School-going brothers push idea to save on flushes

TWO Nelson Mandela Bay brothers are championing water saving by encouraging schools and households to adopt a simple water-crisis solution which comes in the form of a 500ml bottle filled with sand or pebbles.

Mihlali, 18, and Litha Adam, 16, of Despatch, have turned the toilets in their homes to low-flush ones, by placing a 500ml bottle of sand in the cisterns.

The pair said the reality of the city’s water crisis caught their attention when mayor Athol Trollip announced that the metro had a water supply of only 300 days left.

Mihlali, a Grade 12 pupil at St George’s College, said their aim was to spread the word through their non-profit organisation, Adam Goodwill Ambassadors.

“The announcement made by the mayor was very alarming to me and I realised that we need to take care of the resources that we have to ensure we have a future in Port Elizabeth,” Mihlali said.

“We have been asking people to put at least a 500ml bottle of sand in their toilet cistern to fill up the cistern with the bottle’s pressure.”

The brothers had searched for inexpensive and easy ways to save water.

Mihlali said a household would save up to five litres a day with at least 10 flushes.

“We would like to see other households use this because it is an easy thing to do.”

Grey High School pupil Litha hopes to introduce the sand bottle to his school before getting other schools to do the same.

“When we were looking on the internet for ways to save water this one appealed to us because it’s cost-effective and very simple,” Litha said.