Using Water

South Africa has a fresh water problem. For that matter, so does the rest of the world, but seeing as you're reading this, the focus will be purely local.

Africa can be a hot place, with a growing population that doesn't have easy access to fresh, clean and safe water. Add to this issues with drought and you get a pretty desperate situation for many.

Those lucky enough to have easy access to water 'on tap' often forget just how lucky they are. Those staying in hotels and guest houses are no exception.

So, keeping water use to a necessary minimum ensures that there is more to go around. Pretty simple in theory. In practice, this means remembering those perky things like not leaving taps running, not flushing the toilet unnecessarily, watering the garden at the right time of day or washing the car a bit less often.

Things for the visitor to bear in mind:

• When brushing teeth or shaving, don't keep the tap running


• Flush the toilet only when necessary


• A short, functional shower generally uses less water than a bath


• Keep laundry to a minimum and reuse bathroom and pool towels as long as possible


• Drive your hire-car without washing it


• If your hotel or guest house is watering the garden during the heat of the day, ask them if its necessary seeing as most water evaporates in the heat of the day


• Splashing and splosing water in the pool is fun, but try and keep it contained in the pool. Filling a pool needs council permission and pools are one of the major strains on our water system

These few, thoughtful gestures will really reduce fresh water use and ensure more goes around for all. It may not seem like your effort contributes much, but it does if we all use water sparingly.