Civil rights organisation AfriForum is taking a “doing it ourselves” approach to ensure water security across South Africa.
Tabling its national water strategy during its water conference on Monday, AfriForum proposes to correct the systemic failures and deterioration of water supply at local governmental level, while offering much-needed relief to communities suffering from the consequences of the impending water crisis.
“The strategy focuses on practical solutions to relieve the pressure on the water system and to make communities more independent in dealing with the water crisis,” the organisation said.
In line with this, AfriForum launched a project to build private modular water and sewage treatment works – which require less manpower to operate and can be an effective water solution for communities – to make two communities independent of their respective municipalities.
AfriForum has also established 90 emergency water points across South Africa to date, which are accessible to anyone.
Further, AfriForum strives to fill the knowledge deficit in the management of water and sewage treatment plants by training experts who have the necessary skills to operate these plants correctly.
In collaboration with Water Group, Pionier Dienstemaatskappy and the Water Institute of Southern Africa, AfriForum developed an accredited training course, which has already trained 15 people, with another 15 people set to complete the training this year.
By the end of the training, these individuals are capable of fully operating water and sewage treatment plants, and, according to AfriForum, the next step is to join hands with municipalities so that gaps in public water and sewage treatment works can be addressed.
Meanwhile, the outcomes of the water conference revealed that cooperation between the public and private sectors is the only way to ensure that all South Africans have access to clean water now and in the future.
“This conference aims to make citizens aware of the crisis we are facing, and to mobilise experts to effectively stop the crisis,” said AfriForum environmental affairs manager Lambert de Klerk.
“We want to work with the government to offer solutions to this crisis and are prepared to throw everything into the fight to make these plans succeed.”
During the conference, leading experts in water management and civil servants from the Department of Water and Sanitation also analysed the country’s water crisis and highlighted the lessons that Cape Town learned after its so-called “Day Zero”.
Attention was also given to the legal framework for water supply and the scope for community involvement in this.
AfriForum’s new documentary, ‘Running Dry – A Nation on the Brink’, which was shown for the first time at the conference and is available on YouTube and AfriForumTV, illustrates the current state of affairs and emphasises the urgency of acting to end this crisis.
AfriForum will, later this year, launch a report detailing the way forward.