A water shortage in South Africa was imminent, but contingency plans were in place to mitigate the problem, the SA Local Government Association said.
According to a Sapa report, the association’s councillor Pinky Moloi said, “New dams are coming because this is a challenge that we are actually experiencing as a country in its totality.”
Speaking during the association’s annual report on water service delivery at municipalities as part of the Municipal Benchmarking Initiative, she said that eventual water shortages were a reality, and emphasised the importance of educating people about water conservation.
The initiative is aimed at supporting municipalities in improving the efficiency of service delivery.
“Water security remains one of the most tangible social, political, and economic challenges faced by communities across the globe today,” she said.
Earlier this year, Joburg Mayor Parks Tau expressed concern about the city’s growing demand for water.
He said that by 2030, the global demand for water would increase by 30 percent, while the demand for energy and food would increase by 50 percent, adding that these global challenges manifest in different ways at a local level.
“As a City we are concerned about the growth in water demand brought on by continuing rapid urbanisation,” he said.
