SA's water supply tanking

Citizens and the private sector are increasingly having to make a plan.

- Ciaran Ryan

Now that load shedding appears to be under some kind of control, water appears to be the next big crisis facing the country, with demand for boreholes and water tanks apparently following the same trajectory as solar panels in the early days of the power crisis.

Load shedding created massive disruptions to water supply since critical pumps were unable to function. The percentage of households that experienced water interruptions lasting more than two days at a time or 15 days in total last year increased to 35.8% from 24.3% in 2012.

It's not just load shedding that throttled water supply. Many of the water "crises" around the country are the result of sabotage, theft and vandalism.

There's no sugar-coating the national picture: nearly half the water (47%) supplied across the country earns no revenue due to leaking pipes, poorly functioning or non-existent water meters, illegal connections and billing problems. That figure is up from 37% in 2014, according to the Blue Drop Report published by the department of water and sanitation last year.