JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s National Water and Sanitation Master plan indicates that demand for water will exceed available supply by 2030 if preventative measures are not taken.
Seven of the 13 major systems in the country are expected to fall short if their capacity is not increased. Experts are now warning that day zero may come much sooner.
Different communities in the country have had to go weeks with dry taps, leaving them to rely on water tankers for water. In these communities, residents have complained that in most cases these water tankers do not show up.
Interwaste director of business development and marketing, Kate Stubbs, says it’s not too late to fix our water infrastructure. She says this would require collaboration from different entities and the government.
Meanwhile, nearly thirty-years into South Africa’s democracy, and communities are still grappling with access to one of the basic human rights, clean running water.
Over a million people in Limpopo have none. The South African Human Rights Commission found that ten municipalities there were failing to supply water to communities.
The Commission’s Provincial Manager, Victor Mavhidula said, “I can confirm that our investigation started a long time ago, I must also indicate that we have been receiving complaints from public members regarding water shortages in the province.”
SA’S WATER CRISIS | PERSISTENT COMPLAINTS ABOUT LACK OF WATER
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“So, what we did, we decided that to have a hearing back in 2021. During the hearing or the inquiry, people came and made presentations and we also invited government departments that are responsible for water supply in the province.”
“The hearing that took place in 2021, but just at the beginning of this year- we also revisited the areas where people are complaining about water an we found that the situation is still the same: the people are not getting water.”
“So, that is our concern, and we think that this situation needs to change an what is problematic, is that the majority of those villages that does not have water, those things are happening while our dams are almost full.” “It is not about the shortage of water, it is about the failure to take water to the people.”