Alternative new sanitation technologies have become an imperative in an environment where water has become a critical resource. A seminar convened by the Department of Science and Technology and the Water Research Commission in Pretoria on Thursday, 30 October 2014, heard that sanitation technology can no longer rely solely on water.
While government has made great strides in addressing the sanitation backlog since 1994, many households, particularly in rural areas, do not have adequate sanitation.
As South Africa looks to provide universal access to sanitation to the country's people, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to pilot alternative, off-the-grid sanitation solutions. The partnership will focus on schools and selected areas in the Cofimvaba region of the Eastern Cape.
The South African Sanitation Technology Demonstration Programme aims to pilot cutting-edge sanitation technologies developed through the BMGF Reinvent the Toilet Programme into areas where basic infrastructure and resources for sanitation are lacking.
The DST and BMGF signed a memorandum of understanding in March 2014. The DST has committed R30 million towards the programme to test the new technologies, while the BMGF committed R10 million.
