Water Boards play a key role in the South African water sector. They operate dams, bulk water supply infrastructure, some retail infrastructure and some wastewater systems. Some also provide technical assistance to municipalities. Through their role in the operation of dams they also play an important role in water resources management. The Water Boards report to the Department of Water Affairs (DWA).[1] There are 13 Water Boards in South Africa (see list below), together indirectly serving more than 24 million people in 90 municipalities in 2005, or about half the population of South Africa.

The three largest Water Boards - Rand Water in Gauteng Province, Umgeni Water in KwaZulu Natal Province and Overberg Water – indirectly serve 10 million, 4 million and 2 million people respectively. This is three times as much (18 million) as all the 12 smaller water boards together (6 million).[2] Rand Water has a more than 100-year history[3] in the Gauteng area, the industrial heartland of South Africa. It buys water from DWA, treats it and sells it to large industries, mines and municipalities.

List of Water Boards in South Africa

[4][5]

  1. Amatola Water Board (East London, Eastern Cape) now incorporates Albany Coast Water Board which served the Boesmansriviermond area, Eastern Cape)
  2. Bloem Water (Bloemfontein, Free State)
  3. Lepelle Northern Water (Phalaborwa, Limpopo)
  4. Magalies Water (Tehabane - Rustenburg, North West)
  5. Mhlathuze Water (Richards Bay, KwaZulu Natal)[6]
  6. Overberg Water (Heidelberg CP, Western Cape)
  7. Rand Water (Johannesburg, Gauteng)
  8. Sedibeng Water (Bothaville, Free State) (formerly Goudveld Water)[7]
  9. Umgeni Water (Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal) (Regional Office located in Durban)

The following stock-watering Water Boards are to be transformed into water user associations (see National Water Act section 98(1)):[8][9]

  1. Kalahari East Water Board (Upington, Northern Cape) (formerly Kalahari-Oos Waterraad)
  2. Kalahari West Water Board (Upington, Northern Cape)
  3. Karos-Geelkoppen Water Board (Joostepan, Northern Cape)


Disestablished Water Boards

  1. Botshelo Water (Mmabatho, North West) (formerly Bophuthatswana Water Supply Authority and then the North-West Water Supply Authority Board) (disestablished 1 April 2014)[10]
  2. Bushbuckridge Water Board (Mafmani/Nelspruit, Mpumalanga) (disestablished 1 April 2014)[11]
  3. Namakwa Water (Nababeep, Northern Cape) (disestablished 8 April 2011)[12]
  4. Nkangala Water board (Belfast, Mpumalanga) (disestablished)[13]
  5. Pelladrift Water Board (Northern Cape) [14] (disestablished 30 October 2014)[15]

References

  1. ^ Republic of South Africa, Department of Water Affairs. "Water Service Institutions". Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  2. ^ Infrastructure Barometer 2006, p. 123
  3. ^ H. T. Montague Bell, C. Arthur Lane, British Association for the Advancement of Science, Meeting, South African Association for the Advancement of Science (1905). "The Rand Water Supply". A Guide to the Transvaal. Bartholomew & Lawlor. p. 88. Retrieved 11 August 2010.((cite book)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ AfDevInfo:Water Boards
  5. ^ Mntambo, 2 Sep 2009. Department of Water Affairs (Mpumalanga) Support and Intervention to Local Government Institutions. Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs
  6. ^ (Advertorial) (21 May 2015). "Mhlathuze Water in a nutshell". Mail & Guardian.
  7. ^ "Sedibeng Water - Sustaining the Source and Flow of Life Forever".
  8. ^ National Water Resource Strategy. 2004. Chapter 3, Part 5 – Water Management Institutions
  9. ^ National Water Act
  10. ^ Department of Water Affairs (1 April 2014). "Disestablishment of Botshelo Water" (PDF). Government Gazette. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  11. ^ Department of Water Affairs (1 April 2014). "Disestablishment of Bushbuckridge Water" (PDF). Government Gazette. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  12. ^ Department of Water Affairs (8 April 2011). "Disestablishment of Namakwa Water Board" (PDF). Government Gazette. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  13. ^ "Department of Water & Environmental Affairs & Water Boards: Water Pricing &Tariffs 2009/10 | PMG".
  14. ^ South Africa Department of Water and Sanitation
  15. ^ Department of Water and Sanitation (15 October 2014). "Disestablishment of Pelladrift Water Board" (PDF). Government Gazette. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
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