Nature Is Water Infrastructure. It’s Time To Finance It That Way

BusinessPolicyNature Is Water Infrastructure. It’s Time To Finance It That WayByBill Frist,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover global and domestic health care and conservation.Follow AuthorMay 13, 2026, 01:15am EDTCape Town is experiencing severe drought the main dam at Theewaterskloof is only at 10% capacity, on April 03, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa. Diminishing water supplies may lead to the taps being turned off for the four millions inhabitants of Cape Town on April 12 2018, known locally as Day Zero. Water will be restricted from 87 litres per day to 50 litres as temperatures reach 28 degrees later this week. Politicians are blaming each other and residents for the deepening crisis.John SnellingBack in 2018 Cape Town, South Africa came dangerously close to running out of water. A severe, multi-year drought, combined with population growth and rising demand, pushed the city toward what officials called “Day Zero” – the moment when municipal water supplies would fall so low that household taps would be shut off and residents would be forced to collect daily water rations from designated distribution sites. The city responded with extraordinary urgency. Emergency water stations were prepared. Public campaigns urged residents to reduce water consumption to just 13 gallons per day (the amount used in a single 6-minute shower). Monitoring systems tracked household water use. The filling of swimming pools and the washing of cars were banned. Cape Town is experiencing severe drought many public buildings and Shopping Malls have cut water supplies to reduce water usage, on April 03, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa.John SnellingThese efforts helped Cape Town narrowly avoid a catastrophe. But the warning was unmistakable.Water security is not only an environmental issue. It’s an economic issue. It’s a public health issue. It’s a food security issue. And for communities around the world, it is becoming a basic test...