Public participation in Integrated Water
Date
2006-10-26T08:33:45Z
Authors
Sansom-Sherwill, Tamsyn Anita.
Journal Title
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Abstract
South Africa’s new water policy and law have introduced the requirement for public
participation in all aspects of resource management and decision-making. This policy change
is in recognition of the potential benefits of participation in generating more informed,
acceptable, equitable and sustainable management of the nation’s water resources. However
the new water law does not prescribe the form this participation should take, or offer criteria
for evaluating the success of participatory processes. The term ‘public participation’, in its
contemporary usage worldwide, is poorly or broadly defined and may thus encompass a range
of processes, which differ in the roles and influence afforded to their stakeholder participants,
and in their ability to deliver desired outcomes and benefits to government or the public. This
study aimed to investigate the influence of this procedural variation on public and stakeholder
participation in the implementation of the National Water Act (Act no. 36 of 1998) in South
Africa, and thereby recommend a preferred approach to conducting and facilitating these
processes in the future. Use was made of a qualitative and primarily inductive research
approach. This was designed to gather perspectives of the various role-players (stakeholders,
specialists and government) for a desired process and outcome of participation, and to link
process and outcome by means of two case studies of the current implementation of
participatory processes for water resource management decision-making. Both case studies
illustrated the over-riding negative influence of a product-oriented and ‘specialist-centred’
approach to participation, focused on the development of specific statutory products or
decisions required by the National Water Act. This approach in turn is being driven by the
current fragmentation of participation around these different products and stages of the overall
resource management process. A recommended alternative is a more process-oriented,
‘stakeholder-centred’ approach to participatory events, within an integrative, ongoing
participatory process. This must be based on mutual learning by all role-players, and an
emphasis on inter-sectoral interaction and relationships. A key constraint identified to the
achievement of more integrative participatory processes that offer influence to, and generate
ownership by, stakeholder participants, is the lack of clarity within government and the South
African water sector as to the intent of participation within the new water policy, and thus the
process by which this participation should take place. In particular, the role of stakeholders,
and how much influence or power they should be afforded in decision-making processes, is
subject to individual interpretation. The recommendation from this research is that, given the
ideals of equity, sustainability and citizen empowerment aspired to by the Constitution and the
new water policy, government should strive to fully engage stakeholders in processes that both
offer influence and inspire action. Ideally, linkages should be created to extend this influence
to the broader political process.
Description
Fsculty of Science
School of Animal,Plant And Enviromental Sciences
Msc
9201098j
tsherwill@yahoo.com
Keywords
National Water Act, Participatory Natural Resource, Management, Deliberative democracy, Consensous decision making