Nearly half of school water samples tested unsafe: WaterCAN project
A water testing initiative has shown that almost 40% of water samples taken from schools in South Africa are unsafe for human consumption, highlighting the dire state of water access and sanitation in the education system.
The Water Warrior school water quality testing project was a campaign that empowered pupils to become 'scientists' for something many take for granted: clean water.
Launched by the Water Warriors Collective, the project saw 95 schools in eight provinces take part in a month-long water testing initiative led by WaterCAN, a collective of citizen science activists. Pupils and teachers were trained to use water testing kits and upload their findings to WaterCAN's online MapMyWater tool.
Water sources tested were tap water, water tanks (JoJos) and rivers.
Key findings include:
only 53 schools (47% of participants) successfully uploaded test results due to various issues, including technical difficulties and school holidays;
43% (23 samples) were classified as unsafe for drinking due to high bacterial contamination;
73% of tank water sources tested positive for harmful bacteria, including E coli; and
66% of river water samples and 23% of tap water samples also showed unsafe bacterial levels.
In a report issued by WaterCAN, chemical tests, including for nitrites and chlorine, were mostly within safe limits, but some schools showed warning levels for phosphates and low pH, both of which could signal long-term health concerns.
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Pupils from schools across South Africa participated in the Water Warrior School Water Quality Testing Project led by environmental organisation WaterCAN, which found that 43% of school water samples tested were unsafe for drinking. Image: Supplied In a startling revelation, results from the Water Warrior School Water Quality Testing Project conducted by pupils in schools across the country have revealed that a staggering 43% of school water samples tested were found to be unsafe for drinking. Launched during World Water Month in March, the project was led by the environmental organisation Water Community Action Network (WaterCAN) in partnership with Adopt-a-River and the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) among others. WaterCAN said the project empowered 95 schools across 8 provinces to test the quality of their water supplies ranging from taps and tanks to rivers. The organisation said pupils used citizen science kits developed by iLAB and pupils and teachers were trained to test, interpret, and upload their findings via the MapMyWater platform. The report released on Wednesday stated that of the 54 schools that successfully uploaded results, 23 samples (43%) were contaminated, mostly due to unsafe bacteria. Additionally, 73% of tested water tanks were found to contain harmful bacteria, and several tap water and river samples also raised red flags. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The majority of results were from schools in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng. The summary of the results stated that 23 out of 53 (43%) of samples were classified as unsafe for human consumption as they showed unacceptable levels of bacterial contamination, including coliform bacteria and Furthermore, 7 out of 31 (23%) taps showed bacterial contamination, 14 out of 19 (73%) water tanks showed bacterial contamination, and 2 out of 3 (66%) rivers showed bacterial contamination. According to WaterCAN, the chemical results were mostly safe. 'The nitrate and nitrite tests were all safe; the phosphates showed levels that should be monitored in 6 tap water samples, 5 tanks, and 1 river. 'The chlorine also raised concerns with warnings of pH reaching the lower limits of 6 in 11 tap water samples and 4 tank water samples,' stated the organisation. More than a mere data exercise, this project serves as a wake-up call, according to WaterCAN. 'Unsafe water is not just a health issue; it's an education issue, a gender issue, and a human rights issue. To reiterate, while we cannot generalise the water quality status of all schools, the findings do highlight systemic concerns that likely apply nationwide,' they said. When schools lack clean water, the consequences are profound, it said. 'Children fall ill. Young girls miss school due to inadequate sanitation. Teachers struggle to create safe learning environments. Families are forced to buy bottled water with money meant for food or transport. These are not isolated incidents; they are symptoms of systemic neglect,' said the organisation. National Department of Basic Education spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, said the department has noted the report on water quality with concern. Mhlanga said this sector has a large majority of children who rely on the services provided in schools. He stated that the National School Nutrition Programme, which provides meals to 9.6 million children daily, depends on the water supply available in the areas where the schools are located. 'Any risk to which the pupils are exposed poses a serious threat to the entire value chain, thus placing the lives of millions of children at risk,' said Mhlanga. Mhlanga said the report therefore raises critical matters that have an impact on schooling in the country.
The Herald
a day ago
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Nearly half of school water samples tested unsafe: WaterCAN project
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Daily Maverick
a day ago
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The Department of Basic Education has expressed 'concern' about the test results from seven provinces. Citizen science tests by children and teachers in seven provinces suggest that roughly 40% of the school water samples they collected are not safe to drink because of stomach bug bacteria and other water contaminants. While the informal testing project was based on a very small sample of schools – mainly in townships and rural areas – they nevertheless closely mirror the findings of the government's last official Blue Drop report, which found that 'it was not microbiologically safe to drink the water in almost half (46%) of our drinking water systems at times during 2022 when the Blue Drop audit was done'. The Blue Drop report also stated that the poor tap water quality found in many smaller municipalities increases the risk of life-threatening water-borne diseases such as cholera and chronic diarrhoea. In the latest Water Warriors test programme, children and teachers at 95 schools nationwide collected and analysed samples during a series of World Water Day events in March. Subsequent analysis showed that 43% of samples were classified as unsafe for human consumption due to unacceptable levels of bacterial contamination. Large plastic water storage containers (JoJo and similar tanks) showed the highest levels of contamination (73%) while 66% of river-collected water and 23% of municipal tap water samples were also contaminated with E. coli and other intestinal bugs. Dr Ferrial Adam, executive director of WaterCAN, a national civil society organisation which helped to initiate the project, said the results would be shared with all the schools involved and the Department of Basic Education. 'When schools lack clean water, the consequences are profound. Children fall ill. Teachers struggle to create safe learning environments. Families are forced to buy bottled water with money meant for food or transport. These are not isolated incidents – they are symptoms of systemic neglect,' she said. Increasingly, many schools across the country were operating with intermittent or no piped water supply, relying instead on boreholes, rainwater harvesting or water tank deliveries. These sources were often unreliable, poorly maintained or contaminated. Adam acknowledged that: 'This project was a snapshot, not a full picture. With 95 schools participating, this represents only a tiny fraction of the more than 24,000 schools in South Africa.' But the fact that more than 40% of the tested water samples were unsafe for drinking was 'alarming', and suggested that many more schools could be facing similar or worse conditions without knowing it. 'While we cannot generalise about the water quality status of all schools, the findings do highlight systemic concerns that likely apply nationwide.' Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga has also expressed 'concern' about the test results, noting that the National School Nutrition Programme – which provides meals to 9.6 million children daily – also depends on the water supply available in the areas where the schools are located. 'Any risk to which the learners are exposed poses a serious threat to the entire value chain thus placing the health of millions of children at risk. The report therefore raises critical matters that have an impact on schooling in the country.' 'Schools are beneficiaries of services rendered by municipalities and other organs of state, so they depend on those organisations established specifically to provide services that are needed for education to take place in a conducive environment.' The testing, under the umbrella of the Water Warriors Collective, was initiated by WaterCAN, with support from Adopt-a-River, the Wildlife and Environment Society, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, the Cape Town Science Centre, the Nelson Mandela Bay Science Centre, Makhanda River Rescue and the Leap Institute. The testing kits were supplied by the i-lab group which designed portable kits for non-scientific field operatives to do a basic water quality screening on chemicals (nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, chlorine, alkalinity, pH and hardness) and microbiological contamination (total coliform, E. coli) to determine the water's safety for human consumption. DM
