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Water in the Dams, but South Africa’s Taps Are Dry: Essential Reads on a History of Bad Management

The answers to what needs to be done to solve the chronic water crisis in South Africa’s towns and cities have been known for some time.

It’s become a common refrain in South Africa: there’s no drought, dams and reservoirs are full, but the taps are dry.

The ongoing crisis has been decades in the making. South Africa is a water-scarce country, yet it has failed to take even basic measures to preserve water supplies. These include:

  • poor financial management which has led to collapsing infrastructure. The result is dysfunctional water treatment plants and leaking pipes. For every four litres provided to Gauteng by Rand Water, which oversees the country’s industrial heartland, one litre is wasted through leakage.
  • South Africans use a lot of water: in Gauteng, for example, the average consumption is 279 litres per person per day. This is 60% greater than the global average.

The chronic crisis is underscored by the fact that the challenges – and what needs to be done about them – have been known for some time, as these articles from our archives show.

Johannesburg’s water crisis is getting worse – expert explains why the taps keep running dry in South Africa’s biggest city

Cape Town’s sewage treatment isn’t coping: scientists are worried about what the city is telling the public

The right to water is out of reach for many South Africans: case study offers solutions

South Africans flush toilets with drinkable water: study in Cape Town looked at using seawater instead

South Africa’s sewage crisis: official reports don’t include millions of litres of leaking wastewater

Is my water safe to drink? Expert advice for residents of South African cities

How to make sure water is safe to drink: four practical tips

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