The water crisis continues in the Eastern Cape where Hospitals are running out of water amid the Covid-19 pandemic. A sad combination of Government mismanagement, lockdown restrictions, strikes and bad municipal planning has led the Eastern Cape ever closer to a complete service delivery collapse.
Since the Day Zero water shortage scare, our nation has realised that water is not to be taken for granted. A day without water can be life-threatening not to mention the inconvenience of having to queue for our water.
We have also seen how easy it was to change our water usage habits, where a few simple changes and being mindful of our water usage has made a huge impact on our daily water consumption. Looking to the future is time to step up our efforts to conserve water and with water being so scarce we can do this by turning our homes into rainwater harvesting systems.
The process is simple, just a few modifications to the guttering will direct the flow of the rainwater to your JoJo water harvesting tank to be stored for water scarce times or used for everyday household water needs.
With the addition of a filter, the harvested rainwater can be safely used for drinking. Which means that in the case of a municipal water disruption or water shedding, you will always be first in line as you have secured your own source of water.
How much water can a Rainwater Harvesting Tank collect?
During an average year of rainfall, a 200 meter squared home can harvest 83520 liters of water. The roof is a fairly underutilised area of our homes but seen from above it occupies the greatest area of the suburban property. It makes sense that the greatest portion of rainwater will land on the roof. Typically this water is lost down the gutters and onto the grass or to the storm drains. Without a rainwater harvesting system in place, you are missing out on being able to collect vast quantities of free water.
A few modifications to the guttering will direct the flow of the rainwater to your harvesting tank to be stored for water scarce times or used for everyday household water needs.
With the addition of a filter, the harvested rainwater can be safely used for drinking.
Tough times are coming as the population continues to grow and the water reserves dwindle. Our natural freshwater supplies are becoming polluted and despite the annual average rainfall being predicted to increase, it will come with a corresponding rise in temperature that will cause the water to evaporate faster.
The current water shortages have provided a glimpse of the future, where the demand for potable water will outstrip the supply, with disastrous consequences.
The survivalist or homesteader has historically been seen as a fanatic of sorts, but the need to safeguard our own supply of water is fast becoming a necessity for all households.