Premier David Makhura has established a war room to ensure Gauteng’s own taps do not run dry amid a drought that has devastated many provinces in South Africa, particularly the Western Cape.
Following a Premier’s Coordinating Forum, held on Friday, he said water security in South Africa’s economic hub was a priority.
“The Gauteng city region is very vulnerable with regards to facing a water crisis and this is owing to our location, the type of economy we run and the number of people we attract,” he said.
The war room will comprise representatives from the provincial and local governments and will have a political and technical component to identify trends and the appropriate responses.
Gauteng, which uses 11% of the country's water, while contributing 38% to the national economy, needs to invest in adequate water infrastructure as “insurance” against uncertainty.
If additional storage infrastructure is not built and investment into additional dams is not given priority, it is likely that Gauteng will not be able to deliver the volume of water required by 2025.
A water summit will be convened in June, where a plan to deal with water security and sustainability will be adopted.