WATER STEWARDSHIP (WS)

W

ater Stewardship is becoming increasingly important for water sector players in South Africa. The concept of water stewardship refers to the ‘use of water that is socially and culturally equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial, achieved through a stakeholder-inclusive process” (AWS).

Water stewardship activities include responses that create a focus on conserving, restoring and managing water resources in a sustainable manner through engaging all stakeholders. This includes private sector & civil society and government-initiated action at catchment or site level. The private sector has demonstrated various innovative approaches to water stewardship through which water management solutions have been implemented both inside and outside of the factory fence.

Dr Faith Lawrence

Chair of the Water Stewardship Working Group
Country Coordinator for Natural Resource Stewardship for Growth Programme, South Africa (GIZ)

Mr William Moraka

Co-Chair of the Water Stewardship Working Group
Director of Water Sustainability and Innovation, South African Local Government Association (SALGA)

WATER STEWARDSHIP (WS) WORKING GROUP

The SWPN established a Water Stewardship Working Group in May 2015. The focus of the working group is to support the promotion of water stewardship best practice, promote partnerships that addresses shared risks associated with the water value chain and support DWS with the integration of water stewardship principles in its policy and planning processes. This includes a review of water stewardship practices in South Africa and the showcasing of lessons from the South African context globally.

The objectives of the working group are to

Create a platform for shared learning and engagement

Provide guidance, on how water stewardship can be practiced outside of factory fence where collaboration can be enhanced through the application of tools, processes and methodologies and shared lessons on good practice

Identify key water challenges facing the water sector and explore how a stewardship approach could address some of these challenges

Recommend how the DWS and the SWPN can enable implementation and the showcase of good practices

Review of water stewardship in South Africa: develop good practice guideline

Develop framework for project identification for projects which are scalable, replicable and have potential for public-private collaboration

PROJECTS

Review of Water Stewardship in South Africa

CONTACT

If you would like to participate in the working group please email us on the link below

Participate in the WS group here