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industry
Martin
Martin Czernowalow – Editor
@martinczern
Water Sewage and Effluent
[email protected]
Water Sewage & Effluent November/December 2016
1
debate
Mokonyane warned that if consumers
and municipalities fail to adhere to the
demand to cut water use by 15%, the
dam’s level could drop to 25% by midNovember.
We can only hope that this never
happens, as the consequences can be
dire. Government has hinted at even
considering water shedding, should
things get really bad. And that should
be enough to scare the living daylights
out of anyone. Water shedding has
been slammed by industry experts as
an extremely bad idea — one that could
potentially do more harm to the country’s
water infrastructure than good.
In fact, it has been suggested that
water shedding should not even be
considered by a responsible, democratic
government that has been mandated to
provide basic amenities to citizens in
exchange for their tax rands.
But then it is perhaps wise to
remember that not exactly responsible
leadership got us to this point in the first
place, despite countless warnings from
industry experts and stakeholders of a
looming water crisis.
So should we now put our trust in the
same government to get us out of this
situation relatively unscathed? I, for one,
would not bet my money on it. Perhaps
we need to just brace ourselves and ask
how bad it will really get. u
infrastructure
hen considering any aspect
pertaining to water in South Africa,
one cannot these days avoid taking into
account the ongoing drought and the
urgent need for local water usage habits
to change.
Unfortunately, it appears that this is
easier said than done, as government is
increasingly finding that imposing water
restrictions and fines (for transgressors)
is having a very limited impact — if
any — on the country’s rate of water
consumption.
In an effort to reduce Johannesburg’s
water usage by 15%, government has
had to step up its threat of punitive
action against wayward residents with
water and sanitation minister Nomvula
Mokonyane saying that users in Gauteng
who ignore water restrictions face severe
penalties or even imprisonment.
It might seem ridiculous to think
that in a country plagued by violent
crime, government should be threatening
citizens with jail time for something
as frivolous as wasting water. But then
perhaps a more sobering thought is
that wasting water under the present
circumstances is far from frivolous,
especially if one considers the position
we find ourselves in.
Along with government’s warning
that water offenders could soon find
themselves behind bars, came the
warning that the Vaal water system
could collapse unless water usage is
significantly reduced. Now that should
make anyone sit up and listen, especially
in view of the fact that the Vaal Dam —
one of Gauteng’s biggest water sources —
is currently at around 30% capacity and
losing about 0.8% every week.
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How bad will it get?