Water crisis in South Africa - “day-zero”
In the age of globalization, more and more technologies and products are being developed in a rapid time to make people's lives as comfortable as possible. But while some people live in luxury, others often have to get by for several weeks without access to water. 2000 children die every day because of inaccessible drinking water, even though water has long been recognized as a human right by the UN. The situation is becoming particularly acute in South Africa, where people have long been battling an impending day-zero.
Due to a consistent lack of rain and an average yearly rainfall of almost half the global average, South Africa has been ranked the 29th driest out of 193 nations. 3 years ago, Cape Town became the first global city to come close to running out of water. The situation has turned so bad; that Cape Town even began cutting down trees to save itself from a drought. What seems like a rather strange measure clearly shows how critical the situation is at the moment.
Even though “day-zero” – the moment when four million inhabitants would be left without water – hasn’t occurred yet, it hasn’t disappeared, but merely been delayed. The Kouga-, Churchill-, Impofu-, Loerie-, and Groendal Dams, which supply the Nelson Mandela Bay Locale, are at their lowest level ever, with only 16% of water left on average, leaving 1,28 million people worried for their future. According to the Safe Drinking Water Foundation, the average human requires 235 liters of sanitary water every day. However, residents of Nelson Mandela Bay are asked to consume a maximum of 50 liters per day. Currently, 19% of the rural population lacks access to a reliable water supply, and 33% do not have basic sanitary services. Rural citizens suffer the most. Over 26% of schools (urban and rural) and 45% of hospitals have no access to a safe water source either.
How do these problems arise? Can all of this be answered by the lack of rain?
Experts in the field have agreed, that the water crisis in South Africa consists of two main problems: economic water scarcity (lack of investment, growing demand, pollution, theft, and inadequate infrastructure) and physical water scarcity (lack of rain). It is estimated that 70 million liters of treated, clean, drinkable water are lost daily due to leaks in the water piping system. Criminality also plays a role in the water crisis. The city of Durban is losing around 35% of its municipal supply to theft and illegal connections such as “construction mafias”. These mafias sabotage the water infrastructure for profit and capitalize on government failures to ensure taps remain dry. They deliberately destroy lucrative contracts with municipalities, and source water from unregulated dams and rivers while bypassing essential quality controls, posing serious health risks to the communities they claim to serve. In regions like Gauteng, Durban, and Cape Town households endure days, sometimes weeks without water In Hammanskrad, cholera outbreaks have been linked to mafia-like practices. In Zimbabwe and Kenya, a black market for water developed as the government failed to extend water into poor areas, resulting in unregulated costs and contaminated water.
To prepare for a possible “day-zero” the government has resulted in drilling boreholes to access water deposits. What seems like a lifesaver for locals leaves experts worried.
“because of the geological nature of the coastal zone, fresh water being extracted may be replaced by saline water intrusion coming from the sea”, so Phumelele Gama
Said saline water intrusions eventually render the borehole water deposits completely undrinkable within six months after “day-zero”. Water deposits often contain an unhealthy and deadly number of bacteria. A Study from 2020 published by South Africa’s University of Venda and Tshwane University of Technology claims that 33% of water in borehole deposits near Vhember rural areas in South Africa, Limpopo province was contaminated with E.coli bacteria. Another study with similar results near 10 public schools in the Giyani region of Limpopo contained multiple bacterial strains, including Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacteria, and E.coli. Infections with these bacteria can lead to life-threatening diseases such as hemolytic uraemic syndrome and dehydration.
The water crisis in South Africa is a serious problem caused by many different factors. We live in a world where access to water and sanitation are a human right, and fundamental to everyone’s health, dignity, and prosperity, but still, some people die every day because there is no safe drinking water available. Swimming pools on the one side of the earth, droughts on the other. We at German Water Technologies can’t make it rain, but we have the solution to several problems that South Africa is currently facing. With our so-called INTEWA system, we can provide up to 24.000 liters of pure, disinfected, safe drinking water daily. Our water disinfection system is automatic and solar-driven and as it is a decentralized system, it works everywhere at any time.
2000 children die every day because of inaccessible drinking water. To end this, it only needs Your action and Our technology. Together we can save humanity.