As the nations focus rests on saving every drop, we remember water is worth a king’s ransom.
Newcastle Municipality recently revealed it would be taking part in the National Water Week campaign from March 14 to March 18.
The theme of this year’s programme is, Water is Life – 20 Years of Water Delivery for Social and Economic Development, and coincides with South Africa’s milestone of 20 years of democracy.
The core objective of Water Week is highlight the severity of the prevailing drought, and will target schools, heavily affected communities, municipal officials and ward councillors.
“Water is a scarce resource and, therefore, we need constructive and innovative ideas to manage and conserve it,” read a statement issued by Newcastle Municipality.
National Water Week is an awareness campaign initiated by the Department of Water Affairs (DWA), and seeks to promote the ideal of conserving water nationwide.
“It serves as a powerful campaign mechanism, reiterating the value of water, the need for sustainable management of this scarce resource and the role water plays in eradicating poverty and under-development in South Africa.”
The municipality firmly believes a culture of water conservation needs to be created among Newcastle consumers.
“Each individual needs to understand their roles, responsibilities, and obligations in the water provision cycle, as well as the detrimental effects of them not playing a positive part in the cycle.”
The purpose of tackling the issues on home turf is to inform locals about how to report water leaks, and ensure the community understands why saving water is imperative.
“With the prevailing drought, it is of utmost importance that all stakeholders are engaged and sensitised about looming water challenges in our area of supply.”
Muncipal officials will be conducting awareness campaigns at the following venues:
March 14: Electrical Department boardroom from 10am to 11am (Portfolio Councillor awareness).
March 15: Mdumiseni High School/ Madadeni Checkers from 9am to 3pm (community awareness).
March 16: Mzamo High School/ Itheku Plaza from 9am to 3pm (community awareness).
March 17: oSizweni High School/ oSizweni stadium from 9am to 3pm (community awareness).
March 18: Phelandaba Stadium from 9am to 3pm (community awareness).
“National Water Week should be used in order to comply with the DWA’s requirements and spread out warning shots about the severity of drought in KwaZulu-Natal,” concluded the statement.
Will you be taking part in the campaign? Email us at ncschools@caxton.co.za, and tell us how you plan to get involved!
