The problems of devolving water management functions to municipalities : the case of Tshwane metropolitan municipality

[摘要] This was a study of the devolution of water and sanitation management functions fromthe Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and Rand Water Board to TshwaneMetropolitan Municipality. This affects the functions and the infrastructure that goeswith it. This exercise is the fulfilment of the provisions of Water Services Act thatempowers municipalities to become Water Services Authorities and where capacity existsto also become Water Services Providers.It was found that though constitutionally, water and sanitation functions resort undermunicipalities, in the area of study, the Tshwane municipality did not directly deliverthese functions. This happened due to the fact that Tshwane did not have human capacityto deal with the functions, they provided the funding as a subsidy to Rand Water Boardwho in turn provided financial support to Odi Retail Water that is currently responsiblefor water and sanitation management as a subsidiary to Rand Water Board.The following are recommendations derived from the findings:That the political activities be raised in the areas to encourage peopleto pay for their services and take responsibility for meter reading ontheir own like it is happening in Denmark. In Denmark eachhousehold reads meters for both water and electricity personally andsubmits the readings to the municipality for billing. As a result themunicipality did not employ special meter readers and by so doingthey safe on salaries.That greater resource allocation is made to cover the shortfalls thatwere experienced due to lack of management capacity and otherresources that would enable Tshwane municipality to run the functionson their own. That capacity building and support for professionals be streamlined onthe current Odi Retail Water staff for future absorption by municipality.4. That promotion of community-based development be continued toencourage community ownership on water management functions.This could be done through the formation of community waterassociations. While community-based approaches are now accepted asthe norm, the necessary: capacity to support them in most cases doesnot generally exist at the higher levels (national, district and local) andTshwane needs to look at this.Communities currently remain uninterested in taking part in widerwater management for a number of reasons, including lack ofownership or control over decisions; lack of real power to makeallocation and use decisions; high transaction costs of involvement;and poorly developed frameworks by which the views of largecommunities can be represented at stakeholder fora.Therefore, Tshwane must make sure that community's interest issupported in all respect.If the municipality cannot handle these functions on its own, thenprivatisation should be considered for efficient and effective water andsanitation management and provision.

[发布机构] North-West University