Over the past few months, water scientists and conservationists have been raising the alarm about the challenging state of water in SA in general and the Gauteng province in particular.
Our country, with its semi-arid climate conditions, is water scarce. This physical scarcity, combined with water infrastructure problems in municipalities, has resulted in significant water security challenges. While issues of water infrastructure and maintenance are primarily the responsibility of municipalities, provinces and the national government, the conservation of water is the collective responsibility of all residents of SA.
The conservation of water can no longer be an abstract discussion by those of us who are qualified in water research or policy makers. It is now a discussion and a responsibility of households and communities.
The situation that we are faced with in the country can no longer be ignored. We are standing at the precipice of a serious water problem if we do not play our part in conserving the limited water resources at our disposal.
In 2022, Rand Water, one of the nine water boards in SA, which supplies water to Gauteng, parts of Mpumalanga, North West and the Free State, launched a powerful campaign, Gogo Nomanzi.
The profundity in the campaign is that it is not aimed at reprimanding water wastage, but at providing smart alternatives to water use, aimed at implementing practical water saving tips that can be used by all individuals and households.
These simple yet effective measures can turn the clock on the precarious water situation that we find ourselves in. Gogo Nomanzi advises us to avoid watering gardens during the day – to do so between sunrise and sunset in order to prevent loss of moisture through evaporation.
Evaporation can also be minimised by covering pools. In addition to this, we must avoid washing cars with hosepipes but use buckets instead. The same applies to pavements, which must be swept with brooms rather than hosepipes. Taps should also be turned off when we brush our teeth, rinse our hair or shave. While doing these activities, as well as cooking, we must not turn on taps fully.
At a structural level, we can prevent water loss by repairing leaking taps. Loss of water is a serious problem both in municipalities and households. Repairing water infrastructure is the most effective way of preventing this loss.
For households that use dishwashers, Gogo Nomanzi recommends using water-efficient dishwashers that have advanced technology which minimises the amount of water used.
The installation of low flow restrictions on taps in households is also important. Other mechanisms of saving water must also be borrowed from our forefathers, who conserved water by using simple yet practical conservation equipment such as water storage drums and buckets. These can collect rainwater directly from the sky as well as from rooftops.
Rainwater can then be used for watering our gardens. Re-used water should also include the water that we bath with. Those of us who prefer showers can place buckets in our showers to collect water as we shower. Furthermore, it is advisable to use cold water to wash hands, which should not be too inconvenient in the scorching summer heat.
We cannot sit back and wait for a time when there is no option but for our water supply to be rationed. We must all play our part while simultaneously making a demand on municipalities to fix the province’s ailing water infrastructure.
The reality is that Rand Water continues to pump and provide potable water to municipalities, but this water is lost to leaks due to the failure by municipalities to maintain water infrastructure.
Rather than admit to this, municipalities continuously blame the water board and claim it is not providing sufficient water. It is this that we must hold our municipalities accountable for – while we simultaneously do our part to conserve water.
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