REINER HENSCHEL: Shifting focus: water stewardship in property sector

While most major players in the SA property sector have come to terms with how they will incorporate renewable energy in their facilities, another greater challenge looms: water. Those who haven’t secured their energy supply for the foreseeable future now face a double whammy. The term “water-shedding” is fast becoming commonplace as the cracks in our country’s infrastructure are widening. Water supply depends on energy, and energy supply depends on water. The interdependency of these two resources is set to intensify in the coming years, with significant implications for the property sector.  

It is estimated that 25%-30% of SA’s water is being lost due to water leaks caused by failing infrastructure. About 70-million litres of treated, clean, drinkable water is lost daily as a result of the thousands of leaks that characterise our country’s water piping system. Fortunately, a recently formed local group known as the Water Crisis Committee has pushed our administration to respond to the damage. Since June 2022, an emergency response team has managed to fix more than 9,700 leaks. 

Nonetheless, in addition to the electricity crisis the lack of economic investment in our water infrastructure over the past few decades, coupled with physical drought, population growth and climate change, are worsening our water scarcity. We also face a water skills shortage with our water supply systems desperately in need of qualified people.

Shift in focus is needed

The Blue Drop audit report, published by the department of water & sanitation at the end of last year, found that 46% of SA’s water is contaminated (not compliant with microbiological standards) and 67% of treatment works are close to breaking down. Additionally, it showed that more than 47% of all clean and treated water was lost through leaks or could not be accounted for. Lack of sufficient water resources have already forced all new power plants to shift to dry cooling systems, which cost more to build and are less efficient than water-cooled systems.

The National Water & Sanitation Master Plan laid it out clearly: without a significant shift in the way we think about water to accompany and support the huge $60bn (R899bn) investment, the country will run out of water by 2030. It’s a sobering but necessary message.

The challenge is not ours alone. The world is facing an imminent water crisis, with demand expected to outstrip the supply of fresh water by 40% by the end of this decade. Nearly two thirds of the world’s population experiences severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, and climate change will make water flows more erratic. Many countries use many more times the amount of fresh water than is readily available to them, which is clearly not sustainable.

In SA water stress is a growing priority problem, but with no single cause there is no single solution. Each area experiences water issues caused to different degrees by excessive use, growing demand, pollution, theft, thirsty plants, inadequate infrastructure and poor practices. Solving our water challenges not only requires financial investment but, more importantly also a change in attitude. We need to shift our focus from water usage to water stewardship.

Water stewardship

Water stewardship involves the responsible management of water resources to ensure their sustainable use and conservation. It encompasses various actions such as monitoring water quality, reducing water consumption, promoting efficient irrigation techniques and protecting water ecosystems. High level skills are involved and worth every cent. Additionally, water stewardship involves engaging with stakeholders to address water-related challenges collaboratively. Strategic communication and widespread awareness are essential in tackling this challenge and ensuring broad understanding of its imperative.

This includes working with local communities, governments, businesses and other organisations to implement practices that safeguard water availability and quality for present and future generations. Ultimately, water stewardship seeks to balance the needs of people, industries, and nature to achieve long-term water security and resilience.

Property industry

As the commercial and retail property industry we manage spaces that are meeting places for our communities, where families and friends make memories, where business conduct their operations, and where the lifeblood of society flows.  By serving as central hubs for commerce and trade, enabling the exchange of goods and services, we play a major role in economic growth. While some business can continue, to an extent, without electricity for short periods, any property manager will tell you how operations come to a grinding halt without water.

Every new property in SA needs to be built with water stewardship as a key priority, and existing properties need to address their water management with urgency. While each site has different layouts and requirements, every building that has a roof can catch water. Rainwater harvesting, water condensation plants, water saving devices, water treatment systems, drip irrigation, succulent based gardens, borehole water extraction, greywater recycling, leak detection, water use optimisation and other methods all need to be considered in integrated water planning, so as to ensure sustainable and equitable water access.

These are a few of the techniques, but there is no silver bullet. Key is an integrated plan driven by the right expertise, with a long-term focus and the education of all role players so that together we develop a water sensitive culture. Effectively managing water requires multidisciplinary perspectives in complex decision-making structures, such as engineering, planning, hydrology, environmental and climate science, social science, policy expertise, and more.

By adopting a mindset of water stewardship, the property sector can play a leading role in our country’s water future, and the time to start is now.

• Henschel is operations director at Melrose Arch.