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Water security at home

When the taps run dry, you need a plan – not panic.

Cape Town's "Day Zero" scare in 2018 and the long water cuts in Gauteng showed how quickly a household can be left without water. Here's what you can do this week, for little or no money.

7 things to do before the next water cut

  1. Store 3 days of drinking water. Roughly 3–4 litres per person per day. Use clean, food-grade containers with lids and rotate them every few months.
  2. Catch your roof water. Even one tank or a few drums under a downpipe collects a surprising amount in a single storm. Fit a mesh screen to keep out leaves and mosquitoes.
  3. Re-use grey water. Bath and washing-machine rinse water is fine for flushing toilets and watering the garden (not edibles' leaves).
  4. Know how to make water safe. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least 1 minute, or follow the dose on the label of unscented household bleach. When in doubt, boil.
  5. Find and fix leaks. Read your meter at night and again in the morning with all taps off. If it moved, you have a leak.
  6. Mulch your garden. A thick layer of mulch can cut how much water your beds need by a large margin.
  7. Make a family plan. Who fetches water, where the nearest collection point is, and which containers you use for what.

Want a bigger, longer-term solution?

Guide I'm recommending

Joseph's Well

A guide with DIY plans for a home water system, aimed at families who want to rely less on municipal supply during droughts and shortages. It's one of the best-selling products on Digistore24, the platform that handles the order and refunds.

FormatGuide with DIY plans
Sold throughDigistore24
Good forHomeowners with a yard
Why I like it
  • Focused on one practical problem: water at home
  • DIY approach – you build it yourself
  • Ordered through Digistore24, a large established reseller
Keep in mind
  • Written for a US audience – check shipping and price in Rand before you order
  • Results depend on your climate and how well you build it
  • Watch the full presentation before deciding
See Joseph's Well on the official site →

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