Water scarcity has become a major challenge in the country due to ongoing and severe drought conditions.
As it was World Water Day in March, The Department of Water Affairs urged South Africans to play a role in saving water. World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
A group of women working at a food garden at Motsewapele Primary School in Evaton have come up with methods to save water in their community.
“At our project site we always make sure that the tap is closed once we are done,” says Betty Ntlhake Community Working Group (CWG) member at Motsewapele Primary School, Evaton.
“We connect a hose pipe to the tap and pour the water into watering cans. That is how we water the crops in our garden,” she adds. By using a measured amount of water from watering cans instead of a hosepipe, the women minimise the amount of water they use.
Ntlhake is one of a group of women who are the primary beneficiaries of the Sustainable use of natural resources to improve resilience in South Africa: A grassroots women’s project. The European Union funded project is implemented by GenderCC Southern Africa and Earthlife Africa-JHB in partnership with Oxfam.
The project encourages rainwater harvesting through installations of water tanks at project sites. Rainwater harvesting involves the collection and storage of rain water for later use.
Another member of the CWG, Thembelihle Dlamini says, “We knew how to use and save water before working in the garden but we were given training on water saving methods”.
“The project has helped us to have a better understanding of the importance of using water wisely,” says Dlamini.
Hot dry weather due to climate change will cause more and more water to evaporate from streams, rivers and dams. There will be less fresh water for drinking and agriculture, making the conservation of water increasingly important.
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