Telecommunications giant Vodacom has reduced its water consumption by 75% since 2017 through several water-saving projects and water-wise programmes.

As part of its ongoing commitment to halve its environmental impact by 2025, the group implemented various water conservation initiatives that have yielded significant results over the past five years.

“As businesses operating in a water-scarce country, we need to constantly look at innovative water conservation methods so as to assist government navigate the impact of climate change and conserve our country’s water supplies,” says Vodacom South Africa external affairs executive director Takalani Netshitenzhe.

At the Vodacom Techno Centre, in Midrand, water collected from the company’s borehole project and subsequently filtered has reduced the office’s consumption of municipal water from 30 kilolitres a day to two kilolitres a day.

A water storage dam, which was erected at the Vodacom headquarters in 2013 for its ongoing rainwater-harvesting project and can store up to a megalitre of water, collects rainwater that is used to irrigate the campus gardens and to run the air-conditioning system at the Vodacom Commercial Park building.

“We have drastically cut back on water use by repurposing harvested rainwater,” says Netshitenzhe, noting that the recent rains have also proved useful for Vodacom’s borehole project.

Other investments in water-saving strategies for Vodacom’s offices include the use of aerator taps with reduced water flows, waterless hand sanitising stations and the installation of Internet of Things technology such as smart water metres and sensors that provide early leak detection.

The group also has water awareness messages in most of its facilities to encourage water saving practices.

Vodacom has also focused its efforts on helping communities tackle water scarcity.

“Since 2019, we have spent over R6-million on water-relief measures, like the installation of JoJo tanks to supply sustainable drinking water in 90 schools and eight early childhood development centres across the country,” says Netshitenzhe.

“It is initiatives like these that have helped Vodacom reduce its overall water use by 75%.”

While the summer rainfall regions experienced more rain than usual this season, it will not buck the long-term trend of future droughts.

However, such individual events may intensify, providing windows of opportunity to focus on water-wise activities to lessen the pressure on South Africa’s water resources.

“This is exactly what Vodacom did through its rainwater-harvesting and borehole projects. Every small action made to conserve water adds up, and the responsibility of ensuring South Africa’s future water security rests in the hands of the private sector, government and citizens alike. We all have our part to play.

“Urgent and sustained water-wise programmes are a necessity as we navigate climate change,” Netshitenzhe concludes.

Vodacom calls on South Africa’s businesses and citizens to take year-round action towards realising the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6: to ensure everyone has access to clean water and sanitation by 2030, in a way that protects the planet’s resources.