An amount of R2 million has been allocated to the Adopt a River project to allow it to continue for another 12 months.

Adopt-a-river. Women beneficiaries clean litter out of the Buffalo River. [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 06 June 2011

An amount of R2 million has been allocated to the Adopt a River project to allow it to continue for another 12 months.

Adopt-a-river. Women beneficiaries clean litter out of the Buffalo River.

Launching the Buffalo Adopt a River project on Friday in King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape, Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, reported that 595 job opportunities have been created through the project.

The initiative is currently implemented in Limpopo, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Free State, which were the pilot provinces.

Mabudafhasi said through the project, women have acquired skills in waste management, occupational health and safety, identification of alien weeds and herbicide application, water safety, snake handling, first aid, environmental education and life skills.

“The other direct benefit is that the health of rivers has improved drastically. The Buffalo River project employed 100 women from the rural poor communities around the 17 wards of Amathole District Municipality, including Buffalo City Municipality and Amahlathi Local Municipality, who are involved in the cleaning of solid waste and alien vegetation species along the banks of the Buffalo River.

“It has increased women participation in water resource issues and capacitated them to advocate for behavioural changes and increased caring of rivers and environment in their respective communities,” said Mabudafhasi.

She added that the project has also boosted the self-esteem of women as they are able to provide food for their families. All the women involved in the project are ambassadors including Doreen Mandyundyu, who represented the Buffalo River women in Parliament during the department’s Budget Vote Speech on 14 April 2011.

“There is also positive feedback received from other stakeholders such as SAPS, that since the women started working at the river sites, the incidents of crime at these places have gone down because criminals are no longer able to utilize these sites for their criminal activities and criminal hideouts,” said Mandyundyu.

The Adopt a River project is also aimed at bringing communities on board, and educating them on water resource management and the environment, in order for them to take full responsibility and to be able to make informed decisions.

Mabudafhasi reiterated that South Africa, like many other countries in Africa, is faced with a huge challenge that is likely to become a future threat if water resources are not well managed, protected, used, conserved and developed in a sustainable manner.

She said due to developmental needs, water demand is increasing rapidly but the amount of water remains the same.

“Currently, we are faced with challenges such as water wastage through leaks, polluted rivers, water quality etc. We all know that water is a catalyst for any development, without water there is no life, there will be no development, and there will be manifestation of poverty.

“In order to ensure that there is enough water in our country, we have embarked on various programmes such as Adopt a River War on Leaks 2020 Vision Programme and others,” said Mabudafhasi.

Source: Bua News

South Africans were given early warning of the coming Water Week with a river clean-up in the Free State led by Deputy Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi.

The "adopt-a-river" initiative aims [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 15 March 2011

South Africans were given early warning of the coming Water Week with a river clean-up in the Free State led by Deputy Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi.

The "adopt-a-river" initiative aims to ensure that the Wilge River is cleared of dead tree debris.

She was joined on Friday by volunteers from Mafube municipality and SA Breweries in a clean-up along a stretch of the Wilge River at Frankfort as a precursor to Water Week, marked from March 21 to 27.

The Wilge clean-up is set to become part of the local municipality’s environmental contribution and will provide work for 22 people.

Cape Town will host Water Week starting on Monday with the theme: Water is life, working together we can save more water.

Minister Edna Molewa said although the event was happening at a time when much of the country was still dealing with contrasting effects of droughts in parts and the aftermath of the floods that swept through eight provinces in January, the national water sector had to face up to a myriad of challenges.

“These include pollution of water courses, provision of basic water supply to communities and ensuring security of supply into the future,” she said.

This year’s Water Week coincides with South Africa hosting World Water Day on March 22. The African Minister’s Council on Water, UN Habitat and UN Water will all be in South Africa for the first time along with international, regional and local water experts to deliberate on an absolute essential for continued human survival.

The World Water Day conference at the Cape Town International Conference Centre will focus on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialisation and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems.

