These provinces house some of South Africa’s biggest economic and agricultural hubs.
Blazer attributes the current crisis to four factors: Insufficient water infrastructure maintenance and investment, Recurrent droughts driven by climatic variation Deteriorating water quality A lack of skilled water engineers He also noted that 35% of South African citizens did not have access to reliable drinking water and that 14.1 million people did not have access to safe sanitation, while 41% of municipal water did not generate revenue.
“South Africa is facing a projected 17% water deficit by 2030 if it doesn’t adopt a ‘new normal.
Achieving water security in the country requires a significant paradigm shift that recognises the limitations of water availability and the need for financial sustainability,” he said at the Indaba.
The Department of Water and Sanitation has adopted a Strategic Plan which aims to be implemented over a period of five years as part of the National Development Plan (2030).
The department has also welcomed a new Minister Gugile Mkwinti, who was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his cabinet reshuffle.
— Water&SanitationRSA (@DWS_RSA) February 28, 2018 Here is your weekly dam update: The Vaal River System consisting of 14 dams serving mainly Gauteng Sasol and Eskom is at 92.8%.
The Cape Town Dams System consisting of six dams serving mainly City of Cape Town this week drops to 20%.
The KwaZulu Natal Dam System is at 59% this week while Eastern Cape Dam System sits at 64.4%.
Here are the latest dam percentages throughout the country: For a more in depth rainfall update, visit WeatherSA or click here.