Water shortages in Cape Town are here to stay. What the city can learn from others

© alvinge – [[www.123rf.com 123RF.com]]</span>Water access is a key challenge for urban futures. In cities like Cape Town, population growth and rising affluence, place increasing demands on finite water supplies. One solution the city has opted for is desalination plants, the first of which is about to come on stream. But hi-tech solutions like this don't curtail profligate water use and present considerable costs to the environment. Technology has its place - but only once water is cherished..