WWF has received numerous reports from aboriginal groups on the north-eastern coast of Australia of large numbers of sick, starving and dead turtles washing up on beaches. The reports come following the loss of [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 12 Aug 2011

WWF has received numerous reports from aboriginal groups on the north-eastern coast of Australia of large numbers of sick, starving and dead turtles washing up on beaches. The reports come following the loss of sea grasses after Cyclone Yasi and floods hit the area back in February.

Five species of marine turtle are classified as endangered or critically endangered

The increase in turtle deaths for April may be more than five times higher this year compared to the same time last year.

“If these numbers are accurate, then this is a shocking development for the Great Barrier Reef​” said WWF’s Conservation on Country Manager Cliff Cobbo. “We urgently need clarification from the Queensland Government on how many turtles are being found dead along the Great Barrier Reef coast”.

Turtle hospitals in Townsville, Queensland are being overwhelmed with sick and starving animals and do not have the resources to handle the number of turtles expected to need emergency care over the next 18 months.

Some local aboriginal groups have been so concerned by what they are seeing they plan to suspend issuing hunting permits within their saltwater country.

CEO of the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, Phil Rist, said large numbers of dead turtles and dugongs had been found in recent weeks and that strandings are occurring on a weekly basis.

Numerous threats

WWF believes recent extreme weather events like Cyclone Yasi and the Queensland floods, together with threats such as entanglement in fishing nets, water pollution and large-scale coastal developments have led to this increase in deaths.

“In the past turtles have been healthy enough to deal with extreme weather events, but the combined pressure of more fishing nets, declining water quality and associated disease, on top of the loss of critical habitats as a result of large coastal developments have all undermined their chances of survival,” Cobbo said.

WWF is calling on both sides of Queensland politics to commit to building greater resilience in populations of threatened marine species on the Great Barrier Reef through reforming net fisheries, reducing land-based pollution on the reef, and better managing large coastal developments.

WWF’s Global Marine Turtle Programme

Five of the seven species of marine turtle are classified as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources​ (IUCN).

WWF has been working on marine turtle conservation for nearly 50 years and has provided a Global Marine Turtle Strategy to outline WWF priorities for marine turtle conservation.

The benefits of saving marine turtles go far beyond simply protecting these remarkable species.
Conservation efforts will make fisheries more sustainable and provide benefits to small communities and with marine turtles becoming increasingly important as an ecotourism attraction, a live turtle is worth more than a dead turtle.

Source: WWF

By Kristin Palitza

South African scientists have developed an environmentally friendly method to clean highly toxic water and convert it into drinkable water. Once available commercially, the method could drastically reduce the negative impact [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 07 July 2011

By Kristin Palitza

South African scientists have developed an environmentally friendly method to clean highly toxic water and convert it into drinkable water. Once available commercially, the method could drastically reduce the negative impact industry has on water pollution worldwide.

Eutectic freeze crystallisation could be used in the mining sector

Called eutectic freeze crystallisation, the technique freezes acidic water – or brine – to produce potable or drinking water as well as useful salts, such as sodium and calcium sulphate.

Alison Lewis, professor for chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, who has led the research since 2007, claims 99.9 percent of the polluted water can be reused after applying the new technique. Unlike other water cleaning methods, it practically doesn’t produce any toxic waste.

“It’s an environmentally friendly and cost-effective technology that can be used pretty much in all industrial sectors that pollute water and thus produce brine,” explains Lewis. This includes sectors like mining, the oil and gas industry, chemical industry, paper processing or sewerage.

The simultaneous separation and purification method is based on bringing the contaminated water temperature down to reach its eutectic point – the lowest possible temperature of solidification. At this point, toxins crystallise to form salts and sink to the ground, while the clean water turns into ice, floating on the surface.

“By its nature, ice is the purest form of water because it repels any impurities. It’s actually very simple,” explains Lewis. “The method is ecologically significant because it can turn toxic waste into a useful product.”

Industrial firms in South Africa, but also in Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and Australia have already expressed interest in the new approach, she says.

The water purification method has also received support from the South African Water Research Commission. “Eutectic freeze crystallisation is a brilliant water recycling method that is superior to all existing methods for cleaning toxic water,” confirms the commission’s research manager Dr. Jo Burgess.

Up until now, industrially polluted water is purified using two methods: the brine is either stored in huge evaporation ponds, which bring the danger of ground water pollution, or through an evaporation- based crystallisation method, that uses huge amounts of electricity. Eutectic freeze crystallisation, however, uses six times less electricity than the conventional evaporation method, says Lewis.

