Hands up if this particular statement from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality doesn’t quite sit right with you:
Nelson Mandela Bay is using far more water than it can afford. Our daily target is 280 million litres, but we are currently consuming 380 million litres every day — 100 million litres over the limit. At this rate, we have only 246 days of water supply left. This is a serious warning. Every household, business and community must act now to reduce water use. Simple daily changes can help secure water for our future.
The sheer effrontery of a supplier telling consumers to save water when that same supplier is responsible for 60% of our water loss beggars belief.
NMBM should be ashamed. What next? “Telling consumers that the residents of the suburbs are the biggest water wasters in the city?” Now that would be polarising and calculated to garner support for our current crop of thieves and miscreants doing joint tugs every now and then.
As of January 2026, Nelson Mandela Bay is again approaching a critical “Day Zero” scenario, with combined dam levels dropping below 40%. While the region is naturally semi-arid, the current crisis is being driven by a combination of environmental and man-made factors.
Reasons for the 2026 Water Crisis
Infrastructure Failure & Leaks: Over 60% of the city’s treated water is currently lost to leaks and broken pipes before it ever reaches residents. Many major leaks have reportedly gone unrepaired for months due to a maintenance backlog exceeding 2,000 faults.
Excessive Consumption: Daily water usage in the Metro is tracking at roughly 389 million liters, nearly 40% higher than the sustainable target of 280 million liters.
Adverse Weather Forecasts: The South African Weather Service has predicted below-normal rainfall and above-normal temperatures for the January–March 2026 period, further straining reserves.
Power Supply Disruptions: Frequent electricity faults at key water treatment works (like Elandsjagt) often stop the pumping process, causing reservoirs to run dry even when dam levels are stable.
Actionable Actions to Save Water
To avoid total system failure, residents are urged to reduce consumption to 50 liters per person per day.
Immediate Personal & Household Habits
“Two-Minute” Showers: Limit showers to 2 minutes once daily and turn off the water while soaping up.
“Yellow Mellow”: Reduce toilet flushing frequency – only flush when absolutely necessary for hygiene.
Tap Discipline: Turn off the tap while brushing teeth, shaving, or washing hands; use a mug or cup instead.
Laundry & Dish Strategy: Only run washing machines and dishwashers for full loads. Re-use glasses and mugs to minimize the number of items needing washing.
Waterless Alternatives: Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers instead of soap and water where possible.
Tactical Water Reuse (Greywater)
Shower Catchment: Place a bucket in the shower to catch the cold water while it warms up and use it for flushing or watering plants.
Cooking Reuse: Save water used to wash or boil vegetables (once cooled) to water household plants.
Greywater Diversion: Use “greywater” from baths and washing machines for manual toilet flushing.
Maintenance & Infrastructure
The 60-Minute Leak Test: Turn off all taps and check your water meter; if it still moves after an hour, you have a hidden leak.
Cistern Displacement: Place a 2-liter bottle filled with sand in your toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
Rainwater Harvesting: Install tanks or barrels to collect roof runoff for garden use or cleaning.
Outdoor Restrictions
Ban Hosepipes: Use a bucket and cloth for car washing. Avoid using a hose for driveways—sweep them instead.
Garden Timing: If you must water, do so only in the early morning or late evening to minimize evaporation.
Pool Covers: Keep swimming pools covered to prevent losing over 200 liters a day to evaporation.
Report significant leaks immediately via the NMBM App or the toll-free water leak line at 0800 20 50 50.
And whilst you are on a water savings drive you would do well to read these electricity saving tips from Straton Electrical as well.
If you have problems with runaway water bills from tenants then consider installing a Prepaid Water Meter from Straton Prepaid.
