Many parts of Johannesburg continue to be without water as the crisis deepens despite assurances that millions are being pumped to resolves the challenges. As thousands across the country battle an ongoing water crisis, reports indicate that South Africa cannot afford what theUN has deemed ‘water bankruptcy’. Charlotte Metcalf, CEO of the South African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA), says water bankruptcy is not driven by drought alone, echoing the UN’s warning that it is largely the result of human action.
“This is about years of poor planning, weak maintenance, pollution and over-extraction. A good rainy season does not fix a broken system.” Financial bankruptcy happens when you spend more money than you earn, so “water bankruptcy” refers to what happens when we use more water than nature can replenish. In a report by the United Nations University (UNU), it argues that we have entered a post-crisis era.
In the past, droughts were seen as temporary “shocks”, meaning there would be bad years, but they would eventually pass, allowing rivers and dams to recover. However, these shortages are becoming chronic as ecosystems, rivers, and aquifers are losing the ability to return to “normal”. If you thought Day Zero was bad, water bankruptcy is dire, and the damage is permanent – there will be no water.
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Once underground aquifers, rivers and wetlands are depleted or polluted beyond repair, the system is effectively “bankrupt”. Metcalf said the UN’s warning should serve as a wake-up call for South Africa to protect water resources before they are lost forever: “Declaring water bankruptcy is not a call for panic. It’s about honesty.
If we face the reality now, we can still change course. If we ignore it, the cost financially, socially and environmentally will be far higher.” The threat of water bankruptcy is worldwide, but the call to protect our water resources comes as municipalities across South Africa are struggling with water woes. Cape Town residents have been urged to curb water consumption asdam levels decline. In Durban, several residential roads in Springtown have gonenine days without water, whileprotests have erupted in Johannesburgas anger mounts over severe shortages linked to crumbling infrastructure and poor maintenance.
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