Scary water status the institution faces
According to the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM), taps are expected to run dry in June – just as exams and assessments begin – if the present water consumption continues to outstrip supply, and no substantive rain, of 50mm or more, falls between now and then.
All Nelson Mandela University’s Gqeberha campuses, bar Missionvale, fall into the red zone, which are the areas that will be affected by the water shortages first.
At present, the combined level of the Metro supply dams has fallen to below 14%. This is in spite of recent good rains in the Metro itself.
The South African Weather Services’ outlook for rain in the next four to five months is not promising either. The region, including the catchment area, has in fact consistently received a below-average rainfall for the past ten years.
With this knowledge, and that Africa is a water scarce continent, it is critical that each one of us consciously treat water as a precious resource by doing what we can, where we can, to save water.
Running out of water will have far-reaching consequences to the region’s social stability and economic growth. Closer to home it has serious implications on how we will continue to function as an institution.
Water saving target
The University, as one of the biggest users of water in the Metro, has been asked to save an additional 40% on its present water consumption. It has managed to do this before, thanks to the support of staff and students, and is hopeful that this can be achieved again.
The dysfunctional municipal metres are in the process of being fixed by the NMBM. This will enable the institution to get a holistic picture of its water consumption again.
Each person is limited to 50 litres a day.
Water saving interventions
The University has introduced a number of interventions to date, such as the water meters for measuring consumption in residences and other key buildings, additional water storage capacity, using borehole water and the Return Effluent (RE) water project.
Going forward, more water tanks will be introduced, additional residence toilets will be connected to existing borehole water, more toilet flush valves will be fitted, and water-saving awareness efforts will be ongoing.
Day Zero readiness
Various assessments are underway to establish how to best manage increased numbers of students during the examination period.
Water Crisis Management team