“We have all learned to live with less municipal water,” said Janine Myburgh, president of the Chamber. “Many companies have a spent a great deal of money on new water-saving equipment, grey water systems, rainwater storage, boreholes and even private desalination plants, and they will continue to use them when things return to normal.
This meant that the city council would sell less water so they would increase tariffs and that would turn the spending on water efficiency into good investments.
“We know there is great interest in water-saving products because of the way exhibitors have responded to our H2Know Summit & Expo at the River Club, Observatory, on March 13. Some of the exhibits are quite amazing, especially those that make water from the air,” Myburgh said.
The effort and ingenuity which had come to the fore to defeat Day Zero are a credit to the innovative spirit of the Western Cape.
“I think we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the farmers who have been hit very hard by the drought and who have made sacrifices to keep city taps running,” said Myburgh.
“The good news is that we are going to repay them handsomely because when we use less dam water in future that will mean more water for farmers. By using modern irrigation systems and the extra water, farmers will be able to cultivate more land, farm more productively and that will mean more jobs, more crops for export and a boost for the economy.”
“We’ve all been through a tough time and it will continue for a long time, but we are emerging from the crisis wiser and better equipped to deal with climate change,” Myburgh said
