Moratorium on the Provision of Water

On Wednesday 23 June, I attended a meeting at the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry aimed at addressing the proposed moratorium on the provision of water to new developments. Mr Neil McLeod, Head of Water Services in the city was the invited guest speaker and gave an exceedingly informative presentation highlighting the reasons why we are faced with water shortage challenges.

Using maps and graphs in a PowerPoint presentation, Neil explained what the capacities of our dams are in relation to demand indicating that there is a significant shortfall.  He also emphasised that existing infrastructure is under tremendous strain to channel water from existing dams, to the major growth areas to the North of Durban.

Abnormally high rainfall over the past three years has enabled the city to avoid having to introduce water restrictions. Neil did however warn that while the dams are full, we should not be led into a false sense of security.  A spell of dryer years is likely to follow in which case the pendulum could very easily swing the other way.  He urged delegates not to fall into the trap of looking at water levels and not believing the maths.
 
Without important infrastructure projects promised by national government yet to be delivered, it is calculated that there will be inadequate supply to meet future needs.  It is therefore of critical importance that national government come to the party to avert the looming water crises.

Water Services have been urging government from as far back as 2003 to implement several projects that would alleviate the problem including the construction of the Spring Grove dam and until recently; the required signatures were not forthcoming.  Something had to be done to draw attention to the urgency of the matter and talk of a moratorium; had the desired effect.

With National government now seemingly committed to moving forward with proposed projects recommended by Water Affairs, for the moment, they are prepared to continue issuing licences to developers and will for now, remove the proposed moratorium from the table.  The situation does however remain serious and it would have to be monitored closely.

The meeting did serve as a harsh reminder that water is an extremely precious commodity and conserving it, is the responsibility of everybody!

Ernest Roper | Regional Manager Durban