D rought monitoring and co-ordination in South Africa - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

D

rought monitoring and co-ordination in South Africa

Presentation

18 February 2016Slide2

National Joint Drought Coordinating Committee (NJDCC)

Sectoral

Department

Action

Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS)

Reported

increase in dam levels from 54.7% to 55.1%

DWS further indicated that from last year this time there was 82.5% dam capacity levels.

It also indicated that the lowest values of dam levels are in Free State, North West, KZN and Western Cape.

DWS contribute 111 tankers to support drought initiatives,

municipalities contribute 297 tankers, other tankers being provided are 82 tankers, and that implies that about 490 tankers were provided. It was indicated that required tankers are 1056, and the shortfall is 592 tankers

125 Boreholes are being refurbished and operational,

there are 211 newly drilled boreholes. There are 219 new and operational boreholes.

there is a requirement of 2210 boreholes to sufficient support drought, and a shortfall of 1475.

number of municipalities being assisted

are 94 including, KwaZulu-Natal (35), Eastern Cape (40), Mpumalanga (6), Northern Cape (4). It was also indicated that it is the responsibility of Municipalities to drill boreholes

indicated that due to the past rains, dams’ levels improved slightly, in KZN from 51.5 to 52%, and in Eastern Cape from 32.6% to 33.3%.

Department of Agriculture,

Forestry and Fisheries (D

AFF)

Planned

roadshows: 19 February -11 March 2016

Reported low fodder availability

Agri

-SA Estimation of R11.5 billion need for recovery with agricultural sector

Interventions are also made in the provinces, namely, KZN and North West

Relief measures being implemented in provinces

North West provincial government also provide four bags of feed per farmer as their initiatives

Department of Rural

Development and land

Reform (DRDLR)

2765 kilometre firebreaks

prepared for Mpumalanga 1243 KM outstanding

Livestock feed delivered in four district in Limpopo Province

Drilling of boreholes in KwaZulu-Natal , and 60% progress made

DAFF and DRDLR to meet and align their work on livestock feed

Department of Environmental Affairs

(D

EA)

There was a presentation by DEA: Biodiversity. DEA Biodiversity

is coordinating all the input from DEA entities and other organizations that deal with issues of mitigation and adaptation of drought. There is an interim report which was developed with strategies and interventions related to the immediate responses on drought.

The report include short term, medium term and long term interventions when it comes to drought. The report is divide into three sections, namely supply and demand management on water resources in biodiversity sector in general, still waiting for input from all nine provinces, coordinated through MECs, and it will be available next week. Slide3

2015 confirmed as the driest year on record for SA (since 1921)Slide4
Slide5

Outlook for the rest of the 2015/16 summer rainfall seasonSlide6

Status of ENSO (El Nino / Southern Oscillation)

ENSO predicted to subside back towards a near-neutral condition towards the austral (southern hemisphere) winter season of 2016However, it is difficult to make any predictions for (it’s effects on) SA beyond mid winter The current ENSO event continues to manifest itself as a strong positive SST anomaly, comparable in magnitude to the historic 1983 and 1998 eventsSlide7

Seasonal outlook:RAINFALLSlide8

Seasonal outlook:MAXIMUM TEMPERATURESlide9

The below-normal rain situation is still expected to persist for the remainder of the summer seasonVirtually entire country has a high likelihood of the occurrence of warmer than normal temperaturesIn the current week (15-21 Feb), dry and hot weather is expected with a few afternoon thundershowers over the eastern high lying areas of South Africa.

This pattern most likely will continue into the next week (22-28 Feb)Isolated heavy rain and/or severe thunderstorm events may still occur, as is typical for the El Nino period.ConclusionSlide10

Strategic and policy considerations

Implementation of robust and integrated monitoring systems

to reduce uncertainty regarding climate

variability and change

Advancing

Early Warning Systems

to mitigate the projected increase of extreme events and support effective Disaster Risk Reduction

