The Global Water Report: 2013 and South Africa

This year's Global Water Report suggests that, in South Africa, water demand will outstrip supply by as much as 17% by 2030. The report is run from London; its local anchor is the National Business Initiative [refer to www.nbi.org.za]. 

Life is all about our decisions and our deciding who we are. The same applies on a collective level. What can we do about this water scenario? Does this country's temperament have the capacity to change, collaborate, engage when it comes to use of our water resources?

In the Agri Handbook for South Africa 2013/14, there are several chapters dealing with water: Irrigation, Rainwater harvesting, Water storage, Wetlands, Boreholes & windmills -- and, under the National Issues section, a general chapter on water. Water is a national issue because:

• The necessity for water makes it a human security issue. Water is a key to stability in the lives of communities and to the growth of nations.
• Because South Africa is a water-scarce country, the water we have should be used wisely.
• Water-use behaviours can have a detrimental effect on the quality of our water. Industrial, mining and agricultural pollutants, as well as poor maintenance of waste water treatment works degrade our water and aquatic life.
• The costs to the economy of making increasingly toxic water fit for human consumption is an unnecessary, avoidable expense.
• The trading status of South African agricultural products, both for export and local, is threatened by the quality of water in some areas. The shadow goes further than the safety of the food to the very profitability of various businesses (read “jobs”). 

Find the general water chapter here.