Opening taps to cost South Africans more

SOUTH Africans need to understand that water doesn’t come cheap and will soon start paying more for it.

The warning comes from Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane.

The country is in the grip of one of the worst droughts on record and is likely to face a water deficit by 2025.

This week, Mokonyane said new water storage facilities were needed, new sources of water had to be found, and dilapidated infrastructure had to be attended to as R7-billion worth of water was lost annually mainly because of leaky pipes.

“If you’re going to provide water through desalination, obviously the pricing will look different. If you’re going to rely on surface water, you also have to look at a different cost.

“If you’re going to look at ground water, you’re going to have to look at different things,” she said.

“We must make South Africans understand that water doesn’t come cheap.”

Exact water price increases still have to be finalised, but a deadline for new water tariff structures has been set for next year.

This is contained in the National Pricing Strategy for Water Use Charges and the Norms and Standards for Tariffs, both of which have been recently gazetted.

In an exclusive interview, Mokonyane said: “We have to rearrange our tariff structures. The tariffs have been put out . . . because of a need to adapt.

“If you ask me, we’ve been quite reasonable over the years when it comes to the price of water. It’s among the cheapest in the world.”

Asked if, in simple terms, South Africans will face water price increases, Mokonyane said: “Yes, we will. It’s unavoidable.”

Feasibility studies are being done on seven new dams across the country and the government is going “full steam ahead” with the desalination of sea water despite the cost implications.

“Every investment will have cost implications, but what we must never do is stop being bold . . . and planning for the future. It’s not just about tomorrow; it’s about generations to come.

“[The situation] has been complicated by global warming. Everything has changed,” she said.

The drought has made people realise that South Africa faces a water crunch.

“People are now ready to pay,” she said.

However, Professor Mike Muller of the University of the Witwatersrand, who chaired the National Planning Commission, said water price increases were not necessarily the solution.

“There is no need for massive price hikes to solve our water problems. As an example, to pay for the Lesotho Highlands Project, Phase 1B, we needed annual increases of just 1% above inflation.

“Rather than throw money at water problems, we need to improve planning and management, and target improved operations and efficiency,” he said.

Muller conceded that new infrastructure would be needed down the line, but this could be avoided.

“The government cannot tell us how much water we have, how much is used and by whom. Until they can show that water is not being misappropriated and wasted, water users and taxpayers should not be asked to pay for more infrastructure before it is needed,” he said.