Water Wise Watch: June 2019

This month at Water Wise

Hello winter!

As winter slowly creeps in, some of us are loving it while some want it to end already. Regardless of how you feel about it, winter is here and one has to figure out a way to cope with it. It is relatively easy for humans to keep warm with winter jackets, warm blankets and heaters, but what about plants? What happens to our gardens during winter?

Just like human beings, plants also have a way of surviving winter. For example, some trees shed leaves and rest during winter while other plants such as Tulips go dormant and store their energy in their bulbs. The best way to treat your garden during winter is to let it rest.

 

 

It is only right to want our gardens to look green and full of colour all year round, however we forget that the plants in our garden also follow seasonal changes and may go dormant in winter. Therefore your garden will require limited winter maintenance and upkeep. When spring comes, everything will start going back to normal and you might be surprised how even more beautiful your garden will look.
Sit back, enjoy the winter season and don't forget to be #WaterWise.

  • Reduce watering on lawns to once every two or three weeks in winter.
  • Apply a thicker layer of mulch to your flower beds to retain heat and prevent cold damage during the winter months.
  • Low water-use indigenous plants only need to be watered in winter if they are showing signs of water-stress.  Water only once every 8 weeks if necessary.
  • Moderate water-use plants only need to be watered once a month in winter.
  • High water-use plants should be watered 2-3 times every two weeks during winter months.
  • Remember that the evaporation rate on the highveld is almost zero in winter. This means that much less watering and irrigation is required in the garden.

Water Wise Out and About 

Water Wise together with Rand Water's Wellness team joined forces in organizing and running the health walks in different Rand Water stations. The walk was all about the wellness of employees and how water and the environment (focusing on biodiversity) plays a significant role when it comes to their health. The event was filled with a lot of informative fun activities and games which helped employees think more about their ways of using and saving water at work and in their homes. Below are some of the images that were taken during the event

 

 

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Environmental Days and Public Holidays 

01 June:  International Children's Day
05 June:  World Environmental Day
08 June:  World Oceans Day
16 June:  Youth Day
17 June:  World Day to Combat Diversification  and Drought

The World Environmental Day: 05 June 2019

This year, the World Environmental Day will be hosted by China and the theme is Air Pollution. "We can't stop breathing, but we can do something about the quality of air that we breathe". The question is what are we going to do to reduce both direct and indirect air pollution?. For more information related to the day, please click on the link: www.greeningtheblue.org.

 

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Water and environmental news
(Click on the bold heading below to read the article)

 

Cape Town council's desalination debacle: Seawater 400% more polluted

"The seawater feeding into the desalination plant at the V&A Waterfront is polluted by raw sewage from the Green Point outfall pipe and is sometimes up to 400% dirtier than specifications the City gave companies that tendered to build the plant."

Tiny beetle is killing SA's trees – and nothing can stop it

"A beetle smaller than a sesame seed is killing huge trees throughout South Africa, and little can be done to stop it.The polyphagous shot hole borer, a native of southeast Asia no bigger than 2mm, has found its way to South Africa and is infesting trees at an alarming rate. According to Professor Marcus Byrne, a Nobel prize winner and entomologist at the University of the Witwatersrand, the beetle bores tunnels into tree..."

It's easier to get a McDonald's burger than clean water in some rural towns, Africa Utility Week hears

"It is easier to get a McDonald's hamburger in some rural South African towns than it is to get clean drinking water, says the Water Research Commission (WRC). You can get a Shell garage or a McDonald's, but not good, clean water."

Water restrictions lifted in KZN's main water system

"Restrictions for one of KwaZulu-Natal's most important water systems has been lifted, Umgeni Water said on Monday. Analysis done in the May hydrological modelling showed that the Mgeni System is able to meet the full requirements of the four municipalities if there are no sharp or significant increases in demand, said Umgeni Water spokesperson Shami Harichunder."

 

Zwartkopjies weather

Our weather station is currently under maintenance and weather data is unavailable. We apologise for the inconvenience. In the interim, have a look at the weather forecast for South Africa, courtesy of the South African Weather Service, by clicking on the image below.  

Dam Capacities


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