SAVING WATER
WHAT YOU CAN DO
We use water in various ways. It’s essential for growing crops and thereby ensuring food security (having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of nutritious food) for South Africa. Industries, factories and businesses such as mining and sugar refineries depend on water.
Water is also used to generate electricity and to cool buildings inside (air-conditioning).
Though about 72% of the planet’s surface is covered with water, less than 2% of that water is suitable for human use. Most of Earth’s surface water is salty seawater and though this water can be desalinated (the salt removed) to make it suitable for human use, it’s an expensive process. Rainwater is still the most important source of, especially, drinking water and for the irrigation of crops.
SA is a water-scarce country so it’s important we each do our bit to save water. It’s not that hard either. Here are handy tips to help you use less water on a daily basis.
1
Close taps completely – make sure they aren’t dripping. A tap that drips 10 drops a minute can waste up to three litres of water a day.
2
Close the tap while you brush your teeth Don’t let the water run – a running tap wastes about six litres of water a minute.
3
Opt for a quick shower rather than a bath. Wet your skin, then close the taps while you lather up with soap, then open the tap again to rinse off the soap.
4
Get some buckets and when it rains and catch the water. Put the buckets outside, preferably under a gutter or somewhere else where water runs down. Use this water for the trees and plants in your garden or in your street. You can also put a bucket in the shower to catch excess water, then use it for gardening or to flush the toilet.
5
Don’t do unnecessary laundry. You don’t have to wash your clothes every day – a shirt or jeans can be worn more than once before it needs a wash.