Is water use in the home the problem?
I AM a concerned homeowner as I am being directly affected by the inability of our government to provide us with clean water, first, and second, enough water.
Now you may say it is not the government’s fault that there are water restrictions as there has not been the rain yet that we need, but it is their short-sightedness and complete lack of planning that causes the small people to be punished. I am not the problem. The problem is industry, mining and fracking that consume enormous amounts of water and make no effort to conserve it by recycling it.
Instead they pollute the water.
Since a shopping centre was built up the road from my house, the little stream in our conservancy is filthy.
There are no proper regulations in place for these entities that use so much water and pollute our water.
They chop down all the greenery too in the area and then wonder why we have no rain. They are killing off the lungs of our planet and polluting water that is vital to our everyday lives and the lives of our animals and plants.
There must be alternatives to all these problems that are not difficult to implement; it just takes a bit of interest and planning and then the small people like us who pay our taxes and for our water by the way will not need to be punished for the sheer lack of responsibility on the government’s part.
There should also be initiatives that make collecting rain water much cheaper and renewable energy too for that matter.
Restricting water is like putting a plaster on a splinter and hoping the problem will go away.
Come on people, have some foresight. Get to the root cause and fix it. Tracey McKendry Joburg
The Department of Water and Sanitation responds:
Thank you Tracey. Your comments are noted and we would like to assure you that the department, working with the various municipalities and stakeholders, including business, are working on solutions to ensure we have a sustainable supply of water.
Just two quick points for your information.
● In the Gauteng provincial area, 79 percent of water supplied is used by domestic users, such as yourself.
● In recent assessments of how our water was being used, it was discovered that nearly 40 percent is currently being used for gardening and other non-human consumption uses.
The two points above are to illustrate why it becomes critical for citizens to use water wisely and responsibly given the current challenges.
We are working with industry and pursuing numerous ways and means to diversify our water mix and to encourage recycling and increased use of ground water.
While all these are being done, the adaptation by residents and citizens is also important. Mlimandlela Ndamase Spokesman for the Department of Water and Sanitation