Transforming Water Management in South Africa

One of the first reforms South Africa embarked on after emerging from the apartheid regime was in the water sector following a unique process that is exemplary for many countries to learn from. Introduced reforms are comprehensive and span almost all aspects of water management including revolutionary changes in defining and granting rights to water, reorienting investment and allocation priorities to strongly pro-poor and environmentally friendly goals, radical reforms in water management and supply institutions, and major shifts in managing demand to charge for water use. Very valuable lessons have already been learned and useful experiences gained in designing and implementing such radical reform programs.