It appears that more has been said than done about meeting South Africa’s water challenges; with the 2030 timeframe for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) looming, the country needs a new urgency on its water stewardship responsibilities.
This is the view of SRK Consulting principal consultant Fiona Sutton, who has urged businesses to take a more proactive approach to achieving water sustainability in their operations and supply chains. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) has forecast that global fresh water demand will be 6,900 km3 per year by 2030 – some 40% over the global sustainable fresh water supply of 4,200 km3 per year- if current water practices continue.
"We are far from meeting the SDG water goals, which target the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,” said Sutton. “Many companies highlight water issues in their policies, but do not seem to have taken the vital steps toward implementation of more sustainable practices."
She highlighted the importance of raising awareness about what water stewardship really involves: using water in a way that is socially and culturally equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial. This can best be achieved through a stakeholder-inclusive process that includes both site-based and catchment-based actions, she argued.
"Many companies highlight water issues in theirpolicies, but do not seem to have taken the vital stepstoward implementation of more sustainable practices"
SRK Contributor:
Fiona Sutton
Read the full article in Smart Water Magazine
