Call for SA to become water smart

As countries marked World Water Day last week, two studies were released emphasising the importance of innovation and strategy in determining global water futures already at risk, writes Legalbrief. Former World Bank vice-president Ismail Serageldin famously predicted that ‘the wars of the 21st century will be fought over water’. A report in The Times notes that a plan has emerged to ensure that if violence erupts‚ it bypasses SA. It has been put together by the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Boston Consulting Group. Among the steps suggested in the report are: water-use compliance and disclosure reporting requirements for JSE-listed companies; equipping communities with the skills to fix leaks; strictly enforced penalties for abuse of water; and incentives for the private sector to save water. WWF’s senior manager for fresh water‚ Christine Colvin‚ said the worst drought for 20 years had taught some harsh lessons. ‘Although the Cape is still in the grip of a deepening disaster‚ a greater danger may be that the floods in the rest of the country wash away the good resolutions to be better prepared and strengthen water governance‚’ Colvin is quoted in the report as saying.