“In addition, both existing methods leave toxic waste products behind and are therefore not ecologically sustainable,” notes Burgess. Conventional methods produce poisonous solids, the accumulation of all toxins in the brine, that then need to be disposed of correctly.

Eutectic freeze crystallisation, in contrast, produces 99 percent usable products – clean water and pure salts. “It is therefore completely environmentally friendly,” says Lewis. She points out that companies can make additional revenue from selling those salts, hoping this will be an additional incentive to use the new method.

Recycling scare water resources also makes economic sense. A report of the Green Economy Initiative (GEI) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – which assists governments in shaping policies, investments and spending towards a range of green sectors, including clean technologies, industry, renewable energies and water services – shows that every dollar invested in safe water, creates health, social and ecological “revenue” worth three to 34 dollars.

“Investing in clean water will pay multiple dividends,” promises UNEP executive director Achim Steiner. “Meeting the wastewater challenge is not a luxury but a prudent, practical and transformative act, able to boost public health, secure the sustainability of natural resources and trigger employment in better, more intelligent water management.”

In South Africa, eutectic freeze crystallisation could be used in the mining sector, which has for decades produced more brine than companies can recycle. Mining is the most important sector of the economy of the country, which is rich in gold, platinum, diamonds and coal. For years, the polluted water has been stored all across the country in huge evaporation ponds.

“The problem is that we produce much more brine than we can evaporate. And even if we succeeded to evaporate it all, non-recycable waste materials would remain. Evaporation ponds are therefore not a sustainable, ecological solution,” warns Burgess.

Eutectic freeze crystallisation could save the South African government huge sums of money. The department of environmental affairs recently announced it needs at least 30 million dollars to drain brine from only the biggest mining areas around country’s main city Johannesburg.

Acid mine water is standing in the canals of Gauteng, the province in which Johannesburg is located, only 500 metres below the surface and its disposal should be made top priority, warned environment minister Edna Molewa.

Unfortunately, it might take another four to six years until the eutectic freeze crystallisation method will be available for use by private industry. Lewis’ research team plans to build a pilot site later this year. The 1.3 million dollar project is supposed to become operational within the next two to three years and will be able to purify one cubic meter of brine per hour. After the pilot stage, it will take another two to three years to develop the technology for industry use.

Source: IPS

Seven Joburg primary schools are competing in the Schools Water Audit and Monitoring Competition, which looks at the quality of water in local rivers.

Bullfrog numbers are dwindling at a frightening rate. Photo: [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 13 May 2011

Seven Joburg primary schools are competing in the Schools Water Audit and Monitoring Competition, which looks at the quality of water in local rivers.

Bullfrog numbers are dwindling at a frightening rate. Photo: Louis du Preez

The schools are Tsosane from Ivory Park; Wilhelmina Hoskins from Riverlea; Julius Sebolai from Bram Fischerville; Khomanani from Diepkloof; Ikage from Alexandra; Kensington from Kensington; and Refalletsi from Orange Farm. From each school, 60 children will take part in the competition.

It is supported by the City’s environmental management department in partnership with City Parks, Joburg Zoo and Rand Water. Speaking at the launch of the competition at the zoo on 11 May, the member of the mayoral committee for environment, Matshidiso Mfikoe, said its purpose was to promote environmental education and awareness.

“The activity aims to increase student awareness and involvement in protecting water bodies by engaging them to monitor the water condition in their community,” said Mfikoe.

For six months, using simple test kits, learners and teachers will take water samples from their nearest water bodies to test temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity), and dissolved oxygen. Environmental specialists will visit the schools to explain how to carry out water quality data collection.

Learners will also be briefed on how to do a basic flora and fauna survey using the South African Scoring System (Mini SASS). Winners will be announced by the City after six months.

“As … future leaders, we need to start finding ways to manage our natural resources,” said Mfikoe.

South Africa is a water scarce country. Demand for water in Gauteng already exceeds the available supply; and it grows at approximately 4 percent every year. Stephen van der Spuy, the zoo’s chief executive, encouraged the schoolchildren to look after their water bodies.

He also showed them a bullfrog; the amphibians are facing extinction because of the pollution of water bodies. “Please let us save water because it is life,” he said.

