Where will our future water-supply come from? The challenge with non-conventional options

Abstract

Water supply Where will our future water-supply come from? The challenge with non-conventional options South Africa’s conventional (mostly surface) water sources have been unable to cope with growing demand. Most of the economically viable dam sites having been fully developed. This challenge is further exacerbated by a number of poignant factors, namely, growth in population which concomitantly drives demand, economic growth, the need to improve livelihoods, continued pollution of freshwater sources and the potential scourge of climate change. Drought conditions, such as those recently experienced in many parts of the country, combined with high system losses, further worsen the situation. Average non-revenue water is estimated to be 37%, while current demand levels are estimated to be in the region of 15 x 103 Mm3 per annum and projected to increase to 17.7 x 103 Mm3 per annum by 2030 (WRG, 2009), at which point demand outstrips economically usable freshwater supply.

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