Water Wise Watch

This month with Water Wise

Water Wise Tip of the Month from Leslie Hoy“Replace worn washers in taps and toilets to prevent leaks and water wastage,

especially during the current drought.”

November 2015

In this issue:•South Africa’s water currentsituation:

DROUGHT•Understanding El Niñoanditseffecton South Africa’s weather.

•Water Wise events.•What is geosmin?

The news is buzzing with warnings aboutseveredrought,waterrestrictions,water shortages, and the resultant knock-oneffectsonfarmingandwatersupplyinSouth Africa.

Parts of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces have been declared disaster areas due to a lack in rainfall. The Western Cape is experiencing its worst drought in 75 years.

Although we have entered the rainy season in the eastern part of the country, theeffectsoftheweatherphenomenonknown as El Niño has caused below-normal rainfall, and above-normal temperatures throughout most of the

country.Both Tshwane and Johannesburg have

been issued with warnings of possible water shortages, as a result of the current drought, the worst in the last 23 years.

Rand Water has issued a statement advising residents of Pretoria and Johannesburg of possible localized problems with water supply, including low pressure and water shortages, due to high demand, low rainfall, and high temperature in those areas.

Residents have been asked to use watersparinglyatthistimetopreventapotentialwatercrisis.Toreadmore,clickhere.

Editor:SamantaStelli“Do as much as you can to reduce the

amount of water you useduringthistimeof

water shortages.”

Water Wise joins in World Migratory Bird Day celebrations at Marievale

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On 15 October 2015, the Department of Environmental Affairs(DEA),togetherwiththeGautengDepartmentofAgriculturalandRuralDevelopment(GDARD)andBirdLifeSouthAfrica(BLSA)celebratedWorldMigratoryBirdDayattheMarievaleBirdSanctuaryinNigel.WaterWisewereinvitedtoattendtheeventaskey

stakeholdersasaresultofanMemorandumofAgreementwithGDARDwhichresultedintheretrofittingandupgradingthebirdhidesandfacilities.Inadditiontothis,WaterWisealsodevelopededucationalposterswhichhavebeendisplayedinallthebirdhides.TheChiefDirector:SustainableUseofEnvironment,MrLoyisoMkwana,thankedWaterWisefortheircontribution.ThewetlandenvironmentatMarievaleallowsforarangeof

bird species and other wildlife to inhabit the area throughout

the year hence the need for the conservationof this site is crucial.Ititis part of the Blesbokspruit Ramsar site

andisalsolistedasanImportantBirdArea(IBA).Thecelebrationincludedatourofthesitewithnumerous

school groups and community members. The message of conservationofbirdsandwetlandswereemphasised,amessage that aligns well with Water Wise and will no doubt be encouraged.

Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa.

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Water Wise WeatherThe El Niño weather phenomenon

has been cited as the reason for South Africa’s current drought, which is compromising farmers, and causing potentialwatershortagesthroughoutthe country. HowdoesElNiñoaffectSouthAfrica?

The southern part of Africa generally receives below-normal rainfall during El Niño years. El Niño does not always causedrought:eventhoughmostElNiño years have been associated with below-normal rainfall, the impact of itisoftenreducedbythesufficientgroundwater and soil moisture content carried over from previous seasons.

October in reviewParameter: 2014 2015Min.Temp.(oC) 4.1 4.5Max.Temp.(oC) 32.8 34.3AverageTemp.(oC) 18.9 21.6Rainfall(mm) 77 21.8

• The amount of water that is wasted throughleakingpipes,theftandbadbilling in one year in Johanneburg couldfill87743Olympic-sizedswimming pools.

Water Facts:

Water in the NewsSpecial Edition News: South African Drought 2015/2016

Minister address the wastage of water in SATheMinisterforWaterandSanitation,NomvulaMokonyane,hastoldParliament that Joburg lost enough water between July 2013 and June 2014 tofillupHartbeespoortDam–andstillhave spare. The next war, the experts say,willbefoughtnotovernationalpride(necessarily),notoveroilorothermineralresources,butoverwater–thatscarce resource that so many of us take for granted.

South Africans risk starvation by threat of severe droughtReports indicate that over half a million people in KwaZula-Natal, and more than 90000Limpoporesidentsarefacingawater crisis as a result of the drought we are currently experiencing across thecountry.KwaZulu-Natal,Limpopo,

North West, Free State and the Northern Cape Provinces are currently the hardest hit, and the Depertment of Water and Sanitationisurgingpeopletousewatersparingly.

