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Water

Virus impact places strain on natural resources

By: Natasha Odendaal Updated 1 hour 23 minutes ago The Covid-19 pandemic is placing significant strain on South Africa’s water resources, as the first-line of defence against the unabated spread – washing of hands thoroughly – is sending some five litres of water flows from a household tap down the drain. The entire South African – and world –... →

AfriForum calls on DWS assistance for brewing water troubles

By: Natasha Odendaal 30th March 2020 AfriForum has urgently requested the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to resolve various water issues faced by communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The group sent a letter to Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu after the receipt of complaints from... →

DWS delivers 287 water tank across Gauteng

By: Natasha Odendaal 30th March 2020 The Department of Water and Sanitation on March 30 reported the delivery of another 100 water tanks to needy communities in Soweto. Amid a national lockdown and an increasing number of Covid-19 cases, the DWS has been deploying water tanks to vulnerable communities to allow them access to water... →

Covid-19 will not be stopped without the provision of safe water to the vulnerable – UN experts

By: Natasha Odendaal 27th March 2020 The United Nations (UN) Information Centre warned that without the provision of continuous access to sufficient water to populations living in the most vulnerable conditions, the global fight against the pandemic has little chance of success. About 2.2-billion people worldwide have no access to... →

Covid-19 reveals the dangers of South Africa’s lacking water infrastructure

By: Natasha Odendaal 27th March 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic is highlighting South Africa’s lacking water infrastructure and the dangers it poses to the country’s most vulnerable citizens, the Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (Sappma) has said. While frequent hand washing with soap and clean water is one of the... →

Groundwater expert wins Stockholm Water Prize

By: Natasha Odendaal 25th March 2020 The 2020 Stockholm Water Prize has been awarded to groundwater expert Dr John Cherry for discoveries that have revolutionised the understanding of groundwater vulnerability. His research, which has raised awareness of how groundwater contamination is growing across the world, has led to new, more... →

Greenpeace against granting of MES compliance postponement to Eskom

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd March 2020 South Africa’s National Air Quality Officer Dr Thuli Khumalo’s decision on Eskom’s application for a postponement from complying with the Minimum Emission Standards (MES) at the end of this month could have implications as far reaching as the country’s water security, says Greenpeace Africa.... →

Fears over handwashing in Africa to stem coronavirus seen as trigger for change

By: Reuters 22nd March 2020 People globally are being told to wash their hands to fight the spread of coronavirus but in Africa many can't, experts said, urging states to use the pandemic as a reason to finally push for improvements to water supplies. Aid workers and advisors said countries should seize the moment ahead of... →

Coca-Cola starts up solar-powered boreholes in Limpopo community

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th March 2020 Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has launched the first of its off-grid, solar-powered groundwater harvesting and treatment projects to commemorate National Water Week. The first project, called Coke Ville, is based in the Tshikota village community, just west of Louis Trichardt, in... →

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa's first off-grid, solar-powered water harvesting and treatment project, in the Tshikota village

Higher dam levels will help fight Covid-19 – water and sanitation

By: African News Agency 19th March 2020 Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has instructed her department, human settlements, water and sanitation, to pull out all stops to increase water provisioning and sanitation especially to the most vulnerable, people in informal settlements and rural areas, to assist in curbing the spread of the virus. The... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Vaal Dam

Rural population need to boil water from streams – water dept

By: Natasha Odendaal 18th March 2020 The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) on Wednesday urged rural dwellers to boil the water that they source from rivers and streams prior to drinking, washing and cooking. With the rampant pollution of water resources in South Africa, the department is concerned that some rural people who... →

Coronavirus in SA: Extra water and sanitation for informal settlements, rural areas

By: News24Wire 17th March 2020 The Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation will increase the provision of water and sanitation in high-density public areas, informal settlements and rural areas in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak in South Africa. The department will provide water tanks and standpipes to... →

Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu

AfDB approves $121.7m loan, Euro €3m grant to support Namibian water and sanitation sector

