Youth from the Walmer community in Gqeberha have weighed in on the recent water shortages in the Eastern Cape by placing water at the centre of addressing climate change, stressing the importance of water saving and reusing interventions.
As recently as February, the overall levels for dams supplying the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality were as low as 12%, however, a wet winter has resulted in a steady rise in dam levels, with dams reflecting an overall level of 78.04% as of Monday 30 October.
However, the drought is still fresh in the memories of residents, who had no choice but to change their water consumption behaviour in the face of low water supply.
“I still remember people standing in line late at night waiting for their turn to fetch water in my community of Walmer,” says Bahle Nofemele of Walmer High School.
“Over the past few years, my community has been faced with the challenge of water scarcity. The water shortage affects all people – those in their homes, at work and school. As high school learners, we are impacted heavily. There are days when we are released early from school because there is no water. As a result, we lose crucial learning time during our term and fall behind on our curriculum,” she adds, saying that she believes youth should have their voices heard today, not just when they are older and become future leaders in society.
“Firstly, the community needs education and awareness on water-saving measures and interventions to ensure we consume water efficiently. I would also like to see local authorities and officials act and bring a way forward. In times like this, we look to them to take responsibility for restoring our water.”
Lelethu Msipa, a Grade 10 learner at Walmer High School says,“The water shortage not only affects the community, but also the economy such as farms, malls, and factories”.
The climate champ also stresses the importance of water saving measures such as water reuse and repurposing.
“We could use greywater from bathing and dishwashing to water plants and flush toilets. We could also call upon the local government to investigate using groundwater, boreholes or setting up rain catchment tanks in areas that receive more rainfall.”
- This climate change initiative is co-funded by the European Union, implemented in partnership with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and presented by GreenCape. Visit https://saclimatechamps.co.za/ or their LinkedIn page for more information.
