Building economic resilience to water scarcity in Cape Town: supporting industry through severe droughts

GreenCape implemented a four-part strategy to support water-intense industries in Cape Town during the 2015-18 drought, focusing on partnerships, prioritisation of high-employment sectors, short-term viable solutions, and long-term capacity building. Between June 2017 and August 2018, nearly 400 businesses received direct assistance, leading to an average consumption reduction of 41% and the safeguarding of 52,000 jobs among surveyed companies. The initiative utilised tools such as the 'Water Resilience Journey' methodology and a business case calculator to communicate financial risks and returns. Key lessons included the need for disaggregated data to avoid overlooking vulnerable sectors like the laundry industry and the value of leveraging businesses as 'corporate citizens' through initiatives like the Smart Water Meter Challenge.

• GreenCape employed four compounding strategies to build industrial resilience: developing partnerships and networks, prioritising and coordinating efforts, driving the uptake of realistic short-term solutions, and building knowledge and capacity for longer-term solutions.
• To maximise impact, GreenCape prioritised moderate-to-heavy water users that supported significant employment numbers, resulting in seven prioritised industries.
• Between June 2017 and August 2018, nearly 400 businesses received direct assistance. A survey of these businesses indicated that 76% found the support very helpful, and it resulted in an average consumption reduction of 41% and the safeguarding of 52,000 jobs.
• Surveyed businesses invested in several adaptation measures: 79% in alternative water resources, 73% in monitoring and measurement of water usage and efficient behaviours, and 66% in onsite water reuse.
• The laundry industry was initially overlooked in the prioritisation process due to a lack of disaggregated data and the absence of an industry body, leaving it vulnerable to increased tariffs and declining demand from tourists and locals.
• The 'Smart Water Meter Challenge' demonstrated the ability to leverage businesses as corporate citizens; by November 2018, 93 companies had pledged support, reaching 358 schools and saving 21 million litres of water in the first phase.

APA

GreenCape (2019). Building economic resilience to water scarcity in Cape Town: supporting industry through severe droughts. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20190425-GreenCape-Resilience-Reports-WaterB-FA-Interactive2-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Building economic resilience to water scarcity in Cape Town: supporting industry through severe droughts. 2019. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20190425-GreenCape-Resilience-Reports-WaterB-FA-Interactive2-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Building economic resilience to water scarcity in Cape Town: supporting industry through severe droughts |date=2019 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20190425-GreenCape-Resilience-Reports-WaterB-FA-Interactive2-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2019building, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Building economic resilience to water scarcity in Cape Town: supporting industry through severe droughts}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2019}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20190425-GreenCape-Resilience-Reports-WaterB-FA-Interactive2-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }