"Water Wise" is Rand Water's environmental brand. Rand Water is one of South Africa's oldest bulk suppliers of water and their operations date far into the 20th century. Their distribution network includes over 3 056 kilometres of large diameter pipeline, feeding 58 strategically located service reservoirs. Its customers include metropolitan municipalities, local municipalities, mines and industries and it supplies, on average, 3 653 million litres of water to these customers daily.
Their Water Wise campaign is to increase awareness of the need to value water and to use it wisely in South Africa.

Respect: The first meaning to be water wise is to respect all life on earth including plants, animals, insects, birds and people that live on earth. Since water is life, we must respect water as well.

Don't Waste: Wasting something is using it too much or using it for no purpose. We must learn to avoid wasting water. Many people in the world do not have access to clean fresh water and so we must avoid wasting the one we have. South Africa is currently classified by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa as a water-stressed country which implies that water per person per lies in the range of 1000 to 1700 cubic metres. This means it is possible that by 2025, South Africa would be a water scarce country. This is why we need to avoid wasting water and this is the second meaning of being water wise.

Don't pollute: If you pollute something, it means you make it unclean or dangerous. Increasing pollution in South Africa is making the already scarce fresh water scarcer. The destruction of river catchments, urbanization, damming of rivers mining, destruction of wetlands, and accidental water pollution all contribute to this. The third meaning of being water wise is to avoid water pollution.

Pay: In order for everyone to receive clean water from our taps, we must be ready to pay for it. We have to pay for the processing, the infrastructure and the people who work hard enough to ensure that water reaches our homes daily. This is the fourth meaning of being water wise.

Action: We must take action the moment we find something is wrong. We must report all leaking pipes, fix leaking taps, recycle, avoid litter and take charge of our environment. We have just one earth and we must each bear the responsibility of sustaining it. We must practice being water wise in our daily activities. This is the fifth meaning of being Water Wise.

Water Conservation: Lastly, to conserve something is to care and protect it from damage. Since water is life, conserving it means we are conserving life on earth. It is important that we protect our water bodies from pollution and avoid wasting water. This is the sixth and final meaning of being water wise!

FUN STUFF!: There are a lot of games, fun quizzes and puzzles available on the Water Wise website(http://www.waterwise.co.za/site/fun/games/). Do try your hands on them some time. They entertain and educate alongside. Hope you have learnt something new today!