Pupils pledge to save water as part of national water week

Seven local schools were recently taught simple eco-friendly and efficient ways to preserve water, as part of national water week, which falls during the school holidays.

Christine Hugo and Darryn Tucker from Water Explorer held fun, educational activities that not only taught pupils about making water safe to drink but also raising awareness of the dangers posed by plastic pollution.

In his opening address, Siza Water managing director, Shyam Misra told pupils that people were the main source of water pollution.

“By nature, humans think the earth is at their disposal and abuse it. Humans are the primary source of water pollution because of our excessive use of plastics, chemicals and emissions from factories that cause acid rain.”

He said many fish caught are found to have plastic in their stomachs and are toxic to eat, highlighting the importance of using straws made of biodegradable materials such as paper and bamboo, or rather not using straws at all.

“Humans need water for three main purposes: hygiene (to stay clean), survival (stay hydrated) and recreation (to swim and for aesthetic features like fountains that create tranquility),” said Misra.

Because water is life and a primary source of energy of the world, Misra urged pupils to practice what they learned at home during the March school holidays and then continue for the rest of their lives.

Pupils made water filters from plastic bottles filled with stones and grass before doing a beach clean-up and finally, each wrote down their own pledge to save water. The plastic picked up from the beach was then used to make eco bricks which could be used to make furniture, build chairs and walls or sculptures.

“Because plastic photo-degenerates in the sun, the things we make from eco bricks must be kept out of the sun. We could either cover it in concrete or we could use the structures indoors,” said Hugo.

She said the key to the success of cleaning up and recycling initiatives was to make it part of everyday life.

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