Bullfrog numbers are dwindling at a frightening rate. Habitat loss, climate change, pollution and a devastating fungus are proving deadly to the amphibians.

Entertainment on the day came from Tsosane Primary School learners, who performed a short play to highlight the importance of saving water. Amanzi, Rand Water’s mascot, also entertained the children with dances and songs. It also encouraged the audience to save water.

Inspired by Amanzi’s dancing, the children also got to their feet to dance and sing.

The competition is held under the auspices of World Water Monitoring Day, a global education outreach programme that aims to build public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by empowering citizens to carry out basic monitoring of their local water bodies.

Source: City of Johannesburg

According to a new study by WWF and German development bank DEG, the shortage of freshwater is not only becoming more and more of an ecological risk, but it also is rapidly becoming a [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 04 April 2011

According to a new study by WWF and German development bank DEG, the shortage of freshwater is not only becoming more and more of an ecological risk, but it also is rapidly becoming a major business growth risk – one that investors need to take into account.

Access to sufficient water of adequate quality is of considerable economic significance.

Assessing Water Risk: A Practical Approach for Financial Institutions, states that climate change, population growth and increasing living standards are contributing to the rising pressure on existing and already scarce water resources, particularly in developing countries. In Southeast Asia and Africa, for example, water shortages constitute a threat to entire ecosystems and to the living standards of the population.

“The availability of water also is becoming a development bottleneck for companies. With the water risk filter we have now developed a new tool to identify such risks to companies and to offer support in water management,” said Dr Peter Thimme, head of DEG’s department for Sustainable Development/Environment.

Access to a sufficient quantity of water of adequate quality, he added, is therefore of considerable economic significance.

“Our intention is to provide the conscientious investor with the knowledge to work with clients toward more sustainable water management, with the aim of mitigating both business and environmental risks,” according to the study.

“Business risk stemming from a company’s relationship to water can be broken into three broad, inter-related categories: physical – as a result of too little, too much or polluted water; regulatory – with dwindling availability and increased pollution, the regulation of water is bound to become stricter; and reputational – public and media awareness of water and how companies are handling this resource is on the rise.

The report goes on to state that “all of these risks can cause disruption of supply and, in worst cases, termination of business operations.”

According to DEG and WWF, 191 out of over 300 companies studied as part of the report showed high potential business risks related to freshwater. Concrete support measures to mitigate these water risks will now have to be initiated, according to the report.

”Sustainable use of water is a responsibility of companies to eco-systems and the local population, which is dependent on this water,” confirms Martin Geiger, head of Freshwater at WWF Germany.

In particular, the report shows that the agribusiness’ are at a particular risk since they sector accounts for 70 percent of global water consumption. If countermeasures are not taken now, water-intensive agricultural produce may become scarce in the future and the companies concerned may face economic risks, according to the report.

The newly developed water risk filter system in the report is intended to identify water-related risks at an early point in time so they can be considered in investment decisions.

The tool also outlines possible courses for action for companies from different industries and regions, which may be threatened by water shortage or pollution, either directly or in their supply chain.

DEG is planning to support the implementation of individual business approaches to improve the situation in a follow-up project financed by funds for technical assistance from the bank. The development finance institution in turn hopes this will cushion the ecological and economic impacts of the ongoing water crisis.

Additionally, the project produced more than 80 detailed and comprehensive country fact sheets on individual water situations and mappings.

Source: WWF

By: Tamir Kahn

Farmers who depend on the Loskop Dam to irrigate their crops can breathe a sigh of relief after scientists found the water poses no immediate threat to human health, which means [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 31 March 2011

By: Tamir Kahn

Farmers who depend on the Loskop Dam to irrigate their crops can breathe a sigh of relief after scientists found the water poses no immediate threat to human health, which means exports of fruit and vegetables are safe — at least for now.

CSIR warns that the water quality in the Loskop Dam is deteriorating rapidly

“It’s a great relief,” said the Loskop Irrigation Board’s Diek Engelbrecht yesterday.

Farmers have been so worried about the declining water quality in the heavily polluted Olifants River, which flows into the dam, that the irrigation board commissioned a study from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the University of Stellenbosch. Farmers were concerned that if their crops became contaminated with heavy metals or pathogens, their produce would no longer make export grade.

The dam provides water to 16000ha of agricultural land, and supports a European export market worth about R1bn a year.

The Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU) last year said its members were worried that polluted water would jeopardise their livelihood. If they lost their export markets, they would have to dump produce locally and prices would fall, with knock-on effects for farmers who rely on domestic customers, it said.

