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Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 13 April 2011 Cape Town is located in a water scarce region with a high demand and usage during the summer months. It is not legal to send rainwater via a gully to sewer “The City’s [...] Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 22 March 2011 South Africans must brace themselves for steep water tariff increases in the coming months, water experts have warned.  Water tariffs are too low, and are set go the same route as Eskom's astronomical increases Though the exact increases are yet to be calculated, the impending increases would be similar to the astronomical electricity tariff hikes that hit South Africa early last year. The proposed increases follow last month’s warning that South Africa will run out of water by 2020 if nothing is done to supplement water resources. Speaking on the eve of World Water Week (March 20-26), Water Affairs acting director-general Trevor Balzer said South Africa’s cheap water resources have been used up and that government was looking at ways to address the problem. “We are currently undertaking a study to establish the cost of water into the future. There is no doubt that the cost of water will be more expensive.” Balzer said the government had plans to continue delivering free water to indigent households and that the study, which will be submitted to the cabinet before the end of the year, would reveal the new tariff structures. Richard Holden, a business analyst at water parastatal Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority, said the water tariffs municipalities charge for potable water is not enough for infrastructure maintenance and replacement. The result, he said, was that funding constraints would lead to continuous infrastructure collapse, including pipes rusting and bursting. Continue reading Cost of water to rise steeply Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 21 March 2011 By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in regions with absolute water scarcity and two-thirds of the world’s population may experience water-stress conditions. Forests capture and store water and can play an important role in providing drinking water for millions of people in the world’s mega-cities. Given this fact, the members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), international organizations involved in forests, call upon countries to pay more attention to forest protection and management for the provision of clean water.  One third of the world's biggest cities draw a portion of their drinking-water from forested areas. “Forests are part of the natural infrastructure of any country and are essential to the water cycle”, said Eduardo Rojas-Briales, Assistant Director General of the FAO Forestry Department. “They reduce the effects of floods, prevent soil erosion, regulate the water table and assure a high quality water supply for people, industry and agriculture.” He was speaking prior to the UN World Water Day which will be celebrated this year on 22 March. Forests are in most cases an optimal land cover for catchments supplying drinking water. Forest watersheds supply a high proportion of water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and ecological needs. “The management of water and forests are closely linked and require innovative policy solutions which take into account the cross-cutting nature of these vital resources”, said Jan McAlpine, Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat. “The International Year of Forests, 2011 provides a unique platform to raise awareness of issues such as the water-soil-forests nexus, which directly affect the quality of people’s lives, their livelihoods and their food security.” Moreover, forests and trees contribute to the reduction of water-related risks such as landslides, local floods and droughts and help prevent desertification and salinization. Continue reading Forests are essential to water cycle Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 17 March 2011 GCX Supports National Water Week 21 -28 March and World Water Day 22 March and these campaigns efforts to raise awareness for this precious natural resource. “When the well is dry, we learn the [...] Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 02 March 2011 A major step toward standardisation of water footprint measurement has just been achieved, with the issuing of a global assessment manual by the Water Footprint Network.  An average of 140 litres of water to produce a cup of coffee The assessment manual, issued by the 139-member network and scientists of the University of Twente in the Netherlands, complements the recently completed Global Water Footprint Standard in giving consistency to measures of water use and impact. “The Global Water Footprint Standard comes at a time when companies in all sectors are awakening to the risk that water scarcity poses to their bottom lines and reputations,” said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International, a leading member of the Water Footprint Network. “This work helps companies understand their dependency and impact on water resources, and offers guidance on response strategies that conserve water for industry, communities and nature.” |
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