Water: Market Intelligence Report 2018

The report highlights a critical need for water resilience in the Western Cape due to severe drought and climate change. It identifies four primary investment areas: water metering and monitoring, water efficiency, water reuse, and alternative water supplies (groundwater, rainwater, and desalination). The document details market potentials, such as a R2 billion potential market for potable water reuse in Cape Town and a R5.8 billion potential residential market for alternative water systems in the Western Cape. It also outlines significant barriers, including municipal creditworthiness, high capital costs, and public perception of wastewater reuse.

• South Africa is highly water-stressed, with water demand projected to exceed supply by 17% by 2030, growing from 15 billion m3 in 2016 to 18 billion m3.
• There is a significant funding gap for national water infrastructure; in 2017, the required public sector funding was R70.4 billion, but only R43.4 billion was budgeted, leaving a shortfall of R27 billion.
• Non-revenue water (NRW) in South African municipalities accounts for 41% of the 4,000 million m3/year used, resulting in an estimated annual revenue loss of R6.3 billion.
• The potential market for water-efficient devices and greywater reuse systems in new residential and commercial property developments in the Western Cape is estimated at approximately R900 million per year.
• Potable water reuse presents a potential market of around R2 billion in Cape Town alone, as the city looks to augment supplies with approximately 75 million litres per day (MLD) of treated wastewater.
• The potential residential market for alternative water systems (groundwater and rainwater) in the Western Cape is estimated at approximately R5.8 billion.
• Large-scale seawater desalination is an emerging market with typical global equity returns of at least 14%, reaching up to 18% in higher-risk countries.
• The City of Cape Town's water augmentation programme includes groundwater (Cape Flats, Atlantis, and Table Mountain Group aquifers), potable water reuse, and permanent desalination, with a projected total cost of approximately R6 billion.
• Investment in the municipal water sector is hindered by barriers such as limited municipal creditworthiness, capacity constraints in civil engineering staff, and lengthy procurement processes.

APA

GreenCape (2018). Water: Market Intelligence Report 2018. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Water-MIR-FINAL-20180405-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Water: Market Intelligence Report 2018. 2018. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Water-MIR-FINAL-20180405-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Water: Market Intelligence Report 2018 |date=2018 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Water-MIR-FINAL-20180405-3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2018water, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Water: Market Intelligence Report 2018}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2018}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GreenCape-Water-MIR-FINAL-20180405-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }