Cape Town Water Performance-Based Bond: Securing the City’s Future
News Context
At a glance
- CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 16 (IPS) - In 2018, Cape Town came perilously close to becoming the first major city in the world to run out of...
- The city’s near-disaster revealed that water security depends not only on built infrastructure such as dams, desalination plants and groundwater extraction, but also on the health of natural...
- South Africa faces structural water scarcity, with the National Water and Sanitation Master Project projecting a potential water deficit of up to 17% by 2030.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, April 16 (IPS) – In 2018, Cape Town came perilously close to becoming the first major city in the world to run out of water. Known as “Day Zero”, it was more than just a crisis, it marked a pivotal moment. It made clear that water insecurity is not a distant threat, but an immediate reality.
The city’s near-disaster revealed that water security depends not only on built infrastructure such as dams, desalination plants and groundwater extraction, but also on the health of natural systems that sustain them. Ecological infrastructure — including catchments, rivers and wetlands — is as essential as roads and power grids.