Western Cape faces severe restrictions – Car washes under the loop.

Nov 122010

The necessity of saving water is still in our faces, just as we thought it might be the beginning of the end with the resent rains we had. But just the opposite is becoming a reality. At Water Rhapsody, we want to urge the public to start another thinking mode than what they were used to. Not just during or because of restrictions, but as a general way of thinking. Let us not be so narrow minded, that the availability of water are no concern to us at this stage of our lives, and we think we will be gone by the time it really becomes a problem.

We have a system called the Poseidon Advantage, where the grey water from car washes are going through a cleaning process, and re-using the same used, but clean water to wash the cars again. Car washes are being targeted to invest in systems to conserve water, for their demand of washes might increase significantly during these droughts.

Have a look at this article in the Port Elizabeth Express by Monique Vermeulen on the 3rd of Nov:

Despite much need rain over the last three weeks, the region’s water crisis continue to worsen with supply dams rapidly drying up.

If it does not rain significantly in the next few weeks, residents and businesses will face even more severe water restrictions to be introduces by the Department of Water Affairs, which will inevitably have a negative effect on the economy. At a recent Infrastructure and Engineering Committee meeting, it was said that further water restrictions, with a devastating impact on industry, will be unavoidable unless dam levels rose significantly. “We expect the Department of Water Affairs and other role players, which includes the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, to consider the curtailment of water resources when the combined dam level capacity reaches 30%. This could happen in three to four weeks if we do not get more rain,” said Municipal Media Management Officer, Kupido Baron. When asked what these restrictions would entail, Baron said that he was not at liberty to predict what the outcome of the operational meeting would be.

The average level of the dams currently stands at just over 31%, and the current predictions by the Municipality suggest that the Metro will run out of water July 2011. The current water situation is painting a bleak picture for car washes.

In an open letter to car washes, the Municipality requested the urgent implementation of water-saving measures. The letter states that more people are making use of car washes to conserve their own home usage and to comply with the rules for domestic consumption. “This has served only to divert the usage from one consumer to another. The result of this has seen an expansion of many car washes with little or no usage control. Therefore, all car washes are urgently requested to take measures that will save water and/or harness rain water, so as to reduce consumption of this precious commodity. It is recommended that car washes erect water tanks to collect rain water. The letter furthermore states that car washes should keep water usage statistics as the Municipality intends to acknowledge car washes that proactively save water as part of their operations

In May this year, the Municipality applied for R1.6 billion in drought relief from the Eastern Cape Provincial and National Government, but to date has not heard from them. According to a daily newspaper, the application is still with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, which is waiting for additional information from the Eastern Cape government on how it spent received disaster funds.

First on the list of emergency measured is the construction of a desalination plant at Swartkops at a cost of R750 million. Additional emergency measures include the fast tracking of the Nooitgedaght-low-level scheme (R650 million), accessing the low-level storage (8000 ml) in the Impofu Dam (R5 Million), the sinking of Boreholes (R100 million), the repair of water leaks at schools (R50 Million), and the detection of water loss (R20 Million).

Please take your time to scroll through the whole of this website: have a look at our systems of Rainwater Harvesting (Grand Opus), Grey water Re-use (Garden Rhapsody and Second Movement), the saving/recycling of Backwash water (Poolside tank), saving on the amount of water used to flush toilets with (the Multi Flush)

The Monster in your Garden

Greywater Harvesting, rainwater harvesting, water harvesting No Responses »

Nov 102010

We all have one! He lurks under a bush somewhere, only to be looked at once a month (if he is lucky). That dreaded money gobbler that just sits there waiting for you to open a tap or flush a toilet. And the little devil has a new trick – measures the water you use and charges extra on your bill for the amount you put down the drain. Who said monsters are not clever?

But now you have the ideal weapon against that horrible gadget …. WATER RHAPSODY.

Water Rhapsody has so many systems and devices for you to use in retaliation that you will almost love the little fellow.

Garden Rhapsody – Harvest your usable waste water (grey water) and use it to water your garden or even flush your toilets.
Multi-Flush – Install in place of your existing toilet flushing mechanisms and save a huge amount on your water usage.
Poolside Tank – Don’t put that pool backwash water down the drain. Collect it, treat it and return it to your pool. At 500l a time (four backwashes per month is 2000l) and the chemicals you save, it makes sense.
Grand Opus – The “Big Daddy” of all. Harvest your rainwater and use it in your house instead of municipal water. Now that is one for the books.

There are many households in South Africa who have used Water Rhapsody products and systems and each and every one saves on their water bill (and now the sewage levy as well) to a lesser or greater degree. Some have water bills of ZERO Rand.

Now who says monsters are clever? Tame yours and make it your friend.

Original post by http://waterharvest.co.za/2010/11/10/the-monster-in-your-garden/

Water crisis in South Africa 2010

Water matters, water harvesting 1 Response »

Oct 202010

All low fruit of water has been harvested and exhausted. There is not a single river that can possibly be damned in the country to augment supply. There are no more augmentation schemes like we know to provide any more water. Simply put 2010 sees South Africa on its last dregs of supply management as we know it. The future is not rosy.

The future:

Worst hit will be the Reef. Ground water will soon be polluted with Acid Mine Water which will enter the water table and erode buildings. Rivers are being polluted with sewerage AMW, and it is not just the acid water that is so toxic to the rivers, but Cyanide, and radioactive substances including isotopes of Radon, Iridium and Uranium. The cocktail of these will make it impossible to use this water for anything whatsoever. Worse still, is that this water will reach the drinking water of the Vaal system and make this water unusable too, soon, within 18 months!

There is not one single sewerage treatment works in the whole country that is able to process all of the sewerage effluent arriving in the pipelines to their works. This means that raw, untreated effluent is flowing into every river around the country, and all over the country people are dying from drinking toxic water, in a septic state for us to drink!

Water outages have become the norm in many municipalities unable to cope with increasing demand. Outages will come to Gauteng by 2013 and Cape Town perhaps sooner.

Cape Town is going into a drought cycle, from which they will only emerge in 3 years time, and will be out of water by 2012. Though the city is way ahead in educational exposure of water matters, the city ignores rainwater harvesting and the water saving aspect of demand management as a tool to provide extra water for the City.

Places like Hartebeest Poort: this is simply an extension of a sewerage treatment works. The water is toxic and even the municipality drawing on this water admit that they are unable to treat this water for potable purposes.

Worse is to follow.

The AMW has reached this body of water. Rand Water is contracting to provide the diminishing water from the Vaal Dam at a staggering 200 million Rand to the area for drinking quality water.

The good news:

Enter Water Rhapsody from the wings:

Water Rhapsody will reduce demand for most if not all buildings by at least 50% and in some instances by 90%. Water Rhapsody too will provide water safe to use in the house by harvesting water from roofs, and pumping under normal pressure to the whole household. Furthermore Water Rhapsody with its proven conservation systems is able to reduce water demand to as low as 80 litres per person per day. Country wide the current demand is 240 litres per person per day. Water Rhapsody does this without getting the user to change his or her lifestyle in any way. The resultant effluent from a user of the Water Rhapsody Systems of Conservation is a fall in sewerage flow of 90%. This reduction over a whole suburb would mean that any sewerage treatment works would be able to cope with the effluent volume, allowing water safe to drink running into our rivers.

Clearly Municipalities as well as Government must take notice that we have a disaster that is currently happening. It is not if, or when this might happen, IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!!!

The track record and technology for the Water Rhapsody Systems is proven without a single failure ever. The systems have been built into the biggest companies and institutions including Old Mutual in Pinelands and UCT in Cape Town.

The Government and municipalities treat water as a commodity because they sell water for profit but we must never lose sight of the fact that water is a precious resource.

Lastly, though coastal regions are in a better position that inland cities, none of these cities have enough water. The buzz words of using ground water and desalination of sea water are not sustainable. The water for instance in the TMG (Table Mountain Group) aquifer is fossil water from millions of years ago, and be warned – there is a finite amount of water in the aquifer, and the recharge is perhaps thousands of years. As for desalination of sea water – the energy cost of 4 kilowatt hours to desalinate sea water to make one kilolitre of potable water is simply not a cost effective way of providing water. Take the smallest of the large dams supplying Cape Town –Steenbras Lower Dam contains 30 million kilolitres of water which Cape Town would use up in less than 15 days. It would cost Cape Town 120 million Kilowatt hours of power generation to provide the equivalent amount of water as this dam though the desalination process of Reverse Osmosis (RO). Clearly this should not be considered as an option. Cape Town is stressed enough for power supply, and there would not be enough power generation for this option.

