Protecting and saving water, arguably the most precious natural resource of all, is the focus of National Water Week.

South Africans are urged to become involved in protecting and saving the country's most important natural resource - water

THE theme of National Water Week this year, which runs from 17 to 23 March, is Water: sustaining lives, enabling growth. A number of activities will take place in and around Johannesburg throughout the week.

Organisations involved in the national event all want to bring home the same message, urging South Africans to become involved in protecting and saving the country's most important natural resource - water.

Johannesburg City Parks, in partnership with vehicle maker Toyota, will host a clean-up campaign at the newly revamped Diepsloot Park on Tuesday, 18 March. Some 240 learners from four schools in the area will do some in minor peripheral cleaning around the Jukskei wetlands. A major clean-up will be done by City Parks the day before, removing alien vegetation and bigger litter.

"The event is a platform to highlight the importance of protecting our water bodies and for residents living adjacent to wetlands to adopt a more nurturing, litter-free attitude towards the environment," says City Parks spokesperson, Jenny Moodley.

On a national level, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) Minister Lindiwe Hendricks will host a water summit at Gallagher Estate on 17 March. About 300 delegates from water sector institutions, including international experts on water and sanitation, will attend. During the summit, the third phase of the Masibambane programme will be launched, a multi-million rand agreement between South Africa and the European Union to fund additional water projects in the country.

The Masibambane programme focus specifically on developing sustainable water resource management structures and plans to ensure water services meet the social and economic priorities of the country.

Water wise at Sci-Bono
At the Sci-Bono Discovery Science Centre in Newtown, Hendricks will launch a water lessons plan that will form part of the new school curriculum. The project is a joined initiative by the DWAF and the Water Research Commission "aimed at generating an interest among learners to take up careers in the water sector".

About 16 schools in and around Johannesburg are expected to attend. The lesson plans will be formally handed over to the Gauteng MEC for education, Angie Motshekga, on 17 March at the science centre.

A week-long programme of workshops and activities highlighting water-related issues will be held at Sci-Bono. Topics will include wetland health and rehabilitation; water conservation; climate change and its effects on water resources; water safety; Working for Water; and river health.

Electricity and water
Then, on 19 March, Hendricks will sign a memorandum of understanding with national power utility Eskom to facilitate broader co-operation on issues that relate to water use efficiency at power generation plants.

From 20 March the department will distribute Water Week information packs at the N4 Middleburg Toll Plaza between Witbank and Middleburg; the Nkomati Toll Plaza; the Vaal Toll Plaza, focusing on motorists heading towards Free State and Western Cape; and the Carousel Toll Plaza north of Johannesburg. This initiative is expected to reach about 160 000 people.

One of the biggest contributors to water pollution is raw sewage and this year is also the International Year of Sanitation, during which time the aim is to give all South Africans access to sanitation and a basic water supply.

National Water Week is celebrated annually and hosted by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. For more information on National Water Week activities contact City Parks on 011 712 6615 or Linda Page of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry on 012 336 8250 or 083 460 4482.

Related stories:

• City Parks
• Water, water everywhere
• Closing the tap on water leakages
• Rivers
• Klipspruit is spruced up