Issues of water quality in stormwater harvesting: Comments on Fisher-Jeffes et al. (2017)

Abstract

Stormwater harvesting (SWH) has long been considered a potential solution to water insecurity in water-scarce areas, especially in urban settings with a high proportion of impermeable surfaces. The recent paper in this journal by Fisher-Jeffes et al.provides a summary of the potential benefits of SWH in South Africa, grouped under three themes: water security, flood prevention and additional benefits through enhancing natural assets. Some specific examples of SWH reuse and management were provided from the Western Cape region to illustrate their points. Whilst it is absolutely the case that, on a national scale, SWH is an under-exploited resource in South Africa, there are many problems with stormwater use that are not discussed in the article but which may significantly limit the extent to which this greywater is beneficial to the environment and communities. In this commentary I highlight additional factors not considered by Fisher-Jeffes et al.4, but which are significant in a South African context, including (1) climate and precipitation variability, (2) water quality, (3) management of urban water systems, and (4) infrastructural and community adaptive capacity. I then identify some future research directions.