Cape Town's Water Shortage and Inequality Issues
Cape Town has over the past experienced a number of water shortage cases that are as a direct consequence of drought. This problem has, however, exposed a number of critical issues that involve inequality in the city as far as the distribution of the little water that is left is concerned. Because of that, the issue touches on social, political, and economic aspects of Cape Town thus giving the issue greater importance on the basis of the many issues it raises in South Africa. The report is intended for policy makers and planners who have the mandate of ensuring the necessary infrastructure is available so as to avoid problems that proper planning can address. Policy makers will also find this paper useful in the context of assessing the new forms of inequality in present-day South Africa. This will help them in formulating better legislation to deal with the inequality issue. My peers pointed out that the previous draft lacked concrete evidence to support the arguments presented. This final draft addresses this issue by providing an analysis of the issue from multiple points of view that all lead to the conclusion provided. Finally, the paper uses the feedback for the instructor in giving the arguments more depth and properly structuring the paper so that is much easier to follow.
Economic Injustice, Water and Wealth in Cape Town
One of the biggest injustices faced by the low-income residents of Cape Town is the unequal supply of resources, some basic, like water. This disparity between the rich and the poor has made the gap between these two classes to increase significantly over the past few decades. For that reason, it is very important to explore the nature of this inequality. This paper explores the problem by establishing the cause of the water problem in Cape Town and then relating this cause to the injustice observed in Cape Town in the context of the water problem.
Facts about Cape Town City
Cape Town is the second largest city in the Republic of South Africa and one of the largest cities in Africa with a population of over 4 million people. The Cape region is the only area in South Africa that is under political leaders from the opposition parties while the rest of South Africa is under the rule of the African National Congress. The polarization of political power in the region has caused the Western Cape Region to have a very strained relationship with the national government which partly explains why most people in the region are suffering from inadequate water resources. According to Sandhu (2018), the city gets its water from 6 dams that form the Western Cape Water Supply System. The Berg River Dam, which was completed in 2009, increased the total water storage volume by a massive 17%. This notwithstanding, projections by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry showed that the supply would not be able to meet demand from 2013 onwards if everything on the supply side remained as it was and demand was not effectively managed. Even if the necessary water management system had been put in place then, the supply would fall way short of demand by 2019 which implies that better long-term solutions have to be developed. However, before any meaningful strategies to tackle the problem can be developed, it is important, first of all, to find out what the root cause of the problem is.
Exploration of Water Shortage Causes
The Drought and Population Increase Perspective
Welch (2018) attributes the increasing water shortage problem to population growth and drought. In addition to these two, climate change is pointed out as one of the main causes of water shortage problem in most metropolitan areas in the world. Because of this drought and increasing population, the only way to save the available water is to ration water in the city. The drought argument is supported by Becker (2018) who brings out the fact that the Cape Town has experienced a very severe drought for three years now which has led to the water levels in the six dams surrounding the city to reach critical levels. However, despite the fact that people in the city are on the verge of a massive water crisis, Becker (2018) goes ahead to laud the water conservation efforts by the town's administration owing to the fact that, what has been popularly come to be known as "Day Zero" has been pushed further into the future. The conservation efforts being lauded in this case include the putting of very strict water limits by imposing fines on people that go beyond the set limit, repairing leaking pipes so that no water is wasted, and reducing water pressure so that people save water in activities such as washing hands etc.
Counter Argument and Presentation of a Better Cause
This argument seems plausible at face-value due to the fact that it has a valid cause and a valid effect. However, some more critical thinking and comparing Cape Town with other cities in the world shows that there is more than meets the eye. First of all, it is population growth, and weather patterns are factors which can be predicted with a high level of accuracy which points to the fact that the problem of water shortage can also be predicted by observing current water supply capacity, projected population increase, and projected weather patterns. This argument is slowly leading to the conclusion that the water problem in Cape Town, despite the fact that drought and population increase are two of the causes of the water problem in Cape Town, they both play a secondary role. The reason disputing the above argument in this way is because there are regions on earth that are drier than the Cape region but do not face half the water crisis that Cape Town citizens have to face. One such region is the UAE. Despite the region having very low annual precipitation rates and facing water supply challenges throughout the year, cities in the UAE have come up with solutions that help address the water issue without having to take their citizens through the challenges of water rationing. One of the measures taken by governments in this region is conservation as pointed out by Stanley (2018). The difference between the conservation efforts of South Africa and those of the UAE is that while the UAE is pro-active in its conservation efforts, South Africa is reactive and only takes action to address the issue when there is imminent danger. This argument shows that one of the main causes of the water problem in Cape Town is poor planning.
Inequality in Resource Distribution
From the argument above, it is clear that South Africans living in Cape Town are suffering from the present problem as a result of a planning problem that borders more towards politics and economics rather than nature as earlier believed. For that reason, it is important to study the problem form the socio-economic point of view in which the question of inequality becomes a major consideration. In this analysis one must be aware of two facts:
i. The poor planning problem that causes the water problem is caused by people, not by nature.
ii. The people causing the water problem are part of the elite in South Africa meaning that an ordinary poor citizen is not to blame for the problem.
At this point, it is important to be aware of the fact that in South Africa, the rich have greater access to most resources at the expense of the poor citizens. This implies that the issue of water scarcity in Cape Town is only within the domain of the poor residents of the city because the rich can use their money to have their taps flowing with water despite there being rationing efforts. Furthermore, even if the water from the six dams is exhausted to the last drop, then the rich have the requisite financial muscle to dig boreholes and wells or even purchase truckloads of water. This shows that despite living in the same city, the rich have an array of options in any form of calamity and this supports the statement by Guilio Boccaleti that "The social contract breaks down if the rich find their solution and leave the rest to fend for themselves" (Roelf, 2018).
According to a 2017 survey by the World Bank, South Africa has the highest Gini Coefficient in the world meaning that the country has the highest level of economic inequality. To put this in perspective, Bhorat (2013) points out that over 90% of the country's wealth is in the hands of 10% of the population. This situation is even more profound in Cape Town where the vast majority of residents are low-income earners. Inequality in the city is mostly on the basis of race, with most of the people living in the City's poorest neighborhoods being black, where the daily water ration has been reduced to 13 gallons per person. Vuyo Kazi, one of the residents of these poor neighborhoods is on record claiming that she now has to use one kettle of water for bathing unlike in the recent past when she used to bathe with two kettles (Kazi, 2014).
The statement presented by Vuyo Kazi presents a stark contrast with the case of the rich people. As has been discussed earlier, the rich will be able to access water regardless of the situation, a fact which takes the argument to the two points highlighted above. The first point is that it is the failure of the elite minority have failed to plan properly thus leading to a water shortage problem in Cape Town. Despite the fact that part of the elite is responsible for the problem, Roelf (2018) points out that the water management devices (WMDs) that were set up with the aim of controlling water use have resulted in unfair distribution of water due to the fact that the wealthy can still access the resource while the poor are restricted. Looking at this situation in the context of the first and the second point presented shows very deeply rooted inequality and discrimination on an economic basis.
Conclusion
In addressing the water problem in Cape Town, the government will first need to focus on the right causes of the problem. It is only with the right focus that any action taken will lead to results that will be beneficial to all citizens in Cape Town. The first step in the implementation of any corrective measure will have to address the question of inequality in the distribution of resources. Addressing inequality issues will mean that all citizens get an equal amount of water in the event of a crisis like the one being experienced currently. When the rich in society feel the impact of not having water, then the political class will respond by pushing for better plans that are pro-active instead of reactive like in the present case.
Works Cited
Becker, R. Today Wasn't Day Zero in Cape Town, but the Water Crisis Isn't Over. 11 May 2018. 26 July 2018 .
Bhorat, H. Factors Impacting South African Economic Equality. 13 October 2013. 26 July 2018 .
Kazi, V. Economic Fault Lines in South Africa . 2 July 2014. 26 July 2018 .
Roelf, W. This is How Cape Town is Coping With Its Impending 'Day Zero' When the Water Will Run Out. 21 February 2018. 26 July 2018 .
Sandhu, S. Cape Town Water Crisis: Why is Water Running Out and What is Day Zero? 04 April 2018. 26 July 2018 .
Stanley, I. How the UAE Secures its Future Water Needs. 22 March 2018. 26 July 2018 .
Welch, C. Why Cape Town Is Running Out of Water, and Who's Next. 05 March 2018. 26 July 2018 .
