Water saving tips Do you have any water saving tips to share? Let us know. RELATED LINKS: Call for water conservation as drought intensifies Rand Water, the supplier of bulk water in Gauteng, has called on consumers to use water sparingly as the province goes through a dry spell. Read more World Water Monitoring Day For just one day international attention will focus on water, the essence of life, during World Water Monitoring Day on Saturday 18 October. Read more Water Johannesburg Water is the City's water and sanitation utility, a self-contained business operating at "arm's length" from the City Council, with its own management and staff. The City is the sole shareholder in the new utility, and acts as the "client" to Johannesburg Water, setting requirements and monitoring performance and customer care. Read more Soweto water supplies to be upgraded Johannesburg Water is set spend more than R450-million to replace old pipes and upgrade the water supply network to Soweto over the next five years. Read more

Joburg plans to beat the drought October 17, 2003 By Lucky Sindane JOHANNESBURG WATER has called on the city's residents to do their bit to conserve water as a dry summer looms. In a statement released this week, the City's water and sanitation utility said experts were predicting that South Africa was facing its biggest drought in 100 years, mostly in the rural areas. Although consumers in Johannesburg were not expected to face water shortages, according to JW's senior manager of communications and marketing, Jameel Chand, "we cannot afford to be complacent". "We will continue with our supplies on a normal basis. However, water is a precious and strategic resource - drought or no drought - and we should always do our utmost to conserve water," Chand said. JW offered suggestions on how Johannesburg residents could manage their water consumption responsibly. The water utility reminded consumers: to check and repair leaking taps and other fixtures; to wash cars use buckets rather than hosepipes; to water garden plants in the late afternoon or evening, after the heat of the day had passed; and if possible, to fit a toilet flushing system that would limit the amount of water used. "We are not saying people shouldn't water their gardens, but they should rather do it in the evenings when the water won't evaporate," said Chand. The water supply utility was also taking steps to make sure that the millions of litres of water lost due to leakages within the pipe network were being cut down. "About seven billion litres of water are lost every year, so people are encouraged to call us whenever they see pipe leakages in their areas," said Chand. "With the support and the co-operation of the people of Johannesburg, I am confident that we can turn the situation around," Chand added. JW recently launched a R450-million operation, gcin'amanzi, to upgrade the supply infrastructure in Soweto. The work should be completed within the next five years, according to JW. The water supply utility was constantly monitoring the drought situation and assured residents it would keep them fully informed. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za