Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa says South Africa’s water supplies are under increased pressure and has urged every person to strive to save this scarce resource.

Speaking at the business briefing organised by the New Age and SABC on Monday morning, Molewa said it was not an exaggeration to conclude that a large number people wasted water that could have been saved on a daily basis.

Government had not failed in its responsibility to provide safe and clean water to its citizens.
“Climate change causes complexity in water resources management due to the unpredictability in weather patterns. The economic and political challenges that this presents are very real…we must always be innovative in our water resource management,” she said.

Experts say South Africa could start having critical water shortages as early as 2020. While acknowledging the challenge, Molewa said government was embarking on several long term projects to bring water to South Africans.

These include, among others, the signing of the Lesotho Highland Water Programme which will alleviate water shortages in Gauteng. The construction of De Hoop Dam is due for completion in 2013 and is expected to bring water to people in the greater Sekhukhune District of Limpopo.

The department had also begun with the construction of the Moloko Project which forms part of the developments in the Waterberg area as announced by President Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation Address earlier this year.

The project is aimed at supporting Eskom and mining activities around the Medupi and Matimba Power Stations and will be commissioned by end of 2013 in line with Eskom‘s build programme.

Source: allAfrica.com