As the world marks World Water Day on 22 March 2026, experts are sounding the alarm on the mounting threat to one of the planet’s most critical resources.
The United Nations University (UNU) warns that long-term water use has exceeded renewable inflows and safe depletion limits.
“As a result, parts of our natural water capital, including rivers, lakes, aquifers, wetlands, soils and glaciers, have been damaged beyond realistic prospects of full recovery,” the UNU reports.
The global statistics are stark. In 2022 alone, 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water, 3.5 billion lacked safely managed sanitation and two billion lacked basic hand‑hygiene facilities at home.
Locally, Johannesburg is feeling the strain, with infrastructure failures, system pressures and widespread outages highlighting how quickly water insecurity can escalate when systems are stretched.
On average, South Africans consume 218 litres of water per capita per day, far above the international average of 173 litres per capita per day.
This raises pressing questions: who is responsible for water preservation, supply, quality and access in the country and how is this duty shared between government and the private sector?
The case for wastewater management as a pillar of water security is clear. Shoba Govender, Commercial Director at Interwaste stresses: “To effectively address the water crisis, it is key to understand that waste treatment technologies are pivotal in this effort, they optimise water management and reuse cycles, supporting both government and industry in building resilience. Water resilience is about ensuring utilities can withstand and quickly recover from disasters, securing continuous access to safe drinking water and effective wastewater treatment.”
A recent report to Parliament highlights the scale of the challenge locally. Non-revenue water in Johannesburg is pegged at 44.8%, meaning the city collects only 55.2% of its water revenue, resulting in an annual deficit of almost R7 billion.
Ageing wastewater infrastructure often takes a back seat to urgent repairs, leading to leaky pipelines and both economic and health consequences.
“We have a conundrum where business, community and at some levels of Government, are still under-informed about the potential of well-managed, compliant and innovative waste management solutions,” Govender explains.
“Therefore, to make an impact, we need a shift from the traditional linear production process, ‘the take-make-dispose model’ , towards one that aims to reduce all unnecessary waste materials, while reducing energy and raw material consumption and enabling these resources to be fed back into the production cycle. The ‘Circular Economy’ model.”
He adds that adaptable solutions are needed for both large corporations and everyday consumers.
Wastewater treatment must become the norm rather than a distant vision. “Without this approach, the lack of adequate clean water required to meet human drinking water and sanitation needs will remain. In this season, there has never been a better and more pressing time for companies within the public and private sector to play their part in the sustainable management of water resources.”
“Protecting our limited water resources is going to require not only better recycling and reuse, but more effective wastewater management and water conservation strategies,” Govender adds.
Wastewater treatment, when done to the required environmental standards, offers a significant untapped resource. Effluent water can be recycled safely for industrial and environmental use.
A notable example is the Interwaste Leachate and Effluent Treatment Plant, which recovers more than 90% of incoming leachate and effluent as clean water, totalling approximately 36 million litres annually. This not only eases pressure on freshwater resources but reinforces responsible resource use and biodiversity protection.
“In fact, it is proven that innovative wastewater management can result in the redistribution of this water into the environment for irrigation and dust suppression, as well as to replenish rivers and catchments in our water infrastructure networks. The different technologies are so advanced today, that effluent can even be treated further to provide potable (drinking) water for areas where it is in short supply,” Govender said.
As Johannesburg and South Africa grapple with water scarcity, experts stress that solutions require a collective effort. Business, communities, individuals and government all need to take responsibility and embrace innovative waste management practices to ensure sustainable access to water.
Saturday Star