Water and sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu has said she experiences sleepless nights about South Africa’s water crisis.

Speaking with BusinessDay, the minister said her department’s R900 billion water master plan is currently ‘the best option’ to address this crisis and provide water security for South Africa in the coming decade.

She said that critics of the plan did not understand it and the severity of the crisis facing the country.

“Anybody who has had a backlash on the master plan has not read it, they probably need to have an English dictionary,” she said.

“That master plan is the best you could ever have found anywhere. It took a lot of time. I mean, we are world-renowned for our knowledge in the industry. I’ve taken onboard, as my advisors, the best there is. There isn’t anybody out there who knows better about water than the people that I have in my team.”

What is the master plan?

Sisulu said at the launch of the water master plan last year, that it proposes a number of changes to deal with the country’s water shortages.

Some of the most notable proposals include the implementation of drought operating rules, borehole drilling and/or rehabilitation, rainwater & fog harvesting, effluent treatment and re-use, among other things.

“We are working together with Rand Water and other specialist in providing new technologies that will help us in our quest to ensure the security of water supply.

“During the launch of the master plan at the CSIR in Pretoria, we saw various technologies, which we believe would play an important role in our drive to ensure that we provide uninterrupted water services to all.”

Additional source: BusinessDay