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Usutu to Mhlathuze WMA
Water Management Areas (WMAs) are one of the most
important administrative changes introduced by the National Water Act, since
they will become the basis for decision-making by independent Catchment
Management Agencies. There are 19
Water Management Areas across the country.
This pilot study is being applied to Usutu-Mhlathuze,
which is one of three WMAs in KwaZulu-Natal. The study is funded by both
DWAF and DFID and has been chosen for a number of reasons, such as:
- The WMA is a largely rural area (except for Richards Bay) and data is
poor, compared with Mhlathuze Catchment.
- Usutu-Mhlathuze includes parts of two provinces (Mpumalanga and
KwaZulu-Natal); and the river systems flow into neighbouring Swaziland
and Mozambique – raising international water use issues.
- A number of issues need a strategic overview: including requirements
for flooding the Makhathini Flats to allow seasonal fish farming and the
impact of coal mining around Vryheid, which raises water quality issues.
Three technical studies have been commissioned for this study namely; social,
hydro-economic
and biophysical.
Usutu-Mhlathuze WMA Results
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