SA Water reuse Programme (“WRP”)

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is seeking funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to prepare a national Water Reuse Programme (WRP) in South Africa. The country faces a projected 17% water deficit by 2030, exacerbated by climate change. The proposed WRP consists of two main components: the establishment of a national water reuse programme office to support municipalities in project preparation and the creation of a blended finance solution using project bonds to establish water reuse as a new asset class. The project preparation phase will include technical and climate impact assessments, the design of financial architecture, and gender and social studies. The total indicative cost for the full programme is estimated between USD 3 billion and 5 billion, with a request for USD 153.4 million in GCF funding.

• South Africa is characterized as a severely water-scarce country and is projected to face a 17% water deficit by 2030.
• The proposed Water Reuse Programme (WRP) is structured around two primary components: a national programme support office and a blended finance option to scale implementation.
• The DBSA intends to use project bonds as the primary financial instrument to establish water reuse infrastructure as a new asset class in South Africa.
• Initial estimates indicate that approximately 2,500 Ml/d (913 million m3/a) of water is available for reuse from 59 macro wastewater treatment works, representing about 5% of the projected 2030 demand.
• The total indicative cost for the WRP is estimated between USD 3 billion and 5 billion, with a requested GCF contribution of USD 153.4 million.
• The project preparation phase will involve five key activity areas: feasibility and programme design, identification of indicators, environmental/social/gender studies, risk assessment, and the preparation of a full Funding Proposal.
• The programme identifies significant gender-based vulnerabilities, noting that 4.9% of toilets in South Africa were located outside the family property in 2016, increasing risks of gender-based violence for women and girls.
• The proposed blended finance structure involves a mix of senior debt (66-73%), subordinated debt/credit enhancement (20-30%), and concessional finance (10-20%).

APA

Green Climate Fund (2020). SA Water reuse Programme (“WRP”). https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/ppf-application-south-africa-water-reuse-programme.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. SA Water reuse Programme (“WRP”). 2020. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/ppf-application-south-africa-water-reuse-programme.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=SA Water reuse Programme (“WRP”) |date=20 April 2020 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/ppf-application-south-africa-water-reuse-programme.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2020water, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{SA Water reuse Programme (“WRP”)}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/ppf-application-south-africa-water-reuse-programme.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }