Waterwise just got a whole new meaning.
When it’s available we don’t really think about it…it’s just there. Pouring from our taps, spraying from our showerheads, boiling in our kettles. However, when there is even the slightest interruption in supply…it pretty quickly becomes the only thing you can think about.
The human body, (As well as most life on earth) is desperately, pathetically reliant on clean water for hydration. A mere 72 hours without water can be enough to kill you…
Self-reliance is a form of freedom.
There is no denying the fact that the world feels a bit wobbly these days.
Whether its continued electricity issues, political instability, food inflation, product shrinkflation…we can all do with a bit of good news…so here goes:
The African skies will provide!
South Africa has many issues, but at least the weather is on our side. We have abundant sunshine, relatively mild weather, clean air and open spaces… With a bit of planning, investment, and hard work, you can use these resources and feel the freedom of self-reliance of going off-grid.
We are talking about more than just solar panels. (In fact, we don’t want to talk about them AT ALL today!) “Water security” is the buzz phrase of the future.
What does water security mean?
Water security, or water self-reliance, is the ability to collect, store and process water in such a way that you can sustainably supply your own water, even if it’s just for the short to medium term. It is more than simply having large freshwater tanks that you fill with municipal water. It’s about also using the abundance of South African rainwater and making the most of it. Its also about gearing your home and household towards water wisdom.
On average, a South African family of four can use anything from 280litres of water a day (If they are commendably waterwise) or closer to 800litres a day.
This means that if you are planning on becoming water self-reliant, you will need anything from 9000litres to 24 000litres of clean, accessible water per month.
While producing and storing your own electricity has become more commonplace, off-grid water solutions are a new thing.
You have three options: Rainwater catchment, bulk storage of municipal water, and Greywater harvesting.
Rainwater system:
Advantages: Free, easily accessible, seasonally abundant.
Disadvantages: Unfiltered and needs purification before its potable, climate change can affect it’s availability, which makes it unreliable.
What can it be used for?
Immediate use: Irrigation, washing cars/filling swimming pools and water features.
Use after basic (mechanical) filtration: Flushing toilets, washing clothes and dishes, showering and bathing.
Although (in theory) rainwater is clean, it is still not advisable to drink collected rainwater unless you have a proper purification system in place, or you have manually filtered and boiled it.
Bulk municipal water storage:
Advantages: (usually) Reliable, clean, and safe for all manner of use within the household.
Disadvantages: Expensive, subject to availability and water restrictions.
Grey water storage:
Grey water harvesting is another way to cut down on your “clean water” use. Grey water is water that has been used to wash clothes or even water used for bathing. By installing a separate drainage system to pipe this water into a storage tank you can reduce your water use even more.
Use: If you ensure that you only use mild, biodegradable detergent and soap, this water can be used for flushing toilets, as well as watering certain plants.
(It is important to have a mechanical filtration system for greywater, to remove hair and other solid matter, and then let your grey water stand for a couple of days to allow any sediment to sink to the bottom of the tank. Thereafter you can use it freely to water hardy plants and trees. Just avoid roses end delicate plants like ferns and orchids.)
We suggest tripling up
A combination of municipal back up water, rainwater catchment and grey water harvesting can greatly reduce your reliance on outside sources of water and will give you the freedom to blissfully ignore the community WhatsApp group bemoaning another water crisis…
It has long been predicted that the next world war will be fought for access to reliable, clean water.
While we don’t like doom and gloom speculation, we do heed warnings. Between climate change and failing infrastructure, it’s better to be prepared. Yes, it will take some planning, you’ll need to fork out some money and you’ll have to maintain your water system, but its not impossible and the benefits are immense.
