South Africa - Pretoria - 23 May 2023 - Hammanskraal residents collect water from a water truck, Skampaneng, Hammanskraal. Picture: Jacques Naude / African News Agency (ANA)
The national government’s failure to ensure access to clean drinking water in Hammanskraal has resulted in the deaths of 17 people.
On Monday, the Deputy Minister of Health Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo and the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo, rushed to release a press statement to confirm they would conduct a site visit to “monitor the situation” and undertake “government’s interventions in response to the cholera outbreak”.
This issue has driven residents to protest action for a number of years.
In fact, in 2019, the SAHRC declared Hammanskraal water unsafe for human consumption after research by the CSIR. An important aspect of this issue is the lack of ability to provide sewage treatment in areas not being serviced by the grid.
A new South African-based research project is testing an Israeli water technology system that could help alleviate some of the challenges.
The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is a leading environmental studies and research institute in Israel. It was founded to prepare future leaders to co-operatively solve the regional and global challenges by bringing together Palestinians and Jordanians to work on the water issue.
They recently signed a research MOU with the University of the Free State to look into off-grid sewage. As a result, sewer treatment technology from “Laguna Water” is being tested in SA, assisting researchers working across the Drakensberg, allowing access to dignified ablution facilities in remote areas.
The project has been so successful that they are already developing a larger version of the system at a site in Mamelodi, through a partnership between the Jewish National Fund of SA and the South Africa Israel Chamber of Commerce. The system, powered by solar technology, could help prevent future outbreaks of cholera in the most remote communities with minimal water infrastructure.
Further engagement between our government and their Israeli counterparts could help us find lasting, sustainable solutions to our water crisis – and help save lives too.
* Benji Shulman Director of Public Policy, South African Zionist Federation.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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