South Africa is a water stressed country, and the water resources are under tremendous pressure from a growing population, ongoing development, pollution, wetland destruction, alien invasive plants and the effects of global warming.
Clean your car by filling a bucket with water rather than using a running hose on the lawn.
The only answer to this dilemma lies in changing people’s attitude and thus their behaviour in using water more wisely.
Water Wise shares some tips on how to save water outdoors…
Outdoor washing
Swimming pool
To minimise water splashing out the pool while swimming, don’t fill your pool too high.
Garden
Use mulch like grass, leaves, bar, wood chips, pebbles etc. to keep the ground moist around the plants.
Irrigation
Maintain your garden by mowing, weeding, pruning and irrigating as needed. A well-maintained yard requires less water.
Water meter
In your street, there is a main water pipe that has been laid by your municipality. Each house has a connection to this pipe. At the connection between this pipe and your house there is a water meter. The water meter records the amount of water that you use and is normally read on a monthly basis. You are then billed for the monthly water that you use.