South Africa - Water warning for Vaal area

19 March 2012

news24 - March 18, 2012

Pretoria - One big drought in the Vaal River catchment area over the next eight years could jeopardise the region’s agricultural and industrial output, senior Eskom and Sasol managers have warned.

Speaking at the end of the World Water Forum in Marseille, France, they said the period from now until 2020, when Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) starts delivering water to the Vaal, was one of “major risk”.

While a drought would not necessarily pose a threat to the two corporations' ability to generate power and manufacture fuel - both Eskom and Sasol are deemed “strategic water users” and unlikely to have their supply curtailed - the same would not apply to others.

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