In one of Africa’s best cities, Cape Town, South Africa, residents were recently thrust into crisis mode when their water sources depleted to a point of almost drying up. People in Cape Town were faced with the paradox of having money in their pockets, but very little of the resource to pay for. They could not pay their way out and had to act accordingly.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
Fish Hoek resident Willem van Heerden recalls that the slowly normalising situation triggered a survival instinct beyond dependency on service providers.
“In a crisis situation, I have learnt that it’s not about pointing fingers at people and saying you need to do this, but you need to take responsibility on your own. “this was the situation in Cape Town and I was so amazed that we reduced the problem to 50%,” Van Heerden told The Standard Style.
“You cannot blame someone because you cannot eat, you go out there to find something to eat.”
The coastal suburb, Fish Hoek, is popular as a residence for commuters, retired people and holidaymakers alike as well as traditional industries of “trek” fishing and angling co-exist with the leisure pursuits of surfing, sailing and sunbathing.
And when water shortages were announced, many of these activities were halted triggering panic as people revisited the importance of “blue gold” (water), yet Van Heerden says the situation somehow brought with it a priceless attribute of collectivism in times of need among Capetonians.
“Cape Town people regardless of who they were came together to sort out the crisis and that was important,” he said.
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For the first time people from different backgrounds and works of life were forced to pull in the same direction for a particular cause.
With growing populations and scanty natural resources, many cities and urban settlements globally are likely to face similar crises.
In this regard, Zimbabwean cities are not spared. Environmental research guru at the University of South Africa (Unisa) Godwell Nhamo said local authorities should play a great part to alleviate crises in different cities.
“Most of that stuff goes back to the town planning department. “The question that is emerging now is: how do we get mileage with the little resources that we have? so we are saying with the limited water supply that we have as a city, how do we stretch that resource?” said Nhamo.
According to Nhamo, the issue around planning in the context of climate change it is pertinent for cities to avoid reactive approaches in times of natural resource shortage.
“The council needs to be aware how they behave when they approach ‘day zero’ as was the case in Cape Town. How are we going to address it running with models and scenarios for day zero?” said Nhamo.
“Day Zero” is when a city’s water is projected to go dry and in the Cape Town situation, it would be a global first for a major city
However, big cities are also faced with the hurdle of fast-growing populations and the temptation to continue parcelling out land for accommodation, which in turn stresses the current water supplies.
Nhamo said such a scenario exposes urban settlements to complex environmental problems.
“Whatever infrastructure is going to come will increase the demand for water. you can address the supply side, but you need to look at the demand first,” he said, urging caution among policymakers.
“We need projections that the municipality knows that if we get to this population we need this amount of water and where they are going to get that water from. “we cannot continue giving development pits for residential or industry and not having a watch on water.”
The case study of Cape Town serves was an eye-opener on how planning and conservancy are more effective than stacks of money in the pockets.
Both urban and rural councils need to build climate compatible settlements with the basis in sustainability.
As is the case in Cape Town and other places on the other side of the Limpopo where water storage tanks are the new order, local authorities must develop a culture of water harvesting, especially during the rainy season.
The idea of recycling also needs to be enhanced and promoted to ensure sustainability and that natural resources are both conserved and respected for their actual worth.
