Before departing for our trip to South Africa, I remember the main question from my family was, “will you have enough water”. Their reaction was spurred from the vast publication of the what seemed to be the eminent day zero, when South Africa would run out of water. We were well assured that we had enough water for our travels, which put my family members mind at ease. Now that our visit to Cape Town is coming to an end, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the water situation.
What I have noticed in regards to water and drought related measures are major signage. For example, in our hotel we have a sign by any source of water - sinks, showers and washers – that say, “The Western Cape region is experiencing critically low water levels and is in the midst of the worst drought in the city’s history” followed by them asking us limit ourwater usage. The hotel also has signs that ask us inform the front desk if we want your linens changed. This technique is used to reduce the amount of washes performed to help save water. Additionally, in public bathrooms the water signs, like the ones in the hotel, are posted by the sink and every toilet has two flush options, one using less water than the other. Furthermore, some sinks in public restrooms spray a mist when you turn it on instead of producing flowing water. This technique is used to reduce the amount of water disappeared. Another aspect regarding water that I’ve noticed is that when we order water at a restaurant it comes in glass bottles, and not from the tap like back in the United States. Lastly, in Langa, the township we visited, our tour guide shared with us that people living in government housing pay 200R a month, about $15, and through this they get clean running and drinking water.
I have noticed that these signs around the hotel and in the public bathroom have made me and my classmates much more conscious of our water usage. For example, taking shorter showers, turning the sink off while brushing our teeth or washing our hands, only having our linens and towels cleaned twice during our stay, and actions of that nature. I feel that this awareness helps us personalize the water issue and gives us a glimpse into the regulations that South Africans have had to endure. It also makes us more grateful for the abundant access to water that we have in the United States. Additionally, pertaining to the restaurants only serving bottled water, I am unsure if this is to save water or if it because tap water is unsafe to drink. What I can conclude is that it is very different from the United States, for when you order water you only ever get tap water unless you specifically ask for bottled.
We learned further about the water situation when we went to the city of Cape Town water and sanitation plant. Originally this was part of our sustainability focused day in Africa, but it was rescheduled and unfortunately the whole class was not able to attend. When there, we were able to sit down and talk to Mike Webster, the director of the water and sanitation plant in Cape Town. He was a very wise man and has a plethora of knowledge on the topic of water, which included history on the drought, current statistic and future ambitions, which he shared with us. There were a couple important points that he shared regarding these topics. First of all, in the Western Cape there are six dams and twelves water treatment facilities that provide four million residents with water, 3.5 million residing in formal housing and 500,000 living in informal housing. Also out of the water supply, 70% is used residentially in Cape Town and the remaining 11% is used commercially and the last 4% is used industrially. Another statistic that Mike Webster shared with us was that 40% of customers in Cape Town get free 10,500 liters per house hold per month. In the Western Cape 95% of the water supply comes from surface water. Surface water is water that collects on the surface of the ground, such as, streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. This is a high percentage and Mike Webster and his team realizes this and have put together a 10-year commitment program. This programs lists 10 new ways of obtaining water and would in total increase water supply by 300 megalitre per day, hopefully helping them reach their goal of having only 70% of the water supply come from surface water. The one that Mike Webster was most exited for was the alien vegetation cleaning, which is removing invasive plants that aren’t supposed to be in South Africa. These plants consume water run-off, therefore, by removing them it will increase water supply by 55 megalitre per day. Lastly he prides his Cape Town Water and Sanitation plant for winning the International Water Association Award in May 2018 for a 55% reduction in water demand between 2015 to 2017. After hearing this information, it humbled me to know that the South African government truly isn’t ignore this issue and that they have many practices in place and plans for the future.
Given that Cape Town is extremely reliant on surface water, do you think their 10-year plan will be successful in reducing the amount of water supply provided by the surface water to their goal of 70%? And if so, is 70% a sufficient enough number to avoid future droughts and take away water restraints in the region, or will more progress need to be made to reach that level?