World Water Day 2023

World Water Day 2023

Written by: Benita Piek
Senior Consultant at Shangoni Management Services

22 March 2023 is World Water Day. This day focuses on the importance of freshwater – advocating sustainable development of freshwater resources.  South Africa is considered a “water scarce” country. Water scarcity is defined as the human water consumption demand not being met through the available water supply in the area.

Apart from the lack of infrastructure providing access to drinking water, South Africa faces a problem of pollution of our water resources resulting in deterioration of water quality. A pivotal moment occurred in 2002 when concerns about acid mine drainage polluting our water resources, hit the media. This is furthermore aggravated where raw sewage or poorly treated sewage reaches our freshwater sources polluting our water resources. In addition, other contributing factors such as pesticides and herbicides from the agricultural industry can also affect water quality negatively.

A crucial responsibility is placed on us as citizens to manage and preserve freshwater systems by being stewards of the environment through inter alia the following:

• Preventing pollution of water resources by us or our direct communities
  • Not littering or dumping into rivers and dams
  • Recycling of waste, which could potentially end up in our water resources.
  • Preventing and cleaning spills of any hazardous chemicals
  • Being aware of activities and projects in our communities that have the potential to pollute freshwater sources.
  • Reporting of leaking pipes for repairs to your municipality
• Holding companies accountable by;
  • requesting their environmental performance and compliance reports
  • whistleblowing on illegal activities
  • forming part of the public participation process

At Shangoni, one of our core values is stewardship, and we provide various services aligned with preserving our freshwater resources. The services aid in quantifying impacts, putting in place mitigatory measures and holding companies accountable. These services include:

• Environmental Authorisations
  • Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)
  • Water Use License (WULA)
  • Water and Waste Management Plans (WWMP)
  • Public Participation and Stakeholder Engagements
• Surface water pollution assessments including biological, organic and inorganic parameters.
• Groundwater pollution investigations.
• Geohydrological assessments.
• Water conservation and demand management plans
• Waste characterisation and classification.

To speak to one of our consultants, contact us at info@shangoni.co.za or +27 (0) 12 807 7036