By: Kim Helfrich
Source: The New Age

Water users in the Western Cape will in the coming weeks have an opportunity to access valuable information on the services rendered by the Department of Water Affairs.

Berg River Dam

The department’s Regional [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 31October 2010

Water users in the Western Cape will in the coming weeks have an opportunity to access valuable information on the services rendered by the Department of Water Affairs.

Berg River Dam

The department’s Regional Offices will from 01 to 12 November hold Water Open Day in its three Water Management Areas and the Breede/Overberg Catchment Management Agency.

The open day to be held under the theme “Working together we can save more water”, is targeted towards various water users including farmers, wineries, mines, municipalities and all people who use water resources.

Western Cape Regional Office Chief Director, Rashid Khan said the event offers an exciting platform for water users to access valuable information with regards to the services of the department.

“This first of its kind event, will provide a friendly and relaxed platform for departmental officials to give support in the completion of license applications, water registrations, waste discharge change registration queries, Adopt-a-River initiatives and Blue and Green Drop programmes,” Khan said.

He added that the department hopes to have the open day on a regular occurrence.

“We eventually hope to have a Water Open Day campaign at least twice every year, this will depend partly on a survey that will be carried out during the event that hopes to analyse the various perceptions that departmental customers have regarding services rendered,” he said.

The open days will be held in the Berg from 01 to 03 November, BOCMA (Breede) from 04 to 05 November. From 08 to 09 November they will be at Gouritz and at Olifantsdoorn from 11 to 12 November 2010.

Source: BuaNews

Millions of South Africans, especially those that are without piped water, are directly dependent on the rivers for their livelihoods.  Rivers get polluted easily, partly because there is lack of education on the side [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 03 September 2010

Millions of South Africans, especially those that are without piped water, are directly dependent on the rivers for their livelihoods.  Rivers get polluted easily, partly because there is lack of education on the side of communities and business on the importance of keeping them healthy.

Luvuvhu River is being polluted by wastes such as heavy metals, pesticides, chemical compounds from fertilisers, wastewater effluents and other solid waste.

Our river systems are connected naturally and artificially, through interbasin transfer schemes, making the transportation of pollutants from one catchment area to another possible.

Thankfully the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, has radically embarked on a campaign during the month of August, as part of women’s empowerment, to create awareness among South Africans of the need to care for our scarce water resources. This campaign promotes active participation of communities, especially women and youth in the Departmental programmes to ensure sustainability.

The Deputy Minister visited the Luvuvhu River in the Limpopo Region on 4 August 2010, which is polluted by wastes such as heavy metals, pesticides, chemical compounds from fertilisers, wastewater effluents and other solid waste.  Water quality reports show that the Luvuvhu River and its tributaries already indicate high levels of faecal pollution and steady increases in phosphate and nitrates.

“Let us keep our rivers clean and stop the pollution that kills our fish and contaminates our water resources. When you educate a woman you educate the nation” said the Deputy Minister in her speech delivered in Limpopo.

The event in Limpopo culminated with a political commitment by high authorities, Premier Mathale, Executive Mayor of Vhembe District Municipality, Councillor Philemon Falaza Mdaka and Thulamela Mayor, and Councillor Vhamusanda Vho-Thivhulanwi Makumane, who all signed a pledge to keep Luvuvhu River clean, sustainably utilised and conserved.

As part of the Deputy Minister’s Public Participation Programme, the campaign extended to Kwa-Zulu Natal on 13 August 2010 where the Deputy Minister, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, was accompanied by a group of women who enthusiastically cleaned the Isipingo River in Umlazi Township.

When addressing the community of Umlazi, the Deputy Minister said “The Adopt–a-River  project was started in 2008 in KZN and the government has never stopped supporting this initiative; KZN has always been active in this project and they called for support from the head office; I would like to congratulate KZN for the enthusiasm shown by women‘’.

Besides signing a political commitment to keep the river systems in Umlazi clean, the Executive Mayor of eThekwini, Obed Mlaba, and local authorities, presented the river cleaning tools to Umlazi women making their commitment more practical.

