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South African schools have unsafe drinking water, reveals Water Warrior School Project
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.
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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.
