SA urged to be wiser about water

With the rise of settlements and the scarcity of water, South Africans have been urged to adopt a "water-sensitive" attitude.

The Water Research Commission yesterday released new guidelines on water capture, provision and governance.

South Africa is a water-scarce country, severely constrained by low annual rainfall with limited underwater aquifers and a reliance on water transfer from neighbouring countries, it was said at yesterday's launch of the guidelines.

Professor Ana Deletic of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, called for green infrastructure, such as catchments that allow for water to be saved and reused.

City of Tshwane spokesman Gawie Jansen van Vuuren said the four big metros had been involved for eight years in developing water-sensitive strategies but they needed to write by-laws that would secure such initiatives.

Sithole Mbanga, CEO of the SA Cities Network, said though new water management innovations would be welcome the money had to be there.