Gauteng - save water or pay the price

Abstract

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT I f Gauteng is the economic engine of South Africa, water is the fuel that keeps that engine running. But this powerhouse faces significant challenges around water and sanitation which, if not addressed adequately, could cause economic growth to grind to a halt. With the Witwatersrand forming the watershed between the Vaal, Olifants and Crocodile rivers, Gauteng has little of its own bulk water resources. This has made the province reliant on a series of complex transfer schemes importing water from the Thukela, Usutu, Komati and Orange rivers (the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme). About 88% of the province’s water is imported. But this intricate web of bulk water infrastructure comes at a price. Water prices in the province have increased exponentially over the last few years. Customers of Rand Water, the main water supplier in Gauteng, now pay 315.45 cents a kilolitre for purified water, with raw water costs accounting for 53% of the water utility’s input costs.

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