Wednesday Water File #5: community

This guide from WWF South Africa encourages community cooperation and collective action to manage extreme water scarcity, arguing that individual stockpiling is insufficient for long-term resilience.

• The document argues that individual efforts to shield oneself from water scarcity through high walls and the stockpiling of resources, such as bottled water, boreholes, or large rain tanks, are insufficient to survive the crisis. Instead, collective access to resources is necessary to save water and cope with extremely limited supplies.
• Community members are encouraged to identify and offer specific skills and resources to help others cope with less water. These include technical skills like fixing leaks or solving borehole problems, providing transport to water distribution points, physical strength for lifting containers, organizational time, access to communication groups like Whatsapp, or financial donations for those unable to afford leak repairs.
• When forming community water groups, the document advises ensuring inclusivity across age, income, race, language, and gender. The primary goals of these groups are to reduce water consumption and prepare for the possibility of taps running dry. Suggested activities for neighborhood groups include creating plans to help vulnerable people, mapping local wells and boreholes, and establishing rules for sharing electricity costs for pumps, while noting that water cannot be sold.
• The guide emphasizes maintaining communication with the City and local authorities, suggesting that ward councillors, ward committees, and neighborhood watches act as liaisons. Regarding external aid, the document states that sending bottled water to Cape Town is inefficient and creates plastic waste; instead, it suggests that those outside the city donate rain water tanks or sponsor plumbers to install greywater systems and stop leaks.

APA

WWF South Africa (n.d.). Wednesday Water File #5: community. https://www.wwf.org.za:443/bucket_list/?24161/wednesday-water-file-05

Chicago

WWF South Africa. Wednesday Water File #5: community. n.d. https://www.wwf.org.za:443/bucket_list/?24161/wednesday-water-file-05.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=Wednesday Water File #5: community |url=https://www.wwf.org.za:443/bucket_list/?24161/wednesday-water-file-05 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafricandwednesday, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{Wednesday Water File \#5: community}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, url = {https://www.wwf.org.za:443/bucket_list/?24161/wednesday-water-file-05}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }