Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on behalf of the South African government with the Netherlands goverment to facilitate cooperation in the field of water resources.

The MoU was signed on Friday by Molewa and her Dutch counterpart, Minister for the Environment Wilma Mansveld, at the nineteenth session of the Conference of the Parties, in Poland, where both Ministers were in attendance. The MoU was aimed at establishing a framework for cooperation between the two governments on the basis of sustainable development, addressing various themes in the field of water.

The Netherlands, the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) explained, contributed an estimated €60-million to South African water projects and, in total, these projects generated about €180-million in investments in the water sector. It was expected that the Netherlands would maintain its focus on the South African water sector in the coming years with the aim of increasing its scope.

The Dutch government had also demonstrated its firm commitment to international efforts to ensure water availability and provide protection against flooding, the department noted.

The DWA said the MoU would ensure cooperation on all aspects related to water resources management, including water safety, flood protection, integrated water resources management, water for food and ecosystems, water supply and sanitation, efficient and fair transboundary water management, water governance, capacity building and organisational and institutional development, as well as other areas within this context jointly agreed to by the parties.

Molewa hailed the MoU, saying it would be an overarching framework, which would underpin the strong ties that already existed between the two countries’ water sectors through waterboards, nongovernmental organisations, water companies and agencies, municipalities, knowledge institutions and businesses.