WASH News Southern Africa
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
Bad sanitation holds back development in Africa
19 Feb 08
WaterAid has launched its new report, Giving sanitation the green light, at AfricaSan, Africa’s conference on sanitation and hygiene. The conference takes place in Durban, South Africa, from 18-20 February, and WaterAid’s Policy Officer for Sanitation, Oliver Cumming, will be posting a daily blog here.The paper charts what progress has been made and what [...]
Zambia: Regulatory Alliance holds National Consumer Conference
18 Feb 08
On 24th and 25th January 2008, delegates from across the country gathered in Lusaka for the first National Consumer Conference under the theme: “Consumer you have the power: Towards an enlightened consumer in a liberalized economy.”The conference which was organized by the Regulatory Alliance comprising of the Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ), Energy Regulation Board [...]
South Africa: Paying the price for mining
18 Feb 08
WONDERFONTEINSPRUIT , 15 February 2008 (IRIN) - One legacy of South Africa’s extensive mineral deposits is the infrastructure and wealth of the country. But another more troubling legacy is emerging as an increasingly urgent problem: environmental contamination - heavy metals and radioactive elements - from over 100 years of mining that could severely pollute the [...]
Zimbabwe - Rural Sanitation Coverage Declines
16 Feb 08
Zimbabwe’s rural sanitation coverage has declined to 30 percent in the last eight years because of Cyclone Eline and the successive droughts that eroded households’ economic capacity, a Cabinet minister has said.Officially launching the International Year of Sanitation 2008 in Harare yesterday, the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa, said Cyclone Eline [...]
Malawi - Integration of Water Sanitation and Hygiene into HIV/AIDS Home-Based Care Strategies
15 Feb 08
In 2007, Catholic Relief Services and the Hygiene Improvement Project (HIP) conducted a workshop in Malawi on the Integration of Water Sanitation and Hygiene into HIV/AIDS Home-Based Care Strategies.The background and discussion papers, an annotated bibliography and the workshop final report are now posted on the Environmental Health at USAID website.See also: HIV/AIDS: water and [...]
Zimbabwe, Bulawayo: Water in Short Supply Despite Rain
14 Feb 08
Bulawayo is facing its worst water crisis in years, and the city authorities say they are not about to lift the stringent system of water rationing, even though heavy rains are now filling up the reservoirs which supply the city.The shortage of potable water in Bulawayo is closely connected with a standoff between the city [...]
Zimbabwe: Zinwa Shelves Bulawayo Takeover
12 Feb 08
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has temporarily suspended plans to take over the cit of Bulawayo’s water and sewer system — at least, until after the elections.Sources said Zanu PF feared a backlash against the party from voters over the unpopular takeover, which has rallied the residents behind the council, which opposes the move.Read [...]
Namibia: Gov’t Considering Water Subsidies For Poor
12 Feb 08
WINDHOEK, Feb 5 (IPS) - The Namibian government, frequently accused of making water unaffordable to the poor, is finally taking steps to address this countrywide problem. It is considering the viability of including water subsidies for poorer families in a new development plan set to begin in April 2008.Poor residents often cannot pay for [...]