Fortunately for the farmers, the study found very low levels of E.coli and no detectable levels of other disease-causing bacteria in the irrigation water or on the crops. The scientists analysed fresh produce, maize, citrus, grapes and wheat — the main crops in the region. E.coli levels are an important gauge of the amount of untreated sewage in the water, and can survive for weeks on the surface of crops, with the concentration rising after each successive watering. The issue is of particular concern as a 2009 Green Drop report found 55% of SA’s 900 water treatment plants attained a score of less than 50%.

Despite the good news on the pathogen front, CSIR scientist Paul Oberholster warned that the quality of water in the Loskop Dam, which feeds the Loskop Irrigation Board’s water supplies to the Groblersda l area, is deteriorating rapidly.

The researchers found there had been permanent blooms of pollution- loving cyanobacteria on the surface of the dam since 2008. The cyanobacteria are a concern because they release toxins, which though not fully understood, pose health risks to humans and animals. The government does not systematically monitor cyanobacterial blooms.

Mr Engelbrecht said farmers remained concerned about the high levels of filamentous algae in the water, which clogged waterways and irrigation channels. The algae, which grow filaments up to 15m long, thrive in water that is rich in nutrients that arise from pollution. “Detached algae continuously drift down the canals, clogging the control gates and crop sprayers, causing economical losses. The irrigation board then has to bear the costs of removing these nuisance algae,” said Dr Oberholster.

Another CSIR study, investigating chemical pollution in the upper Olifants River catchment area, found it was contaminated with high levels of microbial pollutants, disease-causing organisms and endocrine disruptors. The Olifants catchment area rises in the grasslands of the Highveld and provides water to more than 200 dams, including Loskop Dam.

The scientists found evidence of acid rain and acid water, which they attributed to abandoned industrial activity. They recommended several measures to reduce pollution, including the use of phosphate free detergents, upgrading sewage treatment plants and implementing shoreline zoning, so that water users were at least 20m from watercourses.

Source: Business Day

More than one third of 231 ­local municipalities do not have the capacity to perform their ­sanitation functions, a new study by the Council for ­Scientific and Industrial ­Research (CSIR) has found.

Overflows [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 28 March 2011

More than one third of 231 ­local municipalities do not have the capacity to perform their ­sanitation functions, a new study by the Council for ­Scientific and Industrial ­Research (CSIR) has found.

Overflows of raw sewage are severely detrimental to the environment.

The report, discussed at a United Nations water ­conference in Cape Town, includes a comprehensive survey of South Africa’s levels of water pollution.

It also tracks access to clean, safe water and sanitation. And it warns that South Africa is heading for ­disaster unless it tackles the problem of water pollution, ­including its failing sewage treatment ­systems.

It found that the situation was so bad, it called for waste-water facilities that did not comply with their licences to be prosecuted.

Water quality, the report ­stated, was excellent in metropolitan areas, but in many rural areas and towns, drinking water quality and waste-water effluent quality were frequently below the standards set.

Short-sighted planning

In some areas, short-sighted planning resulted in bucket eradication schemes causing deterioration instead of ­improvement in the provision of sanitation.

In some Free State settlements the replacement of buckets with waterborne systems left residents with no sanitation at all. The water supply was insufficient to flush toilets.

In other places, large ­increases in sewage inflow ­volume led to overloading of waste-water treatment works and pollution of downstream river systems.

The estimated current ­replacement cost of municipal water services stock, according to the report, is R169bn (R103bn for water and R66bn for sanitation).

Much of this infrastructure “is not in a fit state to continue delivering high-quality and ­reliable water services”.

The widely held belief in South Africa was that water service “backlogs” concerned those who did not have access to services in the past.

Yet other needs “far surpass” these, the report said. This ­included the rehabilitation, ­replacement or provision of ­neglected sanitation infrastructure.

Poor leadership

The capital required to ­address infrastructure backlogs made up 17% of total infrastructure requirements, the ­report stated. By comparison, the rehabilitation or replacement of neglected infrastructure ran to “a staggering 49%”.

The failure of many ­municipalities to deliver reliable sanitation services was mainly due to poor leadership and ­inadequate budgets, skills and experience.

Many health problems were the direct result of the collapse of existing sanitation systems. Untreated, polluted drinking water was a major contributor to diarrhoea-related deaths and diseases, the report said.