Water Rhapsody encourages the public to make use of their natural resources, not taking away of using more energy to try to create something out of existing resources. People must realize the effect of what we’re implementing now, on our future and those of the one’s we leave behind.

Source – www.watersafe.co.za

Water facts

Water tanks, water harvesting 3 Responses »

Oct 112010

Water Facts

Some 1.1 billion people, or 18 % of the word’s population, lack access to safe drinking water, and over 2.4 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation.
More than 2.2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, die each year from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation.
A report released in early October 2009 by the Water Research Commission of South Africa found that South Africa has 4% less water than 20 years ago.
Rand Water is predicting that demand for water in South Africa will outstrip supply by 2025. It also believes that Gauteng is potentially facing a water shortage as early as 2013.
In Cape Town the scenario is not much better with a water shortage prediction by 2016
If South Africans continue with their wasteful water practices, there simply will not be enough water to meet the country’s future needs and, we may have to start paying even more for water!
South Africans can change the scenario by changing their behaviour towards water usage and becoming water wise and savvy about rainwater harvesting.

21 top water-saving tips for your home

Checking for leaks in taps, pipes and dishwasher hoses is an easy way to reduce water wastage.
Remember, one leaking tap can waste more than 2,000 lt a month.
There’s no need to leave the tap running while you brush your teeth. Simply wet your toothbrush before you begin and use a glass of water to rinse your mouth.
The most water efficient methods for cooking vegetables are microwaving, steaming or using a pressure cooker. You can also cut down on water loss by using tight lids on pots and simmering instead of boiling rapidly.
Installing water efficient taps or tap aerators is a great, inexpensive way to cut your water usage without you even noticing.
Put the plug in the sink when washing your hands instead of holding them under running water.
Thaw frozen foods before you need them or use the microwave instead of placing them under running water.
Prevent taps from leaking by turning taps off lightly and replace washers as soon as they begin to leak.
Automatic dishwashers can use up to 40 lt of water per load. By using a dishwasher with at least a 3 star/AAA rating, you can get this figure down to 18 lt per load and still get the kind of sparkling clean dishes you’re used to.
Wait until you have a full load in your dishwasher before using it. This saves water and energy, and reduces the amount of detergent entering the sewerage system.
Keep a container of water in the fridge so that you won’t need to run the water down the sink until it’s cool enough to drink.
Washing fruit and vegetables in a half-filled sink instead of under running water is a great way to cut back on water wastage.
Rinsing your dishes in a plugged sink rather than under a running tap saves water and is just as easy and effective.
Use a sink strainer.
Try to use phosphate-free, eco-friendly detergents and cleaning products. There’s a great range to choose from these days and they’re much better for our environment.
Remember to regularly clean the lint filter on your washing machine.
Most washing machines have a load adjustment button or dial, so try to set this to match the amount of washing you’re doing. If your machine doesn’t have a load adjustment function, try to wait until you have enough washing for a full load.
Installing one of the latest 3 star/AAA rating showerheads can give you a great shower and save you around 10 lt of water a minute. They also save you energy costs, as you’ll use less hot water.
To rinse your razor, run a little water into a plugged sink. Rinsing your razor under a running tap wastes lots of water.
Electric or fuel powered leaf blowers work more efficiently than hosing down paths and driveways.
Pool covers reduce the amount of water you need to keep your pool full and running efficiently.

RAINWATER HARVESTING

Rainwater harvesting is the collection, storage and distribution of rainwater and the perfect storage facility for rainwater is a water tank.
Rainwater can essentially be used anywhere you use tap water.
The idea of using drinking water to flush toilets and water lawns is wasteful and irresponsible, especially in light of the population growth and water shortages across the country.
Rainwater harvesting greens your home lessens your environmental footprint.
Rainwater is an absolutely FREE source of water.
You will reduce flooding and erosion caused by storm water run off

YOUR ROOF YOUR ALLY

1mm of rain allows you to harvest 1lt of water per m2 of roof area – just allow for a 15% wastage factor.
Make sure that your gutters are installed to direct rainwater to rain water tanks.
An annual rainfall of 500 mm on a roof surface of 50 m² amounts to 25 000-liters of potential safe drinking water that can be preserved (40-liters per day for 625 days) or wasted! In South Africa, the water allocation per day per person is 25lt

