Blog Action Day 2010: Water

"Blog Action Day is an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action. This year's topic is water." http://blogactionday.change.org/

Elephants enjoying the water - photo by Kev Collett Photography

What's the water situation in South Africa?
Saving Water say: "in five years, almost 80 percent of the country’s fresh water resources would be so badly polluted that no process of purification available in the country would be able to clean it sufficiently to make it fit for human or animal consumption. If we do not find a completely new source of water altogether in about two years, most of Gauteng will be without safe health drinking water.” Read More


In Kruger National Park the situation is extremely serious:

Kruger's crocodiles

Leading scientists have pinpointed the cause of hundreds of mysterious crocodile deaths in the country’s national parks, saying acid water from the coal mining industry is to blame.
The reptiles have been dying in the parks’ Olifants and Letaba river systems since 2008. Thousands of fish in water bodies linked to the Loskop Dam and the Bronkhorstspruit catchments area have also died.
The Wits School of Geosciences Professor Terence McCarthy said acid mine water from coal mines in Gauteng and Mpumalanga has polluted these water bodies. Read More

Image showing elephants dying due to the drought in Kenya recently - National Geographic

What can you do to save water

• Shower, don’t bath – a bath uses an average of 160 litres, while a five-minute shower uses only 60 litres of water.
• Close the tap when cleaning your teeth (this saves up to 20 litres of water), or when shaving (this saves up to 45 litres!).
• Ensure your washing machine and dishwasher are fully loaded before starting them.
• Think before rinsing glasses and cutlery under running water.
• Lawns are generally grossly over-watered and use up to four times more water than other plants. Check your irrigation system, does your water run down the street? 
• Only water your garden before 10:00 or after 16:00
• Consider re-using your bath water and sink water on your garden. Professional grey-water recycling systems are available on the market.
• Remember this tip: watering your garden less frequently, but deeper (for longer), actually encourages a deeper root system, which results in stronger plants. This practice can make water wise plants out of most established plants.
• A dripping tap (one drop per second) could waste up to 30 litres of water an hour - which adds up to 10,000 litres a year!
• Adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, pavement or street.
• Collect water from your roof through rainwater harvesting to water your garden or fill your pool.
• Designate one glass for your drinking water each day or refill a water bottle. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash.
• Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.
• Turn off the shower water while you wash your hair, you could save up to 550 litres a month.
• Turn off the water while you shave and save up to 1000 litres a month.
• When you give your pet fresh water, don’t throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water your trees or shrubs.
• Remove alien vegetation from your garden. More information here

While travelling:

• Report water problems to your hotel's staff.- If you find leaky taps report it to the staff. Don't be lazy and let the water waste continue.
• Make sure that your linens are not washed every day. Many hotels are doing this now but you still need to make sure. In fact, make sure that your linens are only washed when totally necessary to skip all that wasted water.
• Skip the golf courses. Golf courses often use tons of water (amongst other no-nos like tons of chemicals) to keep the course that neon color. If you just can't resist, do some research ahead of time to find courses that have water conservation practices.
• Regulate your own water usage. In the same way that you would at home, make sure to take short showers and skip the baths. Wear clothing until it is actually dirty and don't just send it to the laundry
• Speak up. Find out what the properties environmental policies are and voice your support or voice your concern. Use the feedback forms to compliment or recommend implication. Your voice is powerful