The Western Cape water crisis is one such example that requires different actors to collaborate with an objective of minimising the impact of water shortage on both communities and businesses.
It requires common action to stave off the disastrous impact of Day Zero now in 2019.
Informed by this reality, working with the Western Cape Provincial Government, Green Cape and other critical stakeholders, PPC recently hosted an industry workshop in Cape Town to explore ways through which industry players can contribute to conserving and preserving water while sustaining the local economy.
With this appreciation, government’s message for the industry is “to reduce water usage as much as possible without affecting production”, Solly Fourie, Head of Economic Development and Tourism, Western Cape Provincial Government.
Failure to manage the impact of the water shortage will have a significant negative impact to the economy of the Western Cape and its people.
In our view, we need to save water and grow the economy at the same time.
Our approach to water management is driven by a few principles including: Responsible water management- to avoid causing harm to the environment or communities where we have operations Optimal water usage to generate short and long term value Management of quality and quantity of water Ensuring and promoting compliance with the legal and other requirements In the Western Cape we have specifically implemented measures to mitigate the impact of the ongoing drought and have employed alternatives from an operational perspective to ensure continuity of supply.
Over and above the measures that we undertake in our own operations, we have developed some guiding tips to encourage responsible water use on construction sites.
The industry has been encouraged to measure and manage water usage and also to investigate alternate sources of water for construction like: Ground water Basement water ( City building sites) Treated effluent Run off water The government and the NHBRC have committed to work collaboratively to allow ease of use of the alternative sources of water for construction.
In truth, no single company has all the solutions to our current crisis, and thus it is important to share lessons and experiences, and to have unity of purpose.