en.Wedoany.com Report on Mar 25th, The Water Research Commission recently launched a five-year national strategic plan aimed at mapping and integrating all available water resource data in South Africa through the development of a water accounting system. Named the South African National Water Account System, the project is led by the Centre for Water Resources Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal until September 2030. It aims to provide regularly updated, spatially detailed information to support sustainable water allocation, water security planning, and economic assessments of water use. Dr. Moloko Matlala, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Water and Sanitation, described the system as a "game-changer," noting that South Africa, one of the world's 30 driest countries, has an average rainfall 40% to 50% lower than the global average. "Water is a catalyst for economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability. We need this project to ensure this catalytic nature of water is fully realized."

The system will link water availability, quality, and use with economic activities, strengthening evidence-based water governance. Through integrated water resource data, it will enhance the national capacity to monitor and evaluate water resources and water use, improving the integration of water, environmental, and economic statistics. Risenga Maluleke, Statistician-General of Statistics South Africa, stated that the launch marks a turning point in South Africa's journey towards water security: "Today, we take a decisive step towards the future of water, our most precious resource, its management, and how we manage it with transparency and accountability. We are not just measuring water. We are valuing it, safeguarding it, and ensuring it can sustain future generations. It will help us understand whether water is being used, how efficiently it is managed, and how equitably it is distributed among members of society."

Professor Stanley Liphadzi, Executive Manager for Research, Development, and Innovation at the Water Research Commission, said the project builds on the 2012 water baseline, linking water availability to sectoral water use to achieve continuous measurement, reporting, and analysis of South Africa's water resource data. Dr. Stephanie Schutte, a hydrological researcher at the Centre for Water Resources Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, defined water accounting as something that "helps meet the need to quantify, describe, understand, compare, and communicate the state of water resource systems." The datasets generated by the project will inform national statistics and policy decisions, supporting the Department's National Water Resources Strategy and the national development agenda, contributing to a water-secure nation with transparent data and efficient management of water resources.