The Status and Use of Potable Water Conservation and Savings Devices in the Domestic and Commercial Environments in South Africa

South Africa is a semi arid country and several of our urban regions (e.g. Cape Town and Polokwane) have had to implement emergency water restrictions in recent years. The costs of augmenting urban water supplies are very high, but future augmentation schemes can be delayed if consumers become more efficiency minded in their use of water. A water efficient device (e.g. a modern 4.5 litre cistern and pan combination) is one which performs exactly the same function as an outdated device (e.g. the old 13 litre cistern and pan), but uses less water. Awareness of water efficiency in South Africa among the public, in the building profession and at municipal level is still relatively low. A move to water efficiency is evident on the showroom floors of the plumbing marker suppliers, but this is driven by international trends rather than local factors. Commercial institutional investors in South Africa are also showing signs of moving to water efficiency. In order for water efficiency to become the norm in South Africa amendments must be made to the national building code. Amendments to municipal bylaws can also be helpful, but the building industry works primarily with the building code and cannot be expected to keep track of the variations within the bylaws of South Africa's 169 Water Supply Authorities. The state is a major employer and building owner in its own right and needs to lead by example by moving to water efficiency in its own buildings.