• 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has provided materials so that government agencies, non-governmental organizations, conservation organizations, and groups of citizens can help raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands.
• Ramsar Convention defines wetlands as “areas of marsh, fen , peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters” .
• Such definition would include rivers, lakes, swamps, marshes, wet grasslands, estuaries, deltas, mangroves, coral reefs, human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoir, and salt pans among others.

Phosphate film with Jeremy Westgarth-Taylor

January 9, 2012

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) is currently reviewing its Integrated Waste Management Plan (IWMP), which is a planning tool that will guide the Municipality’s waste management activities over the next five years and we would like you, as residents, to submit your contributions. The closing date for contributions is 17 February 2012.

Standing Committee Chairperson for Public Health, Cllr Patricia Ndlovu, said as part of the planning process, the NMBM is undertaking a Public Perception Survey to determine how residents perceive waste management in the city, what they feel the challenges are, and how they would like to see these issues addressed.

The Public Perception Survey is available online via a link on the NMBM homepage (www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za) or you can pick up a hard copy from municipal clinics, customer care centres and libraries across Nelson Mandela Bay.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality won the coveted Cleanest City Award twice and also received the second price on several occasions since the inauguration of the awards in 2002 as a result of its proactive approach to Waste Management.

The Public Perception Survey was started on 30 November 2011.

Issued on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality by Media Management Officer Kupido Baron (082 780 2726/041 502 0000).

These are pictures of an actual polar bear attacking a man.

The pictures were taken while people watched and could do nothing to stop the attack!

Reports from the local newspaper say that the victim will make a full recovery.

The photos follow… not for the meek.

May your troubles always be smaller

than your imagination!

Water Rhapsody Team EC

]]> http://www.watersafe.co.za/2011/11/25/polar-bear-attack/feed/ 0 http://www.watersafe.co.za/2011/10/26/why-is-water-rhapsody-your-answer/ http://www.watersafe.co.za/2011/10/26/why-is-water-rhapsody-your-answer/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:01:31 +0000 admin http://www.watersafe.co.za/?p=1942 Continue reading →]]>

  Not receiving constant water pressure from the municipality?

Then Water Rhapsody is your answer.

We specialize in the manufacturing and installation of Water Conservation Systems and have 16 years of experience behind us. Our Systems include:

• Garden Rhapsody– Grey Water Diverter
  • Re-use your bath, shower and laundry water to irrigate your garden-automatically.
• Grand Opus– Rainwater Harvesting system
  • Harvest clean rainwater and use this water instead of municipality water.
• Second Movement  
  • Grey water for toilet flushing.
• Multi Flush Toilet system
  • Allows you to use the least amount of water to clean the pan.
• Pool Side tank
  • Recycle your pool’s backwash water back into your swimming pool.
• Poseidon Advantage Series
  • Recycling of large industrial grey water producers like car wash bays.

The installations can be as simple as a gutter-to-tank installation or as intricate as an Uninterrupted Pressurized Water Supply (UPWS) system, ensuring you against any water outages.

For more information visit our website at www.watersafe.co.za, mail us on info@watersafe.co.za or call us on 082 7712 062/082 851 9761.

As Jojo Dealers and one of their listed preferred installers, Water Rhapsody is offering the 2500l for R1550 and the 5000l for R2785 (incl VAT & Delivery) until the end of October 2011.

So hurry, order your tank(s) now and we will visit you for a no-obligation quote on the installation thereof. We might be in the unfortunate position of having water restrictions again in the future, so start now becoming independent of Municipal supply.

Saving water is an excellent way to show that you care and are willing to do your little bit to help. Whether you store just a small amount to reduce your use of the municipal supply or get off the grid completely,it will be beneficial for the entire community and for future generations.

“Every backwash of two to three minutes will use between 200 and 900 litres of water”

Stop throwing your pool backwash water away! It is illegal to pump this water to the street and environmentally most unfriendly. Owning a swimming pool means having to waste up to 500 litres of backwash water per week on cleaning the filtration system.

Our Water Rhapsody Poolside Tank system receives the water normally thrown away from a pool’s filter backwash process. The system processes this dirty water and within 24 hours the water can be safely returned to the pool. Should you wish, we can connect the system in such a way that you would still be able to empty your pool for whatever reason you might need to.

Other ways to use less water for your swimming pool:

• Use a pool cover.  It will reduce water loss due to normal evaporation, which can be as high as 25mm a week or as much as 1000 litres from larger pools.
• Repair any swimming pool leaks. Even a small leak in either pool equipment or the pool’s structure represents a substantial amount of water waste.
• If heated, reduce your pool and spa water temperature. Warmer water evaporates more quickly
• Keep the pool water in the pool. If your pool has an overflow hole or pipe, plug it whenever people are swimming. This will prevent water loss through the line when the pool is in use.
• Maintain the chemical balance in your pool. This will help prevent algae bloom which may need to be vacuumed or backwashed which will waste water (unless you have installed the Water Rhapsody Poolside Tank). Correct control of salt levels will also save you money and prevent over salination which may influence your ability to recycle that water, at the same time adding unnecessary salt to environmental water.
• If your pool has a water feature or waterfall, ensure that this remains shut off while no-one is around to appreciate it as these invariably cause considerable additional evaporation and chemical losses. It may pay to have a shut-off valve fitted if you do not already have one.
• Discourage excessive splashing and boisterous play. The more water lost to splashing, the more frequently you will need to refill or top up the water in your pool.
• When you are filling your pool, be sure to keep an eye on your water level. Forgetting to shut off fill water can make for a costly waste of water.

Contact Water Rhapsody for more information on the Poolside Tank, or for a no-obligation quote to have it installed.

Day 22: Start a lift club.

Sharing is caring especially when it comes to transportation. When neighbours and co-workers ride together, everyone benefits.

Day 23: Read the ingredients.

Knowledge is power. Knowing what’s in the products you buy will help you understand their impact on the environment.

Day 24: Use less.

When you are able to use only what you need, you help reduce unnecessary waste. Keep a journal of your food, petrol and material consumption to better understand where you can cut back.

Day 25: Go outside.

Enjoy the great outdoors more. Plan a hike or picnic instead of languishing indoors. When you use outdoor spaces more, you use less energy to heat or cool the inside of you home.

Day 26: Go low flow.

Purchase low flow shower heads, taps and toilets to conserve water. Let Water Rhapsody install a Multi-Flush in all your toilets. The toilet will only flush as long as you hold the handle down.

Day 27: Support tree huggers.

Stay informed and involved with local and national environmental efforts. Find out how you can support greening initiatives in your area.

Day 28: Spread the word.

Share your environmental advances with friends and co-workers. When going green, it’s great to have your own support network of ‘greenies’.

According to tests made by Pathcare Laboratory at St. George’s, water in certain areas of the Bay is not safe to drink. This is caused by the lack of free-chlorine, which is meant to kill harmful contaminants in the water, therefore making the water an ideal breeding ground for germs and bacteria.

Tests carried out for The Herald by Pathcare Laboratories have revealed that water samples from Livingstone Hospital contain traces of the potentially deadly E.coli bacteria

( Fecal Coliform/E coli: Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, and people with severely compromised immune systems.) Water from the Korsten area contains unacceptable high amount of coli form bacteria, which indicate the presence of either human or animal faeces and the absence of effective water treatment. The presence of coli form bacteria in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms, or pathogens, are contaminating the water system.

( Total Coliform: Coliforms are bacteria that are naturally present in the environment and are used as an indicator that other, potentially-harmful, bacteria may be present. Coliforms were found in more samples than allowed and this was a warning of potential problems. ) Residents are being warned to boil drinking water. Water filters are largely ineffective in filtering the micro-organisms.

For the past month, in Framesby, the waters’ free chlorine levels have been zero (according to Mr. Pieter Rossouw, a water analyst) – way below the Department of Water Affairs’ recommended level of between 0.3 and 0.6mg/litre. “Without intervention, it’s just a matter of time until the whole system is fully contaminated. A disaster is coming”, he said.

According to the Department of Water Affairs guidelines, there should be no presence of E.coli in treated water, while any total coli form count between 10/100ml and 100/100ml was worrisome and ‘indicative of inadequate treatment, post treatment contamination or growth in the distribution system with a risk of infectious disease transmission with continuous exposure’.

The municipality was stripped of the department’s prestigious Blue Drop status earlier his year, when it failed to score 97% for its water assessment, losing points in the areas of water planning processed and drinking water quality compliance, instead achieving 90%.

Mr Rossouw wrote an urgent letter to the municipality highlighting the lack of free chlorine in the water supplying his suburb, and the likely chance of bacteriological contamination of the city’s supply should nothing be done. He didn’t receive any response from them yet. “It’s just a matter of time until the pipelines are contaminated. Major corrective action will then be needed, and without it a disaster is coming,’ he warned. Another worrying phenomenon was also occurring with the distilling process, with the municipal water periodically beginning to froth and foam – a phenomenon Rossouw thought could be due to the presence of potentially harmful organic chemicals.

What can Water Rhapsody do for you??

Let Water Rhapsody install a Grand Opus System at your residence or business. You will harvest clean rainwater, it will be filtered by our Rain Runners, will reach your rainwater tanks via a closed system, not allowing light or air to reach it (therefore no algae growth or mosquito larvae in your water). The tanks will be connected to your home supply, making it your main water supply. With a manifold override, you will have the option to use municipal water when you need to.

We supply water tanks only. We install water tanks. We guarantee the best service and advice in the Eastern Cape. Our systems are being installed in Cape Town since 1994.

Rain water is the purest form of water. Make use of it when you can. At this stage, after this article today, water tanks is not a ‘maybe one day’ or a ‘nice-to have’, it’s becoming a necessity.

Day 8: Collect it.

Set large containers outside to collect rainwater.  (Purchase Jojo tanks from Water Rhapsody and let us install it for you!) This water can be used to hydrate your garden plants and be used to wash outdoor furniture, wash your car etc.

Day 9: Share it.

If you prepare more food for supper than you can consume, feel free to share it or have it for lunch the next day. Sharing meals keeps great food in tummies and out of landfills.

Day 10: Donate it.

Instead of throwing away old clothes, electronics or home wares, donate them to your local charity organisation or church. Of you k for a receipt, you can count the deduction when you do your income tax.

Day 11: Return it.

Buying biodegradable items means that when you throw it away, it will decompose. The decomposition process returns materials back to the earth.

Day 12: Fix it.

If you have a pair of pants that are in need of then loving care, try mending them before getting rid of them. Most dry cleaners have tailors onsite. It will be much cheaper to repair them than to replace them.

Day 13: Switch it.

When your incandescent light bulbs burn out, replace them with energy efficient florescent of LED light bulbs.

Day 14: Research it.

Before you purchase large expensive items,  research how the product is manufactured and what he producers are doing with regards to their environmental impact. A quick online search will help you make the greenest purchase.

Just want to share this beautiful picture of Kouga Dam with you from yesterday, what a amazing site !!!

Regards

Victor

It truly is! Thank you for sharing this with us Victor.

-Water Rhapsody Eastern Cape