We\u2019ve all heard about it \u2013 South Africa is facing serious troubles concerning the drought. According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Vaal Dam is currently only 27% full, and if it falls below 25%, they will have to dip into reserve storage. They also believe that we will need six to eight weeks of consistent rainfall to recover some of our water losses and move out of this dire situation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In order to reduce water use, water restrictions have been implemented. It lies with each and every one of us to take responsibility and do our part to preserve water. We, at Thebe, would like to do our part, which is why we looked to Headstream Water Solutions, our water-wise partners, for advice on how to save water in our everyday use.<\/p>\n
Here are our ten tips.<\/p>\n
Find leaks<\/strong><\/p>\n A sure-fire way to find out if you have a water leak is by having a look at your water meter, wait about two hours without using any water, and if the meter reading has changed, then you know you have a problem. To check if there is a leak in your toilet, add food colouring to your tank and see if the water in the bowl also changes colour without flushing it.<\/p>\n Fix your taps<\/strong><\/p>\n A leaking tap might not look like a big issue, but they can waste up to 15 litres of water per day. Usually, it\u2019s also an easy and cheap fix \u2013 the faucet washer needs to be replaced.<\/p>\n Close taps <\/strong><\/p>\n Do you sometimes leave the tap open while you\u2019re brushing your teeth, busy shaving or rinsing off dishes or veggies? You need to stop. A tap that\u2019s left running can waste more than six litres of water per minute.<\/p>\n Showering <\/strong><\/p>\n A shower can use anything between 6 and 45 litres of water per minute. So set a timer for five minutes, according to the Green Lifestyle Changes this is the ideal amount of time, to let you know when you should get out. Also, install a water-saving shower head. It increases the pressure and reduces the amount of water you use.<\/p>\n Keep water in the fridge <\/strong><\/p>\n Have you ever opened the cold water tap on a warm day only to get warm water? Don\u2019t let the tap run until you have cold water, rather keep a jug in the fridge to ensure you always have cold water (you can even add lemon or cucumber for extra flavour).<\/p>\n Brick in the toilet<\/strong><\/p>\n It might sound silly, but keeping a brick in your toilet tank does work. Now every time you flush the toilet, you don\u2019t use a whole tank full of water, hence, reducing your water wastage.<\/p>\n Irrigation<\/strong><\/p>\n A bright green garden is beautiful, but at what cost. Only water your garden between 6pm and 6am. In certain areas, depending on the water restrictions, people are only allowed to water their gardens with a watering can. Don\u2019t water your garden every day, rather do so less often but for longer periods. The rule of thumb is to place an empty tuna can out, and once it\u2019s full, you should turn off the sprinklers.<\/p>\n Grey water<\/strong><\/p>\n Take a moment to look around your house and see where you can reuse water for your garden. The water you use when you wash or boil veggies, when you take a bath, maybe keep a bucket in the shower, when ice falls on the floor, or your dishwashing water \u2013 all these are great examples of water you can reuse in your garden instead of using municipal water.<\/p>\n Rainwater<\/strong><\/p>\n Put empty bins and buckets out when it\u2019s raining to collect rainwater for later use. You can also store water from your gutters by setting up a bin for the water to run into.<\/p>\n Mulch<\/strong><\/p>\n Cover your flower beds and the ground around your trees with mulch. Doing this not only keeps the water from evaporating quickly, but it can also prevent weeds from growing.<\/p>\n Do your part for South Africa, start saving water today.<\/p>\n Information sources: Eden Project<\/a>\u00a0; \u00a0BusinessTech<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve all heard about it \u2013 South Africa is facing serious troubles concerning the drought. According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Vaal Dam is currently only 27% full, and if it falls below 25%, they will have to dip into reserve storage. They also believe that we will need six to eight<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","post_format-post-format-image"],"yoast_head":"\n