Climate adaptation lessons learned from the Cape Town drought

A mere century ago, the vast majority of the global population lived in rural areas. Today, however, more than half of all people live in cities.

As people continue to flock to cities, the need for adequate water and sanitation infrastructure will become more important than ever before. Nowhere has this pressing need been documented more extensively than in South Africa.

The city of Cape Town is an excellent case study for efficient water supply as it has seen a rising influx of people. Since 2015, the city has faced a long period of severe drought, largely due to climate change. By mid-2017, the city faced an existential threat of running out of water.

Luckily, this day never came, but the crisis exposed vulnerabilities in the city’s water supply system. Moreover, it became an example on the world stage for how cities—especially those in the Global South—can enhance governance around climate change adaptation. In a recent study, IIASA Risk and Resilience Program researcher Wei Liu, interviewed two researchers that have devoted years to studying the Cape Town drought.

“It is clear that the responsibility for water issues can no longer only be the remit of government,” explains interviewee Gina Ziervogel. “We need to build systems and relationships of mutual accountability for effective water management between spheres of government, enhance horizontal management between municipal departments and entities, and strengthen leadership and the capacity to enable flexible and adaptive decision-making.”