The drought is far from over, so please use water wisely
The downpour over the past few days must not fool anyone to think that the worst is over. This brought some minor relief to certain areas but the drought is still a concern.
MBOMBELA – According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, we must still use water sparingly despite the recent rainfall.
The downpour over the past few days must not fool anyone to think that the worst is over. This brought some minor relief to certain areas but the drought is still a concern.
According to Mr Themba Khoza of the department, South Africa is a water-scarce country and ranks among the 30 driest countries in the world. This worsens the current situation. “The effects of climate change are also doing us no favours,” he says. According to the South African Weather Bureau, the dry weather will probably persist throughout the remainder of this year and into March 2016, a period during which the country normally gets most of its rain. “This really shows that we are still going to experience the drought and the heatwave will continue to evaporate the little that is available in our dams and rivers,” says Khoza.
“The drought we are currently experiencing is a wake-up call to everyone in the country to take water conservation seriously, not only during this drought but going forward for the benefit of the current and future generations.”
Despite being a water-scarce country, we use more of the natural resource than the world average. We are also losing more through leaks in the systems and our households, as well as through irresponsible behaviour.
“Indeed climate change is also upon us and we are also experiencing the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. This is causing increased heat and exacerbating the drought.
“This really calls upon all South Africans to hold hands and work together in water conservation and demand management. Let us all stop our irresponsible water usage and use the little available wisely and for the benefit of all.”
The department requests those who are not yet paying for services, to use it wisely and to stop leaving the taps running for the whole day watering gardens and washing cars as they don’t feel the pinch of paying.
