CoE kickstarts its Save a Drop campaign

The CoE launched its Save Every Drop campaign at Mpact on Wednesday. MMC for Water and Sanitation, Thembi Msane, led the campaign to engage industries and business stakeholders to spread awareness about water usage in Ekurhuleni.

Msane said the launch follows after Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi noted the water shortage in the province has become a serious challenge daily, resulting in the government finding ways to tackle the issue.

During the Gauteng Provincial Government’s 100-day update, Lesufi announced all 11 municipalities in the province will enforce level-one water restrictions.

Level one water restrictions curbs non-essential water use, such as filling swimming pools, washing cars with hoses, and watering gardens during peak hours.

With the CoE’s campaign running, Mpact, (a paper and plastics packaging and recycling manufacturer) is one of the top 10 water users in the city, using approximately three and a half million litres of water daily.

Mpact Springs Mill manager Kabelo Ntshudisane said they support the CoE’s campaign citing this is a good initiative for local industries and communities.

Ntshudisane highlighted although the manufacturer cut their water usage by 20% in 2016, they could not cut further.

“We cannot cut half our water usage from where it is now. From the current usage, we have optimised as far as possible to operate,” said Ntshudisane.

“The interventions we have currently, like using filtered water, and the equipment would give us one or two per cent at the most on freshwater usage to maintain the current flow.”

Ntshudisane added that Mpact’s equipment in the plant includes bulk storage of recycled water where the systems can flip the water from fresh to recycled water.

Msane said the CoE hopes the systems will stabilise before March next year, as it is currently facing a difficult situation with Rand Water’s systems failing the city.

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“Because of our geographical location, we have no assistance compared to the other metros. Of the four major metros, Ekurhuleni is the highest.

“As a result, when the systems recover, we will recover last because we need a higher water level to receive water,” she explained.

The MMC said it was important for factories that use more water to be part of this campaign to avoid a day zero, which will affect the businesses and people’s livelihoods.

“If we work together with businesses, the CoE can expand its capabilities of supplying water to all its consumers, more reservoirs will be built and more water stored and distributed with challenges,” said Msane.

She added communities need to play their part in running the Save Every Drop campaign, adding that parks, sports areas and schools will be visited to identify leakages and damaged taps.