South Africa is still experiencing drought conditions and minimal rainfall in certain regions while in others there has been flooding and major structural damage. Something more than is being done currently must be done, and soon, or the country will continue to suffer under major water restrictions and rising prices.

Mike Peo, Head of Infrastructure, Energy and Telecoms at Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking says that there are great opportunities for the private sector and government to work in partnership to change this.

According to Peo, “Both water and energy are reaching critical crisis points, but we do have an opportunity to help fill the gap. The slowdown in industry, while not good for the economy, has given the country some time to fund and focus on energy infrastructure, while developing renewable energy. The next big sector is the water sector.”

The success of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) has led Reo to believe that a water IPP-style office set up within the National Treasury or in the Department of Energy, with a specific focus on water, could be just as successful.

South Africa is one of the 30 driest countries in the world, yet it has not invested enough in bulk infrastructure, especially in the recent past, and what there is, is wearing down. Projects that focus on building infrastructure and more efficient management and conservation water, are direly lacking and critically required.

Due to this, around 33% of water in South Africa is not getting to the people the systems are supposed to serve, and the quality of that which does is compromised. It is imperative that action is taken sooner rather than later, and Nomvula Mokonyane, Minister of Water and Sanitation, said that the government has agreed to intensify work towards leak detection, repairs and maintenance in order to reduce water loss; it will also deal decisively with wastage.

Let us hope that this partnership between the government and the private sector, which has the means, the skills and the expertise to fund and build projects, will happen quickly and deliver successful results even more speedily.

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