WASH News Southern Africa
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
Mozambique: $13 million project improves access to food, health, water; empowers farmers
06 Feb 09
In the coastal region of Mozambique, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is improving food access for more than 100,000 rural Mozambicans through a three-year income generation project that will increase crop sales and productivity, improve health and nutrition, create better access to clean water and sanitation facilities, and strengthen communities’ resilience to disaster [...]
South Africa: petition calls for reinstatement of suspended water expert
06 Feb 09
The Federation for a Sustainable Environment has handed over a petition to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) demanding the reinstatement of suspended water research scientist, Dr Anthony Turton. The petition was signed by 1,463 national and international scientists, academics, representatives of non-governmental organisations and various political parties from 27 countries.Anthony Turton, a [...]
DR Congo: film - Sanitation Kinshasa
06 Feb 09
Filth, dust and stench have reached extraordinary levels during the last two decades in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Solid waste management, storm drainage and infrastructure designed for 400,000 people in the 1960s when Kinshasa was establised, now must serve 8 million in 2008.The post-electoral emergency programme, planned for 2 [...]
Zimbabwe: Nigel’s Story - the tragedy of country’s cholera outbreak
06 Feb 09
[Nigel Chigudu lost] five siblings in five hours to the cholera epidemic that has been sweeping across Zimbabwe. “They started vomiting and had serious diarrhoea,” recalls Nigel, 15. “The youngest, Gamu, was 14 months old, and Lameck was 12 years old. It was in the middle of the night; I could not take them anywhere. [...]
Sector reforms: lessons and challenges from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia
06 Feb 09
A paper [1] commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, summarises critical water and sanitation sector reform implementation issues by drawing from recent experience in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. It was written by a group of policy advisors of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), who, as long term advisors, have [...]
Zimbabwe: cholera outbreak threatens to become endemic
21 Oct 08
A cholera outbreak that has bridged Zimbabwe’s dry season is proving difficult to contain and has spread from the cities to rural areas.There are fears that the onset of the rainy season could make the waterborne disease endemic if the authorities fail to address the water and sanitation crisis plaguing the county.[...]The UN noted that [...]
Africa Water Congress, 10-14 Nov 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa
16 Oct 08
Conference theme: working towards sustainable water supply throughout Africa.Some 35 industry leaders (water utilities, government and research) from 10 African countries, with a focus on Southern and Eastern Africa, will be talking about:Increasing infrastructure capacity and boosting service deliveryThe PPP debate - what has privatisation really done for Africa’s water sector?Ensuring sustainable and reliable sources [...]
Angola: third national de-worming campaign in schools launched
08 Oct 08
Over the next month, primary school children in all of Angola’s 18 provinces will receive de-worming tablets as part of a national campaign that is now in its third year. The campaign aims to ensure that the country’s children have better health for better learning.Parasitic infections, or intestinal worms, can lead to malnutrition, anaemia and [...]
South Africa: Protests over service delivery likely to grow
04 Oct 08
Violent protests over service delivery in South Africa are likely to grow ahead of the elections scheduled for 2009, said an analyst, one of the authors of a new report on local governance.“The split in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), between [former President] Thabo Mbeki and [party president Jacob] Zuma will feed into factionalism [...]
Namibia: A Toilet With No Tang
23 Sep 08
Close to 400 households in Otjiwarongo were recently fortunate recipients of the environmentally-friendly dry toilets labelled the Otji-toilet in Orwetoveni.The facilities were handed over to the households in the central town by the European Commission (EC) in Namibia.[...]The dry toilet system has the capacity to save households at least in the margin of N$100 per [...]
