Water, the most essential necessity of life, is becoming an increasingly scarce resource in South Africa. Our lives and those of future generations depend on how we save water now!

Water crisis warning

Water scarcity has become a major issue in South Africa. Not only are we the 30th driest country in the world with below average yearly rainfall, but about 43% of our rain falls on only 13% of the land and only 9% of that reaches our rivers.

It’s our responsibility and duty to change our perceptions of water availability and how we manage and use it. Future generations will either bless or curse us according to how we have nurtured or neglected this precious, life-sustaining, resource.

Planning a water-secure South Africa

Efforts to save water for the present as well as the future will depend on the participation of various role players: government, the private and public sector as well as every individual. It will also depend on rectifying the misuse and unsustainable demand for water from certain sectors and individuals, managing pollution and soil erosion in watershed areas and watching the weather.

What role players can do to help save water

Government could and in some instances are already:

    • Monitoring the country’s water scarcity problem and looking for solutions
    • Watching the weather, especially the El Niño phenomenon that seems to appear every three to five years. It causes drought in the southern hemisphere and government needs to prepare strategies to assist farmers and the agricultural sector, one of the biggest users of water
    • Implementing land care programmes to reduce veld and soil degradation and water loss and promote conservation in agriculture practices
    • Promoting highly advanced irrigation methods such as moisture-sensitive automated drip irrigation directly to plant roots
    • Re-thinking the possibility of the desalination of sea water and brackish groundwater. In Israel, a water scarce country such as ours, approximately half of its water supply consists of reused treated waste water, brackish water and desalinated water
    • Harvesting and reusing the nation’s domestic waste (grey) water
    • Controlling the algae blooms in reservoirs and dams and stopping the contamination of these and other natural groundwater supplies such as rivers, ponds and wetlands
    • Reducing the country’s carbon footprint by encouraging the implementation of green energies especially in the electricity generating sector, which uses huge amounts of water
    • Implementing water restrictions when necessary.

Each and every individual can help save water by:

    • Being conscious of the water scarcity in our country and deciding to work together with government to save this precious resource for ourselves and future generations
    • Harvesting as much rainwater as possible by installing rainwater storage tanks
    • Not watering your garden during summer daylight hours and investing in a waste (grey) water system to water your garden
    • Repairing all water leaks in and around your home. According to statistics, South Africa loses up to 36% of its drinking water through leaking pipes, dripping taps and illegal water usage
    • Changing your and your family’s water-use habits for example by taking a short, quick shower instead of a bath, not letting the water run down the drain while brushing your teeth and installing a retro-fit toilet flushing mechanism. The last will help reduce the 176 plus litres of water flushed away per day by a family of four
    • Saving electricity. Eskom uses 3% of South Africa’s overall water, so saving electricity will ease that burden.
    • Covering swimming pools when not in use and using pool water when back-washing to water lawns and plants.

 

Sources

Khumalo, P and Manyathi, O. Let’s work together to save water. Retrieved from: http://www.vukuzenzele.gov.za/lets-work-together-save-water-0
King, S. 2015. Seven tips to save water. Retrieved from: http://mg.co.za/article/2015-11-10-7-tips-to-save-water
Interesting water facts – you’ll be surprised… Retrieved from: http://www.rainharvest.co.za/2010/05/interesting-water-facts-youll-be-surprised/