Water Wheel January/February 2020

Abstract

New water perspectives for 2020 When she addressed the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) conference, which took place in 2018 in Cape Town, Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and the Environment, India, made the observation that change in weather patterns on the back of major climatic changes can be evidenced through both droughts and floods occurring simultaneously in the same country. This is a phenomenon we are currently living through with the serious flood damage in some parts of the country while others are still in the grip of extreme water scarcity. This physical phenomenon of extreme weather, which is rapidly defining our new normal, is greatly exacerbated by the metaphoric drought of ideas and imagination compounded by the floods of prejudice and negativity. This is particularly pronounced in the commentary of some regular water and development experts that fill our media spaces. A clan of Afropessimists in general and South African nay-sayers. They also happen to be of a certain gender, race and of a particular age.

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