needs to be facilitated by the department's framework. These two goals must be achieved without compromising the ecological sustainability of water resources."
http://www.dwa.gov.za/WFGD/about.aspx
And a particularly exciting initiative currently underway: The Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The mountains and rivers in part of the Lesotho Highlands will enable the development of a hydro-electric plant that will both generate energy for the people of Lesotho, and provide water to the people of South Africa.
http://www.lhwp.org.ls/overview/
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