WaterCAN’s Mission in South Africa

Enter WaterCAN. Partnered with Alex Olivier, Business Connect’s South Africa Regional Hub Director, the purpose of the WaterCAN program is to help with the serious water crisis in South Africa and make as big of an impact as possible. Learn more about the effects of the current South African water crisis and how the WaterCAN program can serve as a solution.

Water Crisis in South Africa

For nearly a decade, South Africa has been facing water shortages thanks to climate change, poor water management, and subpar infrastructure. According to NPR, 50 percent of the population of Johannesburg has been dealing with a devastating water shortage this year. Experts say that the culprits are unmaintained infrastructure and outages at pump stations.

Despite the widespread suffering in the community and experts’ concerns, former Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has been sweeping the water crisis under the rug. Thus, Johannesburg residents have been left to fend for themselves. The water that the residents can get their hands on is often unclean, and they cannot boil it because they don’t have reliable electricity due to the strained power grid in the country. As a result, many citizens, especially the elderly, end up falling severely ill due to the contaminants in the water. To avoid consuming water infested with deadly bacteria and viruses, many residents have been resorting to what they refer to as “water shedding,” which is the act of simply going without water.

Despite the catastrophic water crisis in South Africa, not all hope is lost. That is where WaterCAN program come in. The purpose of the WaterCAN program is to increase accountability among authority figures who have the ability to manage the water crisis, while also giving citizens the power to drive the process and advocate for themselves. The main tenets of WaterCAN are policy analysis, advocacy, education, and awareness raising and citizen science.

WaterCAN in Action Over the Years

WaterCAN strives to hold government officials liable for water pollution. In July 2023, WaterCAN filed a lawsuit against the City of Johannesburg and the city managers over the pollution of the Kilp River thanks to two different leaking wastewater treatment works (WWTW). Riversdale’s Goudkoppies WWTW and Eldorado Park’s Bushkoppies WWTW have been leaking sewage, causing a chain reaction that resulted in the pollution of the Klip River and the Vaal River. After the City failed to fix the problem, despite being issued a warning by the Department of Water and Sanitation, WaterCAN stepped up to the plate and filed criminal charges against the City. If the City fails to comply,  city officials could face a fine or imprisonment for up to five years. 

In August 2022, WaterCAN joined forces with Adopt-A-River and worked for the eThekwini Water Monitoring Partnership to promote clean water and responsibility. WaterCAN prompted citizens to test their tap water as well as their community’s rivers with WaterCAN’s Citizen Science Test Kits to gauge the cleanliness of their drinking water. What they discovered through these testing kits was that the Umbilo River in eThekwini contained high levels of E. coli, coliform bacteria, and hazardous chemicals. After this discovery, WaterCAN made a vow to hold the metro responsible by demanding action from the Department of Water and Sanitation and pursuing criminal charges if nothing is done.

WaterCAN’s Map

Forty-two of Johannesburg’s eighty-seven water reservoirs leak, and the City intends to only repair twenty of them, underscoring the lack of accountability by government officials. “It’s infuriating that Joburg Water is only now disclosing the extent of the leaks in the reservoirs, but we are relieved they are starting to provide information,” said WaterCAN’s Executive Manager Dr. Ferrial Adam in a press release on WaterCAN’s website. “Beyond just outlining the challenges, we need detailed information on what needs repairing, the level or urgency of each repair, and the timeline and costs for repairs, especially since the city claims it lacks funds for water infrastructure.”

Luckily, WaterCAN is holding the city accountable and demanding transparency for Johannesburg’s citizens. The program is doing this through its No Water / Leaks Map. While it’s not an immediate solution to the water crisis, it promotes transparency and education, which, in turn, empowers the citizens of Johannesburg and all of South Africa. The map allows citizens to report leaks and water shortages in their area, giving them the power to hold officials liable and demand clean water, a fundamental human right.

Water Testing

The goal of WaterCAN is to make people aware of the cleanliness of their water and give them the tools to test it themselves. That is why WaterCAN began selling water testing kits. Each kit contains a nitrite/nitrate strip, a phosphate strip, a six-in-one strip, which tests six different chemical parameters, and two bacteria tests, which test for E. coli and coliforms. There is also a piece of foil, a syringe, a color chart, and an information booklet provided. With all these tools at people’s fingertips, they are free to test their drinking water on their own and obtain knowledge of the quality of the water that they plan to consume.

After one tests the water, they are encouraged to use WaterCAN’s Map My Water tool, which reports the quality of South Africa’s water. This tool allows South Africa’s citizens to take matters into their own hands and inform the public about the state of South Africa’s drinking water, providing transparency and awareness and holding authorities accountable. “Because our water is finite; without enough good quality water everything and everyone deteriorates in health; we can use the data to lobby for better systems and behaviour change,” says Bobby, a WaterCAN Citizen Science participant. Many other citizen scientists like Bobby are stepping up and educating the public.

Through this collective action, the proper authorities will be held responsible for the safety of South Africa’s drinking water. And if the government officials fail to act, WaterCAN will step in and put pressure on them, like it has in the past few years. The people’s right to clean water is WaterCAN’s main priority, and the program will continue to strive for progress.