Company calls for water-saving measures amid SA shortages

With the water crisis in SA, First National Bank (FNB) urges people to take action to conserve and lock away water as the pressure builds on infrastructure and the environment.

This comes after Earth Day was commemorated on April 22, a reminder of the nation’s pressing environmental issues.

SA remains a water-scarce country, and FNB indicated that the situation is worsening because of climate change, aged infrastructure and rising water demand due to urbanisation and population growth.

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In recent months, residents in parts of the CoJ, including Pimville, Meadowlands and Diepkloof in Soweto, have experienced firsthand the impact of water disruptions.

FNB said such disruptions are a sign, if one is needed, of the immediate need for awareness and action.

FNB’s head of sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) solutions, Kival Singh, believes now is the time for all South Africans to shift their mindsets and own up.

“Water has a role in all walks of life, from health to food to livelihood,” Singh said.

“But if you are working under day-to-day pressure, it is easy to forget that water doesn’t just emerge from a tap and think erroneously that water security is somebody else’s problem.”

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FNB has a three-pronged approach to support residents: to educate, open access to practical solutions and make accommodating financial assistance available.

At the heart of this is the FNB Water Coach, accessed through the FNB App under nav»Life ? nav»Earth.

The Water Coach helps users realise how much water they use, provides tailored advice and encourages incremental daily improvements that add up.

“People tend not to realise how much water they waste or use. The App helps them see what they are doing and gives guidance that works for their lifestyle. It makes the connection between individual action and national impact,” said Singh.

Sipho Silinda, FNB’s CEO of public sector banking, also spoke about the significance of collective action, “Protecting the water future of SA is not an issue the government can undertake alone. It must be undertaken by a collective effort that invokes the experience of the public and private sectors, civil society and every individual,” stated Silinda.

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“At FNB, we realise our critical role in driving national priorities. Enabling customers with tools, information, and finance solutions helps to augment public sector efforts to create a more water-resilient and water-secure SA.
“Every action counts and when added up, can make a national difference,” he continued.

If you are ready to put your money into useful solutions, FNB has various water-saving products via FNB Connect and eBucks.com.

These include rainwater harvest tanks, town water back-up systems, filters and purifiers, smart metering and leak detectors.

Chosen systems might be discounted up to 20% for customers, with expert assistance to help households match with the best available alternative.

Flexible lending is also an option, as well as personal loans, revolving credit, and new home lending options with more money included for financing eco-improvements, all with economical repayment plans.

“Today, people need water security, not in five years from now when they have saved enough money to buy it.

“That is why we pushed extra push to develop quick, flexible and realistic financing solutions,” Singh said.