Water is one of the most important substances on earth and is crucial to human, fauna and flora survival. That’s one of the first things, apart from writing and reading, which children are taught at school. Many of us are fortunate enough to be able to switch a tap on to pour a glass of water, wash our hands or fill up the kettle, and we don’t think that our endless supply of drinkable water will come to an end therefore we sometimes (mostly) use abuse our access to healthy and clean water.

However in recent years the water level in South Africa have fluctuated with minimal increase by rain during winter and exorbitant decrease during spring and summer. Knysna, in the Southern Cape, one of the most beautiful places in SA, is but one of the places that have been affected by drought over the past two years.

But think, if we live in townships where there are makeshift carwashes on every corner of every street, using and wasting water, which they do not pay for, or towns and cities where children splash water onto themselves under open taps, municipalities not dealing with burst water pipes in time, or home owners not fixing leaking taps and people wasting water without any consideration, how many households within those towns and cities will be able to open a tap for a glass of water in 20 years? The truth is that the rich and wealthy use way more water than any township household does. If the rich played ball and also started thinking about saving water, I believe that their contribution to water conservation would make an immense difference.

With an increasing population relying on the already stretched water supply in the country, government and its institutions need to find a way of informing South Africans on various easy ways of saving water and using it responsibly. Yes, many people have become environmentally conscious over the past decade due to global warming, but that is only a handful of people in contrast to the many that are not educated on water preservation. I myself have learned to take a quick shower instead of taking a long and soothing bath, to carry a water bottle instead of opening a tap along the way and drink out of my hands, and to water the grass with my bathwater or dishwater instead of using a water hose. It might sound like my contribution to water conservation is minimal but for me it’s a start.

Let’s not forget about those who do not have access to clean water and how this may affect them. This will teach those who come after us to follow the same example. We must think ahead instead of just taking advantage and abusing the resources we have because believe me if we don’t, we’re going to regret it in the future.

Here are a few tips on how to conserve and save water:

Fill you toilet cistern with dye to check for leaks. This could save up to 3000litres of water.

For cleaning: sweep, don’t hose.

Turning off the shower whilst you wash your hair can save up to 550litres per month.

Have hand sanitiser in your office, bag or bathroom rather than soap, so that you don’t need wash your hands under a tap.

Drink out of a container, cup, glass or bottle instead of holding your hands under a running tap.

When doing your laundry use that water to water your yard or garden instead of pouring it down the drain.

During winter or on rainy days use buckets in front or behind your home to collect rainwater which you can use for bathing or washing dishes.

These tips are only guidelines to assist you but I bet if you really think about saving water, you’ll come up with some of your own ideas on how to do so.

Written by Veronica Boyi

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