Notice: Water Shortage in Nelson Mandela Bay

Nelson Mandela Bay is currently experiencing a crippling drought induced water shortage, and facing an imminent Day Zero, where in some parts of the city, taps will run dry. Our major tourist areas such as Summerstrand and Humewood are in the affected area, also referred to as Red Zone. We urgently need all stakeholders to do all that is possible to reduce water consumption.

We recognize that this goal can only be achieved through awareness and changing attitudes and behaviour towards water use.

Visitors are encouraged to please assist us by using water sparingly and follow guidlines communicated by their hosts.

As a visitor, you can help save water while on holiday by doing the following: 

• Cut your showers down to two minutes once a day. Do not use the bath unless absolutely neccesary.
• Collect shower and basin water and reuse it to flush the toilet. If it is yellow, let it mellow....
• Use your towel more than once. Instead of dropping it on the floor after a shower, hang it up. This will save water and electricity.
• Don’t leave your taps running while you brush your teeth, soap up or shave. Turn off the tap during those in  between times and use a reusable cup when brushing your teeth.
• Hold off on getting your clothes laundered. Wait until you have a full load of dirty laundry before tossing them in the wash or asking the hotel to wash them.
• Do not order water at a restaurant if you don’t plan on drinking it. Ideally, you want to carry a reusable water bottle that you can top up every now and then.
• Instead of splashing in the hotel pool, pack a beach bag and picnic basket, and head to the beach.
• If you’re preparing your own food, wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl and reuse cooking water to water plants, rinse or wash dishes. Use paper plates where possible to avoid the need of washing dishes.
• Every drop counts so make sure you close taps properly.

Tourism Businesses can by reducing water usage, save significantly in terms of finances on an annual basis. It’s important that we all play a role in minimising water consumption, particularly when you consider that:

• A leaking tap can waste 9 litres in one day or more than 2,500 litres in one month, while leaking toilets use much more.
• Checking taps regularly can help reduce water bills by up to 5%.
• Potable water resources are consumed not only by drinking but also through recreational facilities, gardens doing the laundry and cleaning of surfaces.
• Showers are the most significant users of water in hotels. Yet water efficient shower flow show rates of less than nine litres per minute.

Tips for tourism businesses reducing your water consumption and managing potable water

• Fix leaking taps, pipes and toilet cisterns.
• Encourage staff to report all water leaks needing attention.
• Use a mop and bucket rather than a hose to clean external areas.
• Place notices about water conservation which suggest ways that staff and guests can minimise their water consumption around the complex. We can assist all local tourism businesses here so kindly contact us or email us at elouw@mandelametro.gov.za with any spesific requests. Alternatively you can download some ready made content here: https://baywatersavers.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WaterSavers-ToolKit.zip

In the bathroom:

• Encourage staff to minimise water use when cleaning –particularly toilet flushes.
• Use a highly rated water-efficient showerhead (using around 10 liters per minute) rather than older models (using 20 to 30 litres per minute). Using water efficient showers reduces the volume of hot water needed as well as the energy required to heat the water.
• Use passive infra-red (PIR) sensors for urinals in the men’s toilets. These generally use 20% less water than a normal urinal flushing system.
• Install dual-flush or water saving toilets, which use approximately 4 to 6 litres, less than half the water quantity used by a standard single flush toilet which uses 10 to 15 litres per flush. In a 100-bed hotel, dual flush toilets could save over 200,000 litres of water per year.
   

In the kitchen:

• Use only full loads in the kitchen and laundry washing machines unless they have the option of a smaller load setting.
• Operate dishwashers and washing machines on the Economy cycle.
• When purchasing new appliances or replacing old ones, select those which have a short wash cycle that uses less water.
   

Outside:

• Use insulated covers for spa pools and swimming pools to reduce evaporation, which can exceed 200 litres per day for larger pools in hot climates.
• Watering plants and gardens in the early evening or later can achieve water savings of up to 25%.
• Group plants with similar watering needs and give them the appropriate amount of water. Plant drought resistant plants where possible.
• Ensure automatic watering systems are turned off in rainy periods.
• Consider diverting surface water runoff and water from roof gutters to the hotel’s gardens landscaped areas, instead of directly to storm water drains.
• Consider a water tank – in the current climate, with record populations, high water usage and the worst drought in generations, water tanks in urban and rural areas are becoming more and more of a necessity.

Visit www.baywatersavers.co.za for verified information about the water crisis.

Report water leaks via: Email at waterleaks@mandelametro.gov.za or Call 0800 20 50 50