Water Evaporation

“Water evaporation figures in the Western Cape, as in most of Africa, are staggering,” says Cobus Meiring of the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI). Using a classic example of a three hectares freshwater reservoir on the slopes of Table Mountain, with approximately three million cubic litres of water, the value of water lost to evaporation …

Water Scarcity is the new normal as Evaporation Levels Soar and persistent drought in large parts of South Africa is having a knock-on effect on the economy

Water Evaporation Prevention (WEP) a reality New technology options make Water Evaporation Prevention (WEP) a reality. Worldwide, the development of Water Evaporation Prevention (WEP) systems has been slow, and uptake by water authorities and water users has been even slower. Prohibitively expensive material is partly to blame for the retarded interest by industry in implementing …

The serious drought in the Western Cape caused authorities and researchers to re-look at long term strategic options.

What does the law (specifically the National Water Act), say about water evaporation prevention systems on stored waters? Preventing and reducing rates of water evaporation is a “soft” intervention that conservation minded entities, such as the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI), are investigating to protect volumes of stored waters. In towns and cities, owners of …

Large parts of South Africa are currently in the grip of a crippling drought. Much of the affected areas will not be able to recover in the medium term, even with sustained and substantial rainfall. A key contributor to water stress is evaporation. With South Africa’s long sunshine days, dry climate and shallow storage dams, …

Fire and water issues dominated media during January and February, says Cobus Meiring of the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI). Wild fire, on a large scale, as well as the persisting drought, dominated media coverage in the Western Cape during January and February 2017. Whilst the cost to fight almost 400 fires in the Western …

Residents of Gauteng and large parts of the interior rejoiced as dam levels reached the 90% mark, with authorities lifting water restrictions that have been in place since 2016. In the Western Cape, unfortunately, we are still staring down the barrel of a gun, as far as short to medium term water security is concerned, …