Water Wise Watch - May 2024

09.05.24

Every year on May 22, we mark the International Day for Biodiversity (IDB). This global celebration honours the 22nd of May 1992 adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) text and offers a special chance to promote broad support for the Convention, its Protocols, and associated action frameworks.

Focus for international day for biodiversity:

• To know threats from climate change, through scientific assessments,
• To develop tools, incentives and processes,
• To transfer technologies and good practices, and
• To take full and active involvement of relevant stakeholders including indigenous people, local communities, youth, women, NGOs, sub-national actors and the business community.

This year’s theme for International Day of Biodiversity is BE PART OF THE PLAN. The theme is aimed at calling all stakeholders to take action to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which is also known as The Biodiversity Plan.

Sources:
https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/international-day-for-biological-diversity/
https://www.cbd.int/biodiversity-day

RAND WATER: PLANTS TREES IN TSHWANE

Earth Day, observed annually on April 22nd, stands as a momentous occasion transcending national borders, uniting individuals worldwide in a collective dedication to environmental stewardship.

Rand Water - Water Wise celebrated this day which was hosted by City Tshwane Municipality at Tshwane house in partnership with Sasol, Rand Water and SANBI. The City of Tshwane pledged to plant about 30 000 trees in the next coming three years as an initiative to combat climate change. Plants/trees play an important role in reducing carbon footprint and the negative impact of urbanization. Most areas within the City of Tshwane battle with urban heat therefore this initiative will assist the Municipality in mitigating this issue. Rand Water - Water Wise donated about 100 seeds to the City Mayor as a starter pack to pledge their partnership for this initiative and adopted Langen Hoven School for a two-year program to support their food gardening initiatives.

Urban Horticulture in Small Spaces

Urban horticulture is a field focused on integrating production, processes, and the cultivation of horticultural plants — both food and ornamental — to enhance and sustain urban environments. It involves two primary components: the study of plants and their ecological roles within cities, and the examination of the dynamic relationship between urban dwellers and plants. South Africa has approximately 67% of its population residing in urban areas with a projected increase to 80% by 2050. Whilst urbanization is closely associated with economic growth and development, it can have enormous environmental implications such as habitat destruction, air pollution (green gas emission), deforestation, water pollution (due to the run off of chemicals and other sediments), heat island effect (high heat absorption due to surrounding buildings) and loss of agricultural land (land encroachment that lead to the loss of fertile soil for agricultural activity).

Small Scale Urban Horticulture Systems 

• Container gardening: This system makes use of a variety of containers, buckets, old tires, raised beds, window boxes, kiddies pools, barrels, shoes, and watering cans. Container gardening offers a convenient solution for space limitations, mobility within a household. By confining plants to containers, it conserves space, facilitates relocation, and minimizes the risk of soil-borne pests and diseases.
• Hydroponic: Cultivating crops hydroponically involves nourishing plants with mineral nutrient solutions in a soil-free, controlled environment. The advantages of hydroponic agriculture include the potential for higher yields of fruits and vegetables and increase water efficiency. This is due to the efficient use of space, as hydroponic systems allow plants to grow densely in small spaces and rooftop gardens, in comparison to the land area required for traditional cultivation. In addition, water used in hydroponics is recirculated within the system, meaning it can be reused multiple times before replenishment is required and water is delivered straight to the plant roots, reducing water loss due to evapotranspiration.
• Window gardening: This is a system where small containers can be used in a window to plant herbs, vegetable and ornamental plants to benefit plants with extra light and source of air.
• Vertical farming: This system entails cultivating crops in vertically stacked layers or on vertical walls, maximizing plant production within limited space.

Sources:
https://www.distinctivespaces.co.za
https://www.thegoodlifewithamyfrench.com 
https://extension.umn.edu/how/small-scale-hydroponics

Conserving water can greatly benefit everyone's lives and contribute to alleviating water shortages in the following way:

1. Always inspect for leaks in toilet pipes and faucets.
2. Stop using your toilet as a wastebasket. 
3. Place a 1 liter plastic bottle filled with water or sand  in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used to flush the toilet. 
4. Take shorter showers.
5. Install water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors.
6. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and shaving.
7. Don't leave the water running for rinsing when you wash dishes by hand.
8. When the lawn appears to be dry, water once a week and only water in the morning (between 6 am – 10 am).
9. Incorporate hydrozoning in your garden.
10. Use bucket to wash your car.

05 May - Endangered Species 20 May - World Bee Day 22 May - International Day for Biological Diversity (World Biodiversity Day)

Residents of informal settlements are offered waterless toilets for R350 a month “Many residents have quickly adopted the paid, private toilet service since its launch, priced at R350 per month for rental and maintenance. SOUTH AFRICA EXPLORES DIVERSE SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS. Various service delivery methods are being tested, collaborating with local service providers ranging from large sanitation companies to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs).''
South Africa seeks to secure global plastics pollution treaty by balancing competing- interests ''South Africa will seek to secure a legally binding global plastics pollution and marine litter treaty in negotiations at upcoming global meetings by balancing competing demands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy told the media on April 12..."
Mabola coalition in court again to safeguard protected area. “On 16 April 2024 a coalition of environmental justice organisations, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), will appear in another High Court hearing in the ongoing nine-year legal battle to prevent coal mining...”

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