All project stakeholders need to recognise that water is a shared resource their shared responsibility.
Water remains vital to all aspects of life on earth. Water is essential to develop and maintain successful and resilient economies and to enabling sustainable livelihoods.
According to Fiona Sutton, a principal consultant at SRK Consulting South Africa (SA), water stewardship provides a valuable approach and response to protect the needs of the natural environment while ensuring the availability of water as an essential resource and human right.
“Water stewardship involves a transition from a traditional approach of managing water resources within operational boundaries – to a more holistic and inclusive approach that considers the entire water catchment area and the needs of all stakeholders,” Sutton explained.
Beyond the site boundary of a business or industrial operation, water stewardship takes on a broader perspective.
Seeing the whole picture
“It’s like zooming out from a single pixel to see the whole picture. Water doesn’t respect our neat property lines or corporate fences; it flows freely, connecting us all. It’s too easy for sites and companies just to look at their own production, their own direct impacts and their own site boundary.”
Through the implementation of water stewardship a site adopts an integrated catchment approach.
“Without understanding where your water comes from, you can’t understand the upstream and downstream dynamics, as well as your impact on others and how you are going to be affected by water quality or scarcity issues,” said Sutton. “Going beyond the site boundary means considering the broader impacts of water use, including the entire catchment area.”
Responsible planning
To steward water beyond a company’s immediate borders requires a holistic approach toward responsible planning and management of water resources – so that the outcomes are socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial.
“Water stewardship encompasses a commitment to sustainable practices that consider the impact on the entire watershed and involve cooperation with other stakeholders to ensure the long-term health of water resources.
“It goes beyond on-site water management and regulatory compliance and allows a catchment to become a focused agent of positive change,” said Sutton.
She pointed out that stakeholder engagement helps a site to better understand the catchment context and stakeholder perceptions – leading to more informed internal decision-making. This engagement also introduces opportunities to implement catchment-based actions where in-depth stakeholder collaboration is necessary.
