Water, Sewage & Effluent Mar Vol 30 No 2 | Page 40

“P

eople always want a simple
explanation of what is happening
in water, but it‘s far more complicated
than what is happening in, say,
electricity,” says Prof Mike Muller, Wits
School of Governance visiting adjunct
professor and expert former Department
of Water Affairs director-general. “Water
gets involved in different areas of life
and all of these areas have different
challenges.
“For farmers, it is about how to
manage drought. In industry, it is
about how the country is at risk for
water-related problems. Hydropower
developers, municipalities and those
interested in regional integration, and
health professionals all have different
interests in water.
“Farmers are concerned because of the
drought. That is not a water problem,
it is a rain problem. Miners are worried
about how to mine without getting into

trouble with water managers because
of pollution. Although mines use only a
small amount of water, their activities
affect the quality of water badly.”
He explains how his time is divided,
with half of it spent within the water
sector and the other outside of it to
understand the interests of other
players. “When I was with the National
Planning Commission I spent far more
of my time discussing agriculture, the
environment and regional development
than I did water. The news media
talk about water crises and that is
not helpful, because people need to
decide what it is that they are worried
about. One of my roles is to help them
understand this.
“During the heat wave in Joburg
people used too much water and in some
areas they ran out. This was not because
there was not enough water overall. It
was difficult to get the general public to