Why full dams don’t mean water security
If people see full dams, can they be persuaded to reduce their water use?
FILE: An aerial view of a dam from phase 1 of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Picture: http://www.lhda.org.ls/
6 days ago
After good summer rains, the dams that supply water to Johannesburg and much of South Africa’s economic heartland are full. This, then, is the time to start worrying about water supplies.
It may sound odd but it’s a lesson learnt from cities across the world over the past two decades. Whether it was Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, Chennai in India, Barcelona in Spain or São Paulo in Brazil, we have seen that, too often, water crises occur because societies don’t take action until it’s already too late.