Sobek Says

The issue of drought and water in Western Cape is a serious crisis. When Sobek was invited to assess the gravity of the problem in the George Town, all signs of poor water management are paramount. Sobek found high water losses (both non-payment and technical losses), excessively high water pressure, and low water tariffs which encourage water waste. Simply, the water side of the municipality is not managed on commercial basis. (For more information please click here).

In general, the poor management of our water services has impacted on the water resource in several areas of the country. The indecisive policy around the method of managing water (either as economic or as a social good) has lead to increase in water losses, weak management practice and use of the poor as a shield for subsidizing the water use of the rich….

It is necessary to mention that the high unemployment rate in the country is the reason for the indecisive approach to managing water services. While the poor are ready to pay for their consumption, if they are provided water at reasonable price and at a water pressure suitable that does not cause uncontrollable leakages.

Also, the stratified method of managing the water services, between bulk and retail is impacting of efficiency of service, as the efficiency is lost between the water boards and the municipalities. Each party is accusing the other of inefficiency, and water management is done in isolation to the prevailing socio-economic natures of the communities that is being served.

We would advise that water regulator and politician to allow water boards expansions, to be provincial water companies, responsible for water services up-stream and down-stream (i.e. extraction, bulk supply and reticulation). In this case municipalities can serve only as kiosks for payments of fees. This will allow the boards/utilities to be directly responsible and accountable to the regulator and the communities, where if their boards fail they should be simply dissolved.

The haphazard authorization of water assets, in isolation of the efficiency and the commercial realities on the markets is impacting on the country’s finances and its ability to direct resources where really needed. Also the lack of technical capacities and copying policies from developed countries is not working for South Africa and actions are needed.

Nezar Eldidy