Two sides of the climate change coin: threat and opportunity

The impacts of climate change on water in South Africa exacerbate existing waterrelated challenges; however, climate change also presents an opportunity to completely revolutionise the way we manage water, wastewater and sanitation.

By Kirsten Kelly

During the 2022 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned the impact of climate change on South Africa.

“We live in one of the regions of the world that is most affected by climate change. We frequently experience droughts, floods and other extreme weather events associated with global warming. Recently, floods have affected a number of provinces including KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. These floods have caused enormous damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.”

Threat

The water crisis risk is connected to natural disasters, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse. Unfortunately, Southern Africa is a climate change hotspot. It has also long been known that the region is warming drastically – at about twice the global rate of warming.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its sixth report, predicting that extended dry seasons with severe droughts will increase in frequency in South Africa, with projected increases in fire conditions and higher average wind speeds. We will see an increase of average tropical cyclones and floods and a decrease in annual rainfall. Rising ocean levels will threaten groundwater resources.

Furthermore, the World Bank estimates that as many as 86 million Africans will be forced to migrate by 2050 due to the effects of changing weather patterns. People dependent on agriculture and fisheries, for instance, will move to more habitable areas to escape extreme conditions such as water scarcity, flooding, heat stress and rising seas.

A significant number of these people have either migrated or will migrate to South Africa, exacerbating resource insecurities due to increased demand for already depleted resources. Climate change is also driving urbanisation trends within South Africa.

Policy

Fortunately, in the last year, South Africa has made important strides in the fight against climate change. For the first time, South Africa’s climate targets are compatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C. This is the goal that all countries agreed to as part of the Paris Agreement, and is essential to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

At the international climate conference in Glasgow last November, South Africa struck a historic R131 billion deal with the EU, France, Germany, the UK and USA. To ensure that South Africa is able to derive the full benefit of this and other partnerships, President Ramaphosa has appointed Daniel Mminele, former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank, as head of the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team to lead the mobilisation of funds for a just transition.

The Presidential Climate Commission has been established, with a mandate to support a just transition to a sustainable, inclusive, resilient and low-carbon economy.

“The Presidential Climate Commission has developed strategies around organising for a robust adaptation response to climate change in the form of the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS). Furthermore, the Climate Change Bill will soon be tabled in Parliament, which will give impetus to implementing the NCCAS,” says Dhesigen Naidoo, senior advisor: Adaptation at the Presidential Climate Commission and lead: Climate at the Institute of Security Studies. National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

“In my opinion, the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan needs a significant upgrade to better incorporate the current and future impact of climate change on the water system,” adds Naidoo.

When there is low rainfall and drought conditions, water availability is automatically lower and less accessible for many people. Additionally, infrastructure is unable to cope with excess water (i.e. flooding).

“For example, the specifications of our road systems must be updated to cater for the rainfall patterns that have been experienced in South Africa over the past few years. While we continue to receive the same amount of rain in a season, it is packed into short, high-intensity bursts. This causes potholes,” explains Naidoo.

He states that South Africa still regards surface water as its major source, while largely ignoring groundwater and making insufficient investments in water recycling, reclamation of water from polluted waters, and smarter sanitation systems that use less or no water.

“The NCCAS addresses these issues, focusing on suitable water storage systems, infrastructure, and accelerating the resilience of the water system by encouraging alternative water sources. It looks at empowering all major stakeholders as well as ordinary citizens to adapt to and mitigate climate change,” says Naidoo.

An innovative policy and regulatory environment, modern infrastructure and human capital with new competencies are needed to better manage water, wastewater and sanitation.

“We need to encourage the digitalisation of the water sector, as well as create a national water observatory that brings together important water-related datasets and information, including past research and current monitoring data, to enable big data analytics and the more sustainable management of water resources. Real-time information is needed to manage water systems. Data on water levels, leaks, water storage, changes in weather patterns, water quality and pollution are essential to better manage water,” maintains Naidoo.

Opportunity

“South Africa has a wealth of scientific talent; many of our scientists are used as an international resource for climate change. In addition to this, we are well positioned to develop a significant water private sector that has the potential to set up a local manufacturing base and supply goods and services to empower water and sanitation services. This can be a catalyst for economic growth. South Africa could export many of these technologies,” explains Naidoo.

He adds that climate change can be used as an accelerator that directs investment into the water sector to improve water security levels. It can be a catalyst in driving wastewater treatment plants to become wastewater power stations by utilising biogas. As the capacity of the water industry increases, new engineers, technologists, data analysts and behavioural scientists are trained and developed. This will create growth in other industries.

Investments in resilience and adaptation can promote green industries. When paired with investments in health, education, the digital economy, innovation and sustainable infrastructure, this has tremendous potential to create climatesmart jobs, boost economic growth, and meet all of the sustainable development goal targets.

“The water sector is a victim of climate change, but it is also a victim of itself. It is a victim of not doing the right planning, not empowering people, not making investments. South Africa can turn this around. We can turn climate change into an opportunity to simultaneously improve the quality of life for the poorest of the poor while creating fertile ground for industrialisation and entrepreneur development in South Africa, Africa and the developing world,” Naidoo concludes.