If the dams run dry everyone will suffer

I’M confounded by the logic of Tony Ehrenreich, “Water crisis turns into political spat”, Cape Argus, Friday, August 11. The provincial secretary of Cosatu accused Mayor Patricia de Lille of keeping residents in the dark about the water crisis.

I agree with Ehrenreich that she kept us in the dark, but only on how the municipality arrived at the figure of 87 litres a day, to drink, cook, shower, shave, shampoo and flush.

All that is accurate is the headline and Ehrenreich will try to make political hay of anything, just to get publicity.

He makes the point that the poor would suffer most if the dams dry, mainly because they wouldn’t be able to afford to buy bottled water.

Well I have news for Ehrenreich, if the dams run dry everyone will suffer.

The provincial secretary seems to have this idea that only those living in the leafy suburbs are shielded from catastrophes, whether it is a drought or a flood, and they are the only ones that can afford bottled water. The last time I bought a bottle of water was when pa fell off the bus. Tap water is good enough.

One of Ehrenreich’s cloud cuckoo land solutions is for the City of Cape Town to provide tanks so people can harvest their own water. Where is the money going to come from? From the leafy suburbs? Where people are also struggling to pay their bills.

He questions the money spent on the World Design Capital a few years ago, soccer matches and an advertising budget. But he forgets to mention the funds the City spent on fighting the court case that the ANC, at his bidding, initiated over the new logo. He was on a fool’s mission.

Ehrenreich also asks why the City hasn’t done anything about desalination. The Israelis are world leaders in this technology but because of Cosatu’s (and the ANC’s)view that Israel is an “apartheid state and a brutal occupier”, Cosatu, will do all it can to stop the Israeli techniques from reaching our shores. BRIAN JOSSELOWITZ Milnerton