Cape Town – Saving water is a new mobile phone application currently under development at the I-CAN Centre, which will notify users of water consumption issues and encourage them to be more conscientious about saving water.
Torsten Stauch, a lecturer at the I-CAN Centre and chief executive of Appshed, said: “The app will have a user registration, newsfeed, a chat group, water savings rewards, top tips for water-saving, reporting water abuses in communities anonymously and notifications on dam levels and regulation changes.”
He said 15 students had been working on the app and it would be ready by February 17.
Stauch said it was insightful to work with community members who had practical solutions for water conservation.
“Working with people in their communities, they come up with ideas that are novel, with unexpected ways of solving the water crisis. Once students are exposed to mobile technology, they quickly use that to address the needs that exist in communities,” he said.
Llewellyn Scholtz, 36, I-CAN Centre manager, recognised the urgency to help people understand the full extent of the water issues facing the Western Cape.
He said the app would provide much-needed awareness about water usage during this uneasy time.
“This app will share stories of how other countries suffered with drought to understand its impact. The app is needed to continuously remind citizens to be aware of the environmental challenges."
“Information is the key to behavioural change and that’s why the I-CAN Centre is building a mobile app – an application that can help citizens save water by using technology to better understand their usage and offer the best opportunities to conserve.”
Water restrictions were escalated to level 3 on November 1.
Scholtz said the app would be able to help people save water at home. “All you have to do is answer questions (there are a few questions that ask about your shower head/faucet output, but the app walks you through finding those numbers) about your household’s water usage, and the app figures out what areas you need to work on.”