15 October 2007
18 October is World Water Monitoring Day. The Department of Water Affairs
and Forestry will join the international water community in celebrating this
day by involving citizens in a water quality awareness campaign. All the
country's water users are encouraged to monitor the local water quality.
World Water Monitoring Day is an international education and outreach
programme that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water
resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of
their local reservoirs, rivers, streams, estuaries and other water bodies. An
additional initiative would be to inform the public on the real facts of
drinking water quality management in order to limit the spreading of
misinformation regarding the quality of tap water.
Celebrated annually on 18 October, World Water Monitoring Day is aimed at
recognising the need to increase public awareness and involvement in the
protection of water quality around the world.
Tap water quality can be monitored for drinking, and rivers and streams for
effects on fish and other aquatic life. People are encouraged to choose any
borehole, river, stream, dam, or other Water body to safely monitor the Water
quality. In fact, one could even monitor the water quality of the water from a
household or community tap.
Communities can request the assistance of their Local Municipality to test
the water quality with them and discuss ways in which they can together improve
or maintain the water quality in their communities.
This year the department is also launching an exciting schools based
competition. Schools are expected to develop and submit a proposal for how they
would plan and implement a Water Quality Community Awareness Campaign. The
three winning schools will receive a R25 000 budget to implement their campaign
proposals in their respective communities.
For competition details call 0800 200 200.
For more information contact:
Leonardo Manus
Manager: Drinking Water Quality Regulation
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
Tel: 012 336 6583
Cell: 082 802 1005
Sue Freese
Water Institute of South Africa
Cell: 083 269 6203
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
15 October 2007
