Citizens urged to save water

By Ofentse Mokae
10 March 2010

As part of the National Water Week, South Africans are urged to do more in order to save water.

The call has been made by Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, she was reiterating President Jacob Zuma’s message during his State of the Nation address that, the country was not a water rich country and all should change their attitudes and behavior towards the way water is being used both in households, industries and in agriculture.

The water affairs department says Water Week is an annual countrywide campaign that mobilizes citizens to appreciate the value of water as a scarce natural resource and this year it focuses on the important aspect of water conservation and demand management.

The department says it is engaged in a series of initiatives that seek to ensure that South Africa does not run out of water in the future.

“These efforts will not be enough if the citizens do not make water conservation part of their daily lives,” said the department.

Currently the water sector is faced with many challenges among these is the ageing infrastructure, drought conditions in some parts of the country, water losses, illegal water use and pollution.

As part of the programmes to celebrate Water Week, minister Sonjica is expected to lead a number of events planned across the country.

The theme for Water Week 2010 is “Working Together We Can Save More Water”.