5000 plastic bottle hand wash units were rolled out recently across Cape Town’s informal settlements by the National Business Initiative (NBI) and Business for South Africa (B4SA) COVID-19 Water Working Group, in partnership with local NGOs and the City of Cape Town. COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus the importance of hand washing for improved hygiene, public health and … [Read more...]
Disposable diapers a growing threat to African rivers
Since the invention of disposable baby diapers in the 1960s, consumption has sky-rocketed. Along with the increase in use of disposables come numerous environmental consequences. The pollution of water systems caused by used diapers is becoming obvious in many African countries, and globally, disposable diapers create large quantities of waste. Solutions to the problem must fit … [Read more...]
Poo issues in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village
Ecoli in the Sir Lowrys Pass river and hence the ocean at Gordons Bay is an issue that activists from the Helderberg are now fed-up with. Squatter camps in the village are suffering from a shortage of proper sanitation and sufficient waste disposal, so the river is used to dump unwanted things into. The City of Cape Town responded with the folllowing statement by the Mayoral … [Read more...]
A change of heart for water & sanitation
What do we use drinking water for in this country? “To flush our toilets, to bath or shower, to wash our hands and cars and to irrigate our gardens. How much of this drinking water is actually used for drinking?” asked Councillor David Botha (pictured, right) from the Stellenbosch municipality during the university’s World Walk for Water and Sanitation this week. The event … [Read more...]
Cry for our dry country
South Africa is one of the 30 driest countries in the world. It has an annual rainfall of just under 500 mm per annum, which is far below the global average of 860 mm. The country’s limited water resources are faced with challenges such as climate change and pollution. These two factors impact on SA’s ability to provide water for human consumption, and its various economic … [Read more...]
Cape Town leads provision of sanitation in SA
The City of Cape Town’s achievement of 100% access to adequate sanitation in informal areas, as assessed by the National Department of Water Affairs in 2012, remains unparalleled in South Africa. This has been achieved despite a population growth of more than 30% over the past decade. The City of Cape Town’s achievement of 100% access to adequate sanitation in informal … [Read more...]
Climate change set to exacerbate child vulnerability in SA
A new study is calling for policy makers to focus on children in addressing climate change. Climate change will exacerbate the existing vulnerabilities of kids in South Africa, unless mitigation and adaptation strategies are child-sensitive and timeously implemented. Exploring the Impact of Climate Change on Children in South Africa, a study recently made public, highlights … [Read more...]
Improving sanitation with the Peepoo Bag
Invented by a Swedish architect and professor, the Peepoo bag is a single-use biodegradable toilet for slums in the developing world where there aren't permanent facilities. When I first saw the Peepoo bag I thought it was a joke, but after reading about it I realized it's quite a novel idea. Basically it's a plastic bag to go to the bathroom in, but this simple little bag … [Read more...]
Water: the currency of the future
Water is essential to all life on earth. Now water is set to head in the same direction as oil, with prices rising as demand is increased and supplies are depleted. The fundamental difference is that whilst oil equals money, water equals life. We use so much water in our day to day lives that we often take it for granted. Neither do we realize that every product we buy, or … [Read more...]
Water turns Table Mountain Blue
Southern Africa's best known landmark, Table Mountain, was lit in blue on Friday night by HRH the Prince of Orange (Netherlands) and Under Secretary General of the United Nations and the Executive Director of UN Habitat. The lighting was to commemorate the right to water and this years' UN World Water Day themed 'Water and Urbanization, Responding to the Urban Challenge' which … [Read more...]
Footprint of a street person
Peter is 60, lying under an oak tree with his head on a small bag containing his worldly possessions. I've greeted him many times when out on a run; today I stop and ask him his story. 'I grew up in the Karoo and went to a Catholic school with German nuns. When I came to Cape Town I worked in a candle factory in Observatory until it closed down in 1994. I couldn't get another … [Read more...]
