Water was fast becoming a constraint to development in South Africa, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said in Mpumalanga on Tuesday.

"Undoubtedly, no development is possible without water," Sonjica told a provincial water indaba.

The talks will assess progress on issues raised at discussions three years ago and will revisit other water problems. Similar meetings will be held throughout the country.

"Given the dire need for development and economic growth in our country, it is our responsibility to ensure that we make water available to support economic growth and development," said Sonjica.

Pointing out that South Africa was one of the world's 30 driest countries, she said recent economic growth and rural-to-urban migration had led to an increased demand for water and increased pressure on infrastructure.

Climate change would also result in variability in the availability of water -- or extreme droughts and floods.

"It is for this reason that, as government, we would like to place emphasis on both mitigation and adaptation when it comes to ensuring that our people are protected from the harsh conditions that come with climate change," Sonjica said.

Water had to be at the centre of all development plans, she said.

"We need to be mindful of the fact that all the other millennium development goals like health, housing and poverty rely on the availability of water.

"We will not be able to provide clean, reliable water and good sanitation facilities to our people if we do not ensure that the resource itself, is protected, allocated and managed efficiently.

"We must also ensure that the past inequities in the allocation of water resources and access to services are redressed as speedily as possible."

Sonjica said that although there had been progress in providing people with water and sanitation services in Mpumalanga, 1.6 million of the province's residents still had no access to potable water and 2.6 million had no access to sanitation services.

The government was also committed to paying particular attention to the allocation of water and the development needs of small farmers denied opportunities in the past.

She acknowledged that, with the province's mining developments, it had "its own unique problems that threaten the sustainability of water resources".

Sonjica said her department remained committed to taking action against unlawful water use "that threaten the security of supply to lawful water users". Sapa

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