Gates couple to City’s rescue
Billionaire’s foundation to assist poor with sanitation services
THE BILL and Melinda Gates Foundation will be entering into a memorandum of agreement with ethekwini Municipality to conduct engineering testing of innovative sanitation technologies that will improve services for the poor.
The foundation has selected ethekwini Municipality to test these ground breaking innovations, recognising the City as a world leader in the sanitation field and with the technical capacity and a track record in innovation.
According to the report tabled at the Executive Committee, the memorandum of agreement will be beneficial to ethekwini as the innovative toilets that would meet the aspirational needs of the poor, will be tested in communities in the municipality’s service area for the first time.
The toilets will significantly reduce water consumption and pressure on the environment.
All technology testing funding will be provided by the foundation.
Meanwhile, after heavy rainfall across the province last week, ethekwini Municipality has maintained it is to embark on a water-saving campaign.
The City’s Water and Sanitation Unit has developed various intervention strategies to mitigate the drought effects, including awareness campaigns regarding the importance of conserving water.
To further spread the message of being water-wise, the unit will be erecting billboards, street pole posters and giving out T-shirts with a message of water conservation.
The unit has also scheduled water interruptions from 7pm to 6am in certain areas.
City Watch had previously reported several incidents where residents complained about pipes bursting. They allege it was caused by the water restrictions.
As a result, the unit has set up response teams to repair leaks, burst pipes as well as address the plight of people on the ground.
Water bills have also been issued with water conservation tips and notices.
Deputy City manager of the Trading Services Cluster Philemon Mashoko said water conservation was about the behaviour of people.
“By having posters and billboards emphasising the need to save water and to use it wisely, hopefully it will motivate people to act when they see a water leak or other wastage.
“Interventions are needed, you cannot look at water loss in isolation without considering water conservation,” he said. Motorists and pedestrians using the busy intersection of Bellair Road and King Cetshwayo Highway in Mayville have waited for months for the traffic lights there to be fixed.