In collaboration with Kusini Water, a social enterprise channeling nanotechnology to build water systems and the United States Embassy in South Africa, leading water filtration company DuPont has donated a multi-technology water treatment plant which provides safe, pure water to Reneilwe Primary School and its local community of Temba, Hammanskraal.
Due to high levels of nitrate and phosphate contaminants, municipal water is generally unsafe to drink in. Additionally, the lack of secure and hygienic water supplies makes school-aged children more vulnerable to sicknesses. “One out of three schools in South Africa do not have access to safe water and clean sanitation, putting the local school children at serious risk of waterborne illnesses,” stated Kusini Water CEO Murendeni Mafumo. “We are delighted that the community of Temba is now one of over 50 sites in the country we have helped in our mission to provide five million people with five million liters of safe water in five years” she continued
Supplying up to 4,000 liters of healthy drinking water per hour, these new ultrafiltration membrane and ultraviolet light system are driven by solar systems to remove any impurities from groundwater pumped out of a new borehole. A water kiosk has been built to dispense it to the local community and generate revenue for the school to operate the system sustainably, with five “water champions” from the community trained by Kusini Water to autonomously operate and maintain the plant. The entire project was conceived in October last year, and the overall goal was to get water flowing in around four months’ time.
“We are delighted to be involved with such a beneficial project as this. It is definitely something that contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation,” said Semano Sekatle, Regional Commercial Manager, DuPont Sub-Saharan Africa. “With the right partnership approach, no one in this world needs to suffer from a lack of safe water, as effective and highly advanced technology is available that can be community-run” she continued.
