South Africa could soon have new legislation for the nation\u2019s water management, with President Cyril Ramaphosa warning that a lack of water could be worse than load shedding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Department of Water and Sanitation is working on two new Bills, the Water Services Amendment Bill and the National Water Amendment Bill, with the former introduced to Parliament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new Bills comes amid a consistently worsening environment for water across South Africa, with taps running dry across several suburbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lack of water has recently led to protests across the nation\u2019s most prosperous city, Johannesburg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the start of the year, President Cyril Ramaphosa earmarked addressing South Africa\u2019s water crisis as a top priority for the government in 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa warned that the state has to address the issue before it spirals out of control, which he warned could be worse than load shedding that crippled the economy in 2023 and 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLoad shedding has been supplanted by the water security crisis, which poses a similar if not greater threat to the quality of life and economic prospects of all South Africans,\u201d said Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIndeed, water is life and sanitation is dignity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multiple reasons, including poor investment in infrastructure, corruption, the proliferation of illegal connections, water scarcity, and climate change, are leading to taps running dry across the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reports from the Department of Water and Sanitation, including the Green, Blue and No Drop Reports, highlight the concerning state of South Africa\u2019s water services. This includes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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