Why is Cape Town axing trees to prevent drought? - BBC News

Three years ago, Cape Town in South Africa came dangerously close to completely running out of water when a severe and unanticipated drought turned all local reservoirs into dustbowls.

To prevent this happening again, dozens of teams armed with chainsaws are seeking to protect those reservoirs in an unusual manner - by chopping down tens of thousands of trees on the mountains surrounding them.

It seems counter-intuitive - but non-native trees are responsible for using an equivalent of two to three months of Cape Town's annual water consumption.

#CapeTown #SouthAfrica #BBCNews

[jiaqint]

It draws moisture, cutting them down stops the cycle, lowers water bed level increase desertification, fastening the drought.

[Tempestlrd]

Don't trees cool an area and slow down evaporation? anyone do the math on this? anyone think deserts are the perfect condition for preserving water?

[coolcat]

The world is run by some really dodgy people! The worst!

[Sblatus]

If they aren’t native trees, I don’t think it’s that bad actually

[grahamt]

Cape Town is situated in a dry part of the world. They need to desalinate water if they want to grow.

[hilman]

Just like Quantum of Solace, it's not oil but fresh water that is more valuable in the future...

[I-am-not-a-number]

The cause was failure to maintain the water supply.
So they cut the trees down.

[CitiesForTheFuture]

The water crisis is the Western Cape - and now the Eastern Cape - is more about water mismanagement (and corruption) as it was about drought / climate change. Years before the crisis hit, scientists & NGOs warned national, provincial & local government and industry that a crisis was imminent, but (as per usual) no-one listened. Also, the Western Cape makes a lot of wine and citrus fruit - water intensive industries. Only wealthy residents can afford to store water when it rains and authorities make no attempt to assist lower-income home owners purchase / construct such infrastructure nor do they require them to do so. Urban water-sensitive urban development infrastructure - such as LIUDD, SUDS or WSUD - are rare and there is no attempt by urban planners or managers to include local residents in the implementation of green & blue infrastructure (such green roofs; rain gardens; permeable sidewalks, roads & car parks; bioswales; retention & detention ponds, artificial wetlands etc). In fact, currently, there is a war raging between residents & authorities over the disappearance of many critical local natural wetlands. Important groundwater sources, also an important public good, are also being mismanaged. Urban planning, development & management is generally outdated, piece-meal, lazy and shoddy, and often outsourced to private companies who have no real interest or stake in local community development. Authorities are also mismanaging the urban natural environment and wildlife, and there is no accountability.

Cities, such as Cape Town, makes very little effort to harvest stormwater runoff so when it rains in winter there are often large-scale flooding events in much of the city. Sewerage and stormwater systems have not been decoupled, so when stormwater infrastructure is overwhelmed during heavy rainfall events, sewerage contamination can also occur. Much of it ends up in the ocean resulting in the contamination of our coastline. Much of our infrastructure is old (and outdated) and much water is lost due to leakages. A holistic, integrated, sustainable & fair / just approach to service delivery, including water (and sanitation), is urgently required. In fact, urban decision-makers & managers with a passion & enthusiasm for urban prosperity is urgently required. Around 70% of our population is urbanised and this is expected to increase significantly as the impacts of climate change worsen, much of it along our vast coastline.

South Africa is also in the middle of an energy crisis - also due to mismanagement & corruption - so desalination (for-profit?) is NOT an option. Residents, civil society (including NGOs), business & government must work together to ensure affordable & sustainable urban service delivery is available to all. It is being done in cities such as Curitiba (Brazil) so we know it can be done. Waste not, want not...

Utilities such as clean air, water, food, energy & urban mobility (human survival requirements) has been commodified as there are large profits to be made. This is a global issue... politicians have handed essential public sector services into the hands of the private for-profit sector so that a handful of wealthy investors can make a lot of money. This is raising the cost of living for most... our middle class - the backbone of any healthy economy - is disappearing. This will only put more pressure on social support, and the national budget, in the years ahead.

[roccostarbuck]

Why is the BBC worried about all countries exept it's own?

[thesweetone]

Combat climate change by cutting trees, bravo

[decus]

Well so long as they replace those trees with trees that are native to the environment and absorb less water.

[ymj]

Fake News...i live in Cape Town, this isn't the current situation, we had a problem 2yrs ago😑🤐

[thekentuckyrifleman]

It's called forest management. California could learn a lesson from this

[jennylee]

Their govt website says dams are full. Full dams and barren land means man diverted water. Or is their govt website wrong?

[dublinirisheyes]

Trees attract rain clouds.
NO TREES, NO RAIN, NO WATER !!!
They should be planting trees not chopping them down !

[saintysaint]

BBC News why are you showing us only the slums in Cape Town? Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in Africa, and in and around the world. Western Media 🙄☹️

[ravenblack]

"...it's about a lack of investment."
No, it's about the thieving ANC and plundering of state resources for their own enrichment.

[FoodwaysDistribution]

40% of the water is lost to leaking pipe!!!! money better spent fixing your pipes

[anwardaniels]

We've received well above average annual rainfall over the last 2 - 3 years. And this year, possibly 3 times the average. Whilst a few years ago we had a bad drought, Cape Town's weather has become more moderate

[richardattard]

Trees are our allies. They are not greedy like humans. Unbelievable what solutions we're finding!