The Quick Interview | ‘Set clear time frames to solve SA’s water crisis’

To address SA’s water crisis, the Water and Sanitation Indaba held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand last week proposed the establishment of a state-owned National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency by 2026 to raise funds and attract private investment.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced at the indaba that R23bn has been secured for major water projects. Municipalities were urged to tackle water lost due to leaks, theft and unbilled usage by prioritising maintenance, replacing old pipes, and cracking down on illegal connections.

Civil group WaterCan executive manager Dr Ferrial Adam says setting clear time frames is a step in the right direction to address the country’s water problems. Sowetan spoke to her.

Sowetan: What is the dominant source of water problems in SA?

Adam: The root of the crisis is not just technical but deeply political and systemic. Until accountability, effective governance, and innovative solutions are prioritised, the crisis will persist.

Sowetan: Did the indaba bring anything new and worthwhile that can help fix the problems?

Adam: Many of the issues covered we have heard before – there was a lot said about ring-fencing of funding for water and sanitation, the finalisation of the National Water Resource Infrastructure Agency, [and] the financial viability of the sector. The responsibilities for the national departments seem to have clear timelines, which is good. The rhetoric of public-private partnerships has become a recurring theme in government discourse, but it increasingly feels like an excuse for the government to defer its responsibilities.

Sowetan: How can the proposed plans be integrated in municipalities?

Adam: The indaba included subgroups addressing specific issues based on the type of municipality and its challenges. Deliverables were outlined, but the real issue is whether municipalities can effectively implement the plans. We know that many of our municipalities are not able to roll out some of the plans. For example, in one of the subcommittees focused on the Water Service Authorities with average-performing systems, it seems that not all municipalities were in attendance. Only 13 of the 27 municipalities that were supposed to be in that group attended.

The challenge is going to be to ensure that these plans are being carried out at a local level. It is not clear what consequence management is in place to ensure that people will be held accountable for nonperformance.

Sowetan: What innovative water technologies can help alleviate or eliminate our water problems?

Adam: Simple technologies can make a significant difference, such as developing protocols with alert levels, response times, roles, responsibilities, communication methods, and contact details; implementing basic telemetry systems to link reservoirs to central systems like supervisory control and data acquisition, which can monitor water levels, control valves, and switch pumps on or off; and desalination was proposed, but the focus tends to be on expensive, high-impact projects rather than simpler, more practical solutions that could stabilise the system.

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