DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DEPEND ON WATER

The document identifies 22 water source areas (WSAs) in South Africa that provide 50% of surface run-off from only 8% of the land, supporting 60% of the population and 67% of economic activity. It highlights critical threats including coal and gold mining, fracking, climate change, and alien invasive vegetation, noting that only 13% of WSAs are under formal protection under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (NEMPAA). The guide provides a 'Legal Toolbox' of seven legislative mechanisms to restrict harmful activities and restore ecological infrastructure.

• South Africa's water source areas are disproportionately productive, with 8% of the land providing 50% of the country's surface run-off.
• Water source areas are critical to the national economy and population, supporting approximately 67% of economic activity and 60% of the population.
• Formal legal protection for these areas is severely lacking, with only 13% of water source areas currently protected under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (NEMPAA).
• Major urban centres are heavily dependent on specific water source areas: Cape Town receives 98.8% of its water from the Boland Mountains and Table Mountain, while eThekwini and Pietermaritzburg receive 97.8% from the Southern Drakensberg.
• Mining activities pose a severe threat, particularly in Mpumalanga where there is a 70% overlap of mining activities in water source areas, leading to acid mine drainage (AMD) that contaminates water for people, livestock, and fish.
• Alien invasive plants, such as black wattle and pine, are responsible for the loss of roughly 3% of South Africa's available water resources.
• The document identifies several high-risk areas with minimal protection, such as the Eastern Cape Drakensberg (0% protected), Soutpansberg (1% protected), and Enkangala Drakensberg (1% protected).
• The guide proposes a 'Legal Toolbox' of seven tools to protect WSAs, including Section 24(2A) of the National Environmental Management Act and Section 49 of the Mineral & Petroleum Resources Development Act to restrict or prohibit harmful activities.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DEPEND ON WATER. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/CER_Water-Source-Book_WEB-Version.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DEPEND ON WATER. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/CER_Water-Source-Book_WEB-Version.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DEPEND ON WATER |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/CER_Water-Source-Book_WEB-Version.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsnddevelopment, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DEPEND ON WATER}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/CER_Water-Source-Book_WEB-Version.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }