The water crisis facing Cape Town has been widely publicised, however, Johannesburg is not immune to the water woes.
At a discussion hosted by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies in Houghton, four experts on topics related to the water crisis came together to discuss some of the most important details surrounding the water shortage and how best to deal with it.
Dr Anthony Turton, a professor at the centre for environmental management at the University of Free State said that it is important to note that water is not a finite resource.
“Water is not a finite source, it is infinitely renewable. We don’t have a water problem, we have a pollution problem or a salt problem or maybe the water is too far or comes at the wrong time, or it’s too dirty, “said Turton.
Turton adds that there is not a lack of available technology or capital to address the problem but rather a lack of policy and projects to invest in.
The director of the Centre for Transboundary Water Management at the Arava Institute in Israel, Dr Clive Lipchin, travelled to South Africa to discuss the water crisis.
Lipchin said that the crisis in Cape Town is not unique in South Africa or the world. Major cities around the world have faced similar problems but highlighted that treating water is one of the most important ways to tackle the problem.
Like Turton, Lipchin said that the desalination of water and the treating of sewerage water is essential to ensuring that water is renewable.
“You have to value every single drop of water and put it to productive use, it’s about the reclamation of water, when we invest technology to treat wastewater and then just dump it back into rivers doesn’t make any sense,” said Lipchin.
Managing water & water capacity & the way we think about water is key to solving the problem, says Israeli water expert Dr Lipchin on #watercrisis
— SA Jewish Board (@SAJBD) February 13, 2018
“From a financial perspective, why are we wasting that money on treating that water and then we just dump it?”
Hamath Kasan, the general manager of scientific services at Rand Water, also attended the discussion. Kasan emphasised that the money and the technology are available to ensure that people have access to water. “Why is it that 1,8 billion people don’t have access to water or 2,6 billion people have access to toilets?” asked Kasan.
“We know the answer to these things, there is a lack of political will, leadership, management and governance.”
What do you think are possible solutions for the water crisis? Share your thoughts on the Rosebank Killarney Gazette Facebook page.
Also read:
Severe drought continues in Cape Town
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