Johannesburg — WATER allocations for commercial farmers could be curtailed in certain areas, and farmers would need to apply for water-use licences, Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica told an agricultural conference last week.
Her remarks come amid increasing public concern that SA could be approaching a water resource crisis.
About 60% of SA's available water resources are directed to agriculture.
Ms Sonjica said water-use licences would first be implemented in four catchment areas where water is already over- allocated; in other words, too much water is being removed from the system.
They are the Inkomati water management area in Mpumalanga, Jan Dissels in the Western Cape, Umhlathuze in KwaZulu-Natal and Tosca, a groundwater area in the Northern Cape.
"In these catchments, commercial farmers must expect that their water allocations for irrigation could be curtailed," she said, adding that farmers in these areas should put water conservation measures in place.
"Other sectors - like mines, industries, municipalities, previously disadvantaged communities and the environment - are also competing for this already allocated water," she said.
Enforcement processes for illegal water use and other water crimes would be stepped up, she said.
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Ms Sonjica promised water pollution was being taken seriously. She acknowledged farmers' concern about water pollution and its possible effects on human and animal health and food security.
She said attempts to improve water quality in the Hartebeespoort Dam's catchment system and the Berg River were steps in the right direction.
Nic Opperman, AgriSA's director of natural resources, did not object to the water-use licences, provided that this process took place within the requirements of water legislation.
He said AgriSA would meet with Ms Sonjica and the agriculture, fisheries and forestry minister regarding water quality and water use for farming.
It has been reported that demand for water is set to outstrip supply by 2015, if current consumption rates continue.
But Mike Muller, a professor in public and development management at Wits University, told the conference that SA had enough water to meet its needs to 2025 and beyond.
Present problems in the sector - which could give rise to future challenges - include limited financial resources and institutional capabilities, rather than the limited quantity of water, he said.
A potential water crisis could occur if the right investments, management decisions and interventions were not made at the right time, Prof Muller said.
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