Water, Sewage & Effluent November-December 2016 | Page 23

municipalities infrastructure debate industry Water Sewage & Effluent November/December 2016 networking potential disaster was recently highlighted by water and sanitation minister Nomvula Mokonyane, who warned that Gauteng’s water supply levels are so low that they are virtually at the “point of no return”. “We are at a point of no return and hence we now have to protect what we have,” the minister said. This comes as Mokonyane revealed at a recent media briefing that the Vaal Dam — one of the Gauteng province’s biggest water sources — was at 30.1% capacity and losing about 0.8% every week. tech news ABSFreePic.com D espite water restrictions across several South African municipal districts to curb water consumption, government might need to consider more drastic measures, such as water shedding. However, industry experts have slammed this as an ineffectual way of dealing with water shortages, pointing out that the strategy could have severe adverse effects on infrastructure and is indicative of a systemic failure of government’s ability to provide basic services. That the country is facing a 21