Gauteng, the golden goose of the South African economy, will run out of water in the next five years unless urgent steps are taken to reduce theft, waste and pollution, Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Lindiwe Hendricks has revealed.
Hendricks briefed journalists in Pretoria on Thursday on the state of water supply and warned that demand would outstrip supply by 2013 in SA's most important water resource, the Vaal River System.
This system supplies 60 percent of the economy and 45 percent of the population with water, and the department estimates that demand for water in Gauteng will rise by 30 percent over the next 20 years.
"Significant intervention measures are necessary to ensure sufficient water of the required quality is made available to support community and industrial water needs, including associated energy generation and agriculture," the minister said.
The caution comes amid a furious public debate over the recent suspension of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research scientist Anthony Turton, who stands accused of bringing the institution into disrepute after suggesting the country faces political and social unrest unless the water crisis was addressed urgently.
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