Municipal Snapshot 02/2018

This fact sheet by GreenCape analyzes the impact of water scarcity on the Swartland Municipality (SM), highlighting that high urban growth and irrigated agriculture could lead to severe economic losses and job deficits by 2040.

• Water scarcity poses a severe economic risk to Swartland Municipality (SM). By 2040, the water deficit is projected to cost the local economy approximately R12.8 billion annually, which represents 190% of the current economy, and result in a loss of 68,091 jobs per year, also 190% of current employment.
• The Swartland economy is heavily reliant on water-intense sectors. Agriculture and agri-processing account for 40% of employment and 50% of the municipal Gross Value Add (GVA). Within irrigated water use, grapes are the dominant crop, consuming 92% of all irrigated water in the municipality.
• Future water demand in SM is expected to rise sharply due to population growth and climate change. Urban water demand is projected to grow by 156% by 2040, while climate change is expected to increase agricultural water requirements by 32% in the same period, with grape water needs specifically increasing by 34%.
• Swartland Municipality is a major contributor to the regional water deficit in the Berg Water Management Area (WMA). The total water supply deficit for SM is estimated at 34.4 million m3 per year by 2025 (25% of the Berg WMA's total deficit) and may increase to approximately 50 million m3 per year by 2040 (16% of the Berg WMA's total deficit).

APA

GreenCape (2018). Municipal Snapshot 02/2018. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/SWARTLAND-SNAPSHOT-6.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Municipal Snapshot 02/2018. 2018. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/SWARTLAND-SNAPSHOT-6.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Municipal Snapshot 02/2018 |date=February 2018 |url=https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/SWARTLAND-SNAPSHOT-6.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2018municipal, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Municipal Snapshot 02/2018}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2018}, month = feb, url = {https://greencape.co.za/assets/Uploads/SWARTLAND-SNAPSHOT-6.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }