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Turn off taps when while washing your face, brushing your teeth or shaving.
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Showering could use up to 20 litres of water per minute.
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If you prefer to bath don’t make it as full. Taking a bath could use between 80
and 150 litres of water.
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Taking a five-minute shower a day, instead of a bath, could save up to 400
litres of water a week.
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Use low-flow showerheads, dual-flush toilet mechanisms and water-efficient
washing machines.
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Kettles should be filled with just enough water for your needs, but not to the
brim. This will reduce your electricity bill too.
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Don't over-fill containers like cooking pots, where you then also use more
energy to heat the water.
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Every time you flush the toilet, 12 litres of water is used. Reducing the toilet
flush volume alone can save 20% of total water consumption. Putting a 2-litre
bottle, filled with water and a little sand to add weight, into the cistern, can
do this.
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Close the tap while you are brushing your teeth. You can save up to 20 litres of
water per month.
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Fix a leaking toilet. It can waste up to 100 000 litres of water in one year. To
check if your toilet leaks, add a few drops of dye into the cistern, if the
colour seeps into the bowl, you have a leak.
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Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other
waste in the trash rather than the toilet. Every time you flush the toilet, 12
litres of water is used.
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Use "grey water" - used water from baths, washing machines and other safe
sources - to flush your toilet.
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Do not over-fill or excessively backwash your swimming pool.
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Use a bucket rather than a hose to wash your car. If you must use a hose, use a
sprayer that can be turned off in-between spraying the car. Using a garden hose
could use as much as 30 litres of water per minute.
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A 100-Watt light bulb, left on for 12 hours, uses almost 3 litres of water. This
is the amount of water required to generate 100 Watt of electricity for 12
hours.
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Reduce the amount of water you use per day: re-use water where possible.
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Do not pour paint and chemicals down the drain.
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Farmers must ensure that they keep toxic insecticides away from water
sources and streams.
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Factories should take care of how they discharge mercury
and other heavy metals into waste water.
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People living in rural areas should take care not to use the river or river bank
as a toilet.
Always water your plants during the early morning hours or in the evening, when
temperatures are cooler. Only water your garden before 10:00 in the morning or
after 16:00 in the evening. If you do it when it is hot you can lose up to 90%
of water to evaporation.
Every time you boil an egg, save the cooled water for your houseplants. They'll
benefit from the nutrients released from the shell.
Focus on indigenous and non-water-consumptive alien plants (but not invasive
alien plants) with low water demands.
Group plants according to their water needs and to mulch around them.
Water gardens less frequently, but water well. Using a garden hose could use as
much as 30 litres of water per minute.
Using a garden hose could use as much as 30 litres of water per minute.
Clear invasive alien plants on your property.
Roof water can also be profitably stored in tanks, for watering gardens.
Use "grey water" - used water from baths, washing machines and other safe
sources - to water your garden.
Turn off the water supply at your school after hours and on week-ends. Schools
doing this can save up to R5 000 on their water bill each year.