SA must invest in wastewater technology to curb water crisis, says analyst
Minister of Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu urged South Africans, at a media briefing on Monday, to use water sparingly in Gauteng and other regions while the government works on interventions to avoid a drought situation.
RELATED: Sisulu says government is formulating 'master plan' for water SA crisis
Bongani Bingwa talks to Water Research Commission Chief Executive Officer Dhesigen Naidoo, who says the government knew as early as the 1980s that it wasn't making the right infrastructure decisions regarding water.
In the 1980s we knew about the new technologies that we needed, we knew about recycling.
Dhesigen Naidoo, CEO - Water Research Commission
Naidoo explains that the commission presented a new system, but it was not implemented.
South Africa has for a long time been on the wrong paradigm, he explains.
In the 80s and 90s, we should have switched to a recycling system where you can organise 80% of the water that we use to be recycled inside the system and that would greatly elevate the need for new water coming to the system.
Dhesigen Naidoo, CEO - Water Research Commission
He says South Africa needed to move towards smarter ways in which the country deals with its waste.
Sanitation and the sanitation revolution should be the new thing that we need to be investing in. These shifts are what we need to do so that we have water security.
Dhesigen Naidoo, CEO - Water Research Commission
He says reorganising South Africa's wastewater system will mean that the country gets quality water and deals with pollution at the same time.
Wastewater system plants of the future will give you clean water and more importantly, it will give you energy. In a country that has a duel crisis in water and energy, this is the kind of investment that we need to make.
Dhesigen Naidoo, CEO - Water Research Commission
Listen below to the full conversation:
More from Politics

SA to donate R350 million to Cuba - 7 times the amount initially reported

Malema: Zondo used state capture inquiry to advance certain faction within ANC
Malema addressed the media at the party's head office in Johannesburg on Monday.
Read More
Trevor Manuel: I'm no longer an ANC member, party never the same after Polokwane

DA Joburg under administration: 'Internal interventions' in the pipeline

R22m SA flag? It's a 'monument to democracy', explains Dept of Arts and Culture
More from Local

'Funeral cover loophole allows addition of unrelated people to be killed'

Middle-income earners blow 80% of their salary within 5 days of payday- FNB

Grocery delivery race heats up, Pick n Pay partners with Takealot (Mr D)

Stellenbosch University student opens criminal case over urinating incident

Another day, another round of load shedding: Stage 3 from 5pm to 10pm on Tuesday

SA to donate R350 million to Cuba - 7 times the amount initially reported
