The water scarcity crisis been most severe in the Western Cape, and in certain municipalities in the Eastern Cape.
Major dams supplying the Mother City are currently only 37.5% full.
“Apart from anything else, this means there is little or no integration between the various levels in the water supply system and, importantly, no economies of scale,” he said.
Peo said that solving the water scarcity problem would be even more challenging than solving the problem of energy supply.
While national power utility Eskom is responsible for providing energy countrywide, Peo said there is no similar national body responsible for providing water to South Africans.
Water supply networks are also highly complex and more widely distributed than energy supply networks,” he said.
Fact checking website Africa Check, however, found it could not verify Zuma’s figures, saying there is “no conclusive data available on how much water SA municipalities lose”.
Meanwhile, Cabinet last week said that “more needs to be done to conserve water”.

Bhopal: Election year is going to be a challenging one for chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for ‘natural’ reasons.
On Monday, a government spokesman said that 34 of 51 districts have received deficient rainfall.
Fifteen months ahead of elections, Chouhan faces a huge nature-driven crisis — perhaps the toughest in his 13 years as CM.
Though the government has not yet officially declared drought, a tight-lipped Shivraj has only said he would "take care of farmers". On Sunday, when reporters asked the CM in Chattarpur — a drought affected district of Bundelkhand — about his plans for farmers, Chouhan preferred to keep silent.
If a region checks out on all four parameters, the state will get 100% drought funds.
Amid all this, district collectors have started reviewing the situation.
B M Jamod, collector of Ashoknagar that has received 34% less rainfall this year, said, "It is government policy this year to advise farmers to cultivate crops that require less water.
We are advising them to sow varieties of wheat that require less water.
But farmers of Madhya Pradesh are not used to cultivate such varieties of wheat, like Sharbati.

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The drought-prone Chikkaballapur district in Karnataka has suffered water scarcity for years. Spread over 330 acres, the dried-up lake is full of weeds.
This rejuvenation programme is part of the second phase of the Hebbal – Nagawara valley project, in which 44 irrigation tanks will be revived in the Chikkaballapur district.
“The water will flow into the lake from Bagalur via Jala Hobli. Desilting the lake is essential for the percolation of water through the gradients and increase the tank’s capacity. The farmers will not receive water directly.
Meanwhile, the government will establish water purifying plants so that residents of the constituency can access potable water.
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In Eastern Ohangwena area, rainwater has already dried up leaving people and their livestock struggling to find fresh water for survival. Residents in the villages of Oshikunde, Okongo, Omundaungilo and Epembe now solely depend on borehole for water.
The chairperson of Ohangwena Regional Council, who is also the chairperson of the Disaster Risk Management Committee, Erickson Ndawanifa, said the rest of the region was still surviving on rainwater in the earth dams, but the temporary solution was short-lived as many earth dams are beginning to dry up.
The chairperson of the Omusati Regional Council, who also serves as as the chairperson of the Disaster Risk Management Committee in the region, Modestus Amutse, said Omusati has improved water supply in areas where there was often water scarcity, such as Okahao and Otamanzi.
He added that although there are pipeline in some areas, there is not sufficient pressure to pump water to the people in need, hence he appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to render a hand to the affected communities.
Chairperson of Oshana Regional Council – also the chairperson of the Disaster Risk Management Committee in that region – Hannu Kapenda said the region has sufficient water to last until the next rainy season. "If it rains well during the next rainy season, we will not experience drought for some time," Kapenda said.

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In Eastern Ohangwena area, rainwater has already dried up leaving people and their livestock struggling to find fresh water for survival. Residents in the villages of Oshikunde, Okongo, Omundaungilo and Epembe now solely depend on borehole for water.
The chairperson of Ohangwena Regional Council, who is also the chairperson of the Disaster Risk Management Committee, Erickson Ndawanifa, said the rest of the region was still surviving on rainwater in the earth dams, but the temporary solution was short-lived as many earth dams are beginning to dry up.
Despite that, he said water was poised to become scarce as the collected rainwater is also likely to run dry before the end of the next rainy season. “There is water at the moment, but it is not sufficient and if it does not rain soon, we will be without water in October,” Amutse said.
He added that although there are pipeline in some areas, there is not sufficient pressure to pump water to the people in need, hence he appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to render a hand to the affected communities.
Chairperson of Oshana Regional Council – also the chairperson of the Disaster Risk Management Committee in that region – Hannu Kapenda said the region has sufficient water to last until the next rainy season. “If it rains well during the next rainy season, we will not experience drought for some time,” Kapenda said.

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Water scarcity in South Africa will be high on the agenda of a three-day Water Research Council meeting under the theme “Adaptation to the New Normal”‚ which opened on Monday east of Johannesburg.
The minister said a high-level panel on water was meeting at the UN this week.
“The outcomes of this symposium must speak to a better water future and encourage international partnerships‚” Mokonyana said.
She said Gauteng enjoyed water from Lesotho because of such a partnership.
Water Research Council CEO Desighen Naidoo said the current infrastructure and regulatory environment in South Africa needed to be revisited with vigour.
South Africa’s average annual rainfall of 490mm is far lower than that of the global average‚ of 814mm per year‚ according to the WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature).

