2011 is here!

Yes, it’s the new year and we all trust that it will be a good one for us, our families and our friends.

With all the rain we have been having in KZN let’s spare a thought for those less fortunate – not only in South Africa but all over the world. I am sure that conserving water is the last thing on many a mind at the moment. Why worry, there is lots of it and in any case, we are still in “holiday” mode.

The problem is that, whether we like it or not, winter is on the way. Oh, how we will all lament the day when we wasted water during summer and now our gardens are turning brown. The plants you spent all that money on, feeding and watering during summer are looking decidedly worse for wear. Now, and not before it is too late, is the time to start thinking about ways to conserve water so that when winter is here we will be able to keep our gardens green without having to pay for the water.

That is correct – without having to pay for the water!



Do you know that about 40% of the water you use in your home can be re-used in your garden? That amounts to 400l for every 1000l you draw from the council. This “grey water” from baths, showers, basins and washing machines could be going into irrigating your garden which is 400l you do not have to draw and pay for - and do not forget the saving on the sewage levy as well.

Every time you backwash your pool you send anywhere between 250l and 500l of water down the drain. What usually happens during winter is that we backwash less, the pool goes that lovely green colour and then we spend a fortune at the beginning of summer to restore it to blue clear water. Now you can still backwash every week, clarify the water and return it to the pool. That means another couple of hundred (if not thousands) of litres of water you do not have to pay for to replenish the pool.

Please don’t wait until winter to realize you have a problem – do something now and be prepared.