South Africa’s water crisis could be reversed by changing the paradigm of water as a finite resource, and bringing together political will, science and capital to change the way it is managed.
This is according to Professor Anthony Turton, a scientist and consultant specialising in water resource management as a strategic issue.
Turton says that while South Africa is undeniably experiencing a water crisis, this situation could be reversed by changing the paradigms around the management thereof. “In the past, water was seen as single use stock, and the solution to scarcity was to create dams and inter basin transfers,” he says.
This approach was the foundation of huge industrial growth around the world, but had unintended consequences, he notes. Now, areas of the country that once thrived on a foundation of dammed water face economic ruin.
“The paradigm must change – water is infinitely usable. In a new paradigm of abundance, based on simple scientific truth, we must acknowledge that water is a flux flowing in time and space, therefore it’s an infinitely renewable resource. When it has been used, it returns into the ecosystem, so you haven’t lost it – you still have the same volume,” adds Turton.
In his paper, “A South African perspective on climate change, food security and water”, presented at the fourth Brics Academic Forum in March 2012, Turton noted that water moves in time and space, driven by the laws of physics, in what is known as the hydrological cycle.
“In fact, we have the same volume on our planet today as we had when the dinosaurs roamed free 65 million years ago,” he said.
“The crisis of management is that by seeing water as stock instead of flux, future economic growth has been constricted and cities like Port Elizabeth are on the brink of total collapse. We need R1 trillion to fix what’s broken in the sector, but the science and technology already exist to make it happen.”
Kudos to water, sanitation minister
Turton says that desalination and recycling water will substantially improve the situation:
“South Africa has been reclaiming and desalinating acid mine water at Witbank and other areas for at least a decade without problems, proving that we can convert the worst water into the cleanest potable water. With an enabling environment and more capital, we can launch more water recycling and desalination programmes.
“We don’t need to crash and burn – we need credible thought leadership creating a vision supported by robust science, engineering and technology; then we need to populate the vision with enthusiastic and competent people.”
Turton is optimistic that progress is already being made. “There’s a lot of good news. The current minister of water and sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, has gone out of his way to reach out to experts and create water war rooms.
“Within the government, we see ‘moderate middle’ components where capital resides and rational people want to make South Africa a better place. And there are scientists, business chambers and local governments already working on more advanced recycling and desalination plans.
“The South African Water Chamber, of which I am a founding member, is working with stakeholders and the government to create programmes using special purpose vehicles as a solution to failing municipalities and to enable economic growth. These SPVs, to be rolled out over the next decade, will mobilise the R1 trillion we need.”
ALSO READ: Failing sewage infrastructure is a national crisis
Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain.
