Polluted Water | savingwater.co.za

Insects to munch invasive species

Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 12 January 2011

A team of Rhodes University scientists has been awarded a R9-million contract by Working for Water to research biological ways to control invasive aquatic weeds.

Water hyacinth can double the area it occupies in 7 days

The team from the university’s zoology and entomology department has enlisted pupils, disabled people and even a former prisoner to breed and release millions of insects that munch the alien pests hogging water resources, clogging waterways and destroying indigenous plant life.

South Africa loses 9% of its invaluable water runoff to alien invasive species such as the water hyacinth, parrot’s feather, salvinia, water lettuce and red water fern, according to Rhodes entomology professor Martin Hill, who heads the project.

The plants, especially the water hyacinth, thrive in often polluted waterways that provide them with high levels of phosphorous and other plant nutrients.

Water hyacinth is originally from South America but has spread throughout the world. It can take over huge expanses of water quickly, doubling the area it occupies in seven days.

“So if it occupies a hectare of water today, in a week’s time it would have taken over 2ha,” said Hill. Continue reading Insects to munch invasive species

Major retailers express concern over SA’s water crisis

Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 04 January 2011

Shoprite Checkers, Woolworths and Pick n Pay, have expressed concern over speculation that a water crisis is looming in South Africa. The three major retailers say they have put in place rigorous measures to ensure their products are safe for consumption and are free of any potential contamination from polluted water supplies.

All suppliers to Freshmark are required to test their water regularly

A Shoprite spokesman said yesterday that suppliers to the group’s fresh produce procurement division, Freshmark, had to comply with a standard of certification regarding farming practices, which included regulations on irrigation water.

The spokesman said the requirements stipulated that untreated sewerage water should not be used and that all suppliers were required to test their water regularly and have the results available for an auditor’s inspection.

“The requirements around the safety of water supplies are critical requirements to be met by Freshmark’s suppliers in order to receive or retain certification. Suppliers must comply with local regulations and standards … on drinking water,” he said.

If suppliers failed to comply, they would lose their certification and would be barred from supplying Freshmark.

The spokesman said the audit involved the testing of produce on a continuous basis in Freshmark’s distribution centres for microbial and chemical residue activity before fruit and vegetables were distributed to Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets. Continue reading Major retailers express concern over SA’s water crisis

Deteriorating water quality – a greater threat than climate change

Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 23 November 2010

SA needs to spend R360bn over the next 15 years on water treatment plants to secure its water supply.

Deteriorating water quality is arguably a greater threat to SA than climate change

The country also urgently needs to deal with acid mine drainage and invest in renewable energy, which does not pollute as much. This is according to a report released yesterday — H₂O – CO₂ Energy Equations for SA: Present Status, Future Scenarios and Proposed Solutions — which includes projections until 2025.

It was compiled by the Africa Earth Observatory Network, which is linked to the University of Cape Town.

The government has formed a task team to deal with acid mine drainage — the polluted water resulting from mining — but few details of its proposed solution have been made available.

According to the authors of the report, Stephanie de Villiers and Maarten de Wit, discussions about future usage of fossil fuels must also consider the environmental costs associated with coal, including the effect on water. Continue reading Deteriorating water quality – a greater threat than climate change

Raw sewage flows down the streets

Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 18 November 2010

Residents of Mthatha are fed up with authorities for failing to fix the city’s water infrastructure, which has had water flowing freely from burst pipes for years now.

Mthatha is considered to be one of the filthiest towns in the Eastern Cape

Some claim raw sewage can at times be seen flowing down the streets.

It is considered by many to be one of the filthiest towns in the Eastern Cape, and residents say not much is being done to change Mthatha’s stinky reputation.

Ratepayers’ Association of Mthatha (RAM) chairperson Graeme Alexander said the leaks were “frustrating”.

“OR Tambo (District Municipality) is doing nothing about the problem. Why is management doing nothing? The mayor needs to take the lead and get things done – this is a health hazard. People of Mthatha have come to accept it as the norm and there is a lack of interest from management.

“Where is all the money being spent? We need responsible, efficient and proactive staff that will sort out the problem,” said Alexander.

Mthatha forms part of King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Local Municipality, but OR Tambo District Municipality is responsible for water issues.

OR Tambo acting municipal manager Mbuso Ncube yesterday said they were aware of the problems in Mthatha. “Our biggest problem is that we have old infrastructure that has never been refurbished and the town is growing at such a fast rate that the infrastructure cannot keep up. Continue reading Raw sewage flows down the streets

Hi-tech water purifier in a teabag

Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 23 July 2010

A South African professor has invented a hi-tech “teabag” that can purify polluted water instantly – at a cost of just three cents a litre.

The filtration system is so small it fits into the [...]

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Insects to munch invasive species

Major retailers express concern over SA’s water crisis

Deteriorating water quality – a greater threat than climate change

Raw sewage flows down the streets

Hi-tech water purifier in a teabag

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