The GCX ‘Water as a Business Risk’ briefing was held on 3 March at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton to discuss the state of the water crisis in South Africa and what impact that could have on businesses.
The event was held to discuss the solutions and innovations that are available for managing risks and opportunities in a water-constrained future. The briefing was chaired by stand-up comedian, Mark Sampson, who embarked on an epic journey with his family, travelling in the ‘big green truck’ which ran purely on waste vegetable oil and solar power.
Anthony Turton from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said, “Two-thirds of our national water sources are contaminated, and 4 292ml/d of untreated sewage is discharged daily into rivers. This creates risks for water quality and human health, as children and workers are exposed to sports field irrigation, irrigation pipes and wet grass.
“There is also a risk of disruption to supply, with fire risks, due to pressure reduction or loss of flow and loss of revenue during a shutdown. A lot of these problems are not only from the environment but also to do with not upgrading and maintaining our infrastructure.”
A senior manager from the World Wide Fund (WWF), Christine Colvin said, “Talking about water risks from a strategic point in businesses, needs to be discussed more. Increasing our understanding of our own water impacts and water consumption is the first critical step.
“The water stewardship is about businesses understanding the risks they face from water scarcity and pollution, and taking action to help ensure water is managed sustainably as a shared, public resource. ”
Doctor Mao Amis from the African Centre for Green Economy said, “We need funding for infrastructure and are looking at what investments and funding we can receive to put the right mechanisms in place. We are in discussions with some key players in the private sectors and can either go through professional funding or look into a form of taxing.” The centre is an independent non-profit think tank and social innovation hub that works in east and southern Africa to promote the transition to a new economy. which is a non-profit think tank and capacity-building organisation
Colvin added, “South Africa is lucky because the WWF has developed a fine-scale water risk filter that uses data sets, only available in South Africa, to help companies plot their water risks in a much more nuanced way and shows companies where their biggest water risks lie.
“The last two months we have also been working with Boston Consulting Group to focus on water risks in South Africa and on its economy and what we can do about it.
“It can’t just be up to government and the Department of Environmental Affairs to solve water issues in South Africa – we need a commitment from the private sector and we need to work together to overcome the water crisis.”
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