Why Cape Town’s water woes may be the beginning of worse things to come

Water scarcity has been one of the most pressing issues in South Africa lately and in fact back in the in the day when I was still in primary school I remembered reading this quote by former World Bank vice president Ismail Serageldin: “The wars of the twenty-first century will be fought over water”, and in light of recent events with the water shortages in Cape Town this statement may prove to be one of the most profound as we look towards the future. But who would have thought that water, a source we had taken for granted and has previously thought to be abundant could be the very source that could bring modern society to a screeching halt.

The city of Cape Town could serve as the first example of what a world without any running water will look like after recording its worst ever annual rainfall for almost 100 years. Currently the city’s water capacity is reported to be around 25% and in response to these level 5 water restrictions have been implemented in an effort to keep the taps running for as long as possible, this means that citizens have had to make do with 50 litres per person compared to the 84 litres they had used previously. Ultimately the city’s water reserves are estimated to run dry by the 12^th of April this year.

The Cape is not alone as neighbouring province the Eastern Cape has also been stricken by the drought with the water capacity in the port city of Port Elizabeth declining which spells tough times ahead not just for everyday functions but also for its agriculture as current estimates indicate that jobs and food availability could be adversely affected.

Prospects also aren’t looking up nationally as South Africa experienced a shortfall of rain from 608 mm in 2016 to 403 mm in 2017 and if current indicators are correct things aren’t likely to get better anytime soon.

Water scarcity is not just problem limited to South Africa but seems to be emerging issue globally as well, according to the United Nations Development Program water consumption increases every 20 years while size of the world’s deserts is growing every year and in the process decreasing the amount arable land needed to grow crops and to graze livestock.

All those factors being added up might mean that future conflicts and wars may not necessarily be over ideals or differing world views but a scramble for a resource which is considered to be a fundamental human right. Just look back to as recently as 2013 where corporations like Nestlé have been pushing to privatize water sources with Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe stating that water should not be a human right, but rather that it should privately owned to be bought and sold.

The World Bank has also been linked with water privatization projects and along with the UN were allegedly complicit in the bombardment of Libya’s Great Man-Made River – the source of water for 60% of Libyans – creating a greater demand for useable water which would be profitable to whoever ‘owns’ the water.