Taking lessons from local heroes

Michael Fani Mlangeni, in Umlazi U Section, is a resident who has been cleaning Isipingo River since 1976. He was excited to have the Deputy Minister and the eThekwini Executive Mayor, as well as local authorities, paying a visit to his park, popularly known as ‘How Long Park’.  Michael started caring for Isipingo River by planting beautiful flower gardens making it an attractive community park for wedding celebrations, birthday parties and other community festivals.

When Michael started acting on his dream of converting a river bank into a park, he used to borrow tools from neighbours until he received seed funding from the United States. “The US sponsorship I received in 1990 from the Government of United States amounted to R2, 040 .00 which changed my life as I could comfortably proceed with the construction of the park using my own equipment “says Michael. “The eThekwini Municipality started appreciating the work I was doing by fully developing ‘How Long’ into a fully-fledged municipal park in 1998” says Michael.

Michael says “Everybody who visits the park has to sign the register to keep the history of the park for the next generations to come. I am happy to have the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs as a signatory on my register and also happy about the comments she made about this park”.

For taking care of Isipingo River, Michael’s work has been  receiving  both local and international  recognition in the form of prestigious awards like Hero of Today by Reader’s Digest, Mayor’s Award  for Excellence by eThekwini Municipality,  and awards by the Mayor of Leeds in London .

In spite of the good lesson he is teaching the community, Michael is experiencing a challenge from people who continually pollute upstream, but that does not stop him from keeping the park in good order.

This report was produced in consultation with Water Affairs, the Department responsible for the roll-out of the Adopt-a-River Programme.

Source: Water Research Commission

The Rondevlei Nature Reserve, located about 20 kilometres outside of Cape Town, and learners from Sid G Rule Primary in Grassy Park are engaged in a collaborative conservation education project.

Rondevlei wetland. Photo by [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 28 April 2010

The Rondevlei Nature Reserve, located about 20 kilometres outside of Cape Town, and learners from Sid G Rule Primary in Grassy Park are engaged in a collaborative conservation education project.

Rondevlei wetland. Photo by 'timparkinson' under creative commons licence.

The project’s goal is twofold: the pupils learn about ecosystems, biodiversity and conservation, while helping to collect important environmental data that the City of Cape Town can use to assess water health throughout the municipal area.

It is also part of a bigger vision developed by Dr Mark Graham, aquatic ecologist and director of environmental consultancy Ground Truth, aimed at mobilising communities to better look after their rivers and other water resources.

“Due to increased utilisation of water sources, our rivers are more and more under pressure in terms of pollution. Our water quality shows fairly worrying statistics,” Graham said.

To protect water resources, municipalities usually implement a range of initiatives, such as improving their solid waste management and sewerage systems as well as investing in wetland rehabilitation and conversation. But without community involvement, water conservation schemes will never be completely successful, believes Graham.

He therefore came up with the idea of asking schools to adopt a section of a river that they monitor on a regular basis. The data the pupils collect could be fed to the water affairs department of the municipality in which the school is located.

If all schools would commit to testing a certain stretch of river, an entire river system could be monitored and this information could inform a municipality’s water management strategy, Graham suggests.

“Kids learn something and get directly involved in conserving the environment. It’s a great opportunity for behaviour change, much more effective then just saying ‘don’t litter’,” argued Graham. “The initiative builds up environmental champions at community level. It makes citizens realise what role they can play.”

Bronwen Foster, nature conservation officer at the Rondevlei Nature Reserve, which is managed by the City of Cape Town, agrees: “For the children, the project is an important platform for awareness. Most parents don’t expose their children to nature. But once the kids appreciate the environment, they think twice before they litter.”

Some school groups already practice community river health monitoring using the Mini South African Scoring System, or “Mini SASS”, which is a is a simplified method of measuring water quality and health that can be used by laypeople.

