MANAGEMENT OF WATER EXTREMES: A SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE ON GUIDELINES FOR POLICY AND STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

Utilising insights gained from a literature study about the social, economic and political impacts of irrigation droughts, research done on the impacts and management of floods and water restrictions in South Africa as well as analysing the disaster management policy process in South Africa since 1994, this presentation endeavours to present some guidelines for policy and strategy development with regard to the effective management of floods and droughts. In compiling this contribution extensive use has been made from a paper presented at a workshop of the ICID Working Group on Irrigation under Drought and Water Scarcity, Tehran, by G.R. Backeberg and M.F. Viljoen.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

South African Agricultural Policy 1994 to 2004: Some reflections

Time constraints limits this paper to giving a brief overview of a selection of only the most important events on the policy front. The aim is to set the stage for the conference by giving a synoptic overview of South African agricultural policy between 1994 and 2004. To put the policy development in historical and developmental perspective, relevant pre-1994 realities will be mentioned first. After outlining the policy development between 1994 and 2004, the presentation concludes with some 2004 realities and a perspective on the relevance of agricultural economics as a discipline.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Bridging the economic divide in South African agriculture by improving access to natural resources

The paper focuses on improvement in access to the natural resources land and water to bridge the economic divide in South African agriculture. The relevance of the approach to bridging the economic divide, progress made since 1994 in land and water reform and problems experienced and strategies to overcome them are discussed. Challenges imposed by climate change and biodiversity on the effective utilization of land and water resources are also highlighted. Given the broadness of the subject, an overview of some important issues can only be attempted within the allocated time. The presentation starts with background information to place the discussion in context within the national framework and to define certain concepts. Conceptual issues regarding access to natural resources are then presented to serve as an analytical framework for the subsequent discussions on access to land and water, climate change and biodiversity. The presentation concludes by integrating the foregoing discussions and highlighting some challenges for agricultural economists.Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

ERTS-1 imagery as an aid to the understanding of the regional setting of base metal deposits in the North West Cape Province, South Africa

A number of base metal finds have recently focussed attention on the North Western Cape Province of South Africa as an area of great potential mineral wealth. From the point of view of competitive mineral exploration it was essential that an insight into the regional geological controls of the base metal mineralization of the area be obtained as rapidly as possible. Conventional methods of producing a suitable regional geological map were considered to be too time-consuming and ERTS-1 imagery was consequently examined. This imagery has made a significant contribution in the compilation of a suitable map on which to base further mineral exploration programmes. The time involved in the compilation of maps of this nature was found to be only a fraction of the time necessary for the production of similar maps using other methods. ERTS imagery is therefore considered to be valuable in producing accurate regional maps in areas where little or no geological data are available, or in areas of poor access. Furthermore, these images have great potential for rapidly defining the regional extent of metallogenic provinces

Towards Quantifying The Economic Effects Of Poor And Fluctuating Water Quality On Irrigation Agriculture: A Case Study Of The Lower Vaal And Riet Rivers

Irrigation farmers in the lower reaches of the Vaal and Riet Rivers are experiencing substantial yield reductions in certain crops and more profitable crops have been withdrawn from production, hypothesised, as a result of generally poor but especially fluctuating water quality. In this paper secondary data is used in a linear programming model to test this hypothesis by calculating the potential loss in farm level optimal returns. The model is static with a time frame of two production seasons. Linear crop-water quality production functions (Ayers & Westcot, 1983; adapted from Maas & Hoffmann, 1977) are used to calculate net returns for the eight most common crops grown. Results show optimal enterprise composition under various water quality situations. Leaching is justified financially and there is a strong motivation for a change in the current water pricing system. SALMOD (Salinity and Leaching Model for Optimal irrigation Development) is the Excel Solver model used to derive the preliminary results, but is currently being developed further in GAMS (General Algebraic Modelling System). Useful results have already been obtained on which this paper is based. The ultimate aim for SALMOD is a mathematical model using dynamic optimisation, simulation and risk modelling techniques to aid in whole farm and system level management decisions to ensure sustainable irrigation agriculture under stochastic river water quality conditions.Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

SALMOD, a Salinity Management Tool for Irrigated Agriculture

This paper presents an irrigation farm management tool, SALMOD (Salinity And Leaching Model for Optimal irrigation Development), that calculates the profit maximizing crop enterprise composition and irrigation management options for farm specific soil type, drainage status and irrigation system composition subject to various regional control measures and expected irrigation water salinities. After stating the water quality problem, and particularly salinisation in Southern Africa, the input data requirements and the results of SALMOD and their usefulness at farm level, are discussed. The impact of various possible regional or policy regulations are then discussed. SALMOD was developed for irrigators in the lower Vaal and Riet Rivers in South Africa. These farmers have been experiencing rapidly fluctuating salinity levels in their irrigation water, resulting in soil salinisation, yield loss and subsequent financial instability. SALMOD calculates the profit maximizing crop choice and distribution over the farm, matching the crop choice with soil type, drainage status and irrigation system, indicating the optimal leaching vs. yield reduction seasonal management options as well as calculate long term management options such as underground drainage installation, a change in irrigation system or the construction of on farm storage dams. Leaching is necessary to maintain an acceptable salt balance in the root-zone of irrigated crops. This however contributes to point and non-point source water pollution externalities if not managed correctly. Results show valuable policy information regarding the interactions between artificial drainage subsidisation, return flow restrictions and on-farm storage.Irrigation, water quality, return flows, salinisation, leaching, non-point source pollution, on-farm storage, SALMOD, linear programming, GAMS, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

Tetra­kis(1,3-diphenyl­propane-1,3-dionato)hafnium(IV)

In the title compound, [Hf(C15H11O2)4], the HfIV atom is coordinated by four 1,3-diphenyl­propane-1,3-dionato ligands with an average Hf—O distance of 2.17 (3) Å and O—Hf—O bite angles varying from 74.5 (1) to 75.02 (9)°. The coordination polyhedron shows a slightly distorted Archimedean square-anti­prismatic geometry. The crystal packing is stabilized by weak C—H⋯O inter­actions

Die doel en wese van opvoedende onderwys en die implikasies daarvan vir omgewingsopvoeding

The broad aim of education is to supply the learner with relevant knowledge, skills and values to enable him/her to positively contribute to life and in doing so making his/her life worthwhile.Education is a holistic process considering a wide variety of human aspects. Therefore by omitting some of these aspects e.g. sound conservation-value teaching, the learner is not fully prepared for life. Environmental education is an important tool in reaching the goals of 'universal education' 'education of the whole person'- 'education for life'

“A river with many branches”: song as a response to Afrophobic sentiments and violence in South Africa

The purpose of this article is to examine the symbolic role of song regarding Afrophobia in South Africa – a topic which has received limited attention within local music scholarship. To this aim, a textual reading, drawing on thematic analysis serves to identify patterns of cultural meaning represented in “Umshini wami”, as opposed to anti-Afrophobic songs, including Boom Shaka’s “Kwere Kwere” (1993); “Xenophobia” by Maskandi musician Mthandeni (2015), “United we Stand, Divided, we Fall” by Ladysmith Black Mambazo with Malian singer Salif Keita (2015), and “Sinjengomfula” on the CD Tjoon in (2008), a collective production by musicians from Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The question considered is how healing metaphors featured in these songs oppose a politics of fear and the idea of the other as enemy in “Umshini wami”, described in the media as the ‘soundtrack’ of the deadly Afrophobic upsurge of 2008. It is found that, within the context of Afrophobia, the symbolic reach of “Umshini wami” extends beyond inter-racial conflict and in-group black factionalism to convey a politics of ‘war’ on African foreign nationals. Contrastingly, as symbolic exemplifications, healing metaphors in the selection of anti-xenophobic songs discussed speak to a perceived unified identity that, while representing ethnically diverse peoples, may bind Africans together through the fundamental human rights of morality, justice, and dignity

Ectoparasites of the bush squirrel, Paraxerus cepapi Cepapi, in the Transvaal (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

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