IF you don’t know the importance of water, ask the people who live in the drought-stricken areas. Water is very valuable and must be preserved at all times.
Joburg Water (JW) is always advocating for the reservation of water at all times and good citizens will always heed this call. It is important for the residents to report any leaks and ensure that they have the reference number. This is to monitor progress. Joburg Water has a plan for the effective delivery of clean water to the public.
Service levels and standard turnaround times according to its customer charter during service interruptions:
Unplanned water supply interruptions: 48 hours
Planned water supply interruptions: 48 hours
Average time taken to attend to leaking valves on main line: 48 hours
Average time taken to attend to sewer spills and blockages: 24 hours
Monthly meter reading: All meters are read as per CoJ Billing System monthly
Quality of portable water
All reported problems with water quality should be treated as a priority for water supplied by JW. The water supplied by JW complies with the South African National National Standard (SANS) 241 drinking water standard.
If customers complain about health aspects regarding the quality of their water supply, arrangements will be made to respond within eight hours of the laboratory becoming aware of the complaint logged by the call centre or by arrangement with the customers. When required, an alternative supply of water for drinking should be provided. This water will also be compliant with the SANS 241 drinking water standard.
Communication channels used
Social media (Twitter and Facebook) – Service disruption notices are posted seven days before and reminders are posted a day before.
A service provider is contracted to distribute leaflets seven days prior service disruption (planned) and for emergencies JW mainly use Twitter, Facebook, SMS notification, their website and press releases.
How clean is our water?
Johannesburg’s drinking water is of world-class standards. The quality of the water supplied by the city’s supplier, Rand Water, is measured against international standards, and “easily achieves those standards”.
Karl Lubout, manager of water quality marketing at Rand Water, said, “We have world-class water, and the main reason is that our water comes from high up in the Vaal River catchment area, which means that the water is unpolluted and clean.”
Rand Water produces some 3 000-million litres of water a day, equivalent to filling 60 000 swimming pools. The daily requirement for each person is two litres. It supplies five provinces: Gauteng, North West Province, Mpumalanga, Northern Province and Free State, or some 18 000 square kilometres. Around 60 per cent of industry in South Africa is supplied by Rand Water.
Johannesburgers do not drink treated water. The natural minerals are regulated to keep within limits set by the UN. Sewerage that is treated is usually released into the local rivers, at a standard that is close to the quality of the water in the river.
How to save water holistically
During the Gauteng City Region Water and Sanitation Forum on water-saving campaign launched last year, the forum adopted a six-pillar mass communication campaign to educate the community about saving water and changing daily habits to make sure that water is preserved.
The six pillars of the mass communication campaign are:
• Intensify Water Leaks campaign.
• Water harvesting during times of rain.
• Improve supply side and production through capacity upgrades.
• Uninterrupted water supply to all essential services facilities, including hospitals.
• Eskom to ensure no power cuts/shortages or load shedding to
Rand Water facilities responsible for pumping water.
• Educating communities on efficient water use and preservation
Another way to save water is the construction of water boreholes.
Benefits of drilling a water borehole
Saves cost – borehole water costs less than the average of municipal water.
Perfect pressure – a borehole can achieve the water pressure for its purpose.
Avoid price hikes – with a borehole system you will not be affected by future increases in water prices.
Improved quality – water derived from a borehole is often of high quality.
Locally sourced – it comes from underneath your property and no energy is wasted on transportation.
Saves water – with borehole water you will be able to save directly because you are going to source pure water from your land rather than from your normal tap.
Water-wise gardening tips
Leslie Hoy from Rand Water recently had a talk on the importance of being water-wise in your garden at Johannesburg South Garden Club.
Some of the tips he gave include:
• Recycle water as much as you can. Reroute ‘grey water’ from your sink, bath and shower to water your garden. Have water tanks which will collect rainwater for reuse in your garden. Water between 18:00 and 06:00, as this will prevent too much water loss to evaporation. Invest in a flexible irrigation system with rain sensors that will turn the system off if it has rained. Water only when necessary and water deeply, this should encourage deep rooting of plants.
• Less grass means less watering. Instead of having a huge expanse of lawn, choose gravel and pebble pathways instead. Even consider Astroturf for small areas close to a patio which will be evergreen. Also remember lawns need to rest and shouldn’t be watered all the year round. Mulch is free. Don’t throw anything away in your garden, using leaves and grass cuttings. Don’t dig this into the beds, but leave it on top. You can save up to 70 per cent of water this way.
• For a cheap drip irrigation system you can use plastic cooldrink bottles. Make tiny holes in the top or the bottom of the bottles and place them on the soil of garden beds.
• Also create a garden which won’t need too much water. Visit your local garden nurseries and enquire about plants that grow well without a lot of water. Bush violet, honey flower and acacia require less watering and overall maintenance. Certain plants, such as aloes and strelitzia, have strong, fleshy root systems, allowing them to reach deep into the soil, and many surface roots, which extend far away from the plant. Annuals such as African daisy, marigold, verbena and kochia can thrive with minimum water.
You may also be interested in:
Ekurhuleni comments on water contamination in Southcrest
Thank you for water donations to bring relief in drought
Sources: Joziwater.co.za
