Continued population growth and expansion of the economy, combined with the resulting growth of income levels, will put increasing pressure on scarce water resources. Based on the concept of integrated water resource management, the approach aims to take due account of equity, efficiency and ecology. The 1998 National Water Act reversed the historical approach, in which landholders were deemed to own the water resources on their land. Instead, it made the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs the trustee, on behalf of the national government, of the nation’s water resources. Water resources management, including water quality, is an exclusive national competency.