Page 22 - Landscape-Issue153

IRRIGATION FEATURE

THE NEXT WATER CRISIS IS HERE.

CAN TECHNOLOGY PREVENT THE WORST?

Water is not only the lifeblood of cities and farms – it is also what sustains the natural
beauty of the spaces we live in. From tree-lined avenues and manicured gardens

to golf courses and natural green belts, the landscapes we treasure depend on a
reliable, well-managed supply. South Africa’s looming water crisis is more than an
abstract national challenge; it is a direct threat to the environments that define our
quality of life. The question is whether technology, already reshaping the way water

is managed worldwide, can help protect these landscapes as well as the people
who depend on them.

outh Africa is running out of wasted before reaching crops. AI-driven Governance remains the missing
water. Years of drought, decaying irrigation offers a smarter alternative. piece
Sinfrastructure, and the intensifying • Sensors track soil moisture and Desalination, AI irrigation, and smart
effects of climate change have pushed the weather in real time, ensuring crops leak detection can all contribute to
country to the edge. Cape Town’s 2018 get precisely the water they need. water security. But technology alone
“Day zero” was a stark warning. Other cities • Machine learning models predict cannot overcome corruption, ageing
may not get the same chance to avoid rainfall, adjust irrigation schedules infrastructure, and the lack of a long-
catastrophe. With municipal water losses automatically, and flag leaks in term national plan. Billions meant
as high as 40%, groundwater reserves irrigation systems before they escalate. for water projects have been lost to
dropping, and demand increasing, the Pilot projects have shown water savings mismanagement. Many dams, pipes, and
question is no longer if the country faces a of up to 30% without lowering yields. reservoirs are decades overdue for repair.
crisis – but how severe it will be. Farmers using these systems save Other countries offer useful models.
Technology can help. But unless it is thousands of litres per hectare. The Singapore has achieved resilience through
matched by serious investment, political barriers are significant: high upfront public-private partnerships. Copenhagen
will, and governance reform, even the most costs and unreliable electricity or uses AI to optimise tariffs and reduce
advanced solutions will not be enough. connectivity in rural areas. Without waste. California subsidises smart
subsidies or private partnerships, small- irrigation systems for farmers. South Africa
Desalination: costly but necessary scale farmers will struggle to access the can draw on these lessons, but only with
South Africa’s 2,800 kilometres of coastline benefits. clear policy and sustained commitment.
seem to offer an obvious solution: Other regions offer proof of concept.
desalination. Converting seawater into Australia and Spain have adopted AI A race against time
fresh water provides a supply that is not irrigation widely in large-scale farming. South Africa’s water crisis is not a distant
dependent on rainfall. Advances in reverse South Africa risks further strain on food possibility. It is here. The tools to cut
osmosis and solar-powered systems have security if it lags behind. waste, improve efficiency, and secure
reduced both cost and energy demand, new supply exist, but progress depends
making the option more viable than in the Smart leak detection: fixing on how quickly they are implemented –
past. systemic losses and how well corruption and inefficiency
Yet challenges remain. Desalination One of the greatest inefficiencies lies are addressed.
plants are energy-hungry, a serious in the pipes. Between 35% and 40% of Water underpins food security, economic
drawback in a country struggling with South Africa’s treated water disappears growth, and public health. The solutions are
power shortages. Poorly managed plants through leaks, faulty meters, or theft already available. The challenge is whether
can also damage marine ecosystems before reaching consumers. the country will act before the window
through the release of brine waste. Cities elsewhere are already reducing closes.
International examples show the losses through IoT-based water The same innovations being trialled on
potential. Israel sources 85% of its management systems: farms and in cities also hold promise for
household water from desalination. • Smart meters that detect unusual our local landscapes. Smart irrigation, leak
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM project is trialling consumption and shut off leaks. detection, and water-efficient systems
brine management strategies to limit • Acoustic sensors that pick up can ensure that gardens, parks, and golf
environmental impact. Closer to home, underground pipe failures early. courses remain green even in times of
Cape Town and parts of the Eastern Cape • AI analytics that highlight areas most scarcity. Protecting South Africa’s shared
already operate small-scale plants, but at risk of water loss. environments means thinking differently
without coordinated national investment, Johannesburg’s pilot smart meters about every drop of water. What happens
these remain patchwork efforts rather than have shown promise, while Cape at scale must also happen at home – in
long-term solutions. Town’s pressure management system the places where community and nature
has reduced leaks by as much as 20%. meet.
AI-powered irrigation: making Rolling out these tools nationwide could
every drop count recover billions of litres, but this requires This article was previously published in
Agriculture consumes nearly 60% of overcoming municipal inefficiency and engineerIT and was written by editor Justin
South Africa’s water, yet much of it is chronic underfunding. Render. n

20 Landscape SA • Issue 153 2025 Check us out www.salandscape.co.za