Transcript DWA Climate Change Response Strategy

Portfolio Committee: Water and
Environmental Affairs
Department of Water Affairs
CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE
STRATEGY
Dr S Mgquba
Public Hearings, 05-08 June 2012
Background
• DWA identified as an adaptation department in the policy, to address the
following:
• Implementation of best catchments and water management practices
to ensure the greatest degree of water security and resource
protection.
• Exploration of new and unused resources, particularly groundwater,
re-use of effluent, and desalination.
• Reduction of the vulnerability and enhancement of the resilience to
water-related impacts of climate change in communities/sectors at
greatest risk
• Resources and capacity to deal with the long-term effects
• Focussed monitoring and research in order to ensure the efficacy of
water adaptation approaches over the long term.
Background
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DWA Climate Change Response Strategy
• DWA is currently developing a Climate Change Response Strategy which will
address the following:
– DWA
Identify possible
climate change response
strategies in the broader
CC Response
Strategy
sustainable development approach of water sector,
– Will look at infrastructural, institutional, developmental, and regulatory
responses.
– Assess possible strategies against national government objectives and
alignment with other sector strategies and examine possible
mitigation/adaptation synergies
– Conduct institutional analysis on capacity and capability of water
institutions to implement the strategy, and determine resource
requirements for implementation
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DWA Climate Change Response Strategy cont…
– Identify any policy /legislative amendments that may be required to
implement the strategy, and
DWA
CC Response Strategy (cont)
– Will include high-level implementation plan, looking at roles and
responsibilities of various players in the water sector, high level cost
implications, and time frames.
– Response strategy to be practical, affordable, and implementable within
existing capacity in the country, and to take into account poverty
eradication and transformation requirements.
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Methodology for assessments
Emission Scenarios
Top down approach
(lower confidence)
Global
circulation
models
Downscaling
GCMs
Hydrological
processes
Systems
analysis
Vulnerability
Assessments
Bottom-up approach
(higher confidence)
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Major Climate systems influencing South African rainfall
Major Climate systems influencing South African rainfall
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Major Climate systems influencing South African rainfall Cont…
• South Western Cape: winter rainfall region with a wet season extending
largely from April through to August. Rainfall is dominantly driven by midlatitude cyclones and associated cold fronts through orographic rainfall,
either associated with frontal rainfall,
Major Climate systems influencing South African rainfall
• The Southern Cape: all year rainfall with winter rainfall driven by the midlatitudes and summer rainfall driven by onshore moisture transport and
orographic rainfall on the mountains.
• The East Coast: summer rainfall region with rainfall produced by large
scale convective systems driven by low pressure, additional rainfall is a
result of more localized convective systems driven by moisture from the
adjacent warm Algulhas current.
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Major Climate systems influencing South African rainfall (cont)
• The west coast and north western interior: is an arid region with little
rainfall throughout the year. Along the coast and towards the south
rainfall occurs during winter and is associated with mid-latitude cyclones
passing
to thesystems
south of influencing
the country. South African rainfall
Major
Climate
• The northern interior: of the country is a summer rainfall region largely
driven by similar regional climate dynamics as the central interior though
with some complexities introduced by the escarpment to the east.
• The central interior: is a summer rainfall region with rainfall driven by
both local scale convective systems as well as large scale organized
convection driven by systems such as Temperate Tropical Troughs (TTT).
Moisture is sourced from the north and north east and is advected into
the region by the combination of the continental heat low as well as the
south Indian anti-cyclone.
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Assessment Criteria
Criteria that played a role in determining the pilot sites were:
(i) geographic spread to reflect the diversity in climate and
Assessment
Criteria
hydrological
characteristics;
(ii) strategic relevance for South Africa’s economy;
(iii) focus on regions of strategic importance but poorly
studied,
(iv) the perceived level of threat to the system.
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1. Water Management Areas
Apart from the climate zones and hydrological boundaries as the potential units of
Proposed Climate Water Zones
analysis, a combination of these two delineations including the proposed
Z on e 1
Z on
e4
Zo
ne
2
Z on e 3
5
e6
ne
Zo
Z on
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Pilot regions for assessments
Based on the above criteria, the following regions or systems are
recommended for undertaking detailed climate change assessment.
Pilot regions for assessments
• Umzimvubu rural scheme (Zone 5); rural schemes, resource not
significantly developed but of strategic importance to province and
ecological significance (wetlands)
• Inkomati (Zone 1); stressed system, transboundary, small holder agriculture
and rural population
• Northern Cape (Zone 4); focus on the use of ground water resources and
mining,
• The Western Cape System (Zone 6); representing urban systems and
agriculture,
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Adaptation programmes
• The Department is implementing integrated water
resources management and as such climate change
adaptation Adaptation
is embedded in line with this approach as
follows: programmes
–
–
–
–
–
When planning for the development of water resources,
Water conservation and demand management
Assessment of system yields
Efficient operation of existing schemes, and
Environmental protection
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Where are we thus far?
Consultation with key government departments
and stakeholders
Inception
phase
(finished)
Climate
Change
Strateg
Status Quo Assessment (in
progress)
Project
Closure
y
Capacity building of DWA staff
Collection and compilation of information, reports etc
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THANK YOU
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