Are we experiencing a water crisis, or is our water in crisis? - Benoît Le Roy
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Are we experiencing a water
crisis, or is our water in crisis?
Benoît Le Roy
Menu • Crude facts • Symptoms • Water Wars? • Solutions • Hope?
Crude Facts
• 98% of the SA
water reserve
allocated
already in 2016
• 97% of the water cycle is excluded by SA’s DWS
Back to Basics - Fundamental Facts
Croc West & Marico – Surplus At national level by
of 335 mcm by 2025 i.t.o. High 2025, the total water
Scenario (sewage return flow) resource will be in a
deficit of 2,044 mcm
Upper Vaal – Deficit of 764 mcm by
i.t.o High Scenario
2025 i.t.o. High Scenario (Reverse
Osmosis & recycling as solution) There has been
Mvoti – Umzimkulu – Deficit of 788 no coherent
mcm by 2025 i.t.o. High Scenario policy driven
(Desalination & recycling as solution) response
Berg – Deficit of 508 MCM by 2025
i.t.o. High Scenario (Desalination &
recycling as solution)
Changing Rainfall Patterns
Wetter than Average Inflection Dryer than Average
Point
Seasonal
Shift
Winter rainfall areas
particularly hard hit
This means that the current response via demand-side management is
inappropriate because there has been a fundamental shift in supply.
© WRC Project No. 2317/1/18. Report No. K5/2317. Pretoria: Water Research Commission
Symptoms • Day Zero Makhanda – Potable water production system inadequate to treat highly turbid waters – Distribution system has collapsed in the town – Sanitation network in a shambles • Day Zero Beaufort West – Climate change induces hydrological drought – Direct reuse of sewage an SA first but without new water it collapsed
Symptoms • Near Day Zero Cape Town – Consumption in the city reduced from 900 MGLD to 500 MGLD – Regional agricultural economy decimated to keep COCT alive – Tourism hard hit due to uncertainty for foreign tourists – Drying out since 1982 – Only metro that produces its own potable water
Symptoms • North West water shortages • Limpopo’s: – Failed water augmentation projects – 46% water losses in Polokwane – Olifantspoort water plant shutdown • Mpumalanga: – Ground water resources polluted by sewage and mining – Towns suffering from acute network collapses
Symptoms Emfuleni & the SANDF
Symptoms Kimberley’s Flamingos
Symptoms • Trillion Rand infrastructure deficit for water & sanitation alone – Current SA spend is R100m/a – This is an additional R100m/a over a decade – Fiscus unable to fund
• SA water wars?
• UGU-Port Shepstone shut down by workers
• eThekwini-Westbrook beach strikers
• Polokwane-Olifantspoort water plant shut by
communitySolutions • Require policy certainty-National government DWS • Require regulatory certainty-Independent Regulator • Contracting mechanism à la IPP for IWP’s • Reduce, Reuse & Add New Water • Include the other 97% of the water cycle • Paradigm shift of note
SAPOA Solutions • Reduce water footprint – Taps and showers all fitted with aerators – Water pressure optimisation – Convert to smaller volume toilet flush systems – Waterless hand sanitisers – Aircons to toilets, air cooled aircons – Water wise gardens – Social engineering interventions to heighten awareness
SAPOA Solutions
• Reuse
– Grey water treated for non potable uses such as gardens, toilets,
HVACC, car washing
– Black water treated for non potable reuse
– Black & Grey water combined and treated for non potable reuse
– Old Mutual’s Mutualpark in Pinelands uses waste-to-drinking @
450m³/daySAPOA Solutions
• New Water
– Ground water for potable and non potable applications
– Rainwater harvesting for potable and non potable
– Sea water for potable
– Growthpoint’s office & retail complex in Woodstock treats spring water
for potable use @ 45 m³/day
– V&A planning SWRO estimated @ R25/m³ for 5 MGLDCrisis² Indeed There is HOPE
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