When you think of South Africa, you think of sunny days and beautiful bushveld. And you’d be right to think that, except that sunny days mean that South Africa is a relatively dry country, receiving on average 450mm rainfall per year which is almost half of the global average.

As well as being a dry country, our rainfall has been unpredictable over the last few seasons (a phenomenon that looks set to stay for the foreseeable future) and government is struggling to maintain our water infrastructure. This means that we must look for alternative solutions for our water supply and practice water-wise habits to ensure water security.

Basic routines such as showering instead of bathing, turning the tap off when brushing teeth, watering the garden early in the morning or evening and planting indigenous, water-friendly vegetation in our gardens should already be ingrained in our daily life. There is, however, more that you can do.