Let’s all be proactive to counter drought

RECENTLY the City of Cape Town, a perfect place where two giant oceans meet, went through the worst drought in a century. That was followed by Nelson Mandela Bay almost running out of water.

That was after drought in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and North West. The environment was tense, with animals and plants dying and the thick, unpleasant smell of sanitation or dead animal carcases the order of the day.

Droughts happen when there is not enough rain for a long period due to climate change. It’s not like a dry spell – there is so little precipitation (rain, snow or any kind of moisture) that a whole region starts to dry out. Sometimes droughts take decades to develop fully and they are difficult to predict.

As human beings, we tend to forget or play ignorant when it comes to water conservation. This is seen in some members of the farming community who keep abstracting water illegally.

Domestic water users are also at fault by failing to practise water conservation daily. Most municipalities are also failing to adhere to their own turnaround time frames on maintenance relating to burst water pipes, leading to unnecessary potable water loss.

Currently most dams across South Africa are at a dissatisfactory stage, with aquatic animals exposed to direct sunlight due to shallow water. North West province is starting to feel the pinch of early drought effects, with dam levels spiralling downwards as a result of lack of rain and a heat wave.

It has now become a norm that when drought reality hits us, that is when we start to panic and practise water conservation, just because there is no water to flush or cook.

Water has no substitution; it is up to us to reflect back on lessons learnt during both the Cape Town and inland drought effects.

Collectively, as water users, it is up to us to be water change agents in our respective spaces. Failure to embark on behavioural change towards water use and demand management will lead to humankind facing unsustainable water challenges in future.

That comes with climate change ramifications and unforgiving drought conditions. MARCUS MONYAKENI

Department of Water and Sanitation