The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), in conjunction with Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM), has embarked on a public water saving campaign to ensure that there is adequate water for everyone in the area.

The municipality launched a public water awareness campaign on Wednesday to encourage residents to use water sparingly in order to push back 'Day Zero'.

During the campaign launch held at 12 of the busiest intersections in the city, which dominated morning traffic, motorists and pedestrians were implored to reduce water consumption immediately and utilise 50 litres of water per person per day.

A total of 90 water ambassadors employed by the city put up 70 hanging boards and disseminated approximately 40 000 leaflets containing information, such as 'We have a problem; together we can turn it around; #EveryDropCounts; # SaveWaterNow; #PushBackDayZero and 50 litres per person per day'.

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor, Eugene Johnson, who also joined the team of water ambassadors in conscientising residents about the water crisis in the area, urged water users to adhere to strict water saving measures.

“We are faced with a dire predicament and we all need to come to the party. If we don’t save water now, our taps are soon going to run dry. Let us do our utmost to keep our water utilisation to a maximum of 50 litres per day per person,” Johnson warned.

According to the Department of Water and Sanitation, the metro has not experienced any significant rainfall for the past seven years and this has led to water levels dropping alarmingly low.

Source: South African Government News Agency