Despite the recent heavy rains, large parts of the country are still facing water shortages as a result of a crippling drought.
Spokesperson for Budget Insurance, Graham Craggs weighed in on the topic. “Residents are not only being asked to be frugal with water, but Joburgers will be charged a tariff if their monthly water consumption exceeds 20 kilolitres of water,” Craggs said.
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He added that the water restrictions imposed by various municipalities still applied and community members were urged to use this precious resource sparingly, and to cut their water usage by 15 per cent.
Craggs said homeowners would pay 10 per cent extra on consumption between 20 000 litres and 30 000 litres per month, 20 per cent extra on consumption between 30 000 litres and 40 000 litres per month, and 30 per cent extra for consumption above 40 000 litres.
“This is a significant amount of money to add to your monthly bills. This, plus the fact that the country is in a water crisis, should motivate consumers to be frugal with their water usage.”
As a starting point, he suggested community members adhere to level 2 water restrictions if they have been imposed in their municipality. This means residents may not water or irrigate their gardens between 6am and 6pm (this is because water just evaporates), use municipal water to fill their pools, or use hosepipes to wash cars or hose down paved areas.
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Craggs advised on some day-to-day water-consumption tips to ensure better water usage, and to prevent extra tariffs:
- Fix faults in plumbing throughout your property. A leaking tap can waste thousands of litres of water each year.
- Put a brick in your toilet and leave it to mellow. Toilets use more water than is necessary, and flushing can be unnecessary. A brick will substantially reduce water use. Don’t flush the toilet unnecessarily, and rather dispose of items such as tissues and cotton wool in the rubbish bin.
- Save electricity. Eskom uses three per cent of South Africa’s water, so saving electricity will ease that burden on the environment.
- Shower instead of bathing, and shorten showers and teeth brushing.
- Get your children to shower together instead of separately.
- Turn off the tap while brushing teeth. After brushing your teeth, use a glass of water to rinse your mouth.
- Do not refill the swimming pool, rather use a pool cover to prevent evaporation
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