The 20th annual World Water Week, organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute, is underway this week with a focus on water quality. The event is a meeting of experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions. The three issues that will dominate this year’s event are:

1. The spread of water-borne diseases and how to solve the poor sanitation that often drives them.
2. The spread of chemicals throughout societies and how we can reduce it, with a focus on prevention rather than treatment.
3. The health of rivers and lakes in developing countries and the need for government to implement existing regulations, as well as to look to consumers for their role and responsibility.

Water and Environmental Affairs Deputy Minister, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, will be representing South Africa. She will be accompanied by the 2010 South African Youth Water Prize winners, Nomfundo Zondi and Mduduzi Dlamini, students from MehlokaZulu High School in KwaZulu-Natal, who will be competing with learners from 31 countries for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Through South African Youth Water Prizes, high school learners are encouraged to identify water and sanitation related problems, conduct research and come up with innovative solutions to identified problems. The South African candidates’ research project proposes the use of solar energy for water pasteurisation and sterilisation, as well as the re-use of water.

Read them at Urban Sprout …

You could contribute to the project!  While the distribution of natural indigenous forests in South Africa is fairly well understood, knowledge of the true extent and diversity of plantations of indigenous tree species in this country is limited, and this is an appeal for additional information.   Details that would be particularly useful include the location (e.g. latitude & longitude) of any indigenous tree plantations, the species (or species combinations) planted, the extent of the plantings (e.g. size of the plantation in ha, or the number of trees planted), the planting density (stems per ha) and the current age of the trees (or planting date).   Your assistance through the provision of this kind of information would be extremely beneficial and highly appreciated, filling a knowledge gap and facilitating the choice of potential research sites available to the project.   All information received will be acknowledged and treated with the strictest confidence.

Please send any relevant information by email to Mr. Mark Gush at mgush@csir.co.za

• Always water your plants during the early morning hours or in the evening. Between 10:00 and 15:00 you can lose up to 90% of water to evaporation.
• Focus on indigenous and non–invasive alien plants with low water demands.
• Roof water can also be profitably stored in tanks for watering gardens.
• Use “grey water” from baths, washing mashines and other safe sources to water your garden.

Or better yet, let the rain do your watering (pic from www.sxc.hu).