City of Ekurhuleni marks National Water Week

In response to World Water Day (March 22) and National Water Week (March 20 to 26), the CoE launched a campaign to educate learners on water conservation.

The campaign included learners from Ekukhanyeni Primary School. They learnt about water conservation, the proper use of water and the correct use of water and sewer infrastructure.

The city’s Be The Change campaign aims to educate people to save water.

The municipality faces the challenge of high water losses, particularly in areas deemed to be indigent.

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The campaign primarily educates people on preserving water to ensure a sufficient supply and to protect it for future development needs.

“World Water Day is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.

“Dysfunction throughout the water cycle undermines progress on all major global problems, from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry and disasters to peace,” said CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.

“In 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) six as part of the 2030 agenda.

The promise is that everyone will have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030. Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms, and factories are held back because their human rights to water and sanitation still need to be fulfilled.

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“There is an urgent need to accelerate change, to go beyond business as usual. The latest data show that governments must work, on average, four times faster to meet SDG six on time, but this is not a situation that any single actor or group can solve. Water affects everyone, so we need everyone to take action.”

Dlamini said the campaign targets learners, residents who reside in areas with high water consumption, and areas deemed indigent.

“Communities and business owners are encouraged to get involved in the campaign by adopting water-saving measures in their daily lives by being mindful of when they use, consume, and manage water,” said Dlamini.

Below are some water-saving measures residents should practice:

• Reduce your time in the shower.
• Avoid washing cars with hosepipes. Use buckets instead.
• Avoid washing pavements with hosepipes. Use a broom to sweep instead.
• Turn off taps while brushing your teeth.
• Never hesitate to repair leaking taps.
• Avoid leaving taps running while rinsing hair or shaving.
• Cover swimming pools to prevent evaporation; and
• Install low-flow restrictions on taps at home.
“We have every reason to believe that together we can be the change we want to see when it comes to water preservation,” said Dlamini.