Reading Time: < 1 minute
Alien vegetation in water catchment areas in the Western Cape leads to the loss of 50-billion litres of water each year, the equivalent of the size of the Wemmershoek Dam – one of the five major dams in the province.
Director of Water Funds at the Nature Conservancy, Louise Stafford, says a significant amount of rain water which lands in catchment areas, does not reach dams.
She says less frequent rain and a higher demand because of migration place further stress on water supplies, with parts of the Western Cape still in the grips of a drought.
She says if there is no urgent intervention, they predict water losses could double by 2045.
Click on video below: