It is estimated that 1.1 billion people globally rely on unsafe drinking water sources and that as much as 80 percent of waste water is being discharged untreated in developing countries.

A report found that if no action was taken, projected population and economic growth would lead to global water demand that was 40 percent in excess of current supply by the year 2030. – Sapa

A recent written reply by Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica to a parliamentary question showed the total amount owing was now well over a billion rand, DA MP Gareth Morgan said in a statement.

“Over a billion rand owed to water boards is extraordinarily high and must surely hamper the ability of many water boards to operate effectively and to make the required infrastructure investments,” he said.

Several water boards appeared to be in a perilous situation.

“Lepelle Northern Water has over R249 million owing to it, of which over R231 million is arrears. Bushbuckridge Water has over R151 million owing to it, of which R147 million is arrears, while Sedibeng has R146 million owing to it, with over R121 million being arrears,” Morgan said.

According to Sonjica’s reply, municipalities owe water boards a total of R1, 262, 047, 056. Of this amount, R653, 416, 344 is current debt and R608, 630, 712 arrears.

By Sappa

Photograph by: JORGE SILVA

Opposition MPs warned of a crisis in the state of South Africa’s water affairs, pinning the blame for it on mismanagement.

Your department has let South Africa down, and seriously so,” Democratic Alliance MP Annette Lovemore told Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica.

Lovemore, speaking during debate on the water affairs budget vote in the National Assembly, called on the minister to show “vital, critical and urgent leadership to address the current shocking level of mismanagement of our water resources”.

Ground and surface water quality in South Africa was deteriorating fast, and people had died after drinking polluted water, she said.

“We are sitting on a time bomb. This is a water-scarce country with a growing population and outdated infrastructure designed to serve a small portion of citizens who live in the privileged areas.”

Holomisa said government had failed in the past 15 years to bring the infrastructure in underprivileged areas on a par with privileged areas.

Though no price has yet been put on the projects, Minister Buyelwa Sonjica told a media conference in Parliament that, ideally, her budget should be more than R100 billion over the three years. As it is, she will have to manage with R8bn , R9.1bn and R9.6bn .

Sonjica also spoke about unconventional water augmentation projects, including desalination plants around the coasts.

The seven new bulk water schemes include the Mokolo River project that will supply water to the Medupi power station . — I-Net Bridge

• Cut down the amount of water flushed down the toilet pan. Toilets use about 30% of the total water used in a household. An old-style single flush toilet can use up to 13 litres of water in one flush. Install a Water Rhapsody Multiflush and control exactly how much water you need to flush the pan.  This could save you a whopping 7,300 litres of water each year.  The Mulitflush device will pay for itself within a couple of weeks!

• Make a point of checking to see if there are any leaks in the toilets or taps throughout your house. You can check if your toilet is leaking by adding a few drops of food dye to your cistern – if the colour seeps into the bowl, you have a leak. A toilet leak or a dripping tap can both waste up to 30 litres of water an hour, and this adds up to 10,000 litres every year. Get them fixed – the cost you will save on water over a 12-month period will more often than not cover the plumber’s bill.

• Only use your dishwasher or washing machine when they are fully loaded.

• Don’t wash and rinse your dishes under running water – rather fill a sink with soapy water, wash them, and then rinse them in a sink of fresh water.

• Use two buckets instead of the hosepipe when washing your car, this can save up to 300 litres of water each time.

Ben Polley is convinced.

The home builder installed a grey water system last year in the Manitoba Street heritage home he and wife Jen Woodside were renovating.

“Since we’ve installed it we have required zero city water for toilet flushing,” Polley said.

“Grey water” is used water leaving sinks, bathtubs and washing machines. Such water is collected, disinfected and stored in tanks, and then used instead of clean water to flush toilets.

“Most people would agree we don’t need potable water for toilet flushing,” Galliher said, adding reusing grey water can reduce water consumption by 30 per cent, and save homeowners accordingly on their water bill.

The funding will be used to support field testing, which will be done largely by University of Guelph engineering students. Researchers will monitor water quality and survey homeowners to track their satisfaction with the systems, as well as completing cost analyses and examining potential energy savings.

The city’s goal, depending on the study results, would be to install 200 residential grey water reuse systems by 2019.

Polley said he has been “intentionally negligent” with the system at his house to simulate the worst-case scenario of not performing regular maintenance on the system, which mostly involves cleaning out the filter.

He said when the system is not maintained, effluent is simply bypassed into the regular wastewater system “so it’s sort of foolproof. The worst case is you simply don’t realize the benefit from having it.”

Polley said there are a lot of eyes on Guelph to see if the program works, and rightly so.

“This could decrease home water use by 30 per cent if they are mandated to be installed in new homes and retrofitted into existing homes,” Polley said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t all be using grey water.”

Hydro-geologist Fatchy Muhammad said rainwater was a valuable resource that should be collected as much as possible on the ground instead of being directly drained away.

“Rainwater has good mineral content, which should not just be washed to sea. If we provide water absorption, it will become groundwater and help manage floods at the same time,” he said.

Fatchy said his aim was to have balanced usage of groundwater and tap water.

When households or companies use groundwater, he said, they should first examine the availability of groundwater on their land. When the groundwater resource is in surplus, they can choose to use it or tap water instead.

