ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION GROUP
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ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION GROUP |
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Editorial
Did you know that Swaziland has a new Water Act? The Act repealed the Water Act of 1967 and came into effect in July 2003. It gives user rights and prohibits private ownership to all water found naturally in the country. Water is a natural and pristine resource that sustains and nurtures all life on earth. Without water, we perish. Plants, animals, and human beings require clean potable water, free of contaminants. When water is threatened all living things are threatened. Some rivers have become contaminated by erosion, chemicals or waste, while others are depleted by drought or over-irrigation. Water is being depleted or converted into destructive uses through the diversion of water systems to different lands, unsustainable economic and recreational development, the transformation of excessive amounts of water into energy, and the treatment of water as a commodity, a property interest, that can be bought, sold and traded in global and domestic economies. On 22 March 2004, we celebrated the World Water Day and the theme was "Water and Disasters." This theme is relevant to us, and it came at a time when the country is experiencing drought. Although HIV/Aids is the biggest disaster in the country, water mismanagement ranks among this group. Basic water needs are not given priority, as should be the case. The water act gives precedence to basic water needs such that in times of water scarcity user permits may have to be suspended. About 47% of the population lack access to safe and clean water. This speaks volumes about the water quality situation in the country. Water is needed to curb the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera. It is even much more critical for hygiene and sanitation especially in view of the HIV/Aids pandemic. Moreover, water is readily needed to ease the household resources expended currently in carrying water over long distances. The government responded to the drought by declaring it a national disaster. Over 217 00 people (about 20% of the population) require food aid. Drought has not spared animals. In the Shiselweni region alone, more than 2 300 cattle have died over the past months due to water shortage. Further, industries have added a blow by discharging untreated effluent into water sources causing pollution depriving communities and aquatic life, which sustains life on this vital resource. We also note with concern the irrelevance of expensive large water infrastructure such as dams to the immediate needs of the people. Dams have not gone far enough to help the country come out of its poverty trap. A number of dams have been built in the country. These include the Maguga, Mnjoli, Luphohlo, and Sand River dam. Two more dams are in the pipeline to supply the Lower Usuthu Small Scale Irrigation Projects (LUSIP). Despite investments in dams in the country about 60% of the population still live below the international poverty line. In view of the above, it seems we need more than water conservation but also equitable access to the resource. Current studies in the sugar industry in Swaziland suggest the need to invest in effective appropriate water conservation technologies to sustain the industry especially in view of the current water availability situation and consistent dry spells. Water supply in Swaziland is now unpredictable, while water quality is deteriorating. Further, the distribution of water is uneven. A large proportion of the water resources have been dammed and or channelled to sustain industries and commercial agriculture at the expense of communities. Such a scenario presents a potential for conflict and instability. Water futurists have predicted that water will be the single most common cause of international conflicts in the 21st century, surpassing other issues such as religion, politics, tribal, wealth and land that have been behind international strife throughout history. Rivers flow crossing through political boundaries of many nations. Swaziland shares a number of her rivers with South Africa and Mozambique. Thus, the use of the shared rivers will affect her neighbours. The country entered into multilateral water agreements with her neighbours to ensure access and equitable use of the resource. It is therefore important that Swaziland complies with these agreements. Further, we will be better placed to honour these agreements if we effectively manage our water resources.
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