Northumbrian Water’s directors to survive on 50 litres per day

A team of Northumbrian Water’s directors will attempt to live on 50 litres of water a day, in a bid to experience the hardship of supply issues for residents in Cape Town.

The “Cape Town Experience” challenge is taking place during Water Saving Week (19-23 March), which coincides with World Water Day on 22 March.

Those taking part will have 50 litres per day to shower, drink, wash clothes and flush the toilet, compared to the average person in the UK who uses 140 litres each day.

Residents in Cape Town have been restricted to 50 litres a day as the city faces running out of water completely.

Heidi Mottram, chief executive at Northumbrian Water Group, said: “In the UK we are lucky to have a continuous supply of clean, clear and great tasting water, and the situation in Cape Town shows us what a precious resource this is.

“50 litres may sound like enough, but when you consider how much we rely on water in our everyday lives it becomes clear what a challenge this is.

“Thankfully we do not have to ask our customers to reduce their water use to these levels, but it is important that we are all doing everything we can to save water and preserve supplies for future generations.”

“Day Zero” for Cape Town is currently 27 August 2018, which is when the city will have to turn off water supplies due to the severe shortage. This could come sooner if residents do not restrict their usage to 50 litres per day.

Not-for-profit organisation Waterwise started Water Saving Week in 2015 to get the nation talking about and acting to save water.

It said the UK has less available water per person than most other European countries, while London is drier than Istanbul.

Waterwise will be engaging with partners to increase its social media presence and reach during Water Saving Week and will be using its Mr Splosh mascot, to help promote the importance of using “water wisely”.

Last year, Waterwise had 55,000 impressions on Twitter during the week. Meanwhile, Northumbrian’s directors will be providing regular updates on social media about their progress with the challenge.

Nicci Russell, managing director at Waterwise, said: Cape Town is counting down to Day Zero in coming months – when taps will actually run dry – and we know that there will be more droughts across the UK in coming decades.

“Recent extreme cold weather in the UK has also meant customers are needing to use water wisely.”