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Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 24 March 2011
By: Jeremy Westgarth-Taylor – pioneer of Water Rhapsody Conservation Systems
The points in the letter below will be raised by Jeremy Westgarth-Taylor in a meeting with Shell scheduled for 16:00 on 25 March 2011 at Sports Science Centre in Newlands, Cape Town
Dear Shell, I have done a study of other frackers, and I see no difference between you and others elsewhere worldwide, what with the lack of transparency and downright lies.
 Millions of litres of water are needed for fracking - per drilling site. Fracking in our Karoo is not something that we simply don’t want. We are not going to have it. It will not go ahead if nothing else because of the strength of our consumerism. This is not Nigeria where Shell can simply do what Shell pleases.
You and your minions Golder have promised us a lot of things during our meetings, the answers to questions which have not been answered and at best have been obfuscated. Are you lying or simply being economical with the truth in these examples?
For instance; when asked about the toxic compounds that you intend to introduce into the earth, after drillings have been completed, to start your fracking process your Adam Dodson said in one or more meetings:
1. One of the chemicals used in fracking is also used in ice cream.
2. The chemicals were something which you would report in the EMP proposal – (which is not there).
3. The Chemicals are of proprietary nature and could not expose them.
4. Could not tell us because the geology differs in every area from place to place.
Clearly and succinctly answer which of these is the correct answer. And let us know whether diesel is one of the ingredients. Why don’t you give us the list of all the possible ingredients for this purpose?
We read in the newspapers conflicting things and on the basis of the conflicting items we need some answers. Continue reading Open letter to Shell regarding fracking in the Karoo
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 07 March 2011
By: PC Baker
I am sure that many of you have seen and read a lot about this proposed programme; it has been well reported in the press as well as on the news services. Johan Rupert, a Karooster himself has joined the forces mobilizing against this operation which has given the campaign a big boost….”Rupert vs. Shell”.
 Support the cause. Get your T-shirt (click on image) There have been public meetings held throughout the Karoo and in PE as well as Cape Town. The momentum is increasing to force Shell to abandon this exploration and possible drilling.
But why should we be against something which will bring clean natural gas into our energy grid and jobs to our people in the Karoo, the most destitute and hopeless in the country? Surely it can only be a good thing for all concerned?
The facts of the matter are unfortunately contrary to popular belief and the notion of gas being clean, and an environmentally safe energy source is not anywhere near the truth.
In order to get to the potentially gas bearing layers deep within the bowels of the earth’s crust, wells must be drilled down to levels between 2 and 5 kilometres! That’s very deep and these wells therefore have to pass through the water bearing strata of rock or aquifers; both farmers and villagers in the Karoo depend on these aquifers for their drinking and farming water. The Karoo is a desert and water is one of our most precious resources. As the planet earth gets warmer and warmer, we are expecting to see an average temperature increase in the Karoo of 6-7deg C over the next 50 years. More heat: more evaporation from surface water reserves; plain and simple. Ground water will become a more and more important commodity to look after if we and our children are to survive. Continue reading Don’t Frack With Our Karoo
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 29 January 2011
Source: Life on the vlei
Decades after conservationists called for the Verlorenvlei near Elands Bay on South Africa’s West Coast to be afforded formal conservation protection to preserve its biodiversity, this Ramsar site is still under threat. A local authority, Bergriver Municipality, has now taken action which could turn the years of environmental neglect around.
 Will Verlorenvlei receive the legal environmental protection it deserves? Twenty-five years ago conservationists called for private individuals, private enterprise, and relevant official bodies to ensure that Verlorenvlei and its multiple resources are given formal conservation status protection as soon as possible.
This was in response to the first full-scale study of the wetland system which was published by the CSIR in 1986. The report quotes Prof. John Parkington, who points out that archaeological artifacts suggest that humans have been in the Verlorenvlei area, more or less continuously, for more than 100 000 years. With few situations in sub-Saharan Africa where the potential for prehistoric reconstruction over such a period is so promising, and no other locality along the Western Cape coast with such potential, he states that it is imperative the promise is not squandered by the lack of conservation measures.
Fresh water is the biggest concern
Now, a quarter of a century later, the Verlorenvlei is decidedly under threat. Its unique archaeological treasures, its populations of fish, birds, animals and plants and its function as water purification filter and breeding ground for a significant number of species, are battling the impacts which human populations bring.
Perhaps more significantly, the Vlei is incontrovertibly linked to the Sandveld’s complex network of aquifers. Consequently, the environmental neglect of the Vlei is also posing a hazard to the availability of potable water. Experts in freshwater studies have been expressing concern about the quality and quantity of water in Verlorenvlei since the first full-scale study of the Verlorenvlei estuary was published in 1986.
Despite its status as an internationally recognised Ramsar wetland, it is an anomaly that this recognition of its significance as a biodiversity hotspot still affords it no formal legal conservation status under South African law. Continue reading It’s time to save Verlorenvlei
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 11 May 2010
By: Christo Marais – Working for Water: Natural Resource Management Programmes
It has often been said that environmentalists are “underselling the value of their products” with the result that their arguments are not being heard in mainstream economic debates. Historically, we have not been willing to put a value to biodiversity and environmental services. How do we value nature and what is the value of nature, they have argued. During the last few decades though, this has begun to change.
 Pezula's rehabilitation programme has cleared over 300ha of alien trees and vegetation With the advent of global climate change and the need for carbon sequestration and mitigation measures, the global face of natural resource management has changed. Although not as well-developed internationally, water markets are following the trend set by the carbon market.
So often when water resource management is being considered, the management options focus on augmentation and engineering solutions to water quantity and quality rather than the full spectrum of resource management options.
The impact of land management and the management of natural water resources such as wetlands, rivers and catchments is seldom seriously considered. For example, the drying up of our catchments, degradation and transformation of our wetlands, river banks and floodplains impacts on the proper functioning of these water resource systems by decreasing the amount of water absorbed into the systems and increasing the intensity of floods.
Furthermore, when invasive alien trees out-compete natural vegetation in these areas, this results not only in changing the flows, but also causes major water losses due to significantly increased water use.
This has a direct impact on the availability of water in our rivers, aquifers and even on the yield of dams.
A recent study has shown that 4 percent of utilisable water, or registered water use, is being lost due to invasive alien trees in our catchments, wetlands, river banks and floodplains. If left unchecked, this could increase to more than 16 percent within a relatively short period of time. Continue reading Water markets follow trend set by carbon markets
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 14 February 2010
Source: wierievents
Water is a ubiquitous chemical substance that is composed of hydrogen and oxygen and is vital for all known forms of life.
In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or state, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapour or steam. Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and is found mostly in oceans and other large water bodies, with 1.6% of water below ground in aquifers and 0.001% in the air as vapour, clouds (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation.
 'do you believe in always' courtesy of Wendy Cook ©2006 W.Cook Oceans hold 97% of surface water, glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4%, and other land surface water such as rivers, lakes and ponds 0.6%. A very small amount of the Earth’s water is contained within biological bodies and manufactured products.
Clean, fresh drinking water is essential to human and other life forms. Access to safe drinking water has improved steadily and substantially over the last decades in almost every part of the world. There is a clear correlation between access to safe water and GDP per capita. However, some observers have estimated that by 2025 more than half of the world population will be facing water-based vulnerability.
A recent report suggests that by 2030, in some developing regions of the world, water demand will exceed supply by 50%.Water plays an important role in the world economy, as it functions as a solvent for a wide variety of chemical substances and facilitates industrial cooling and transportation. Approximately 70% of freshwater is consumed by agriculture. Continue reading About Water
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