What can we, as ordinary citizens do to save water? If you are not aware of the perilous state of our dams and water reservoirs you should read the articles on page three to understand just how serious the problem is.
What can we, as ordinary citizens do to save water? If you are not aware of the perilous state of our dams and water reservoirs you should read the articles on page three to understand just how serious the problem is.
On page four we have a number of useful watersaving tips from Grahamstown residents Dams around much of the Eastern Cape, and especiallythe Makana and Ndlambe municipalities are facing one of the most serious crises ever.
While Port Elizabeth is wondering how the city will be able to host World Cup soccer matches if the visitors can’t take a shower, we are in an equally invidious position of possibly having a very dry and consequently smelly National Arts Festival.
A series of articles in Grocott’s Mail and a number of advertisements placed by the municipality have shown the gravity of the water shortage.
At the same time, we have gone to great lengths to advise readers how they can mitigate the effects of the drought by reducing their own wastage.
So we will continue to print articles about the water crisis and tips on how to save water. If each one of us can reduce water consumption, the cumulative effect of all our efforts is likely to prolong our water supply just that little bit longer.
Every drop you save counts. The current water shortage is only the latest in a long series of droughts that have afflicted this area.
This might be surprising because the countryside between Grahamstown and the Ndlambe coast is usually quite green.
But the green grass only provides a false sense of security, because as you drive towards the coast you will certainly notice that all the farm dams are dangerously low.
We need to save water now. However, for the longer term we need to find a sustainable solution to the cycle of droughts.
The amount of rainfall is unlikely to increase even as the demands on our water resources intensify due to population growth.
This means that the water shortage will probably get worse in the medium term unless we can drastically cut our water consumption or find other solutions.
These dire circumstances present a wonderful opportunity for some bright individual to develop a more cost effective method of desalination the holy grail of the 21st century.
