Water

UP acknowledges the importance of water as an essential resource for successfully meeting its operational objectives. The University also realises the need to use this resource in a responsible manner that is sustainable and complementary to its Environmental Management Policy.

The University is in the process of formalising its current water management approach to align with local and international policies.  

The benefits of water management for the University include:

• improved operational efficiency,
• reduced potential for contamination,
• reduced potential for property damage and water system liability, and
• reduced water-outage events.

The Department of Facilities Management is responsible for:

• acquisition of water;
• design and construction of new facilities and maintenance of existing ones, and maintenance of their fixed-water infrastructure;
• identification, development and implementation of water awareness programmes; and
• making funding available to support water conservation measures.

The Water Management Plan will, among other issues, address the following:

• municipal account verification
• the design of new buildings or refurbishment of existing ones to include systems that will reduce water usage, such as high-efficiency plumbing fixtures
• measures to stop water flowing into buildings after hours and during holidays, thus preventing water loss through leakage
• leakage detection and repairs, as well as preventative maintenance
• the implementation of water wise gardening
• the use of water-efficient irrigation systems
• the use of reclaimed water
• rain-water harvesting and storage
• the use of storage tanks and reservoirs to store borehole water
• water-use monitoring