Running on Empty

South Africa faces a severe water crisis driven by climate change, population growth, and crumbling infrastructure. The report argues that the country must shift its focus from building new infrastructure to managing demand through water efficiency. Key opportunities for savings include improving agricultural irrigation (30-40%), reducing municipal leaks and household waste (12-30%), and increasing industrial efficiency. The document emphasizes the role of the business community in disclosing water use and investing in water-saving technologies to avoid economic instability and social unrest.

• South Africa is on the verge of a major water crisis that threatens economic stability and social cohesion, with the country being the 30th driest in the world.
• A significant gap between water supply and demand is projected by 2030, estimated at 17%, with the largest cities including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria facing the most acute shortages.
• Water infrastructure in South Africa is in a state of decay, with over 25% of water failing to reach consumers due to leaks and 30% of treatment facilities in a critical state, leading to the illegal discharge of untreated sewage.
• The agricultural sector is the largest water consumer, using approximately 60% of the country's water, but could save 30-40% of this through more efficient irrigation systems.
• Domestic and municipal sectors use 27% of South Africa's water and could reduce consumption by 12-30% by fixing physical leaks and improving household efficiency.
• A 10% reduction in industrial water usage could provide a basic supply of 6,000 litres per month to approximately 13.7 million people (3.1 million households).
• Climate change is exacerbating water scarcity through increased rainfall variability and rising temperatures, with the interior of South Africa potentially reaching 3°C above pre-industrial levels.
• Water scarcity poses a direct economic risk; a 1% decrease in water quality/usability could result in the loss of 200,000 jobs and a 5.7% drop in disposable income per person.
• The energy sector, particularly coal-fired power plants operated by Eskom, is highly water-intensive, which creates a vulnerability where water scarcity could limit electricity generation.

APA

Institute, P., Turton, A., du Plessis, A., Walker, J., & Swanepoel, S. (2016). Running on Empty. Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Running-on-empty_final-report_spread.pdf

Chicago

Institute, Pegasys, Anthony Turton, Anja du Plessis, Jo Walker, and Stefanie Swanepoel. Running on Empty. Changing Markets Foundation, 2016. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Running-on-empty_final-report_spread.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Institute |first1=Pegasys |last2=Turton |first2=Anthony |last3=du Plessis |first3=Anja |last4=Walker |first4=Jo |last5=Swanepoel |first5=Stefanie |title=Running on Empty |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |date=April 2016 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Running-on-empty_final-report_spread.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{institute2016running, author = {Institute, Pegasys and Turton, Anthony and du Plessis, Anja and Walker, Jo and Swanepoel, Stefanie}, title = {{Running on Empty}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2016}, month = apr, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Running-on-empty_final-report_spread.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }