WATER SECURIT Y
water drawn from public supplies, which could slightly reduce consumption from the overall system and enable reserves to be maintained. However, it cannot provide a significant supply source during the dry winter season nor if there is a severe drought. Some people also use boreholes.” Maree also highlights the important work around stormwater management: “As our cities build and densify, rivers are constrained and tend to flood into properties and cause damage. The City of Johannesburg has brought in a revised stormwater management by-law that takes a more holistic approach.” The development of wastewater reuse (based at existing treatment works) should also be considered. This will
“Even if we have regular Joburg thunderstorms, even if our dams are full, we will always have to work exceptionally hard to bring water into our province. Water security will always be on the agenda because there will always be more demand for water than what exists.” also contribute to an improvement of environmental water resource quality; however, it must be noted that there are downstream water users on both the Vaal and Crocodile rivers that depend on the flows of treated wastewater. The needs of these users will have to be considered in any application of reuse in Gauteng.
A balancing act between supply and demand
Maree states that, most importantly, we all need use water far more efficiently. “The Gauteng area receives half the average global rainfall. The average annual rainfall is only 495 mm compared to a world average of 1 033 mm; however, Gauteng uses nearly 50%
Municipalities
Percentage non-revenue water
Ekurhuleni
<40%
Johannesburg
<40%
Tshwane
<30%
Emfuleni
>50%
Lesedi
<30%
Merafong
<50%
Midvaal
<40%
Mogale City
<40%
Rand West City
<30%
TABLE 2 Level of non-revenue water reported per municipality (Source: Department of Water and Sanitation, (2018), Municipal Services Self-Assessment Programme 2016/7. [Unpublished])
22
MAR /APR 2021
(Credit: Clive Hassall)
