Strategic Water Source Areas: Management Framework and Implementation Guidelines for Planners and Managers

The report identifies Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) as critical land areas that provide a disproportionate amount of surface water runoff or groundwater recharge, sustaining over 50% of South Africa's population and 64% of its economy. It establishes a management framework to mitigate impacts from forestry, agriculture, mining, and invasive alien plants, while providing guidelines for government planners to integrate SWSA maps into strategic development frameworks and zoning schemes.

• Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) are critical for national water and food security, with surface water SWSAs producing over 50% of the mean annual runoff from approximately 10% of the land area.
• SWSAs provide immense economic and social value, sustaining more than 50% of the population and 64% of the economy.
• Irrigated agriculture in South Africa is heavily dependent on SWSAs, receiving about 70% of its water from surface water SWSAs and generating a gross income of approximately R47.8 billion in 2013.
• Groundwater SWSAs are vital for rural and town water security, supporting 126 towns and rural schemes for over 1.9 million people, with at least 6.7 million people living in settlements where groundwater is the sole source.
• The report identifies three primary human activities that significantly impact water quantity and quality in SWSAs: changing land cover, irrigated agriculture, and mining, alongside the threat of invasive alien plants.
• Invasive alien plants reduce South Africa's mean annual runoff by at least 1,444 million m3/a, which represents 2.9% of the national total.
• There is a significant lack of formal protection for SWSAs; only about 11% of surface-water SWSAs (approximately 18.2 million ha) are formally protected under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act.
• The report recommends that SWSA maps be integrated into strategic planning tools, including Spatial Development Frameworks (SDFs), Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), and zoning schemes to ensure proactive water resource management.
• Mining in SWSAs poses risks of acid mine drainage (AMD) and siltation, requiring strict monitoring of return flows and the implementation of separate clean and dirty water systems.
• The report suggests two primary legal options for enhancing SWSA protection: using Section 24(2A) of NEMA to restrict environmental authorisations in specific areas, or adding a dedicated protection chapter to the new Water & Sanitation Act.

APA

Le Maitre, D., Walsdorff, A., Cape, L., Seyler, H., Audouin, M., Smith-Adao, L., Nel, J., & Witthüser, K. (2018). Strategic Water Source Areas: Management Framework and Implementation Guidelines for Planners and Managers. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Management-Guidelines.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Le Maitre, David, Annick Walsdorff, Lydia Cape, Helen Seyler, Michelle Audouin, Lindie Smith-Adao, Jeanne Nel, and Kai Witthüser. Strategic Water Source Areas: Management Framework and Implementation Guidelines for Planners and Managers. Centre for Environmental Rights, 2018. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Management-Guidelines.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Le Maitre |first1=David |last2=Walsdorff |first2=Annick |last3=Cape |first3=Lydia |last4=Seyler |first4=Helen |last5=Audouin |first5=Michelle |last6=Smith-Adao |first6=Lindie |last7=Nel |first7=Jeanne |last8=Witthüser |first8=Kai |title=Strategic Water Source Areas: Management Framework and Implementation Guidelines for Planners and Managers |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |date=July 2018 |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Management-Guidelines.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lemaitre2018strategic, author = {Le Maitre, David and Walsdorff, Annick and Cape, Lydia and Seyler, Helen and Audouin, Michelle and Smith-Adao, Lindie and Nel, Jeanne and Witthüser, Kai}, title = {{Strategic Water Source Areas: Management Framework and Implementation Guidelines for Planners and Managers}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Management-Guidelines.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }