SHOOTING FROM THE LIP murray williams Let’s lead and mobilise
WE’RE staring down the barrel of a gun. The most vicious drought in a century. So let’s try to say this clearly: we need water to survive and thrive. But our water supply is not secure.
We have three responses. 1 Protecting our water, by fixing our water systems, reducing loss.
2 Trying to find new water sources.
3 And using less.
The third is our biggest opportunity to survive next year. By far.
To use less, we can reduce supply, and reduce demand – “water demand management”.
Okay.
We have three main sectors of users: agriculture, business, and ordinary residents.
Agriculture produces our food, provides jobs.
Yes, agriculture needs to dramatically reduce its water use, through efficiencies, adaptation, innovation.
But it can only cut so much. Specific amounts of water are needed to grow food, sustain our economy.
Businesses, too, need to cut their water use, radically. But we can’t transition to less water-reliant Leadership.
To get through this catastrophe, we need to mobilise the whole of society.
In the hard-hit Western Cape, we have an army of leaders: 30 mayors, 30 municipal managers, 387 ward councillors, 1 444 school principals, 32 000 teachers, 150odd SAPS station commanders, thousands of business owners, religious leaders, NGO leaders, famous stars, artists, thinkers.
Each of these leaders have leaders who lead them. They need to lead the pack.
Every leader needs to do three things:
1 Understand the seriousness of our water crisis. Expertly.
2 Enable those they lead to understand their roles, precisely how to act.
3 To lead by example, show, don’t tell – then shout it from the rooftops. Urge, harass, inspire their constituencies. Mobilise society. With every ounce of their influence, credibility, integrity. Every day.
We have to use less water. Urgently. Every one of us.
The intensity of our collective leadership, may determine whether we succeed. Or fail.
It’s time to unleash our secret weapons: Our every. Single. Leader. Together.