KZN’s Thukela basin could answer many of SA’s water questions
Investigated and approved in the 1980s, a pumped-storage scheme on the Thukela river could store 4,000-million cubic metres of water
Should Cape Town run out of water on what has been termed "day zero", it will be a disaster of monumental proportions. Cape Town will make history for being the only world city to run out of water. While the country holds its breath, it is well to remember that much of SA and large parts of KwaZulu-Natal are also in the throes of a serious drought. While KwaZulu-Natal is a water-rich province by South African standards, against this background it is surprising that no voices have been raised in support of what could undoubtedly become one of the most ground-breaking harnessing of the meagre water resources of the country: the development of the Thukela basin. While this development could make a meaningful contribution to help Eskom generate peak-period power, it would have enormous consequences for water security in the province and provide a spur for major economic development for the country as a whole. While the Thukela basin is the source of water for many of the province’s main...
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