City hosts water and sanitation conference

THIS week, the eThekwini Municipality hosted its biennial Water and Sanitation Student Conference at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.

The conference, which took place on Wednesday, March 6, hosted 50 schools from rural and urban areas in eThekwini under the theme: ‘The water shortage and finding alternate technology! What can society, particularly young people, collectively do to design sustainable water-conservation strategies and innovations for the future?’

According to a statement released by the municipality, the conference focused on finding alternate technologies and developing long-term, innovative approaches to sustainable water conservation.

“Currently, the demand for water in eThekwini has grown rapidly and exceeds the available supply for treated water. This is due to rapid urbanisation, vandalism and the theft of water and sanitation infrastructure. The municipality is also grappling with the issue of ageing infrastructure,” said the statement.

Also Read: WATCH: Uncollected garbage lines Durban streets

eThekwini mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda said the City requires contributions from all sectors of society, including young people, to develop innovations that will help it to adequately adapt to the impact of climate change and build a resilient city.

“We will also appreciate proposals of other water sources that the City can explore to increase the availability of water. The municipality is currently exploring water reuse and desalination. It will be interesting to know what innovations you can suggest to fast-track the implementation of these solutions,” he said.

The municipality said it has been hosting the student conference since 2012 with all the ideas received from learners analysed by senior management from the Water and Sanitation Unit, and these suggestions are taken into consideration.

At the conference, learners from 20 participating schools presented their innovative solutions on stage in four categories. These categories included models, presentations, poetry and posters.

The participating schools were awarded a shared prize of R150 000, with each participating school receiving R7 142.85, a trophy and certificates for the learner and the school.

The main speaker at the conference was Lungi Zuma-Biyela, a chemical engineer by profession and currently the acting strategic executive of research and international relations in the Water and Sanitation Unit.

Also Read: City outlines electricity and water solutions

She shared her expertise with attendees which included implementing outputs from research and scaling up innovation within the unit. A project that is in the works is the demonstration of sludge treatment technology and the demonstration of non-sewered sanitation technologies in informal settlements.

Head of the Water and Sanitation Unit Ednick Msweli explained that the shortage of water is a global phenomenon, which is exacerbated by the challenges of climate change.

He said that government remains fully committed to fulfilling its mandate of providing clean drinking water.

“We urge communities to continue to save water and safeguard the infrastructure that we have put in place. As future leaders, the county relies on your curious and creative minds to find permanent solutions to the many challenges we are grappling with. Let us continue to work together to make eThekwini the most caring and liveable city,” he said.

For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.