Water wise

Rhodes University's plumbing facilities and fittings in residences and departments are gradually being upgraded, subject to available budget. Low-flush toilets and auto-cut-off taps are installed as a matter of course in all new buildings. All new residences are being fitted with extra water storage tanks. The University's Grounds and Gardens section plants attractive and hardy indigenous species that are better adapted to local climatic conditions, thus reducing irrigation costs significantly. Irrigation - almost always using borehole water - is limited to essential areas such as sports fields and gardens under development.

Grahamstown has ongoing water supply issues - download Grahamstown Water Pamphlet. This due to various factors, including: ageing infrastructure, operational issues, unreliable rainfall patterns and intermittent droughts. The high lying areas of Rhodes University campus sometimes have problems with water service delivery due to lack of water pressure.Public Notice lack of water March 2010.pdf

Get involved in the ACTION:

• Water-saving practices: The Rhodes University Estates Division appeals to staff and students - and the citizens of Grahamstown - to use water responsibly and sparingly:  water saving practices

• Water Saving SIGN

• More water-saving tips: Kowie Catchment Campaign and Dept of Water Affairs A-Z of water saving.

• Water-efficiency and using devices that save water: WRC water saving devices

• Harvest rainwater: Collect rainwater off your roof - a free gift from above! You may also consider donating money to Galela Amanzi to fund a rainwater tank for underprivileged groups in Grahamstown.

• Re-use grey water, using Rhapsody grey water systems, Garden ResQ.

• Waterless sanitation instead of wasting precious drinking water on flushing.

• Remove invasive alien plants to free up groundwater and sustain biodiversity.

• Pressurise plant nursery retailers and supplier industries to reduce the size and number of holes in seedling bags, to reduce loss from watering.

• Say NO to plastic bottle water: There are various environmental impacts associated with using bottled water - find out more: the Story of Bottled Water, http://www.ru.ac.za/environment/action/plasticwise, CBC news, the Water Project.

• Free water: find out more about free water systems in South Africa.

• Water neutral: Bearing in mind that South Africa faces very real water availability challenges that will affect our future economic development, it is essential that ALL users make a conscious effort to achieve water neutrality. in every sphere of life - balancing our water demand with the available water supply.

• Look after the river systems and water resources that you have: Join the Kowie Catchment Campaign and other local organisations.

• Monitor the state of your water resources: http://www.ru.ac.za/environment/events/global/worldwatermonitoringday

Are you worried about water quality? The following documents provide clear guidelines regarding what constitutes potable water and how it should be correctly managed:

• Drinking Water Quality Toolkit provided by ADAC.

• DWAF Drinking Water Quality Framework: see pages 24 & 46 regarding action to be taken if water quality results indicate a health risk.

• DWAF Quality of Potable Water: the specifications for potable water are clearly outlined on page 4.

Need MORE INFO?

Go to the Rhodes University ENVIRONMENT front page. Suggestions/Questions? Contact environment(at)ru.ac.za