Fresh water is critical to the survival of living creatures – including humans. Did you know that our bodies are 60% water?
In KwaZulu-Natal our supplies of fresh water are gradually running out. Water is wasted by pollution, inefficient river and catchment management, by alien plant species, faulty sewerage systems, theft, illegal connections and over-consumption.
Conservancies play an important part in water conservation through:
- The removal of alien plant species – they significantly diminish our water supply
- Planting indigenous trees that bind the earth and hold the surface water
- Clearing and maintaining the rainfall catchment areas that feed our rivers
- Restoring and maintaining wetlands that clean and supply natural water
- Working with water retention systems – dams and reservoirs
- Clearing and restorative work on our river systems and estuaries
- Advocating and promoting the recycling and re-use of water
Water Management Projects
Projects to save water in which Conservancies are involved include the Aller River clearing and rehabilitation project in Durban, protection of the southern Drakensberg Swartberg grassland catchment area, the Dorps River catchment AIP clearing project in Pietermaritzburg, and the Dusi/Umgeni rivers rehabilitation.
Ways we’re affected by water
Poor management of water in settlements built on catchment areas creates serious pollution
We would be in serious trouble without dams – but they need conservation management plans too
Waste like this should be stopped in the area it is created, not at the harbour
More than lovely mountains and valleys, these are crucial water catchment areas
When there is a water shortage, everyone feels it
