In the last few days - following a winter where good rains have seen our dams reach 76% - I have read a number of articles questioning whether we will again see a “day zero” situation looming for Cape Town.
On the face of it, I would have said no, given the behavioural change by water consumers, their investing tens of thousands of rand in water-saving devices, as well as ongoing comments by the City of their intention to build a water resilient Cape Town.
Also, the recently started project to raise the Clanwilliam dam wall, as well as a half-a-billion-rand contribution to the City from central government for drought-related projects, pointed to a continued shift to recognise the impact of climate change and other environmental factors on our water resources.
Then, imagine my surprise when it was reported the City has shelved plans for a “permanent” desalination plant as being a part of our ongoing water mix in the medium term, raising doubts that it will never happen.
Deputy mayor Ian Neilson has been quoted as saying that “longer term planning and assessments are under way which will propose the way forward”.
With respect Mr Neilson, you’ve been saying this for the last nine months - when are the talk shops going to stop and something visible and concrete started, which will give substance to your “water resilient” concept?
The City has certainly not communicated anything of substance regarding major water augmentation initiatives - other than to introduce punitive tariff increases - and current augmentation levels are nothing to write home about.
Or are you and the City only again going to wake from your climate change slumbers when we are once again in the precarious situation we previously found ourselves in, notwithstanding ongoing screaming headlines of an ever-growing city and an accelerating shift in climate change impacts?