Running dryNelson Mandela Bay businesses urged to conserve water, but municipal campaigns don’t hold much waterByRiaan Marais

Organised business in Nelson Mandela Bay has called on small enterprises and large industry to become more water resilient as the city faces a water crisis… while the municipality wants to residents to refuse a water refill at restaurants, change their lawnmower setting and take away their children’s water pistols. Likening the current water crisis to the height of load shedding, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has urged local industry to implement water-saving measures to ease the load on the metro’s dwindling water supply. Increasing water storage, implementing systems to reuse and recycle water and exploring possible alternative supplies were among the Business Chamber’s suggestions to businesses to make a noteworthy impact on the city’s water consumption.

Meanwhile, the public has poured cold water on the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Municipality’s latest water-saving campaigns, which caution against the use of water pistols and water balloons. The combined level of NMB’s supply dams dropped below 37% in late January. While calls for lower consumption are warranted, with current use sitting at 378 million litres (ML) per day rather than the recommended 280ML, the municipality is struggling to cope with upwards of 6,000 reported leaks and 50% of the city’s use attributed to losses.

“Water security underpins economic confidence and sustainable growth. “Businesses should be looking at water security as carrying a similar level of risk to what was experienced during the height of load shedding in the 2023/24 period. This required that back-up solutions, such as solar power and generators, were in place to ensure business continuity during power disruptions.” “Water remains a critical input into every sector of the local economy, from small businesses to large industries, and it is prudent for businesses to ensure they have reasonable contingency measures in place to manage potential interruptions,” she said. The Business Chamber’s Water Task Team lead, Basil Mugwagwa, said the current water outlook presents a critical moment for coordinated and practical action, particularly from the business community.