Eskom: unlimited supply of water, no genuine accountability - Greenpeace

"The quantity of water available for each person in the world is declining steadily," the statement says, adding that nowhere is the rate of decline as dramatic as we continue to see in Africa. "Chillingly, the estimates are that South Africa won't be able to meet its water demand by as early as 2030."

Still, two new mega coal-fired power stations (Medupi and Kusile) are being built by the national utility, Eskom, and new coal mines are being approved without a clear view of what the water impacts are likely to be, or where the water will come from. The reality is that local communities may well lose their water rights to make way for mines, Greenpeace International says. "Kusile will use 173 times more water than wind power would use per unit of electricity produced, and Eskom gets a guaranteed supply of water, no matter what." Eskom - the statement says - has no genuine accountability.

What Eskom's position really means is that new investments in coal are necessary to cater to energy-intensive industries, with massive unaccounted-for water impacts, at the expense of the 12.3 million South Africans without access to electricity. It currently looks like, Greenpeace International warns, agriculture (and essentially food security) and local communities' access to water "will ultimately be the big loser(s), and energy-intensive industries the big winner(s)," Allafrica.com reports.

Read the full article on http://allafrica.com.