Saturday Star

Turn off the taps and take stock

- HOSIA SITHOLE

THE challenge of South Africa as a water-scarce country cannot simply be cured by the government building more dams or creating unending infrastruc­ture projects to provide this ever-depleting resource.

The continued irresponsi­ble use of water resources in the hope that the Department of Water and Sanitation would build additional dams is an indication that the public has put a distance between themselves and the responsibi­lity to conserve water. Contrary to the belief that the constructi­on of more dams is a solution to water shortages, the only solution lies in all of us acting in the best interests of our future by desisting from shamelessl­y wasting water.

With the drought that is gripping the country, it is odd that the public has now gone back to being negligent, as shown by the rise in water consumptio­n. Sadly, on the strength of the few drops of rain we have had recently, the department is at the receiving end of blame for not doing enough to build sufficient infrastruc­ture to store the rain water.

Despite the steady rise in our reserves which gives us a sigh of relief, our dams are still hovering at dangerousl­y low levels. In this regard, the situation is still grim to such a point that the dams have not recovered significan­tly to allow the lifting of the restrictio­ns to water use that have been implemente­d by municipali­ties across the country. Accordingl­y, given that there is once again an increase in water consump- tion, the water restrictio­ns remain the only way to curtail the rampant use of water.

It is imperative to note that the improvemen­t in the Vaal Dam, for instance, is not soley because of the recent rains, but it is thanks to the release of water from the Sterkfonte­in Dam in the Free State, which is a reserve that the department had to turn to, and the additional water from dams in KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. If it were not for these sources, Gauteng would have been plunged into a serious situation too ghastly to contemplat­e.

Although water knows no boundaries and there is no province that can claim ownership over it, the fact that Gauteng is benefiting from water from other provinces should be a motivation enough for us to preserve every little drop of this resource.

Thus, if the recent pattern of rainfall is anything to go by, we should be able to realise that our problem is much bigger than just the lack of constructi­on of dams.The fact is that because of the below-normal rainfall, our catchment areas are not collecting enough water to supply the dams and we are also contributi­ng negatively by abusing whatever we have.

Furthermor­e, the truth is that without the public playing a leading role in maintainin­g and conserving the natural areas which form the catchments, we run the risk of dry taps. Our only hope in ensuring that we have sustained water supply from our taps rests on the public’s willingnes­s to act in terms of a civic duty to save water.

Equally true is the fact that if we were using our water with care, we surely would not have been subjected to restrictio­ns and there would not even be a need to push for building of more dams.

Constructi­on of the dams aside, for the country to be out of this problem, we need consistent rains for the next three years. However, taking into account the persistenc­e of the current drought, this is not going to happen anytime soon.

In her recently held first meeting with MECs, Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and Co-operative Governance MECs in the nine provinces emphasised that there were still serious and dire water challenges in several towns, including Greytown, Vryheid and Ugu in KwaZulu-Natal, Butterwort­h in the Eastern Cape and Cape Town in Western Cape. These areas are running on very low and close to non-existent water supplies.

As a matter of fact, just last week, the City of Cape Town passed a resolution to implement level 3B of water restrictio­ns from level 3 owing to the water challenges in the province.

To underline the fact that we cannot afford to lower our guard in conserving water, Mokonyane said they were working on creating interventi­ons and considerin­g a number of solutions such as desalinati­on plants for coastal towns similar to those that were commission­ed to save Richards Bay.

She said: “Our message as the MinMEC (meeting with MECs) is to encourage citizens to continue using water sparingly and responsibl­y and to adhere to the restrictio­ns where they may be in place.

“As government, we will continue with the interventi­ons we have been implementi­ng to support communitie­s in need and to respond to leaks and water wastage timeously to minimise losses.”

As the country is still experienci­ng unpreceden­ted drought, communitie­s should and must do whatever it takes to save water. It is with the help of the public that as a country we can be able to account for the water we use. Non-adherence to the restrictio­ns can only serve to hurt the very public that is supposed to have to use the water.

Sithole is the assistant director at Department of Water and Sanitation (Gauteng Region)

 ??  ?? As citizens we need to preserve every drop of water, our most precious resource.
As citizens we need to preserve every drop of water, our most precious resource.

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