South Africa is facing water shortages in several areas due to various compounding factors – but experts say there is one thing at the root.
In addressing the ongoing challenges in resolving water shortages across South Africa, many municipal and provincial suppliers have blamed load shedding, climate change, capacity, and even wasteful residential consumption as the main culprits for the crisis.
The deteriorating situation recently forced the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, to intervene. On 27 September, he announced a new initiative – Rand Water CEO Water shedding Sipho Mosai said the problem is not a water shortage, per se, but rather the failings within the value chain and the need to conserve water amid high consumption and climate change.
Mosai said many residents in Gauteng use a lot of precious water to water their gardens, which often comprise invasive plant species that require a large amount of water – adding that 49% of the water that reaches the consumer goes into the garden, and this wasteful water usage and the overall high consumption rate are to blame for the water shortage.“Climate change is definitely something that we should monitor in the background, but it is not a root cause of any water shortages.
The Department of Water and Sanitation’s actions, as a regulator, must be brought into focus because it is their duty to prevent these things from happening, he added.
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