The purpose of the Chief Directorate: National Water Resources Planning (CD: NWRP) is to ensure the availability of adequate water that is fit for use in the context of a changing climate, through holistic planning, development and management of water resources and systems. The CD: NWRP has four directorates namely:
- Climate Change Analysis (D: CCA).
- Strategic Water Resource Planning (D: SWRP).
- Water Resource Development Planning (D: WRDP).
- Water Resource Management Planning (D: WRMP).
The work of the CD: NWRP pertains to the entire country, as demarcated into the following Planning Areas:
- North – Limpopo and Olifants River Catchments (Limpopo and Olifants WMAs).
- Central – Vaal River and Orange River Catchments.
- East – Sabie, Nkomati, Usuthu, Pongola and all the rivers draining to the KwaZulu – Natal coast (Nkomati and Pongola to Mtamvula WMAs).
- South – All the rivers draining to the coasts of Eastern and Western Cape (Mzimvubu to Tsitsikama WMA, Gouritz – Breede WMA and Berg – Olifants WMAs).
Description of CD: NWRP functions
NWRP derives its mandate mainly from Chapter 2 (Section 6), Chapter 4 (Section 23) and Chapter 11 (Section 110) of the National Water Act, 1998 and is responsible for, amongst other aspects, the following functions:
- Ensuring water security for South Africa through integrated planning including development of strategies to reconcile water requirements with water availability (D: Strategic Water Resource Planning).
- Appraisal of water resource development options at appropriate levels of detail including recommendation of appropriate actions for implementation (D: Water Resource Development Planning).
- Development and review of models, tools, guidelines and appropriate strategies for planning, development and operation of South Africa’s water resource systems (D: Water Resource Management Planning).
- Development of response strategies that guide effective response to climate change while minimizing its adverse effect on water resources, guided by best practice available internationally, regionally and locally (D: Climate Change Analysis).
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