School sampling tests find storage tanks contain unsafe water
Pupils from Douglas Mbopa Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape, test water using WaterCAN kits. (Photo: WaterCAN)
A
Of 19 tank water samples tested in eight provinces, 14 (about 74%) were found to contain bacterial contamination, including E coli, rendering the water unfit for human consumption.
Of the 53 schools that upload valid data, 23 returned results showing water was unsafe to drink. In total, 43% of the 53 samples tested showed bacterial contamination. This included 23% of tap water sources and 66% of river samples.
But storage tanks — installed widely for commercial and private use to compensate for failing municipal water infrastructure — showed the highest rate of contamination.
The tests formed part of a random sampling project led by nonprofit group
The campaign was designed to coincide with World Water Day and involved 95 schools. Water was tested from taps, rivers and tanks, the primary sources of drinking water at participating schools.
The learners were trained to use citizen science water test kits, which checked for chemical and microbiological contaminants such as nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, chlorine, bacterial contamination from total coliforms and E coli, as well as the acidity, alkalinity and hardness levels of the water.
Ferrial Adam, the executive director of WaterCAN, said the results showed the importance of monitoring water tanks at schools.
'We don't know how often they're maintained; we don't know what their source of water is. Some of them get municipal water, some of them are rainwater-harvested, some of them are [from] boreholes. But in all of that, whatever their source, there are issues that need to be raised.'
She said the results of this small project were worrying.
'If we look at the government's
The project included online and in-person training sessions for teachers and learners.
WaterCAN's report acknowledges that only 47% of schools submitted test results, because of schools being closed for the holidays, data upload difficulties and other logistical barriers.
'It is critical to emphasise that the data reflects only a snapshot of the broader reality across South Africa's thousands of schools,' said the report.
'While we cannot generalise about the water quality status of all schools, the findings do highlight systemic concerns that likely apply nationwide, most notably, the urgent need for an improvement to water and sanitation infrastructure, consistent water quality monitoring and routine maintenance of tanks and other storage systems within school premises. The Collaboration partners plan to engage the DBE [department of basic education] about this.'
Herman Mayer, the education lead at the Leap Institute, said he enjoyed the campaign, which provided experiential learning to children. 'It's fantastic that we could involve schools in something that is critical to our country's prosperity.
'And in the end, education remains the single biggest and easiest way to change people's living conditions and opportunities and it's the quickest and easiest way that we can remove some of the inequality in our society.'
As at home, children need clean, safe water at school, he said. 'The education department is responsible to provide conditions that are conducive to learning. It's taken us 30 years and we still haven't got rid of, for instance, schools with pit latrines, schools with no running water.
'We need to help the department. We also need to put pressure on the department as well as the provincial departments to make sure that all schools have clean and safe drinking water and all types of sanitation.'
He added that young people need to understand their relationship with water, given that it is a scarce resource. They also should learn about water being polluted and that with scientific knowledge water can be preserved
Nomsa Daele, WaterCAN's citizen science training coordinator, said the results would be used to alert affected schools; support follow-up testing and discussions with local government; and advocate for systemic solutions from the department and municipalities.
'This is a wake-up call, and it calls for urgent action and advocacy work,' she said.
In 2024, South Africa had 24 850 schools, of which 22 381 were public. Government data suggesting nearly half of all public schools lack flushing toilets and about 2% have no running water. But a report by the International Labour Research and Information Group, has suggested that the number without functional water systems could be as high as 25%.
Adam added that the project was not just about getting the results. 'It was about how do we build that next layer of water warriors in South Africa.'
The project was a collaboration between WaterCAN, the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa, Adopt-a-River, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay science centres, Makhanda River Rescue and the Leap Institute.
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Pupils from Douglas Mbopa Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape, test water using WaterCAN kits. (Photo: WaterCAN) A Of 19 tank water samples tested in eight provinces, 14 (about 74%) were found to contain bacterial contamination, including E coli, rendering the water unfit for human consumption. Of the 53 schools that upload valid data, 23 returned results showing water was unsafe to drink. In total, 43% of the 53 samples tested showed bacterial contamination. This included 23% of tap water sources and 66% of river samples. But storage tanks — installed widely for commercial and private use to compensate for failing municipal water infrastructure — showed the highest rate of contamination. The tests formed part of a random sampling project led by nonprofit group The campaign was designed to coincide with World Water Day and involved 95 schools. Water was tested from taps, rivers and tanks, the primary sources of drinking water at participating schools. The learners were trained to use citizen science water test kits, which checked for chemical and microbiological contaminants such as nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, chlorine, bacterial contamination from total coliforms and E coli, as well as the acidity, alkalinity and hardness levels of the water. Ferrial Adam, the executive director of WaterCAN, said the results showed the importance of monitoring water tanks at schools. 'We don't know how often they're maintained; we don't know what their source of water is. Some of them get municipal water, some of them are rainwater-harvested, some of them are [from] boreholes. But in all of that, whatever their source, there are issues that need to be raised.' She said the results of this small project were worrying. 'If we look at the government's The project included online and in-person training sessions for teachers and learners. WaterCAN's report acknowledges that only 47% of schools submitted test results, because of schools being closed for the holidays, data upload difficulties and other logistical barriers. 'It is critical to emphasise that the data reflects only a snapshot of the broader reality across South Africa's thousands of schools,' said the report. 'While we cannot generalise about the water quality status of all schools, the findings do highlight systemic concerns that likely apply nationwide, most notably, the urgent need for an improvement to water and sanitation infrastructure, consistent water quality monitoring and routine maintenance of tanks and other storage systems within school premises. The Collaboration partners plan to engage the DBE [department of basic education] about this.' Herman Mayer, the education lead at the Leap Institute, said he enjoyed the campaign, which provided experiential learning to children. 'It's fantastic that we could involve schools in something that is critical to our country's prosperity. 'And in the end, education remains the single biggest and easiest way to change people's living conditions and opportunities and it's the quickest and easiest way that we can remove some of the inequality in our society.' As at home, children need clean, safe water at school, he said. 'The education department is responsible to provide conditions that are conducive to learning. It's taken us 30 years and we still haven't got rid of, for instance, schools with pit latrines, schools with no running water. 'We need to help the department. We also need to put pressure on the department as well as the provincial departments to make sure that all schools have clean and safe drinking water and all types of sanitation.' He added that young people need to understand their relationship with water, given that it is a scarce resource. They also should learn about water being polluted and that with scientific knowledge water can be preserved Nomsa Daele, WaterCAN's citizen science training coordinator, said the results would be used to alert affected schools; support follow-up testing and discussions with local government; and advocate for systemic solutions from the department and municipalities. 'This is a wake-up call, and it calls for urgent action and advocacy work,' she said. In 2024, South Africa had 24 850 schools, of which 22 381 were public. Government data suggesting nearly half of all public schools lack flushing toilets and about 2% have no running water. But a report by the International Labour Research and Information Group, has suggested that the number without functional water systems could be as high as 25%. Adam added that the project was not just about getting the results. 'It was about how do we build that next layer of water warriors in South Africa.' The project was a collaboration between WaterCAN, the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa, Adopt-a-River, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay science centres, Makhanda River Rescue and the Leap Institute.