Reports from KwaZulu-Natal indicate that there has been up to R 500 million worthofdamagesofar.Thesituation,which is crippling farmers in the area, hasbeendescribedasdevastating,asupto 50% of water use has been restricted incertainmunicipalities,anddamlevelsdrop to below 25% capacity.

Saving water if you live in a sectional title or complex

Property24 have put together a list of methodsthatthoselivinginsectionaltitlescanemploytosavewater,

especially as we enter a severe drought in South Africa this summer seaosn. For example, ask garden services and the body corporate responsible for maintaining the landscapes to water earlyintheafternoonorlateintheevening.Formorehintsandtips,clickhere.

If you want to attempt fracking, you will need permissionTheMinisterofwaterandsanitationhas declared fracking, or hydraulic fracturing,acontrolledactivity,aspertheNationalWaterAct36(1998).Tobeinvolvedinthisactivity,youwillberequired to obtain permission from the Department. Read more here.

Dry and Warm

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Water Wise EventsVaalDam:55.9%

BloemhofDam:47.8%

GrootdraaiDam:67.5%

SterkfonteinDam:97.6%

GariepDam:59.1%

VaalBarrageDam:97.2%

KatseDam:71.0%*attimeofwriting

Current Dam Capacities*:

Areyoufeelingtheeffectsoflonghoursatwork,apoordiet,andverylittleexercise?Modernlivinggivesuslifestyleperks and convenience but it means that many of us are working longer hours,exercisinglessandeatingadietofnutrientdeficientfoods.Asahighachiever and business driver, you may belivingyourlifeinanenergyandtimedeficit.Manyofushavebecomerichermateriallybutthetrade-offismorestressandlessqualitytimeforourselves.JointheGreenBusinessPlatformthis

month, as they welcome Celynn Erasmus, aregistereddieticianandafulltimeprofessional speaker and writer. Celynn is passionate about helping busy people enhance their performance by managing

fatigueandboostingenergylevels.Asaprofessional speaker, Celynn energizes localaswellasinternationalaudiencesand presents regularly in the UK. Celynn isManagingDirectorofNewCelMobileHealth

The event will take place on 6 November atThabaEcoHotel,startingat07:30for08:00.ThechargeisR50perperson,whichincludesalightsnackafterthetalk.Formoreinformationonthisevent,contacttheSOJOOfficesat:011 493 7880 or info@sojo.co.za or visit www.klipsa.org.za. Click here for past events, talks and presentations.

Smelly water does not mean unhealthy water if the odour is caused by geosmin.

Rand Water’s consumers may experience odours in the water during the summer months due to the presence of geosmin.Thehumannoseisverysensitivetogeosmin,detectingitatconcentrationsaslowas5partspertrillion.Geosminisanaturallyoccurringodourproducingsubstancefound in surface waters as a by-product of blue green algae. The intensity of these odours is directly related to the increaseddensitiesofblue-greenalgaenormallyoccurringinthe surface waters of the Vaal Dam during summer.

The present problem is aggravated by the current sunny weather and high temperatures causing ideal growing conditionsforalgaeandthistogetherwiththevaryinglevelofthedamresultsinthedraw-offofsurfacewaterscontaininghighquantitiesofbluegreenalgae.Theodoursareearthyormustyincharacterandaresometimesdescribedassmelling

like green mealies. These odours can be very persistent and arenoteffectivelyremovedbyconventionalwaterpurificationprocesses.

Inviewoftheinfrequentandusuallyshortdurationoftheproblem and the fact that this compound is not harmful to human health, it is Rand Water’s view that the high cost of removing this substance is not warranted at this stage.

RandWater,however,remainscommittedtosupplyingsafeandaestheticallyacceptablewaterandshouldourextensivewater quality-monitoring programme indicate an increase in frequencyanddurationoftheseoccurrences,thenecessarysteps will be taken to remedy the problem in due course.

Remember, geosmin does not present a health risk. Visit www.reservior.co.zaforfurtherinformationonwaterqualityinyour area, or call Rand Water’s customer call centre at 0860 10 10 60.

What is geosmin and how does it affect your water?

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Doyouhaveanyinterestingpicturesofplantsinyourgarden,oranycommentsorquestions?Ifyou do, please send them to us and we will include them in next month’s issue. We would love

to hear from you! You can visit our website by going to www.randwater.co.za and clicking on theWaterWiselogo.Alternatively,youcanemailusatwaterwise@randwater.co.za or you can

phone our call centre at 0860 10 10 60.

