11/17/2022 9:54:00 AM

Preparation for “day zero”: Water shortages in South Africa

Preparation for “Day Zero” is a reality for several countries owing to the current demand for water... 


Preparation for “Day Zero” is a reality for several countries owing to the current demand for water. Water shortages occur due to pollution, lack of accessibility, sustainability and other environmental concerns.

Negative environmental impacts disrupt weather patterns; this leads to extreme weather events, unpredictable water availability, worsening water shortages in South Africa and contamination of existing water supplies.

Countries most threatened by water shortages

  1. Libya - Libya’s local water resources have never been reliable, but the added stresses of regime change cut off water for much of the country’s population.
  2. Western Sahara - home to thousands of Sahrawi refugees who suffer constant food and water shortages due to a decades-long struggle for control between Morocco and the Sahrawi tribal group.
  3. Yemen - The country has little natural fresh water to use and relies heavily on water from other sources.
  4. Djibouti - Prone to drought and poor infrastructure that leaves millions without reliable access to fresh water.
  5. Jordan - Located in the arid and politically divided Middle East while lacking access to valuable natural resources.

Although South Africa is not currently on this list, it does not mean we are exempt from the eventuality of the need for preparation for “Day Zero” and water shortages, as we have seen in recent times as in Cape Town (2017), Gqeberha (2022), and now Gauteng.

El Nino impact on South African water shortages

The Southern African climate is affected by seasonal rainfall patterns. The majority of the South African rain is deposited by storms from early November to March, forming the South African wet season.

The wet months of rainfall saturate the soil in the region, providing moisture that persists for the drier months of the year. While this cycle is reliable, climate anomalies like El Niño disrupt the annual level of rainfall.

In the late 2015 and early 2016 seasons, an El Niño event caused a drought in parts of South Africa. From late 2018 to early 19, the ongoing El Niño-induced drought continued to hurt the economy and parts of the country that had not yet recovered from the earlier droughts.

The effect of water shortages on the South African economy

The South African economy is highly susceptible to water shortages because of how much the agricultural sector contributes to the South African GDP.

The industry produces a significant portion of exports and contributes to the domestic economy, especially as an employer.

Thus, farming provinces like Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and Kwazulu-Natal can ill afford severe droughts.

While there are numerous alleviation methods for the issue of climate change, many of them will take a long to become effective and solve the problem. We need to take drastic measures to address the situation to have sustainable solutions to the challenge of water shortages in South Africa.

Possible solutions to water shortages in South Africa:

  • Increase groundwater extraction
  • Improve wastewater treatment facilities
  • Decrease non-revenue water to reconcile water withdrawals with supply

These are the most probable alleviation methods for the challenge of water shortages, but they require more investment from the government and the affected sectors.

With the current state of the economy, not only in South Africa but globally, funding for such investments is not readily available. For this reason, all affected persons, you and I, need to evaluate alternative measures to do our part in preserving water.

The Sanitech solution for water shortages in South Africa

Fortunately, Sanitech can make a meaningful contribution to ease the issue of water shortages in mines, construction areas, commercial buildings and industrial worksites.

Sanitech is the leading portable sanitation and hygiene solutions company in South Africa. We have more than two decades of local experience and the global support of Waco International.

With our experience, we are in the best position to facilitate the use of portable toilets as relief for the challenges of water shortages in South Africa.

Portable toilets help manage water shortages

Portable toilets use less water while remaining just as sanitary as any other bathroom. The safe disposal of waste from these types of toilets does not require water as with regular flushing toilets that use up, at a minimum, 1.6 litres of water per flush. This number may sound small when we compare it to the overall situation, but every little bit counts.

In recent years the portable restroom industry saved around 473 million litres of fresh, drinkable water daily from that seemingly small 1.6 litres. That’s enough to fill four lakes, each the size and depth of a large football stadium, every day.

Annually, the amount of water saved is over 170 billion litres. Not only does this industry contribute to water saving, but portable toilets contribute to safer drinking water, enhanced human dignity, increased productivity and protection from disease.

It is a short sight to assume that your contribution to such large-scale problems is insignificant. If we work together, we can effortlessly grow 1 litre to a million. Thus, we urge every sector - regardless of how small you perceive your contribution to be – to try and identify water-saving options they may have at their disposal.

In preparation for day zero and water shortages in South Africa, we encourage you to contact Sanitech to discuss water-saving opportunities for you or your business.

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