Mindset change needed over water

Large parts of South Africa are burning up and shrivelling as a prolonged drought and repeated heatwaves hit. Following the water crisis in Cape Town last year, when it was predicted the city would hit “day zero” when the taps ran dry, there has been increased awareness about the need to conserve water, although the massive mindset change necessary is still some way off.

The reality is, as Human Settlements, Water & Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said yesterday, South Africa is a water-scarce country. It always was and always will be – and climate change is making the situation worse.

In Gauteng, rapidly expanding populations – drawn by the lure of jobs and a better life – has meant increasing pressure on the water resource.

At the moment, there is additional pressure on the system because the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which feeds into the Vaal River system, is out of action until the end of November for essential maintenance.

Long-term weather forecasts are uncertain, so the main rains may arrive later this year than they normally do, while heatwaves continue.

But also, shockingly, much of our water is going to waste as it is unusable because it is so badly polluted. It is going to cost R1 billion to rehabilitate the Vaal from its current level of pollution.

And therein is the bigger, longer-term, threat to Gauteng’s water supply: the deployment by the ANC of incompetent cadres to vital municipal and regional water supply and purification systems. This incompetence has also delayed the building of vital new dams.

And as much as that political boil needs to be lanced, so, too, do consumers – especially in the suburbs – need to realise the days are numbered of wasting water on gardens, swimming pools and washing cars.