Struggling with a reoccurring problem is energy-sapping especially when a solution is nowhere in sight. The current water outages in Gauteng are frustrating and given the lack of resources that the municipality has, we expect to see that outages will happen more frequently. If we remain tied to the municipal supply then the water outages will become an ever more present reality, at its worse, you will keep having to suffer through an intermittent service.
The poor service delivery and lack of preventative planning and maintenance are leading to a water crisis. The minister of water and sanitation, however, is only aware of a water capacity issue and states that there is no water crisis. Even if there is enough water in South Africa to provide for the population the water system is in shambles. The assurances of relief contingencies to provide water tankers when there is a water outage are frequently broken. Does the municipality forget to fill up the water tanks before the water outage?
In some regions of the country, taps running dry and sewage overflowing into the streets have become a norm for the locals affected. For example, in Limpopo 10 years have passed and the water and sewage problem persists. The residents have quite rightly accused the municipality of having no plan for the resolution of the issue. The municipality has in turn stated that they 'have had a meeting' and are busy 'formulating a short and long term plan'. Don't hold your breath Limpopo.
Moving to Makhanda we have seen what can only be described as criminal negligence by the municipality has resulted in a water crisis that has critically endangered the livelihoods of the population.
Next up is the Vaal sewage crisis which has become critical after years of neglect and inaction. The Vaal is also still being used by the mines to dump their contaminated water containing dangerous contaminants. Perhaps the Vaal is the proverbial canary in the mine as the current calculations estimate that as a nation we produce 5 billion litres of sewage per day and that 4.2 billion litres of sewage are discharged daily into our river systems virtually untreated.
So what are these opportunities that all the above National water crisis is creating for us?
When the situation gets bad enough we are forced to make alternative plans. Some have already seen the writing on the wall and have switched over to municipal backup water systems. Others businesses, farms and households have gone completely water independent and are no longer reliant on the municipal system.
Having your own water supply is liberating, and with a filtration system, you have your own reliable source of fresh and clean water.
Given the current state of affairs having your own water source is going to be an absolute necessity for the future.