How to turn Cape Town into a water-sensitive city

Professor Neil Armitage, deputy director and co-founder of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Future Water research institute, delivered the Vice-Chancellor’s Inaugural Lecture on 17 October.

Inaugural lectures are held to commemorate a lecturer’s appointment to full professorship, and provide a platform for the academic to present their body of research. They also give UCT the opportunity to showcase its academics and share its research with members of the wider university community and the general public.

In his lecture, titled “After the water crisis: How to turn Cape Town into a water-sensitive city”, Professor Armitage insisted that it is essential to take “a more holistic look at the way water is managed for Cape Town”.

He pointed out that current primary augmentation schemes for Cape Town do not necessarily fully appreciate the potential value of storm water as a resource, demonstrating this with examples of successful initiatives undertaken by other international cities, including Singapore and Melbourne.

The lecture took place in Lecture Theatre 2, Kramer Law Building, Middle Campus at 17:30.