JOHANNESBURG: The issue of water restrictions by the City of Joburg and other municipalities in recent days came into the spotlight during a discussion on the matter in Sandton on Wednesday.
A panel of water experts together with Sunlight management, met to discuss water conversation solutions at the JSE Exchange Square, in Sandton on Wednesday.
The discussion, led by television personality Masechaba Ndlovu proved a thought- provoking debate on the public’s water use routines.
Head of Northern Water Division Jacques Laubscher argued that if water remains a freely available service that people feel entitled to, it would not be valued by consumers.
“Once something is a commodity, the consumer is bound to value it, as they are spending their rand and cents per consumption,” said Laubscher.
Another issue raised by the panel was the role of technology in assisting with water conservation.
Acting chief operations officer for Johannesburg Water, Etienne Hugo mentioned an idea in progress that generates grey water for flushing toilets, instead of using clean drinking water.
A dry run of this system is currently implemented in some homes in Soweto, and according to Hugo, the approximate 7 litres of water per flush could contribute to conservation.
When the question of water shedding to assist water restrictions was posed, Hugo said shedding would be the last resort “because water doesn’t work like electricity”.
“Shedding would result in damage to the country’s infrastructure. If we switch water on and off regularly, pipes are likely to burst and water takes time to pump.”
Sunlight brand manager, Caroline Blumrick announced how the company was getting their tier market to save water.
“We have introduced a laundry hand wash product with reduced foam. With reduced foam, the rinsing process will not require a lot of water and will help to save women time,” she said.
Ndlovu chipped in as the discussion came to a close, saying: “Human beings, on average, could survive six days without food but without water we are only guaranteed 48 hours. Therefore it (preserving water) should be everybody’s problem”.