Improving understanding of water, food and health nexus

as associated the trade-offs to promote sustainable resource use and development

Expanding initiatives such as

maintenance of ecological infrastructure and ecosystems

to help to maintain, support and sustain livelihoods and ecosystem services

Mainstreaming climate resilience

into infrastructure and operational designs

Building robust infrastructure

with an understanding of the long term vs. short term costs and benefits

Increasing

education & capacity building

as they are cornerstone adaptation responses necessary at all levels and in all sectors

Coordination at all levels of government vertically and horizontally

in the context of climate change

Investing in further

research

into climatic impacts at a local level and across industry value chains

Exploring

innovative financing models

to support deliver of appropriate adaptation responses Slide11

Adaptation implementation

Adaptation plans

have

been

completed and are under implementation by:

Department Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Department of Water and Sanitation

Department

of Rural Development Land Reform

Department

of Health to guide adaptation on health impacts

Department of Environmental Affairs

(adaptation

to

climate impacts on ecosystems).

A number of

provinces

The Department of Environmental Affairs is

co-ordinating

:

Working for Water (managing invasive alien plants for water security);

Working on Fire (to manage the increase of veld and forest fires);

Working for Wetlands (conserving the ecological services of wetlands)

Working for Ecosystems (conserving the ecological services of catchments) Slide12

AgricultureThe Climate Change Sector Plan for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries notes the following: -  Adaptation plans will need to consider carefully water curtailments to irrigators in times of drought, in light of food security and conditional upon irrigators using water efficiently.

There is a need for geneticists to breed more drought / heat resistant varieties of, for example, deciduous fruit with more rapidly responding phenologies and requiring lower Positive Chill Units; with breeding / developing new varieties to be done now, because response times for the deciduous fruit species, for example, is long. There is the need to relook, inter alia, water requirements, pH, and fertilizer requirements.Diversification within and outside the agriculture sector- projected decreases in rainfall will require diversification in agricultural practices, eg. finding new locations which are climatically suitable for crops, growing indigenous species, harvesting less often to prevent nutrient depletion, using local techniques to decrease wind erosion, and planting of drought- resistant maize varieties, alternative crops or late- maturing fruit trees.Reduce unsustainable management practices such as injudicious burning, overgrazing, spread of invasives etc which, lead to land degradation and expand land and ecosystem restoration practices. Slide13

Water sectorTo address drought, the Climate Change Response Strategy for the Water Sector aims to: Protect water allocations to poor and marginalised communities, particular under drought conditions, as per the prioritisation accorded to water use in the National Water Resources Strategy;

Ensure all dams have written operating rules in place, including clear rules for drought conditions.Address the need for more reliable data, to monitor the changes in rainfall patterns, as this hydrological information monitoring is crucial for assessing the state of water resources, monitoring and management of droughts and floods, reservoir planning, evaluation of impacts of climate change and land based activities on water resources and also contribute to the control of pollution at national level.Develop tools to evaluate the effect of drought and climate change.Improve science-policy interface, across many of the strategies reviewed, better science and research is recognised as being of critical importance in managing the water-related impacts of climate change. In particular, the issue of better predictive tools and better data on which to base climate change predictions is seen as very important. In addition, science and research can provide significant adaptive responses, such as through development of drought resistant crops, or water efficient technologies.Co-ordinate with other sector departments in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change; develop and elaborate appropriate and integrated plans for coastal zone management, water resources and agriculture, and for the protection and rehabilitation of areas, particularly in Africa, affected by drought and desertification, as well as floods;Slide14

Water Sector (2)Infrastructure development, operation and maintenanceMultipurpose water storageWater supply and sanitation: invest in research for optimal technologies for adaptation and update guidelines of waste water treatment plans to consider climate change

Groundwater development: develop ground water sources of supplying waterAlternative water sources: investigate feasibility of alternative water sourcesPlanning for possible extremesWater allocation and authorisationUse compulsory licensing and water re-allocationImprove monitoring and complianceOptimise dam and groundwater useEnhance water conservation and demand managementEnhance ground water capacityDisaster management: ensure early warning system and disaster management plans in place for vulnerable communitiesBuild awareness around climate change impacts on infrastructure for planners and engineers. Test DWS WR infrastructure plans against no regrets/low regrets framework and against most recent climate change impact scenarios to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure decisions are being made. Plan for developing new water resources including dams, water re-use, desalination and other additional water resources. Slide15