ISLAMABAD: Despite having one of the world’s largest glaciers, Pakistan is at risk of water scarcity and is among the 36 most water-stressed countries in the world.
Factors contributing to increased water demand include rapid increase in population, low water-usage efficiency, an extremely water-intensive economy and poor management of water resources and absence of a national water policy.
Pakistan has the world’s fourth-highest water-usage rate.
Pakistan’s economy is the world’s most water-intensive economy; which means that the amount of water utilised in cubic metres per unit of GDP is the world’s highest, which signifies that productivity/efficiency is the lowest in the world.
Some studies suggest efficiencies as low as 33%, for canal irrigation.
The country can increase productivity of water without increasing water supply.
Increasing pressure on irrigation departments by farmers to become accountable and efficient, emergence of progressive farmers, introducing high-value crops and using latest agricultural technologies can greatly increase the efficiency of irrigation-water.
Drip irrigation and micro sprinklers can increase efficiency from less than 60% to more than 95%.
Drip Irrigation can reduce water requirement from 35% to 40%, though it is expensive for the poor farmers.
Bottom-line is that if we cannot increase the supply of our freshwater, then efficiency must be increased to balance supply and demand for a sustainable future.

Pak-India water talks in U.S. remain inconclusive.
The World Bank remains committed to act in good faith and with "complete impartiality and transparency" in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Treaty, while continuing to assist the countries, it said in its statement.
"Both India and Pakistan have agreed to continue discussions over the Indus Waters Treaty and reconvene in September in Washington, DC", the World Bank had said in a brief statement.
Pakistan has requested the World Bank to fulfill its obligation to establish a court of arbitration to settle its water dispute with India in the light of the Indus Waters Treaty.
The Pakistani delegation, headed by Secretary Water Resources Division Arif Ahmed Khan and comprising Secretary of Water and Power Yousuf Naseem Khokhar, High Commissioner of Indus Waters Treaty Mirza Asif Baig and Joint Secretary of Water Syed Mehar Ali Shah attended the talks.
The latest dispute arose over the construction of the 330-MW Kishenganga and 850-MW Ratle hydroelectric plants on the tributaries of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers in Jammu and Kashmir.
Union Water Resources Secretary Amarjit Singh is leading a multi-disciplinary delegation at the talks, which includes representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs, Power, India’s Indus Water Commissioner and Central Water Commission.
India interprets the permission for "other uses", as meaning that it cannot only construct the Kishanganga and Ratle dams, but also several other projects.
According to sources, Pakistan was to repeat its reservations under the Indus Waters Treaty over the design change in the 330MW Kishanganga hydroelectric plant, being constructed at River Neelum by India, as well the design of the 850MW Ratli hydroelectric plant being constructed on River Chenab.
However, the neighbouring country is interpenetrating a term "other uses" used in the treaty’s content as a permission for construction of power plants.

Pakistan’s water challenges.
Pakistani and Indian officials met for the second time in two months in Washington to find ways to resolve their long-running disputes relating to water distribution between the two neighbouring countries.
The two days of talks, brokered by the World Bank, focused on Pakistan’s objections on Ratle (850MW) and Kishanganga (330MW) hydroelectric projects of India on Chenab and Jhelum which Islamabad says are designed in violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.
The World Bank, after the talks, said the meetings were part of a process to safeguard benefits of the 57-year-old Indus Waters Treaty.
Elena Karaban told media that “these meetings are a continuation of a discussion on how to safeguard the treaty for the benefit of the people in both countries.” However, a section of Indian media maintains that the talks themselves were sign of a “softening” of the tough stance of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards Pakistan.
We should not go to the World Bank.
Pakistan has expressed growing concerns over Indian belligerence on water issue in recent years.
Even on water issues with India, instead of having an informed debate on how to tackle this issue and what are the challenges for the country, the discussions are often restricted to bombastic statements based on nationalistic verbose.
The Indus Waters Treaty has been touted as the most successful accord between any two estranged neighbours in the world over water issue, as it has survived wars and conflicts between the two countries since the treaty was signed in 1960.
More importantly, Pakistan’s water challenges are not just confined to issues related to India alone, but because of climate change, melting glaciers and evolving precipitation patterns it has become all the more important for Pakistan to try to address water related issues more seriously.

Chandigarh Patiala, September 17 Over two dozen colonies in the city are facing irregular water supply of drinking water for the past fortnight.
Many localities in the city, including Sewak Colony, Lehal Colony, Kishore Colony, Desi Mehamandari, Rajpura Colony and Factory Area localities, are reeling under water scarcity.
While Municipal Corporation (MC) officials have been informed about the problem, nothing has been done to ensure round-the-clock or at least guaranteed water supply for fixed hours.
"Generally, water is supplied twice a day – an hour each in the morning and evening.
But on certain days, we do not get a single drop of water.
The MC keeps making false promises of installing more tubewells in the city to solve the problem," alleged residents.
"Some day we get two-hour water supply in the morning, the next day there won’t be a single drop.
Residents alleged they have approached the Municipal Corporation officials numerous times in the last week, but there has been no respite.
“Throughout the day, we wait for water so that we have enough in store to meet our demands,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation officials, , said they are trying their best to provide ample drinking water to the city residents.