By: Natasha Odendaal 13th March 2020 The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $121.7-million loan, along with a €3-million grant from the Rural Water Supply Sanitation Initiative Trust Fund, to support Namibia’s Water Sector Support Programme. The five-year programme aims to improve access to potable water and for... →

Water ‘crisis’ needs private-sector intervention

By: Darren Parker 13th March 2020 It is essential for the private sector to proactively contribute more towards the upliftment of water infrastructure and services in South Africa, said water engineering company Talbot economist Mike Smith and Talbot strategic director Helen Hulett during a seminar on South Africa’s water... →

Photo by Bloomberg
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL If the private sector invests in water infrastructure projects, it can help ensure water security

Water security needs diverse, flexible systems

By: Darren Parker 13th March 2020 As climate change increasingly poses a risk to water security, the flexibility and diversity of bulk water distribution and the effective management of these systems are essential to secure future water supply. “Water security depends on the systems that are in place to manage it. Risk is system... →

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A SALINE SOLUTION One way of ensuring a guaranteed supply of clean water is through desalination, as is done in Namibia

National nonrevenue water programme in development

By: Darren Parker 13th March 2020 The State-owned Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is spearheading a programme targeting the creation of a centralised national office to tackle non-revenue water projects for municipalities while seeking innovative funding solutions. DBSA product development specialist Johann Lübbe and... →

IN THE PIPELINE The national non-revenue water central office and programme should be fully operational by the end of 2021

Informal operating rules prevail in corrupt water sector, says corruption watchdog

By: Natasha Odendaal 12th March 2020 Watchdog Corruption Watch and the Water Integrity Network (WIN) on Thursday called for a turnaround in South Africa’s embattled water sector, with the need to make it an "island of integrity" imperative amid the significant socioeconomic impact of systemic corruption amounting to more than... →

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Mike Muller

Rand Water warns of further water cuts to nonpaying municipalities

By: Simone Liedtke 9th March 2020 Water utility Rand Water has formally notified three of its municipal customers of its intention to reduce water pressure owing to their nonpayment for water services rendered. The water pressure to the Ngwathe local municipality, in the Free State, will be reduced by 20% from Monday, March 9,... →

Medupi's killer fumes: The story of a power station's missing air scrubbers

By: News24Wire 3rd March 2020 Eskom's megapower station Medupi is suffocating South Africa in more ways than one: It is not just a financial black hole; it is also a health and environmental catastrophe. And the installation of crucial technology to make it less poisonous has once again been delayed. For years, Eskom has... →

DMRE plans to resume solar water heater programme

By: Simone Liedtke 28th February 2020 The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is finalising an internal audit on a bidding process to enable the finalisation of contractual arrangements with appointed service providers for the department’s National Solar Water Heater Programme. Following the conclusion of the audit, the... →

Water challenges flagged as potential deterrent to investment

By: Natasha Odendaal 28th February 2020 Amid growing uncertainty on the rising cost and scarcity of water, infrastructure gaps and the potential of water-shedding, water and other environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks are increasingly looming large on the radar of ratings agencies. South Africa stands at the cusp of another... →

Cities to receive grant funding in efforts to boost infrastructure development

By: Simone Liedtke 26th February 2020 Cities will receive grant funding through the integrated city development grant to institutionalise an effective system for preparing programmes and projects. This is in an effort to continue expanding the tools available for South African provinces and municipalities to improve spending, after... →

Ethiopia asks US to postpone final talks on Blue Nile dam

By: Reuters 26th February 2020 Ethiopia has asked the United States to postpone what was expected to be the final round of talks on the giant Blue Nile hydropower dam, it said on Wednesday, delaying the potential resolution of a dispute that sparked a years-long diplomatic crisis. "We have asked that we need more time for... →

Fears of water’s ‘day zero’ spur Cape Town to consider rainless day fund

By: Bloomberg 26th February 2020 Scarred by a water shortage that almost saw Cape Town become the first major world city to run out of water, local authorities are planning measures ranging from cutting down alien trees to establishing a “rainless day fund” to cushion its more than four-million people from the next dry spell.... →

