Save water this Easter

AS holidaymakers prepare to head for KwaZulu-Natal for the Easter weekend, Umgeni Water reminds residents and visitors that water restrictions remain in place in most parts of Durban, all of Pietermaritzburg and all of uMgungundlovu.

“Mandatory water restrictions of 15% are still in place in the Mgeni system which comprises in its upper part Mearns Weir, Spring Grove Dam and Midmar Dam, and in its lower part Albert Falls Dam, Nagle Dam and Inanda Dam,” warned Umgeni Water’s Corporate Stakeholder Manager, Shami Harichunder, who urged people to use water sparingly.

He said water restrictions were introduced to prevent failure of major dams in the Mgeni system and, in this way, ensure that the water in them lasts until the next good rains.

“The water restrictions and water shortages, especially in Midmar and Albert Falls dams, are a consequence of below-average rainfall the past four years.”

Dam levels
The levels of Mgeni system dams as at Friday, 7 April were: Mearns 93 per cent; Spring Grove 83 per cent; Midmar 75, 56 per cent; Albert Falls 36, 5 per cent; Nagle 65, 21 per cent and Inanda 66 per cent. Mearns and Spring Grove are small dams that empty out as quickly as they fill.

Of concern to Umgeni Water is the level of Albert Falls, the largest dam in the Umgeni Water operational area, which has remained consistently in the 30% range for almost a year.

This dam supplies Durban North, Westville, KwaDabeka, Durban Central, Reservoir Hills and Pinetown. The amount of water in Midmar and Albert Falls dams is not sufficient to meet the full demand of eThekwini, Msunduzi and uMgungundlovu.

Rain
Harichunder said Rainfall forecasts by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and South African Weather Service indicate that some rainfall, likely to be below average, is expected in April. However, this not expected to make a significant difference to dam levels.

Three systems in the Umgeni Water operational area are currently out of restrictions following good rainfall during the last quarter of 2016 and January and February 2017.

They are Hazelmere that serves the north of eThekwini and parts of iLembe; Middle South Coast that serves Umzinto, Scottburgh, Pennington and Kelso, and Home Farm Dam that serves the town of Ixopo.

Some easy-to-implement water saving tips 

· Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth – this can save six litres of water per minute

· Place a cistern displacement device in your toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water used in each flush

· Take a shorter shower. Shower can use anything between six and 45 litres per minute

· Always use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasherasthis removes the need for unnecessary washes in between

· Fix a dripping tap. A dripping tap can waste 15 litres a day or about 5500 litres a year

· Install a water butt to your drainpipe and use the water collected to water plants, clean a car and wash windows

· Water your garden with a watering can rather than a hosepipe. A hosepipe uses 1 000 litres of water an hour

· Fill a jug with tap water and place this in your fridge. This will mean you do not have to leave the tap running for the water to run cold before you fill your glass

· Invest in water-efficient appliances when you need to replace household products. You can now buy water-efficient showerheads, taps, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers and many other
water-saving products.

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