Water Wheel Jan/Feb 2026: Municipal Water Supply

Abstract

Saldanha’s water tightrope: Balancing industry dreams with scarce supplies It’s been a case of one step forward, two steps back in the years since big industry set its sights on Saldanha Bay. The closure of anchor tenant Saldanha Steel in 2020 dealt a blow to the Industrial Development Zone (IDZ), and a number of other proposed projects have been withdrawn or delayed. Now, with plans to create a green hydrogen hub gaining traction, there is renewed hope that the IDZ will live up to its potential. But can the area’s water supply sustain significant economic development and population growth? Early days When Captain Samuel Castleton sailed the first ship into Saldanha Bay in April 1612, he went ashore and bartered with the local KhoeKhoe for a calf and a sheep, but his crew could find no water apart from a small puddle. For the next three centuries, despite the establishment of small settlements of French, Dutch and British inhabitants at various intervals, the lack of water remained the major constraint to the area’s development.

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