Securing Water Quality for Life

Abstract

Most people tend to focus on the visible part of water. Therefore, water quality has been undervalued in water management, with people often not having the necessary understanding and knowledge to manage water quality effectively. Policies and strategies also tend to give more attention to managing quantity. This paper highlights the legislative principles of equity, efficiency and sustainability in the context of water resource management in South Africa. It provides two examples of practical implementation of these principles from a water quality perspective and highlights the challenges relating to the realization of these principles in practice.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the CSIR, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and Sappi, who were sponsors for the development of the RDM-WQ and ECO² products.