Amatola Water Board to lead drought intervention in Eastern Cape

By: News24Wire 25th February 2020 Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has commissioned the Amatola Water Board to lead the drought intervention plan in the Eastern Cape, the board said on Monday. In a statement, it added it was assigned to solve water shortage and infrastructure challenges in various municipalities to... →

Govt allocates R143m for drought relief in Limpopo

By: African News Agency 18th February 2020 South Africa's department of human settlements, water and sanitation has allocated R143-million for drought relief in Moutse in Limpopo province. The funds will be administered by water board Lepelle Northern Water within Sekhukhune district municipality towards drilling new boreholes and... →

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu

Digital transformation initiative for smallholder farmers

By: Schalk Burger 14th February 2020 The Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (ESWADE), in partnership with network operator Eswatini Mobile and South African agri-fintech company eSusFarm Africa, will use the eSusFarm Africa platform to provide information and services for 10 000 farmers on small-holdings. ESWADE... →

Demand surging for 100% waterless car cleaning product

By: Tracy Hancock 14th February 2020 Developed by automotive enthusiasts in response to Africa’s water crisis, demand for Premier Wash & Wax is growing monthly as more people become conscious of the need to conserve water and fall in love with the products’ results, says Premier Products owner Gerhard Veldsman. “Africa’s water... →

KfW, DBSA renew MoU

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 13th February 2020 German development bank KfW has renewed its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with development finance institution, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), to continue their successful collaboration on the financing and implementation of programmes. The signing of the MoU took place on... →

TLU SA objects to forced, costly water meters for irrigation farmers

By: African News Agency 12th February 2020 In an official letter to the Minister of Water Affairs and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, TLU SA on Tuesday strongly objected to an announcement on the installation of obligatory water measuring devices for irrigation farmers. According to a notice published in the Government Gazette on 17 January,... →

Girl's drowning sparks water riot in thirsty South African township

By: Reuters 11th February 2020 Eight-year-old Musa and her older sister Moleboheng trudged down the ravine with buckets and drum bottles to fetch water from a filthy stream because they were thirsty and tired of waiting for trucks meant to deliver emergency water that never showed up. But Musa never returned, her mother... →

South Africa to fast-track continental infrastructure projects

By: Bloomberg 10th February 2020 South Africa will fast-track four continent-wide infrastructure projects in which it’s involved, including a $14-billion dam on the Congo river, President Cyril Ramaphosa said as the country assumed the chair of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa. The country will drive the Inga III power... →

Mining sector found to be highly exposed to water risks

By: Natasha Odendaal 7th February 2020 The mining sector has come out tops as the industry most likely to be affected most by the world’s worsening water crises, and South Africa’s mining sector is not immune. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has warned of the water risks facing the mining industry after an exhaustive analysis of... →

DWS to step up Giyani water intervention

By: Natasha Odendaal 7th February 2020 With concerns expressed by parliamentarians over the slow progress of the Giyani water supply scheme, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) this week assured it will “hasten” the completion of the long-awaited project. The Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Portfolio Committee... →

Growing concern over impact climate change may have on water security

By: Natasha Odendaal 7th February 2020 As the world scrambles to mitigate the anticipated impact of climate change and global warming and strive to limit the temperature increase to below 1.5 °C above that of the preindustrial period, solutions to ensure South Africa’s own water secure future needs deeper scrutiny. Many climate change... →

Oil recycling foundation reaching out to farmers

By: Tracy Hancock 7th February 2020 The further farmers are from a town or city, the more likely they are to find it difficult to dispose of used oil responsibly, says nonprofit organisation Recycling Used Oil Saves the Environment Foundation CEO Bubele Nyiba. Although this is not an excuse, he emphasises that, as farmers live off... →

NO TOWN TOO SMALL Used oil collectors travel to various small towns throughout South Africa, where farmers can dispose of used oil at automotive workshops

Water Portfolio Committee urges speed on legislation amendments

By: Natasha Odendaal 6th February 2020 The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation has urged movement on the amendment of two primary pieces of legislation that govern South Africa’s water services. The committee said in a statement on Thursday that the amendments of the Water Services Act and the National Water... →

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