摘要：Stormwater harvesting (SWH) has long been considered a potential solution to water insecurity in water-scarceareas, especially in urban settings with a high proportion of impermeable surfaces. 1-3 The recent paper in thisjournal by Fisher-Jeffes et al. 4 provides a summary of the potential benefits of SWH in South Africa, grouped underthree themes: water security, flood prevention and additional benefits through enhancing natural assets. Somespecific examples of SWH reuse and management were provided from the Western Cape region to illustrate theirpoints. Whilst it is absolutely the case that, on a national scale, SWH is an under-exploited resource in South Africa,there are many problems with stormwater use that are not discussed in the article but which may significantly limitthe extent to which this greywater is beneficial to the environment and communities. In this commentary I highlightadditional factors not considered by Fisher-Jeffes et al. 4 , but which are significant in a South African context,including (1) climate and precipitation variability, (2) water quality, (3) management of urban water systems, and(4) infrastructural and community adaptive capacity. I then identify some future research directions.
关键词：stormwater run-off; climate change;water systems
