Fresh water to run out in 20 years

The country’s fresh water resources will be fully depleted by 2030 and unable to meet the needs of people, industry and our neighbours if we continue to exploit our water resources by following a ‘business as usual’ approach. Radical improvement to water quality management and treatment technologies are needed, CSIR researchers warn.
“And this will happen even sooner if we experience prolonged droughts or more frequent incidents of water pollution,” says Dr Peter Ashton, senior aquatic ecologist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in a special report on South Africa’s water problems, A CSIR Perspective on Water in South Africa – 2010, released during the recent World Water Day events in Cape Town.

According to Ashton we cannot allow the water quality of our major river systems, dams or groundwater resources to deteriorate further as they form “the core water supply systems that underpin social and economic development in our country”.

While landmark legislation such as the Water Services Act of 1997 (Act No. 108) and the National Water Act of 1998 (Act No. 36) provides an excellent legal framework for managing the country’s water resources and providing sufficient water of suitable quality at an affordable price to meet human needs, the CSIR report highlights the fact that shortages of skills and funds, institutional ineffectiveness at many levels, and a lack of specific water treatment technologies have made it extremely difficult to resolve all of the problems and achieve the goals to which the legislation aspires.

But the responsibility to care for our water resources does not lie with government and industry alone, explains Ashton: “It is equally clear that the current situation cannot continue indefinitely and that we must all embrace a fresh new ‘water ethic’ where we appreciate the true value of water; where we  act  more prudently and responsibly to avoid unnecessary wasteful uses of water, and we prevent contamination of water that would ultimately require expensive treatment before it can be used by society.”
Compiled by water quality researchers and engineers from various disciplines, the CSIR report draws attention to some of the specific causes of water quality problems in different parts of South Africa and describes the social, economic and health risks that these pose for society.

Starting with an assessment of how much water we have, the rest of the report deals with the current status of water quality in South Africa. It covers the impact of poor quality water on human health; the legal and ethical implications of South Africa’s international obligations when it comes to shared rivers and water basins; the ability of freshwater ecosystems to continue providing good quality water; the importance of estuaries; the relationship between water infrastructure and economic development; water and sustainable mining; industry and water quality; water and food security; water, energy and climate change; and the way forward.

According to senior researcher Dr Suzan Oelofse, who compiled the report with fellow CSIR-colleague Wilma Strydom, the report is unique in that it combines expert opinions on water-related issues into a single publication.

Ashton, who has more than 40 years of experience in dealing with water-related issues in Africa, ends the report with a dire warning: “If we fail to radically improve our water quality management approaches and treatment technologies, we will face an inevitable outcome: a gradual decline in the volume of water available per person, progressive worsening of water quality, loss of biological integrity in our aquatic ecosystems, and continually rising costs associated with treating water for people to drink. Ultimately, this will prevent us from achieving social and economic growth and eliminating poverty and – put quite simply – it would be irresponsible and inexcusable if we allow this to happen.”

(The report is available as a PDF )