In an attempt to step up service delivery, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica on Thursday signed a contract agreement with provincial Members of the Executive Council (MECs) responsible for the environmental portfolio, which identified a lengthy list of deliverables.

Ensuring environmental assets and natural resources were valued, protected and enhanced was known as "outcome 10" of government's 12 outcomes, which focused on its priorities in education, health, the economy, rural development and land reform, crime and job creation.

Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane stated that through these outcomes, government was trying to improve efficiency and provide focus to the government's service delivery ambitions.

The environmental delivery agreement contained action plans with timeframes for all activities, and defined roles and responsibilities for all institutions involved.

If targets were not met, the reasons would be assessed and problems of resource scarcity or a lack of capacity, for example, would be rectified, Chabane said.

There were four critical sub-outcomes within outcome 10 that would need to be addressed, said Sonjica. These were water sustainability, greenhouse gas emission reduction, improved environmental management, and protection of biodiversity and ecosystems services.

Some of the goals set in the comprehensive document under these outcomes, were to reduce water losses at water distribution systems from 30% now, to 15% by 2014, to increase the number of wetlands rehabilitated a year from 75 currently, to 100 a year, and to increase the number of mines monitored for non-compliance of water license conditions from 52 at present, to 125 by 2014.

The document also outlined that the development of a water desalination strategy could be expected by 2011.

The percentage of municipal waste diverted from landfills for recycling was not currently monitored, but this figure was expected to reach 25% by 2012.

Reduction of energy demand of 15% by 2015, and a carbon tax implemented by 2011, also featured on the ‘results chain', and would be the responsibility of the departments of Energy, Public Enterprises, Environmental Affairs, Trade and Industry, Science and Technology, and Economic Development.

GREEN JOBS

The environmental sector expanded public works programme (EPWP) would be scale dup to carry out the activities outlined under outcome 10. It was expected that 1,15-million EPWP work opportunities would be created by 2014.

Another 325 652 full time jobs were also expected to be created by 2014.

Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge explained to Engineering News Online that the environmental sector was one of the big contributors to the EPWP programme, accounting for some 25% of the overall job creation targets.

Currently, there were about 156 000 EPWP opportunities and 41 739 full-time jobs created through programmes, such as the Land Care programme, Working for Water, Working for Wetlands, Working on Fire, Working on Waste, Working on Energy, Working for Fisheries, and Working for Woodlands.

Doidge added that for the first time, non-State companies would be involved in the programmes.