Human settlements and associated infrastructureThe housing backlog is a particular source of vulnerability in relation to human settlements and past experiences can provide lessons for future developments in the provision of low cost housing:

Environmental risks associated with climate change must be considered in informal settlement upgrades. Community driven re-blocking projects need to be supported by local authorities and integrated into strategies for the delivery of basic services to these communities. The planning skills needed for these projects do not revolve around technology so much as the facilitation of community processes. Policies and programmes that improve tenure security and provision of basic services to backyard tenants may be necessary.Formal planning of low cost and social housing needs to prioritize urban densification and where possible the state should intervene to ensure market values do not dictate property development to the detriment of social equity. In relation to existing low cost housing developments, deficits in the structural design of individual units need to be addressed, as well as deficits in urban design in the form of inadequate community facilities, public services and infrastructure. Ecological infrastructure and ecosystem based adaptation needs to be mainstreamed into human settlements planning. For instance, measures to improve and maintain the health of catchments and wetlands supporting downstream service delivery or moderating floods. National and local government should identify and implement supporting incentives – such as water pricing and water use charges – that encourage landowners to restore degraded catchments and maintain healthy ones.Urban development strategies that leverage adaptation opportunities in mixed settlements, (such as urban agriculture) and mitigate vulnerabilities, such as inadequate access to basic services, need to be pursued.Slide16

Biodiversity sectorThe Biodiversity Sector Climate Change Response Strategy provides an overview of the anticipated climate change impacts on South Africa’s biodiversity. Some of the key elements of the Biodiversity Sector Climate Change Response Strategy that address the impacts of drought on biodiversity include

:Reducing existing threats to biodiversity to promote resilience of natural ecosystems and species.Restore and maintain ecological infrastructureOngoing development and expansion of a comprehensive, adequate and representative protected areas network, improved in-situ and ex-situ management of areas of high conservation value (e.g. National Protected Areas Expansion Strategy - NPAES).Enhancing understanding of and increasing the value and application of Ecosystem-Based Adaptation responses. Incorporating climate change information into management tools for biodiversity management (e.g. Bioregional Plans, Biodiversity Management Plans, etc.)Increased monitoring and research into the impacts of climate change and adaptation options for species and ecosystems threatened by climate change.Slide17

Disaster risk reductionMainstream disaster risk reduction (not simply disaster response) into policy and planning

- all sectors/ spheres Support the continued shift from a reactive to a proactive approach to disaster management.Improve collaboration between DRR-M and climate change adaptation line departments.Improve DRR-M coordination within and between government departments at all levels of government.Improve delineation of roles and responsibilities around DRR-M, emphasising the importance of DRR within all sectors and levels of government.Support the establishment of DRR-M structures, including forums and nodes, at all levels.Strengthen institutional capacity to response to Early Warning System information at all levels and especially support local level engagement in collating and sharing information.Provide additional support to assist local government with post disaster costing and reporting, as well as with initiatives such as acquiring finance to support risk reduction.Support local municipalities in efforts to map community vulnerability to all weather-related hazards and to integrate this into local planning.Encourage efforts and enhance costing of the damages caused by disasters at all levels

Acknowledge the role of healthy ecosystems and ecological infrastructure

in reducing the impacts of climate vulnerability and change and integrate this into DRR-M planning.

Invest in research and development for forecasting

and tailored

informationSlide18

THE WORKING FOR WATER PROGRAMMEManaging invasive alien plants for water security

Invasive alien plants are using 5% of our mean annual runoff.Left alone, this impact will rise to 16% as the plants spread and grow. In specific catchments, they can consume all available water.Climate change will exacerbate this impact by invasive plants.

The

Department runs the

Working for Water

programme, on behalf of a partnership of Departments, to control such invasions.

Over 2,800,000 hectares of land have been cleared of invasive plants through this programme.WfW has allocated R 1 033 069

229 (R1.03 Billion)

for this work in 2015/16.

Over 38,000 people will work on this programme in this year.

This work is essential for long-term water security. The CSIR calculated the value of the water as a result of the control of invasives at 400 billion.

