SA on track to achieve water and sanitation SDG

Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, Dikeledi Magadzi, has expressed confidence in the work carried out by the department, along with key several stakeholders towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG6) on water and sanitation.

Delivering a keynote address during a Midterm Review Workshop on the Sustainable Development Goals, currently underway in Pretoria, Magadzi stated that through the country’s National Water and Sanitation Master Plan, and the National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS) in particular, South Africa has developed arguably the most effective operational structure for the implementation of SDG6 on the African Continent.

“The National Water and Sanitation Master Plan, and the National Water Resource Strategy are logical designs that include experts that cover all the different disciplines required to achieve Target and Indicator objectives and implemented with a systematic approach that identifies respective gaps and offers interventions to closing those gaps,” Magadzi said.

The Deputy Minister noted that through the designs, a Sanitation Technology Technical Coordination Committee has been established to ensure a coordinated, facilitated and standardised process for sanitation technology uptake, which is fair, transparent and inclusive.

A draft Sanitation Technology Uptake Protocol has also been developed to guide innovators and the sector on the standard process for assessment and validation of new technologies.

“Some of the tangible progresses made towards attaining SDGs, include the implementation of a National Groundwater Monitoring Programme which is the feeder to the assessment of SDG targets/ indicator, as far as groundwater quality is concerned.

“The department recognises the significance of water conservation and demand management and its contribution towards water use efficiency. By minimising non-revenue water such as high leakages, it removes the burden and capital expenditure of new infrastructure requirements,” Magadzi said.

Water and Sanitation Deputy Ministers, David Mahlobo and Dikeledi Magadzi, are leading the two-day midterm review workshop which aims to assess the status on SDG6, which calls for clean water and sanitation for all by 2030 and beyond.

The workshop, which takes place ahead of the United Nations (UN) Water Conference to be held next month, will also unpack opportunities to overcome challenges and accelerate delivery of SDGs focusing on water and sanitation.

Magadzi acknowledged that there is still much more to be done and urged role players in the water sector to work collaboratively with the department towards successfully attaining SDG6 by 2030 and beyond.

“The SDG6 is a sector programme and not just a programme of the department and without the right commitment, investment, delivery, and performance of all sector role players, then South Africa will not be where it should be by 2030.

“It is for this reason that we should work closely and collaboratively going forward. In this SDG6 programme, we can either win together or we can lose together, and for the Department of Water and Sanitation, and the sector in its entirety, the latter cannot be an option,” Magadzi said.

Source: South African Government News Agency