Business launches water-crisis forum

A private-sector initiative has been started to tackle the water crisis in the Western Cape because the state is perceived by business as struggling to deal with the problem, say the conveners of an emergency water strategy forum.

A private-sector initiative has been started to tackle the water crisis in the Western Cape, because the state was perceived by business as struggling to deal with the problem, say the conveners of an emergency water strategy forum.

The forum was convened by the Water Leapathon Advisory Board and brought together business, academics, the government, labour and concerned citizens. It proposed to identify and advance three multibillionrand projects to restore water security to Cape Town.

“The politicians have been struggling, and now business must step up to the mark,” said Martin Humphries, the CEO of the Messenger Media Innovation Group.

“Businesses are very angry that the crisis had been allowed to develop to this level.”

The initiative was intended not only to prevent a repeat of the current water-scarce conditions, he said, but to ensure an abundance of water that would drive economic development in the province and elsewhere in the country. “Our intention is to create opportunity out of this crisis,” he said.

Some of Cape Town’s emergency water-supply augmentation programmes are under way. A tender for desalination plants at Monwabisi and Strandfontein had been awarded and tenders for a plant to be built in Hout Bay, Dido Valley and Harmony Park were being assessed, said the metro’s mayor, Patricia de Lille.

City officials had attended the forum, she said, but the metro had not yet received any concrete plans. “But our door is always open to engage.”

Cape Town was doing everything in its power to bring alternative water sources online, said De Lille.

The city has set up a section 80 water advisory committee through which stakeholders from business, civil society and academia are advising and scrutinising the city’s efforts.

Humphries said desalination and the treatment of waste water would form part of the plan. A Water Leapathon emergency conference would be held at the end of November.