5.2 Water Quality Management 5.2.1. Policy: SADC should harmonise and uphold common minimum standards of water quality in shared watercourses. Water quality standards vary from country to country in the region. The maintenance of these national standards is generally constrained by lack of material, human resources and financial capacity. There is a dire need to develop minimum water quality standards in shared watercourses and pool available resources for their maintenance. Meeting the minimum quality standards is particularly critical where watercourses cross political boundaries. This will also minimise the potential for conflict within shared watercourses. 5.2.2. Policy: Member States should individually and collectively adopt necessary measures to prevent and control pollution (point and non-point sources) of ground and surface waters resulting from inland, coastal or offshore activities. Pollution of both surface and groundwater is on the increase in the region particularly from mining, agriculture (fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides etc) and industrial activities. The peri-urban areas, with the usual high density settlements, lack of proper siting of sanitation or the absence of suitable sanitation as well as inadequate waste management are an increasing source of water pollution, particularly groundwater. Non-point sources have not been adequately identified. Where point sources have been identified monitoring has been limited by lack of water quality data, capacity and resources. Pollution by one party can impose cost to another and reduce economic opportunities as well as imposing serious health costs. Member States should therefore adopt the “Polluter Pays” principle to assist in the implementation of pollution control mechanisms in their respective States. On shared watercourses, pollution is a potential source of conflict; therefore Watercourse States should co-operate and pool their resources in addressing these emerging problems. 5.2.3. Policy: Member States shall not import pollutants into the region for disposal which can affect watercourses Industrialised countries are progressively running out of space for their waste disposal. On the other hand many SADC countries are impoverished which makes them vulnerable to financial incentives to import waste for disposal in the region. SADC needs to adopt strict measures to prevent importation of such pollutants for disposal which can affect watercourses in the region. Many, if not all, SADC Member States have signed and ratified global agreements (for example, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) or the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in - 31 -