Blog categorized as Opinion Piece

Citizen scientists take the plunge to change the tide on water quality

Citizen scientists take the plunge to change the tide on water quality


A deluge of activist citizen scientists is heading for the water. They are participating in a water monitoring and testing week from 17 to 24 September. 
The campaign is centred on World Water Monitoring Day on 18 September — focusing on the testing of tap water, rivers, reservoirs and dams — an...

19.09.2023 15:41:19
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We tried to lay criminal charges against Joburg for water pollution – the SAPS didn’t know how

We tried to lay criminal charges against Joburg for water pollution – the SAPS didn’t know how


 Municipalities are now the biggest water polluter in South Africa. It is estimated that since 2017, 50,000 litres of sewage seeps into our rivers every second. According to an article by Anja du Plessis, an associate professor at Unisa, in Johannesburg the water crisis can be attributed to poo...

24.05.2023 17:29:41
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South Africa’s sewage pollution crisis is impacting our food safety

South Africa’s sewage pollution crisis is impacting our food safety


The 2022 theme for World Toilet Day on 19 November is “making the invisible visible” as the focus is on sewage spills into groundwater. In South Africa, sewage pollution is anything but invisible and in the past year, much has been said and written about it. 
Since 2013, the United Nations obser...

17.11.2022 19:47:05
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Poor governance leaves women and children battling to access water


By Dr Ferrial Adam 
 
Those in distress are no longer the rural communities out of public view, but also increasingly in cities. The quantity and quality of our water affects women and girls disproportionately in terms of domestic use, safety, building livelihoods and opportunities. South Af...

08.08.2022 23:36:30
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Building a network of citizen scientists to help protect our water resources

Building a network of citizen scientists to help protect our water resources


South Africa’s lack of service delivery, crumbling infrastructure and defunct municipalities have brought people to despair as their hope and trust in government fades. 
Cities, towns and villages have been neglected but at the same time almost R186-billion has disappeared out of the accounts of...

02.06.2022 22:02:28
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Citizen action is the key to rescuing South Africa’s failing water and sanitation systems

Citizen action is the key to rescuing South Africa’s failing water and sanitation systems

Water pollution in South Africa is so dire that it needs to be declared a state of national disaster to encourage a focused and urgent response. Daily there are billions of litres of industrial and pharmaceutical wastewater, mining waste and poorly treated or entirely untreated sewage that flows int...

21.03.2022 19:14:17
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