“If they use groundwater, they should conserve rainwater by digging biopore infiltration holes or wells,” he said, adding that this would lead to balanced usage.

When asked about the groundwater tax applied to corporations, he said companies should pay based on the disparity between the groundwater they use and the rainwater they collect.

“Companies can use meters to calculate the amount of water they use. They can also calculate the amount of rainwater they absorb.”

Fatchy said people from middle- to upper-income groups had an obligation to dig biopores, while companies should dig wells. The city, he said, should construct man-made lakes for water absorption

“We already have a regulation stipulating that companies dig wells for rainwater absorption. The city has to supervise and enforce it.”

He said unchecked development led to green spaces like forests being turned into buildings, in turn changing hydrological functions, which led to floods in the rainy season.

The city, he said, should focus on restoring the land’s absorption function if the officials want sustainable water management.

Marco Kusumawijaya, from urban community rujak.org, expressed a different opinion, saying the city’s current method of draining away rainwater into including canals and rivers was the best short-term solution for flood mitigation.

He said rainwater absorption would be a better long-term solution for a better environment.

He said the city did not have a zero runoff law like Santa Monica, California, which limits surface water runoff from houses and streets.

“People would have to pay for water that flows from their house because the drainage system is considered a service,” he said.

The world’s fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Japan, has pledged to cut its emissions by a quarter by 2020. To reach that goal, various sectors of Japanese society, from local governments to corporate giants and the general public, are going green

SIX simple acts – that is all you need to do daily to shrink your carbon footprint. This simple message is driving the Japanese Government’s campaign to reduce the carbon load of its 127 million people.

And the six actions? They are things which people can easily adopt in their daily lives: cut air-conditioner usage, drive less, avoid plastic bags, conserve water, recycle, and turn off power switches.

“The public tends to think that efforts in carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction are difficult and complex, and will require use of nuclear and solar energy and factories to reduce emissions,” explains Shigeru Komori, director of the lifestyle policy office in the environment ministry.

“In our campaign, we try to show that everyone uses lighting, computers, air-conditioner and heating daily, and all these contribute to energy consumption. So it is important for each person to bear some responsibility to reduce emissions.”

In fact, latest figures show the man in the street to be a culprit in the climate fiasco. While carbon emissions of industries have seen little growth – partly because Japan is facing its worst recession in decades – those of households and offices have ballooned drastically.

Energy-saving appliances can go a long way in reducing carbon intensity as indicated in a breakdown of the Japanese household’s power consumption – the main culprit is air-conditioner (25.2%), followed by refrigerator (16.1%) and lighting (16.1%).

An energy-saving washing machine, for instance, halves water use simply by tilting its drum. The toilet bowl and bathtub, being made of stain-resistant material, require fewer clean-ups and are easier to clean, thereby saving water.

Other high-tech touches help shrink the house’s carbon footprint: sensors that detect human presence, temperature and lighting, will automatically turn the air-conditioner on or off, and brighten or dim the lights.

Plant-covered walls and roofs block sunlight and cut down heat, thereby cutting down the need for air-conditioning. And, with the press of a switch, glass doors will turn opaque to block out the sun – so curtains are optional!

Assuming your new year resolutions are well on their way, have you set any green resolutions for this year? Are you planning on reducing your carbon footprint or will you continue to consume without care?

Just because 6 billion other people seem not to care, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to either. It starts with you, each individual. Every decision you take will make a difference to others and our environment!

What will you be doing this year to make it 2010 a green year to remember?

Here are some random ideas to help you tread more lightly on earth:

1. Buy local, think local and travel local. Support your community and in return you support our world!

2. Cycle to work once in a week or as much as possible and improve your fitness at the same time.

3. Save trees – only print necessary documents on recycled paper, replace paper with cloth napkins, use a message board instead of notes, use bleached free toilet paper, etc.

4. Install a grey water system to irrigate your garden with the water from your bath, shower or hand basins.

5. Have a shower instead of taking a bath.

6. Switch from disposable to reusable products – beverage containers, cups, plates, writing pens, razors, diapers, towels, shopping bags, etc.

7. Buy second hand goods if it doesn’t absolutely have to be brand new and donate your old goods to those in need.

8. Harvest rainwater and use it for daily purposes of laundry, washing, toilet, irrigation, etc. and we will gladly assist with the installation.

9. Eliminate chemical use in your garden, rather opt for natural or organic controls.

10. Create your own compost right in your garden without it costing you a cent.

11. Recycle

12. Grow your own vegetables and fruit, you’ll be able to taste the hard work you put into it and it will taste beter than you can buy.

13. Eat unprocessed/unpackaged food whenever possible.

14. Use solar power to heat your geyser and pool.

15. Switch appliances off when not in use, stand-by mode uses almost as much energy as when in use.

16. Keep lights switched off, install a skylight and by now you are surely using energy-efficient bulbs.

17. When turning on a water faucet, unless you need warm water choose the coolest water setting.

18. Install a WaterRhapsody Multiflush unit in your toilet and use only the required amount of water to flush the pan.

19. Plant a tree! When last have you done this?

20. Keep coming back here for more tips, there are many more so please feel free to share!