WATER SECURITY

Your water tank filled with harvested rainwater provides water security when the municipal water is cut off for any reason whatsoever. If your tank is connected to the water mains, it will act as a storage buffer and depending on the size tank installed (260 – 10 000 liter) you will have running water for up to 48 hours.”
A water tank gives you total control over your water supply
The process uses simple technologies that are inexpensive and easy to maintain
A rainwater harvesting system can be easily retrofitted to an existing structure or built during new home construction.
JoJo Tanks are available in a variety of sizes from 260lt to 20 000lt. Simply select the size most suited to your requirements and start harvesting water for security!

WHEN YOU PURCHASE A TANK

Make sure that the tank is completely sealed (naturally you need to provide for an inlet pipe or gutter) to prevent evaporation and mosquitoes from breeding
Make sure that the tank has a filter to catch leaves and twigs that flow down the gutters
Make sure your tank has an over flow

We at www.waterandsolar.co.za want South Africa to start seriously looking now at renewable energy and reduce its need for coal fired power stations. As individuals we can start in our homes by introducing a greener way of living with greywater systems, rainwater harvesting and solar water heaters. Together we can start reducing our homes carbon footprint and our need for coal hungry Eskom and municipal water.

South Africa's solution to the drought.

Garden Route water, Greywater Harvesting, rainwater harvesting, water harvesting 5 Responses »

Sep 212010

A typical Rainwater Harvesting system, installed by Water Rhapsody.

Rainwater Harvesting is fast becoming a necessity to survival in some parts of South Africa. It’s the best way of going green and being kind to the environment. The Garden Route is currently going through the worst drought in 153 years, with heavy water restrictions imposed in Mosselbay.

Today it was confirmed that Beaufort West is experiencing its worst drought in over 100 years. Water levels of the Gamka dam reached an all-time low of minus nine percent last week. The town now rely on borehole water.

South Africa’s dams can no longer supply the volume of water required by ever growing population. There is not a single river left in the Western Cape that can be dammed anymore. We simply have no other options.

Water Conservation including Rainwater Harvesting and Greywater re-use, is the only long term sustainable solution to South Africa’s water crises. Continue reading »

Saving water, ten top tips for South Africa (drop by drop!)

Green Tips, rainwater harvesting, water harvesting 3 Responses »

Sep 072010

Do your part towards sustainable living by following ten easy tips on saving water.

Water is becoming a scarce commodity and is just as important as recycling waste or saving energy. Save water by:

1. Fixing any leaks that may occur in your home. Ensure that all your taps are leak free or get leaking taps fixed immediately.

2. Do not pour water down the drain if it can be used for other purposes like cleaning or gardening. Best of all install our grew water system so any water going down the drain feeds into a tank for watering the garden.

3. Check for toilet tank leaks – pour food colouring in the tank and you’ll be able to spot them.

4. Avoid flushing your toilet unnecessarily – dispose of all tissues and sanitary towels by other means. The more you flush the more water is wasted. Install our multi-system to minimise water waste.

5. When washing dishes use a bowl of water rather than letting the water run.

6. When showering, don’t take long showers. Keep them short and sweet.

7. To save water you can also switch your shower head to an aerating fixture which mixes air into the flow to keep the pressure high.

8. Do not defrost meat or other food packages under running water. Defrost it overnight or use the defrost setting on your microwave.

9. Don’t leave the water running when washing your face or brushing your teeth. Use a glass to rinse or gargle.

10. Last but by no means least – install our Water Rhapsody Grand Opus and Grey Water system for the best possible solution.

Western Cape faces severe restrictions – Car washes under the loop.

The Monster in your Garden

Water crisis in South Africa 2010

Water facts

South Africa's solution to the drought.

Saving water, ten top tips for South Africa (drop by drop!)

Do your part towards sustainable living by following ten easy tips on saving water.

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Western Cape faces severe restrictions – Car washes under the loop.

The Monster in your Garden

Water crisis in South Africa 2010

Water facts

South Africa's solution to the drought.

Saving water, ten top tips for South Africa (drop by drop!)

Do your part towards sustainable living by following ten easy tips on saving water.

Categories

Links

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