Cape Town - With Cape Town being the largest regional economic driver, it has to start managing its water resources better and become climate resilient so that it does not run out of water, experts say.
Cape Town’s status as a water-scarce city was laid bare last year when it experienced one of the worst droughts in about a century. It led to severe water restrictions being implemented by the City of Cape Town.
The dams in the Western Cape are currently just over half full, while the dams supplying the City of Cape Town are at 63.7%.
However, experts who spoke about climate change at the recent National Science Forum were of the opinion that Cape Town needed to become climate resilient, as cities could no longer rely only on rainwater.
Also at the forum, the national Department of Environmental Affairs said the government was ramping up its investment in climate resilience.
Climate expert Samuel Chademana said: “It has become crucial for cities to become climate resilient. Climate change is a reality and we need to look at ways to become climate resilient. It has an impact on our water resources, our food and the economy. It is a fact that the impacts of climate change are going to get worse.
“Even if we stopped polluting now, climate change will still happen, because carbon dioxide which is released into the air takes up to 300 years to break down. This means that it still has an impact on the climate. This is why we see the change in weather patterns, the amount of rain we receive and the changing temperatures.
“This will also change the way we grow food. For cities to become climate resilient, they need to start managing their water resources better, especially water that comes from springs, fountains and dams," said Chademana.
"Water scarce cities should also start looking at recycling grey water that goes through treatment plants. Water saving is going to become the norm for everyone who stays in cities experiencing droughts,” he added.
Chademana gave an example of planning for the future. Growing apples, for instance, was water intensive, so “we need to start looking at alternate ways to grow them in the future, now”.
Director of UCT’s African Climate and Development Initiative Professor Mark New said: “Climate change is everybody’s problem. During the drought, we had a climate shock, but we need to work with society, do research and look at solutions.”
According to research by Green Cape, which focuses on green economies, Cape Town’s water supply deficit would be felt by 2025, with the agricultural sector accounting for 87% of the total deficit.
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