The Western Cape and Cape Town, the mother city, are experiencing the worst drought in history and thousands of jobs are being lost in agriculture and other industries reliant on water. Cape Townians are having to pull together like never before to save water. As an employee of the GBCSA, I have the privilege of being part of a movement whose purpose is to inspire a built environment in which people and planet thrive, and I have seen incredible transformation in the property sector as companies embark on innovative efforts to reduce their impact on the environment and are saving millions of litres of potable water every year.
But how then, has the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town got itself into this position, and what do we as South Africans need to do to pull ourselves out of this position and move towards a thriving planet? This is what I would like to explore with you in this article.
The critical focus is on dam levels and expected rainfall, which is clearly essential to gauging what supply remains available for the city to distribute to its residents. However, one must consider the contributing factors to the current situation in the Western Cape. This should be done with the view of getting ourselves out of this dire situation and to avoiding this in future – in the Western Cape and the rest of South Africa.
To view the extended version of this document please click here
