I have been very puzzled by this phenomenon since I became Minister. My reasoning is that, if we make people pay a realistic price for water, they will use it far, far more efficiently and effectively than they do at present. This means that, once we have met our obligations to supply water for basic human needs and ecologi cal functioning, we would then have more water available for productive use. Such a step would have a dramatic impact on local economies, especially in dry and drought-prone areas such as this one. In Hermanus and in Umgeni, there are two important pioneering initiatives that seek to do just this.
Water is charged according to a series of levels.
At the first level, the people pay nothing, for that is the level of need. For increasing levels, there a re increasing costs. The result has been very encouraging. In Hermanus, a survey showed that 96 per cent of the population fully supported the new system. It is a simple formula and it results, not only in substantial water savings, but also in increased a wareness of the fact that water is a precious resource.