South Africa’s Water Crisis: Desperate Fight to Save Precious Resource

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Back in early 2018, the Western Cape region of South Africa was facing a severe drought that had lasted for years, depleting its reservoirs to record lows. As a result, people living in Cape Town and its surroundings prepared for “Day Zero,” a time when the city’s water supply would be completely used up, causing taps to run out of water.

The disaster was narrowly avoided, but filmmaker Rehad Desai (“Miners Shot Down”) highlights in his recent documentary “Capturing Water” – showing this week at the Joburg Film Festival – that Johannesburg’s water crisis is merely a glimpse of a much more significant problem. As climate change propels South Africa and a large portion of the continent towards a potential catastrophe, we are teetering on the edge of a full-blown emergency.

According to Desai, approximately 250 million people will likely experience water scarcity primarily in urban regions by the year 2030, as reported to EbMaster. “The temperatures are escalating at an alarming rate,” Desai explains. “As a continent that is already arid, we’re becoming even drier due to climate change.

According to “Capturing Water,” the crisis that struck the Western Cape between 2015 and 2020, often referred to as an apocalypse, was a long-term disaster. Although drought and climate change played a role, it was also exacerbated by years of negligence and poor management by the government, despite the Western Cape being recognized as one of the most efficient municipalities, as Desai stated.

The impact on both the clean water supply and the environment has been significant: As the movie points out, a large portion of Cape Town’s untreated sewage is pumped straight into the ocean, and an astounding 55 million liters of freshwater are required daily to transport it there.

As a passionate moviegoer delving into the South African landscape, it’s disheartening to learn that over 3.5 million households struggle with accessing clean water. To make matters worse, nearly a third of the available clean water is lost due to leaking infrastructure. These sobering facts are highlighted in the film I recently watched.

Filmmaker Desai paints a grim picture, stating that our municipalities are grappling with both financial constraints and a lack of expertise required to address this pressing issue. To add fuel to the fire, government service budgets continue to dwindle.

In that specific environment, the director emphasizes that political decisions now carry significant weight. In Cape Town, it’s alarming to note that only 13% of the population uses up 51% of the water, and this supply is decreasing rapidly due to increasing domestic and industrial consumption. The rapid expansion of development, driven in part by a surge in tourism post-pandemic, has exacerbated the situation, creating a conflict between ensuring clean water for millions of locals and the government’s pursuit of unyielding economic growth.

Water shortage has become quite prevalent, and it’s often the less fortunate who bear the heaviest burden. It’s evident that the unfairness of the situation, and the absurdity of the free-market approach to water, becomes clear when you realize that many, if not most, of our townships receive only a few hours of water each day,” Desai notes. “The class divide, the social inequality, is strikingly apparent at this time.

This situation has sparked a growing number of pressing inquiries: “How can we fairly distribute the water resources we currently possess? What is a reasonable, fair strategy for the future to prevent the urban elite from using excessive amounts, while leaving nothing for others?” Desai ponders.

Although “Capturing Water” doesn’t directly address your questions, it does offer a promising direction, as the director emphasizes: “Frequently, the most effective water solutions are rooted in local communities.” The documentary highlights various community initiatives aimed at addressing the Western Cape’s seemingly unsolvable water crisis. These efforts include working-class activists protesting against water restriction devices and privatization; a farmer challenging the Cape Town government over plans to seal an important aquifer; and a suburban activist persistently fighting to prevent sewage from polluting vital wetlands.

I find myself deeply moved by the global struggle for water security, a challenge that’s not just South Africa’s burden. The documentary “Capturing Water” brings to light the alarming industrial developments arising from climate change’s impact on our worldwide water resources. In California, the acquisition of vast farmlands by Saudi Arabian agricultural enterprises supplying crops to water-scarce Middle Eastern regions is a cause for concern as it potentially depletes their aquifers. Meanwhile, financiers speculating on water futures are essentially betting on the escalation of water prices, making this essential resource even more unattainable for the world’s underprivileged billions.

With increasing water scarcity, it puts a greater strain on those who lack the financial resources,” Desai notes. Consequently, water shifts from being a fundamental human need to a resource controlled by the whims of the international marketplace.

Water Harvest” is a subsequent work to Desai’s documentaries marked by political undertones, such as the International Emmy Award-nominated “Miners Shot Down,” detailing the tragic 2012 incident where 34 mineworkers were killed by South African police in Marikana, and “How to Steal a Country,” which presents a critical view of the Gupta brothers, who have been accused of transforming their nation into their private domain.

Desai is planning a broad distribution of “Capturing Water,” starting with South Africa and expanding across the continent. His goal is to channel the current sense of urgency into a powerful call-to-action by creating a film that inspires others. He explains, “A movie like this is what’s needed right now.

It’s become clear to me that significant change and strong activist communities won’t emerge without stirring emotions. I firmly believe that movies play a crucial role in fostering social change.

The Joburg Film Festival runs March 11 – 16.

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2025-03-12 18:48