Days to remember:

06November:World Responsible Tourism Day

20November:Universal Children’s Day

21 November World Fisheries Day

22November:NationalBigBirdingDay

28November:Buy Nothing Day

ElNiñoandLaNiñaarecomplexweatherpatternsresultingfromvariationsinoceantemperaturesintheEquatorialPacific.ElNiñoandLaNiñaareoppositephasesofwhatisknownastheElNiño-SouthernOscillation(ENSO)cycle.TheENSOcycleisascientific

termthatdescribesthefluctuationsin temperature between the ocean and atmosphere in the east-central EquatorialPacific.Thesedeviationsfrom normal surface temperatures can have large-scale impacts not only on ocean processes, but also on global weather and climate.

El Niño episodes typically last nine to 12 months, but some prolonged events may last for years. While their frequency can be quite irregular, El Niño events occur on average every

two to seven years. The presence of El Niño cansignificantlyinfluenceweatherpatterns,oceanconditions,andmarinefisheriesacrosslargeportionsoftheglobeforanextendedperiodoftime.Developingcountriesdependentuponagricultureandfishing,particularlythoseborderingthePacificOcean,arethemostaffected.ThefirstsignsofanElNiñoareaweakening

oftheWalkercirculationortradewindsandstrengtheningoftheHadleycirculationandmayinclude:

1. RiseinsurfacepressureovertheIndianOcean,Indonesia,andAustralia

2. FallinairpressureoverTahitiandtherestofthecentralandeasternPacificOcean

3. TradewindsinthesouthPacificweakenorhead east

4. Warm air rises near Peru, causing rain in the northern Peruvian deserts

Formore,pleasevisit:http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ni%C3%B1o

The El Niño weather phenomenonEl Niño graphic courtesy of: Visit to an Ocean Planet CD ROM produced by TOPEX/Posiden Project NASA.

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Using less water in the home - preparing for drought conditions

WaterandSanitationMinister,NomvulaMokonyane,isencouraging South Africans to be more aware of their water usageandtousewatersparingly.AccordingtotheMinister,climatechangehasexacerbatedthedroughtsituationinSouthAfrica, which is thought to have been triggered by the latest El Niño weather event, and is worsened by South Africa’s semi-arid climate and already water scarce state.Droughtconditionsarebeingexperiencesacrossthe

country due to prolonged lower-than-normal rainfall since the beginning of the year, and this has led to water shortages in a number of public water supply schemes or dams. So far, drought disaster has been declared in only two of the nine provinces, namely KwaZulu-Natal and Free State.

As individuals there are many simple measures to use waterwiselyonadailybasisandnotjustintimesofdrought.Although each individuals water saving may be small, when addedtogethertheamountofwaterwecansaveissignificant.

The following are some tips on how to be Water Wise in the home: - Monitoryourwater bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.

- We’remorelikelytonoticeleaks indoors, but don’t forget to check outdoor faucets, sprinklers and hoses for leaks.

- Whenbuyingnewappliances,considerthosethatoffercycleandload size adjustments. They’re more water and energy efficient.

- Whenyousavewater,yousavemoneyonyourutilitybillstoo. - Insulate hot water pipes for more immediate hot water at the tap and for energy savings.

- Makesuggestionstoyouremployeraboutwaystosavewaterandmoney at work.

- Support projects that use reclaimed wastewaterforirrigationandindustrial uses.

- Washing dark clothes in cold water saves both on water and energy while it helps your clothes to keep their colours.

- Report broken pipes, open hydrants and errant sprinklers to the property owner or your water provider.

- Share water conservation tips with friends and neighbours. - While staying in a hotel or even at home, consider reusing your towels.

- Have your plumber re-route your grey water to trees and gardens ratherthanlettingitrunintothesewerline.

- Installcovers on pools and check for leaks around your pumps. - When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. - Ifyourshowerfillsa5litrebucketinlessthan20seconds,replacethe showerhead with a water-efficient model.

- Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 600 litres per month.

Follow the 3 R’s of being Water Wise:•Reduce your daily water use. •Reusewaterwherepossible.Mosttapwatercanbeusedatleasttwice.•Repairleakingpipes,toiletcisternsandtaps.Inspectyourwatermeterandcarryoutawateraudittoidentify

water that may be leaking without you knowing it.

A family of four can use anything between 300 and 800 litres of water in the home per day. This is a very large amount considering that many people in the world use as little as 25 litres of water per person per day. It is entirely possible to conduct your daily tasks, such as cleaning, cooking, bathing, drinking and flushing toilets with only 2.5 buckets of water a day. Water Wise challenges every South African to use as little water a day as possible.