In the short-term, Working for Water will seek to re-prioritize some of its work, to focus on invaded riparian areas. This can facilitate immediate water benefits.Slide19

Wild

fires are a major factor in the management of fire-prone ecosystems.Most of the areas that are currently experiencing drought are in fire-prone systems.

Fire is necessary for

the health and productivity of these ecosystems (e.g. grazing).

A failure to burn, or burn timeously (be it too often or too infrequently), can lead to weakened ecosystem functioning and even

collapse, with all the productivity losses.

The Department manages the Working on Fire programme, again on behalf of a partnership of Departments.

Over

3,000 wild fires are expected to be brought under control through the programme in 2015/16, on top of controlled burns and establishing firebreaks.

WoF has allocated

R527 928

132

for this work in 2015/16.

Over

6,000 highly trained Fire-fighters

will work on this programme in this year

.

The

drought is bound to lead to serious challenges in the fire seasons in the south (in Summer) and potentially in the north (next Winter).

WoF is capacitated to fight fires, co-ordinate preventative protection measures, and enhance productivity of land, now, and in a changing climate.

THE WORKING ON FIRE PROGRAMME

Integrated Veld and Forest Fire ManagementSlide20

Water

quality is a pressing issue in a developing world. Wetlands are often referred to as “Nature’s Kidneys”, for the filtration and purification services that they offer. Wetlands similarly have critical roles in flood attenuation – a factor that will grow in importance as climate change bites. They are also important for biological diversity, food security, disease management and other attributes, as well as low-flows of water supply. DEA manages Working for Wetlands on behalf of partner Departments.

Over

1,100 wetlands have been repaired and conserved through this programme.

Working for Wetlands

has

allocated R 110 601 659 for this work in 2015/16.

Over

1,500

people will work on this programme in this year

.

An emphasis on wetland conservation, and a particular use of offsets to establish artificial wetlands that mitigate water quality problems from poor sanitation,

are among the envisaged short-term

interventions in these circumstances.

THE WORKING FOR WETLANDS PROGRAMME

Conserving the Ecological Services of WetlandsSlide21

Soil

erosion, siltation, slippage, mudslides and sedimentation are major factors in the immediate water challenges faced in South Africa, and certainly in the long-term management of water.The sooner these impacts of poor land-use practices are addressed, the lower the impact, including upon water. The Department manages the Working for Ecosystems programme in key catchment areas, in partnership with other Departments, as well as a Working on Land programme, that address this problem..

Working for Ecosystems

has

allocated R92,552,294 for

this work in

2015/16, and a further R27,100,000 is budgeted through Working for Land. Over 2,000 workers will work on these programmes

in this year

.

Whilst the benefits are critical in the long-term, the programmes will seek to focus some of its work for short-term gains in this drought.

THE WORKING FOR ECOSYSTEMS PROGRAMME

Conserving the Ecological Services of CatchmentsSlide22

South Africa, like all countries, must adapt to a changing climate that will have various impacts, including with respect to water.Whilst this inevitably means that our water use per capita has to reduce, on average (and be equitable), the changes that are necessary must be embraced.

We can do them now, because we are currently experiencing a drought and the challenge of El Nino, but actually the measures that we should all adopt will be investments in the long-term.This is particularly true of demand-side management options, where dual-flush toilets, low-flow showerhead, water-wise gardens and the like offer quality solutions to what are frankly inefficient and wasteful practices. We can take this further in what we prescribe for development, such as the norms and standards for housing, that can ensure a “technology leap” for development in the country.The control of invasive alien plants in our catchments and landscapes is essential. The sooner it is done, the less it will cost. Whilst greater water security is an obvious benefit, there are many other benefits, including greater productivity of land. The same is true of our management of wetlands, of wild fires, of land and ecosystems. And all of them are among our most important opportunities for jobs.As much as we need to adapt our lifestyles, and ensure that we make every drop of water count, these are changes that are frankly overdue in a world with a changing climate and growing population. Adapt or die.THERE IS NO CHOICE WITH WATER: ADAPT OR DIEThe good thing is that is it a profitable thing to do