As an aspirant trainee pilot in the SAAF in 1970, I recall watching an instructor familiarising himself with an inflatable portable desalinator not much bigger than an oversized basketball for obvious use by pilots who might find themselves ditched at sea in an inflatable dinghy, or mae west with minimal or no water reserves.
The technology was very simple, but would have saved a downed pilot from dying of thirst.
Desalination technology in one form or another has been around for probably longer than many of us realise and only in times or places of need where there is chronic water shortage has it come into its own.
I think it's safe to say we are in such a situation here in Cape Town.
Similarly with the Eskom/electricity crisis South Africa faced from 2006 onwards, with all the inconvenience, frustration, rage, lost income and profits, it effectively became the catalyst that culminated in determined resolve by every strata of society to become independent of Eskom and disconnect as far as possible from the grid.
Thus alternative energy supply/options came into their own from private home to corporate level and are still gathering momentum.
The fallacy that “They,” the authorities, would sort it out came under scrutiny by the masses and culminated in a new freedom for many from absolute dependency on a corrupted entity.
As painful as this time of water deprivation is, if the same initiative and mindset is applied by us, Mr and Mrs Jo Average, we can over time become less dependent on the “Authorities”.
For starters, among other technologies, there is on a little known website devoted to publishing corporate/government suppressed technologies, over 500 desalination patents to choose from that could be adapted to scale for home or commercial application.
A simple Google, “Desalination plants RexResearch”, will reveal all 500 patent numbers and subtitles.
I am of the absolute conviction that there are thousands of home handymen and businessmen that can capitalise to the benefit of many by adapting these technologies for home or commercial use and bring them on stream.
Just as energy supplementary devices have become an integral part of new housing architecture, it would make good sense to likewise incorporate rainfall capture water tanks into new housing design.
Our current water crisis behoves the City Council to put its money where its mouth is and make available with immediate effect subsidised rain tank installations as a first line set off for its “muddle through” town
planning for which we now all have to pay.