Based on the scientifically tried and tested SASS technique commonly applied by ecologists, Mini SASS doesn’t directly measure the contamination of the river as it is not a water test. Instead, it tests the sensitivity of various animals to water quality.

The children look for invertebrates in different habitats at a river site, collect insects in small nets in the water and rinse mud out of the net to find tiny bugs.

“It’s a low tech tool to test water quality in rural and urban areas that can be used by everyone. Through this simple method, you can get an accurate reading of the river. If the river is in reasonable condition, you should have several hundred individual insects in the sample,” said Graham.

In the Rondevlei Nature Reserve, the cooperation between schools and the City’s scientific department is still in its very early stages. It takes some time to gear the children up for environmental activism, Foster says.

“It would be a great idea for schools to each adopt a section of a river and collect data that could be used by the City,” she reckoned.

For now, the children are handed charts that help them to identify plants, birds, insects and small aquatic creatures. Enthusiastically, they climb up the watchtowers, take position in the viewing sheds and carefully walk among the reeds and along the water’s edge to find the animals they see on their charts.

“Based on these different elements of the ecosystem, they learn to assess its health by recognising the basic indicators that show that something is wrong with the water, mainly by noting what is not there, what is missing, like frogs, for example,” explained Foster.

The positive results of the nature conservation project are noticeable almost immediately. “If there is pollution in the water, what needs to happen?” Foster asks the group of 36 pupils at the end of the day’s expedition. “We have to do something about it!” the children shout without hesitation.

All of them seem keen to tell their friends and family about what they have learnt that day and implement some of this knowledge in their communities.

“We want the children to observe nature and see it in real life, so that they don’t only learn out of textbooks,” the primary school’s Grade 7 teacher Peter Botha said to illustrate the importance of the project. “They grow up to be more aware and pass on this information to their parents and so on. We are amazed at the amount of info they absorb.”

Botha says his pupils are now able to make the link between the pollution they observe in their communities with the impact this has on their immediate environment and nature conservation.

“I know now that when I litter at my home, it’s not good for the environment,” 12-year-old Caryn Adonis proudly shows off her newly acquired knowledge. The excursion has made a lasting impression on her. “I want to work here. It’s so cool,” she quipped.

Source: IPS
Related Article: Adopt a River

River pollution remains one of the biggest challenges in South African water resources. The Department of Water Affairs, in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Water Research Commission (WRC), co-hosted an event [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 21 March 2010

River pollution remains one of the biggest challenges in South African water resources. The Department of Water Affairs, in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Water Research Commission (WRC), co-hosted an event under the theme Adopt-a-River, which is part of the River Health Programme; a nation-wide monitoring initiative for assessing the health of rivers in the country that was started in 1994.

Plankenburg River

The Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, launched the Adopt-a-River Programme at the Spier Conference Centre, next to the Eerste River, which is fed by two tributaries, Kuilsriver and Plankenberg, both highly polluted by sewage from informal settlements, industries and agricultural practices along its banks.

The objective of the Adopt-a-River Programme is to create awareness among South Africans to care for our scarce water resources and to actively participate in their protection and management.

The launch was part of the National Water Week 2010 events, and was combined with the launch of a 500m march to the banks of the Eerste River under the theme ‘Walk for Water’; a communication campaign to raise awareness of conservation and protection of our scarce water resources.

After taking samples from the Eerste River, the Deputy Minister and the Executive mayor, Nompumelelo Hani demonstrated to the participants the use of the MiniSASS (South African Scoring System); a scientific tool used to monitor the health of a river, to measure the general quality of the water and to score the quality of that river’s water.

The event ended with a commitment made by the Winelands District Municipality’s Executive Mayor, Nompumelelo Hani to adopt the Eerste River and set an example for other neighbouring rivers. ”If the councillors do not keep their promises they can be taken to court ”says the Deputy Minister, Rejoice Mabudafhasi.

- Bonani Madikizela [edited by Saving Water SA]

Source: Water Research Commission