SUBMISSIONS ON THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT FOR THE PROPOSED MOKOLO CROCODILE (WEST) WATER AUGMENTATION PROJECT PHASE 2

The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting for Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, submitted comments on the Background Information Document (BID) for the proposed Mokolo Crocodile (West) Water Augmentation Project Phase 2 (MCWAP-2). The submission expresses significant reservations regarding the project's sustainability and feasibility, citing climate change and water scarcity, and requests further clarity on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and public consultation.

• Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (ELA) expresses significant reservations about the feasibility and sustainability of the MCWAP-2 project, citing current and predicted water shortages in South Africa, the increasing impacts of climate change, and the potential effects on agricultural industries and communities dependent on water sources like the Crocodile River.
• The submission criticizes the BID for focusing on engineering designs while providing insufficient information on potential social and environmental impacts. It demands that all potential impacts be fully assessed, including water scarcity, water quality, ecological flow, cumulative impacts on South African water resources, and the effects of population growth and climate change on both giving and receiving water systems.
• The Centre for Environmental Rights identifies a failure in the BID to mention the requirement to remedy negative impacts through restoration, compensation, or offsets, as mandated by the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (NEMA).
• The submission requests clarification on why separate applications are being submitted for different project components—specifically borrow pits and the river management system—rather than a single combined application, given that these components are integral to the project and require environmental authorisation.
• The document asserts that MCWAP-2 may have far-reaching impacts beyond Limpopo, specifically affecting water sources in Gauteng and North West. Consequently, the submission requests that additional public consultation meetings be held in those provinces and that invitations be extended to all interested and affected parties (I&APs), not just specific agricultural interest groups.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (2016). SUBMISSIONS ON THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT FOR THE PROPOSED MOKOLO CROCODILE (WEST) WATER AUGMENTATION PROJECT PHASE 2. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CER-ELA-Comments-BID-MCWAP2-24-6-16.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. SUBMISSIONS ON THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT FOR THE PROPOSED MOKOLO CROCODILE (WEST) WATER AUGMENTATION PROJECT PHASE 2. 2016. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CER-ELA-Comments-BID-MCWAP2-24-6-16.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=SUBMISSIONS ON THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT FOR THE PROPOSED MOKOLO CROCODILE (WEST) WATER AUGMENTATION PROJECT PHASE 2 |date=24 June 2016 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CER-ELA-Comments-BID-MCWAP2-24-6-16.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centreforenvironmentalrights2016submissions, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{SUBMISSIONS ON THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT FOR THE PROPOSED MOKOLO CROCODILE (WEST) WATER AUGMENTATION PROJECT PHASE 2}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CER-ELA-Comments-BID-MCWAP2-24-6-16.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }