 General
- Know how much water you are using
- read your meter regularly.
- Repair dripping taps.
- Check for and fix leaks - if your meter is
running when all the taps and toilets are off, then you may have
a leak.
In and around the house/business
- Turn off taps when while washing your face,
brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Showering could use up to 20 litres of water per minute.
- If you prefer to bath don’t make it as full. Taking a bath could use between 80 and 150 litres of water.
- Taking a five-minute shower a day, instead of a
bath, could save up to 400 litres of water a week.
- Use low-flow showerheads, dual-flush toilet
mechanisms and water-efficient washing machines.
- Kettles should be filled with just enough water
for your needs, but not to the brim. This will reduce your
electricity bill too.
- Don't over-fill containers like cooking pots,
where you then also use more energy to heat the water.
- Every time you flush the toilet, 12 litres of water is used. Reducing the toilet flush volume alone can save 20% of total water consumption. Putting a 2-litre bottle, filled with water and a little sand to add weight, into the cistern, can do this.
- Close the tap while you are brushing your
teeth. You can save up to 20 litres of water per
month.
- Fix a leaking toilet. It can waste up to 100 000 litres of water in one year. To check if your toilet leaks, add a few drops of
dye into the cistern, if the colour seeps into the
bowl, you have a leak.
- Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily.
Dispose of tissues, insects and other waste in the trash rather
than the toilet. Every time you flush the toilet, 12 litres of water is used.
- Use "grey water" - used water from baths,
washing machines and other safe sources - to flush your toilet.
- Do not over-fill or excessively backwash your
swimming pool.
- Use a bucket rather than a hose to wash your
car. If you must use a hose, use a sprayer that can be turned
off in-between spraying the car. Using a garden hose could use as much as 30 litres of water per minute.
- A 100-Watt light bulb, left on for 12 hours, uses almost 3 litres of water. This is the amount of water required to generate 100 Watt of electricity for 12 hours.
- Reduce the amount of water you use per day: re-use water where possible.
- Do not pour paint and chemicals down the drain.
- Farmers must ensure that they keep toxic insecticides away from water sources and streams.
- Factories should take care of how they discharge mercury
and other heavy metals into waste water.
- People living in rural areas should take care not to use the river or river bank as a toilet.
In the garden
- Always water your plants during the early
morning hours or in the evening, when temperatures are cooler. Only water your garden before 10:00 in the morning or after 16:00 in the evening. If you do it when it is hot you can lose up to 90% of water to
evaporation.
- Every time you boil an egg, save the cooled
water for your houseplants. They'll benefit from the nutrients
released from the shell.
- Focus on indigenous and non-water-consumptive
alien plants (but not invasive alien plants) with low water demands.
- Group plants according to their water needs and
to mulch around them.
- Water gardens less frequently, but water well. Using a garden hose could use as much as 30 litres of water per minute.
- Using a garden hose could use as much as 30 litres of water per minute.
- Clear invasive alien plants on your property.
- Roof water can also be profitably stored in
tanks, for watering gardens.
- Use "grey water" - used water from baths,
washing machines and other safe sources - to water your
garden.
Schools, Business and Industry
- Turn off the water supply at your school after
hours and on week-ends. Schools doing this can
save up to R5 000 on their water bill each year.
- Do not use hosepipes to wash down forecourts
and paved areas. Use a bucket and a broom.
- Regularly check the plumbing for leaks.
Maintain toilet fittings and valves regularly. Valves
should flush for just 2 – 4 seconds and urinals for
6 – 8 seconds.
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