The Western Cape Government today brought together key water sector stakeholders to strengthen the province’s response to growing water security challenges, including climate change, infrastructure vulnerabilities and the long-term impacts of recent floods.

Speaking at the Strategic Water Resilience Committee Workshop in Cape Town, the three spheres of government and water sector partners discussed priority actions needed to secure water supplies, protect critical infrastructure and improve resilience across communities, agriculture and the economy.

The workshop comes at a critical time for the province as municipalities continue to recover from severe weather events, while also preparing for future drought risks and increasing pressure on water resources. Discussions focused on strengthening coordination across government, accelerating investment in priority projects and ensuring that water resilience remains central to long-term development planning.

A key focus of the workshop was the significant investment currently being made to improve municipal water security. The Department of Local Government reported that more than R216 million is being invested in municipal water projects during the 2026/27 financial year through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, Integrated Urban Development Grant and the provincial Water Resilience Programme. These investments support a range of interventions, including new water sources, treatment works upgrades, storage infrastructure, bulk pipelines and emergency water supply measures.

Stakeholders also examined opportunities to strengthen ecological infrastructure through catchment management, invasive alien vegetation clearing, water quality monitoring and nature-based solutions that help secure water resources while building resilience to climate change.

Presentations from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Department of Water and Sanitation, Breede-Olifants Catchment Management Agency, Department of Infrastructure and the City of Cape Town highlighted both progress and future investment opportunities aimed at diversifying water sources, reducing water-related risks and strengthening provincial water security.

Graham Paulse, Head of the Department of Local Government, said water resilience remains one of the province’s most important strategic priorities.

“Water security is one of the most important resilience challenges facing our province. The strength of the Western Cape’s response lies in collaboration across government, municipalities, water institutions and other partners. Today’s discussions demonstrate our shared commitment to protecting water resources, strengthening infrastructure and ensuring that communities, businesses and agriculture are better prepared for future challenges.”

The workshop reaffirmed the Western Cape Government’s commitment to a whole-of-government approach to water resilience, recognising that reliable water supply is fundamental to service delivery, economic growth, human settlements development, disaster risk reduction and the wellbeing of residents throughout the province. The outcomes of the workshop will help inform future priorities and recommendations for consideration by the Provincial Water Security and Resilience PGMTEC.

Image source: The Western Cape Government