Let people ‘pour the water’

South Africa was the first country in the world to enshrine the right to water in the Constitution. However; lack of access to water and, in turn, sanitation is a sizeable problem in South Africa and the Eastern Cape especially.

“People need to reconceptualise how they think about water: not as something cheap that we have lots of, but as something highly valuable and absolutely vital to our lives. We need to think about how we use water, how what we buy and do uses water, and what the most just and equitable way of managing this important resource is” says Abigail McDougall, vice- chairperson of Galela Amanzi.

Galela Amanzi is a student-run organisation working from Rhodes University, Grahamstown that works with local non-government organisations to install rain tanks. The name Galela Amanzi means ‘pour the water’ in isiXhosa, a fitting name for an organisation that currently has 20 tanks installed at 14 sites in Grahamstown. A further 10 tanks have been secured and are awaiting installation. These tanks give people the ability to pour their own water, a right which many of us with taps take for granted.

Still in its infancy, the organisation has made a marked improvement for many areas in Grahamstown which experiences between 400 and 900mm of rainfall per annum, making water a scare and unpredictable commodity in the area. In fact, Grahamstown water frequently drops beneath the South African National Standards (a guideline for water that is safe for consumption).

The Blue Drop score was intruded to try and combat poor-quality drinking water. Two years ago, the Grahamstown’s Blue Drop score was 36% and the Makana Municipality a frightening 28%. The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry labels this percentage bracket as ‘low confidence’ in the quality of the drinking water. Reports of E-coli, aluminium and arsenic have forced residents to avoid drinking the tap water. Even though, in 2011 the Makana Municipality revealed a healthier improvement with a 55% score, it is still not near the desired 97% score.

With sporadic rainfall and poor quality drinking water, organisations like Galela are vital in ensuring that people have access to water and have enough of it to create a sustainable lifestyle. Abigail McDougall shares why Galela has succeeded where other organisations with a focus on water have fallen short.

“The strength of Galela is that it’s a model that other groups or organisations could easily replicate,” says McDougall. Galela is also focused on being adaptive by constantly trying new things, instead of just pursuing the same solution.

One such idea is waterless sanitation. It basically uses what are called ‘composting toilets’ instead of the kind that flush. In South Africa it is irresponsible to flush fresh drinkable water down the toilet, especially where ‘grey’ or recycled water could be used as a viable alternative to combat the water and sanitation problem simultaneously. This is a pertinent problem as some of the residents of Grahamstown East are still forced to use the ‘bucket system’.

Concepts like this are known as ‘green capitalism’. In a town which is experiencing a 70% unemployment rate, organisations like Galela Amanzi are vital tools in creating upliftment and ensuring personal dignity.

For more information on Galela Amanzi, go to: //amanzi.rucus.ru.ac.za/
For more information on waterless sanitation go to: //www.grocotts.co.za/content/flushing-it-away-isn%E2%80%99t-answer-19-02-2010