Johan Erasmus, operational manager of Mahlatsi Enterprises, a firm contracted by the ­department of water affairs to monitor water purification plants in Mpumalanga, warned that many of them were in a ­“disastrous” state.

These municipalities, he said, never took seriously their duty to deliver clean water and proper ­sanitation to people.

“They never budgeted money for this; not for maintenance and also not for new plants. In many cases we discovered that the town manager had not even purchased the chemicals ­needed for their water ­purification plants.”

Irrigation

He added that very few of the water and/or water purification plant officials he had to deal with had the qualifications or the experience to do their jobs properly.

“None of the water ­purification plants was up to standard because the personnel were not up to standard.”

The result, he said, was ­“horrifying” – raw sewage ­running down the streets of small towns like Evander.

Bethal’s water, he said, was so bad that farmers could not use it for irrigation.

- City Press

Cities of the world are under threat because of water quality issues, United Nations Habitat says.

“The fact of the matter is that our cities in the world are under threat. Johannesburg is [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 23 February 2011

Cities of the world are under threat because of water quality issues, United Nations Habitat says.

“The fact of the matter is that our cities in the world are under threat. Johannesburg is one of those cities,” said UN Habitat spokesman Piers Cross.

Johannesburg's water problems are one of the easiest to solve.

Regardless of Johannesburg’s water problems, it was probably one of the easiest to solve when compared to some other countries, he said.

Cross was speaking in Rosebank, at the announcement of World Water Day celebrations in Cape Town from March 20 to 22 by the water affairs department, UN Habitat and the African Ministers Council of Water.

“The water quality issue is not just an isolated thing, most cities around the world are facing huge environmental problems in their water development and their management of waste,” he said.

He used the example of the cholera outbreak in Harare in 2009 where 100,000 people were infected “because there wasn’t sufficient investment and management in sanitation services.”

Cross said it was important to learn and compare how other countries were handling these issues.

“What’s important to recognise is that the pollution questions are a global problem, it’s not just Johannesburg that has this problem.”

- Sapa

The National Water Forum voiced concern over the pollutive effect of the recent flooding on the country’s water supply.

Flooding in Gauteng.

NWF national chairman Louis Meintjies said that in Gauteng, acid mine [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 20 January 2011

The National Water Forum voiced concern over the pollutive effect of the recent flooding on the country’s water supply.

Flooding in Gauteng.

NWF national chairman Louis Meintjies said that in Gauteng, acid mine water levels rose quickly because of the rain and that the acid water had now affected a wider area, with the water pollution spreading.

“The downpours may have diluted the concentration of heavy metals in polluted water but it certainly did not allow contaminants to dissolve,” he said.

Meintjies warned that several sewage plants were flooded due to the heavy rains and that raw sewage had ended up in the water systems.

“Farmers have to take note of the possibility of the outbreak of fungi and diseases spread by the contaminated water on farm lands,” he said.

Water Affairs ministry spokesman Mandla Mathebula acknowledged that the floods had the potential of contaminating the water.

“We did anticipate cases of flooding and as a result of that we have a team that is looking at that situation,” he said,

“We don’t think we will have that problem of contamination, we are guarding against that.”

Experts from the department were put on high alert to ensure that the country’s water supply remained safe, Mathebula said.

- Sapa

Taiwan’s environmental authorities say they are planning to promote potty training for pigs to help curb water and waste pollution

The Environmental Protection Administration made the pledge following the success of a pig farm [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 05 January 2011

Taiwan’s environmental authorities say they are planning to promote potty training for pigs to help curb water and waste pollution

The Environmental Protection Administration made the pledge following the success of a pig farm in southern Taiwan, where the breeder started to potty-train his 10,000 pigs in late 2009, it said in a statement.

To keep his animals from defecating in nearby rivers, the breeder has established special “toilets” smeared with faeces and urine to attract the pigs, it said.

This reduced the amount of waste water by up to 80%.

As well as making the farm cleaner and less smelly, it also helped reduce illness among the pigs and boosted their fertility by 20 percent, it added.

Taiwan has about six million pigs, most of them raised on farms in the centre and the south of the island.

Waste from livestock farms is among the main complaints about water pollution received by the administration.

- Sapa – AFP

The City of Cape Town recently issued 15 Water Pollution Control Inspectors in the Water and Sanitation Department with Peace Officer status, which gives them the authority to issue spot fines to water polluters.