Cape Town is facing one of its worst droughts in over a century. Facing acute water shortages and lower than average winter rainfalls, the City of Cape Town is planning for emergency water supply and is considering new approaches to water in the longer term. While the immediate pressures to supply water will likely require new technical solutions, longer term planing for resilience in the water sector is more than just a technical solution – it will require governance changes and continued attention to the spatial and socio-political inequalities in the city that shape a highly variable water security landscape.

Lucy Rodina’s recent op-ed in The Conversation Africa discusses the most likely options for water supply diversification for Cape Town and some of the considerations for water sensitive planing in the future. The op-ed also draws on a policy-brief, co-authored with Emma Luker. Full text available HERE.