Freshwater in South Africa
South Africa is a chronically water stressed country with between 500m³ and 1000m³ available per person per year.
In 2000, South Africa’s water surplus was only 1.4% of the country’s total water supply, and it is estimated that, based on the current scenario, South Africa will have a water deficit of 1.7% by 2025. Consequently, water availability is one of the most decisive factors that will affect the future economic development of South Africa.In the past South Africa has invested heavily in water infrastructure and this is, in part, why the country has enjoyed a false sense of water security. However, the country is fast approaching full utilisation of available surface water yields, and running out of suitable sites for new dams. Superimposed onto this, climate change models predict changes to both rainfall and temperature in southern Africa, which will affect water storage negatively.
In short, South Africa needs to think innovatively about new ways of reducing water demand making water available, outside of the traditional engineering solutions of infrastructure development, if it wishes to sustain economic growth and maintain healthy freshwater ecosystems.
