Image via: Dam News on Twitter.
The president warned that collaboration between government, civil organisations and the public is needed to prevent a South Africa without water.
Image via: Dam News on Twitter.
After the recent visit to the Waterberg district, in Limpopo, President Cyril Ramaphosa was left pondering about the state of South Africa’s water supply.
The president was in Limpopo to launch the third District Development Model, a practical action plan to address service delivery issues.
In engaging with the residents, Ramaphosa realised that access to water was still a problem in many parts of South Africa. This, he said in his statement, was not due to any lack — on the government’s part — of effort to supply water.
“South Africa is a severely water stressed country. We do not have mighty rivers that flow all season like in other parts of Africa and the world,” he said.
Ramaphosa noted that according to research, South Africa is the 30th driest country in the world. On one end, this has a lot to do with rapid climate change; and on the other, an unstable water infrastructure.
“A decade-long drought has put immense pressure on our water systems and has had a devastating impact on agriculture and communities, especially in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga,” the president added.
Furthermore, dam levels are currently on average around 58%, compared to 69% for the same time last year. and South Africa only receives an average annual rainfall of 500mm compared to a global average of 860mm.
To prevent a catastrophic situation in the future, where water shortages worsen, plunging into a state worse than our current energy supply problem, South Africans will have to work together with government on preventative measures.
According to Ramaphosa, the amazing work done by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), Working for Water and other civil organisations is not enough.
“Domestic users must use water more sparingly and reduce their consumption. Municipalities must invest in water recycling technologies that save both water and money. Industrial users must implement measures towards water use efficiency,” he said.
These are the measures being taken, currently, to address water shortages:
“To ensure our future water security, we will need funding of at least R126-billion for infrastructure. With existing freshwater supplies dwindling, we will be focusing on projects that broaden our water resource mix,” Ramaphosa said.
This, he said, would come in handy in prioritising: