To solve the water woes that have been worsened by load-shedding, South Africa will need to invest R33bn a year for the next 10 years.
This is according to Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) senior civil engineer Odwa Badi’s Wednesday presentation on the impact of load-shedding on water systems and supply.
“From 2020 when the master plan was published, we would have a deficit of 17% in water availability in 2030 if we don’t do anything about the situation.
“We will need at least R33bn a year in the next 10 years to resolve the deficit,” said Badi.
The frequent power cuts have had a significant impact on water distribution and processing systems, which rely heavily on a steady supply of energy, he said.
Badi said only 64% of households in South Africa had a reliable water supply.
“Agriculture takes about 61% of the water we need. The municipal demand for residential and commercial water is 27%.
“We are speaking of food security and loss of economic activities where other industries need water to run their businesses.”
The security of the critical infrastructure during load-shedding is a concern.
“Some water reservoirs are isolated in relation to the community, which puts them at risk of being vandalised. You need lighting for the infrastructure. If we don’t get water into the pipeline and to distribution centres, the water runs out,” he said.
“We are going into winter and emergency services need water. If a fire breaks out, emergency personnel need to plug into the water system — and if there is no water, it could be devastating.
“We also need electricity for the instrumentation of reservoirs, which help us to measure water levels and maintain them. We need to ensure they don’t overflow into adjacent properties — municipalities might be at risk of getting [legal] claims because of damage to property.
“We are not able to observe our minimum night flow but it’s important for us to use our infrastructure efficiently.”
Minister of water and sanitation Senzo Mchunu earlier said intensified load-shedding was affecting the supply of water and sanitation in municipalities across the country.
“We are trying to find a way to keep water running through taps. One of the things we’ve considered is to ask Eskom to exempt pump stations and water-treatment plants from load-shedding.”
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