Water Positivity Network

Water Crisis in Gauteng: A Wake-Up Call for Urban Water Management Gauteng Province, home to Johannesburg, is facing a severe water crisis. With non-revenue water losses at 50%, this means that for every two litres of treated and pumped water, only one litre reaches households. The main culprits? Leakages in aging infrastructure and illegal connections. This situation mirrors Cape Town’s "Day Zero" crisis, which brought the city to the brink of running dry. While Cape Town managed to avert disaster through swift action, public participation, and infrastructure upgrades, Gauteng’s challenges are a stark reminder of the urgent need for sustainable water management. Key Challenges include-: Infrastructure Inefficiencies: Aging pipes and reservoirs are unable to meet the growing demands of rapid urbanization. Water Losses: Half of the treated water is wasted due to leakages and unauthorized connections. Climate Variability: Unpredictable rainfall and prolonged droughts exacerbate water scarcity. Solutions We Must Prioritize-: Leak Detection and Repairs: Invest in smart water meters and IoT-based sensors to locate and address leaks promptly. Combat Illegal Connections: Regularize informal settlements and enforce strict penalties for unauthorized taps. Infrastructure Upgrades: Replace outdated systems and use data-driven asset management to prioritize repairs. Public Engagement: Educate communities on water conservation and incentivize efficient usage. Alternative Water Sources: Recycle wastewater, harvest rainwater, and explore aquifer recharge solutions. Water is a finite resource, and urban centers like Johannesburg are at the forefront of this global challenge. Solving this crisis requires collaboration across government, private sector, and communities. Let’s learn from Cape Town and take decisive action to secure Gauteng’s water future. Together, we can turn this crisis into an opportunity for innovation and resilience. What strategies do you think could help address water crises like this? Let’s discuss! 💧 #Water #NRW #WaterCrisis #RandWater #Johanesburg #Gauteng

Ofwat in the UK announced ambitious and yet attainable targets for water companies in the UK. The goals they published mention the funding that is intended to be invested in the AMP 8, and water recycling has trickled down in some of the water stressed companies especially the southern catchments.

When floods are being talked about, in some minds they are just stagnant water that is inundating homes. The psychological version of that is that they are not going to impact lives. Floods can be what Sanaullah showed below. The impact of such floods includes loss of lives, livestock and livelihoods for such communities. These floods are as a result of climate change. In desert countries like Afghanistan, the impacts are more severe because the models will never prepare you for such a flood. We saw the Dubai floods this year and the Pakistani floods in the last 2 or so years. #floods #climatechange #Afghaninstan

A flooded city in Brazil, Porto Alegre. Flooding in cities is increasingly becoming one of the worst disasters that impacts life and economic activity. #floods #climatechange #water

Shout out to Tamma Carel on showing this miniature model that shows the impact of having forests and vegetation as a way to combat natural catastrophes like floods. The vegetation slows the water by interceptive function of the vegetation and when the water is discharged it is clean as the erosive power of the water would have been greatly reduced. Similarly we have seen the role of mangroves in protecting the land from coastal erosion. Humans have been benefiting from trees and other flora and we continue to do that. Having vegetation and trees helps to conserve the soil which is the medium for our food creation. Our goal at the Water Positivity Network is to make sure that water resources use and decision making is in the hands of the communities that use the water. We strive to strike the balance in development that come to our communities, and the water resources usage that is required by those industries, making sure that in the end, the industrial usage does not leave our catchments in a state that threatens the human livelihoods as well as the usage of the downstream water users. #water #worldwaterday #Catchments

What a beautiful hydrological map Adam Thomas, P.Eng. The streamflow velocities and the dam classifications were a good add.

Climate change is THE defining challenge of our time. But we can still change the forecast if we act NOW. Sign @UNDP’s climate pledge today for the children in your lives and the next generations: buff.ly/4cnhksd #WeatherKids

🔻 Resilience is in-built in nature ♻️ It's our intervention that creates gaps and gaps so wide that nature does not get time to heal. Otherwise, If we look at history, nature has recovered from unimaginable instances of catastrophe. 1. The Great Trossachs Forest in Scotland, once fragmented and degraded, has been the focus of extensive reforestation efforts. Today, it stands as one of the UK's largest newly planted forests, restoring habitats, improving water quality, and enhancing biodiversity. 2. The RSPB Wallasea Island Wild Coast project in Essex has transformed arable farmland into a thriving wetland landscape. 3. The successful reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver in Scotland's Knapdale Forest has proven nature's ability to bounce back. 4. After devastating wildfires on moorlands, such as Saddleworth Moor in 2018, nature has shown its resilience by regenerating heather and other moorland vegetation. Resilience is how nature survives, the best example being Darwin’s theory of evolution. It takes what it has, makes the best use of it and comes up with a new way to survive and grow. 📍 We don’t have to save nature, we have to save us!

The resource that makes life habitable