Cape Town Water Crisis

[divanvanderwatt]

Hey guys

Was just wondering, now that day zero will be 21 April - what are you guys doing or planning to do?

This is what I have done and am planning to do:

• Installed a grey water system (connected to a 100 litre tank)
• Have a well point

However when the taps run dry a grey water system won't help and just hear that Beaufort West's ground water has run dry, so the well point won't last that long.

So I am planning the following (comments welcome)

* Getting a porta potti to use as a toilet - I have read that you can get about 50 flushes with about 9litres of water. I just don't know where to get rid of the waste??
* Buy a 750 litre JoJo tank to possibly catch some more rain water (there are only 10 left in stock at Builders Warehouse YIKES!)
* Use a 12 litre solar shower (https://www.takealot.com/leisurequip...e/PLID40900606)
* Use a 5 litre tank with a booster pump to connect to the front loader and use in combination with airwash to get the clothes clean.

That should get us through with 50 litres per day. (New ration is 25 litres per day and we are two in the house)

[Elders]

We used a porta-potti when touring .... Surely one way to save a LOT of water !!


Will admit that I have considered buying a PP ..... but somehow it just feels like "storing up baked beans" .....

[Rumble]

How about a composting toilet? not sure if they are as good as the adverts say, or if they smell, but they are supposed to use no water

[Chris Stoffel]

How about a composting toilet? not sure if they are as good as the adverts say, or if they smell, but they are supposed to use no water

The problem is that the sewage system in water borne. Each toilet must be flushed twice a day to keep the system functioning. Or else it will block up and that is not good.

[Jouko]

The problem is that the sewage system in water borne. Each toilet must be flushed twice a day to keep the system functioning. Or else it will block up and that is not good.

Zim had "BIG FLUSH" in Bulawayo at least one time. Everybody had to flush at specific time to get the system working.

Israel has a lot or water with a bit of salt. You cannot drink it but it is fine for many uses. As far as I know they are the only country where there is double water system. Could somebody to confirm.

I think Botswana has the same issue. But no 2 systems.

It cost money to set up double water system but it is possible. It is simply stupid to flush a toilet with drinking water.

[Reenen]

Zim had "BIG FLUSH" in Bulawayo at least one time. Everybody had to flush at specific time to get the system working.

Israel has a lot or water with a bit of salt. You cannot drink it but it is fine for many uses. As far as I know they are the only country where there is double water system. Could somebody to confirm.

I think Botswana has the same issue. But no 2 systems.

It cost money to set up double water system but it is possible. It is simply stupid to flush a toilet with drinking water.

Robben eiland het altyd n dubbele watersisteem gehad.

[Wicd]

Some towns in the Namakwa like Garies also has a double system.

[Poen]

My neighbour had their well point connected to the house supply, and turned their municipal supply off. That little exercise with the filtration system came to R 32000.

I have a well point, put that resource may also be declared out of bounds. It has already been said that if the water table drops below a certain level salination of our ground water may take place with sea water filtering through. (water does not belong to you, but to the government)

I have a big swimming pool that is covered to the extent that no sunlight gets to the water. That is my reservoir.

I will move my gas camping shower into the bathroom.

The washing machine is a problem. It uses 45 litres per wash. The dish washer uses 11 litres.

I think very few households will manage with 50 litres per person.

[Hagu13]

My well points are both dry so I'm screwed. I wanted to do a dual water system.
My latest idea is to load a flowbin on the bakkie and pop down to the slipway and fill it from the sea with my petrol driven pump. At least I can flush the toilets

[HannesS]

Eerder as om in 'n lyn te gaan staan vir water sal ek verkies hulle doen beurt water. Laat ek dan maar vir 2 dae 'n week water he of so iets.

By my huis kan ons darem vir so maand (2 as ons dit druk) uit reen water tenks leef as ons moet.

[BluePaj]

My latest idea is to load a flowbin on the bakkie and pop down to the slipway and fill it from the sea with my petrol driven pump. At least I can flush the toilets

Problem with this, if the thirsty masses see you driving around with a full water tank on the back of your bakkie, seawater or not, it makes you a target.

[Reenen]

My well points are both dry so I'm screwed. I wanted to do a dual water system.
My latest idea is to load a flowbin on the bakkie and pop down to the slipway and fill it from the sea with my petrol driven pump. At least I can flush the toilets

What will seawater do to the sewer system if not designed for sea water?

[Wilhelm_Bergbok]

What will seawater do to the sewer system if not designed for sea water?

I think the salt kills the organics that help with the breakdown of effluent. or something along those lines

[HannesS]

I think the salt kills the organics that help with the breakdown of effluent. or something along those lines

Problem is the sand in the sea water will settle in the pipes and cause blockages. Also I don't think the sewer pumps will like it.

[WillemT]

Problem is the sand in the sea water will settle in the pipes and cause blockages. Also I don't think the sewer pumps will like it.

The salt is not really a problem for the pumps, more for the bacteria in the reactors. a little bit of salt water will not do anything to the bigger system. You can't however switch over the whole system to salt water.

So the plan is to use the treated effluent that's currently used by construction companies mostly to keep the sewer system alive. Once the sewer network fail you'll have a much bigger problem with collera outbreak etc...
Imagine sewer starting to surcharge in the streets!! Major issue. So they will use water trucks to inject treated effluent in certain manholes, and then a scheduled flush time will also work/help.

I also think they must reduce pressure more and rather go to beurt water before they have to shut off completely. Problem is as soon as you go to beurt water you start to get contamination in the water pipes from leakages leaking now into the pipe. So then at a stage you can't drink the water in anyway, so people will have to start boiling drinking water or fetching it in anyway.

I'm finishing my rainwater collection system this weekend, hopefully with monday/thuesday's predicted rain I'll be able to catch some water for when the time comes, if it does we'll boil the water for drinking and use the rest as is...
In the meanwhile if there's enough of the neighbours interested I'll put my flowbin at my fence and keep it filled with borehole water for people to at least have water to flush their toilets... If you take toilets out of the equation then you're already saving a lot of water...
But somehow I doubt that it's already at a point where people would actually put in the effort to go fetch water for the toilets. I mean it's needed but some people just don't think that it's really a priority to go that far yet...

[johan65]

Eerder as om in 'n lyn te gaan staan vir water sal ek verkies hulle doen beurt water. Laat ek dan maar vir 2 dae 'n week water he of so iets.

By my huis kan ons darem vir so maand (2 as ons dit druk) uit reen water tenks leef as ons moet.

Probleem is dit is bewys dat met beurt water tap mense kanne en baddens vol terwyl hulle kan en mense mors eintlik meer water met beurtkrag water

[xrapidx]

How about a long drop in the garden? Use it for a month or two topped with sawdust - then fill and move on to a new "hole" - will probably be good for the garden at a later stage

My neighbour had their well point connected to the house supply, and turned their municipal supply off. That little exercise with the filtration system came to R 32000.

I have a well point, put that resource may also be declared out of bounds. It has already been said that if the water table drops below a certain level salination of our ground water may take place with sea water filtering through. (water does not belong to you, but to the government)

I have a big swimming pool that is covered to the extent that no sunlight gets to the water. That is my reservoir.

I will move my gas camping shower into the bathroom.

The washing machine is a problem. It uses 45 litres per wash. The dish washer uses 11 litres.

I think very few households will manage with 50 litres per person.

I'm also considering this - I recently saw an ad for R20,000. (and then you can also use your pool as a backup)

My well points are both dry so I'm screwed. I wanted to do a dual water system.
My latest idea is to load a flowbin on the bakkie and pop down to the slipway and fill it from the sea with my petrol driven pump. At least I can flush the toilets

Concerning - my wellpoint seems stronger than usual this year (in Blouberg) - but it is a big concern that it'll dry up, which will be a first in 8 years.

[Bigseb]

I knew it was bad in CT but had no idea it was this bad. Very upsetting.

My father lives in JBay and he recently put in 2 5000l drum to catch every last ounce of rainwater.

Here in the UK there is definitely no water shortage but it pains me to see people (and especially businesses) being so wasteful with this precious resource.

[Jouko]

When I was at school - quite a long time ago - it was calculated that Rhine river water was used 7 times before it could reach the sea.

We are fast reaching a point where brown water is treated for drinking. I do not know what CT is doing. Pumping to sea semi treated water?

[georgecape]

It is shameful when our neighbours have solved the problem a long time agoHow Namibia turns sewage into drinking water - The Week

<cite class="_Rm">theweek.com/articles/668750/how-namibia-turns-sewage-into-drinking-water</cite>


Jan 11, 2017 - It's so stinky that my guide, the man who runs Windhoek's water department, tells me I might want to stay in the car. But this ... But here, in the middle of a desert in a remote corner of southern Africa, they've been recycling wastewater for almost 50 years. ... And we also don't know how much rain we will get.