South Africa has the means to address water issues through minor and major actions that can be undertaken at the national, local, business and individual levels – similar to the response to its electricity crisis.

Although the country is facing a water crisis, it has demonstrated an ability to mobilise in times of crises, as seen in its responses to electricity shortages, and has several options, many of which are already making a difference, says global water solutions company Xylem WSS Africa, Middle East, Turkey and India strategy and marketing manager Chetan Mistry.

“Just a few years ago, electricity blackouts threatened the country’s economic and social fabrics, yet today there has been a marked turnaround in terms of public policy and private generation.”

Solar installations have increased by double digits over the past few years, with private installations surging to 7 GW, making South Africa one of the fastest-growing solar markets in Africa.

Similarly, there has been renewed focus on local transport and logistics challenges, particularly rail networks, which is also showing promise for recovery.

That same momentum can be applied to water challenges, Mistry says, pointing to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s comments that loadshedding had been supplanted by a crisis of water security, which poses a similar, if not greater, threat to the quality of life and economic prospects of South Africans.

South Africa is a water-stressed country that receives an average of 497 mm of rainfall a year, compared with continental Europe’s yearly average of more than 800 mm.

Most of the country’s strategic water resources have been allocated, with many aquifers, rivers and wetlands now under serious threat from pollution and overuse.

By 2030, the country could face a 17% water deficit, and local infrastructure challenges compound the challenge, including high levels of nonrevenue water – water that is lost through leaks or theft before treatment and piping costs can be recouped – aging water infrastructure and technical and governance skills shortfalls.

South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile previously highlighted that national water reliability is now at 68%, while water quality is declining in 60% of water supply systems. Meanwhile, the Academy of Science of South Africa estimates that three-million to 14-million South Africans do not have reliable access to potable water.

Mistry also points to the serious water constraints faced by George municipality, where concerns have been raised about a potential ‘Day Zero’ scenario, similar to Cape Town’s brush with running out of water supply in 2018.

Climate change further compounds the situation, and is already causing substantial challenges, such as droughts, floods and heatwaves.

However, Mistry points out that there has been growing uptake of water resilience measures among private households, schools, businesses and public services.

“It is reflecting what we see in the solar market, where many individual efforts can combine into a national trend that really gets meaningful results.”

These initiatives include rainwater harvesting, where capture tanks are connected to rooftops to collect water for use in irrigation and cleaning, and even consumption when combined with disinfection systems.

Private water treatment is another endeavour, where farms, mines, chemical and food and beverage companies and other entities that rely on water use scalable water treatment systems such as ultraviolet light or dissolved air flotation to treat and recycle water.

Smart leak detection also plays a critical role in water security, with field engineers speeding up leak detection and prevention in pipelines of all diameters using technologies such as sonar and electromagnetism.

Meanwhile, a growing number of municipalities are leveraging data-driven management through smart meters to improve revenues and reduce water waste through real-time monitoring, fault detection and accurate consumer billing.

Other examples include public water education and stewardship, improved wastewater systems and water source rehabilitation.

“That momentum is already gathering pace, and 2026 stands ready to be the year we shift water from crisis to resilience,” Mistry concludes.