Millions of litres of highly acidic mine water is rising up under Johannesburg and, if left unchecked, could spill out into its streets some 18 months from now. The acid water is currently about 600m below the city’s surface, but is rising at a rate of between 0.6 and 0,9m a day, water affairs deputy […]
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Gulf of Mexico: Oil Dispersants Cause Concern
New Orleans – BP inched closer to permanently sealing the blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico as environmental officials defended themselves on Sunday against assertions they allowed the oil giant liberal use of chemical dispersants whose threat to sea life remains unknown. The Coast Guard routinely approved BP requests to use thousands of […]
Managing Stormwater
Ever thought of where stormwater ends up? Poorly-managed stormwater can damage your property and the wider environment – but, managed properly, it can be good for your garden. Stormwater is the water that runs off surfaces such as houses, roads, driveways, footpaths. In urban areas, it runs down drains into stormwater pipes or channels and […]
Groundwater Pollution: An ever-increasing problem
About half the population in the United States relies to some extent on groundwater as a source of drinking water, and still more use it to supply their factories with process water or their farms with irrigation water. However, if all water uses such as irrigation and power production are included, only about 25 percent […]
BP ‘Excited’ Over Kevin Costner’s Oil Cleanup Machine, Purchases 32
After actor Kevin Costner spent weeks calling attention to a high-tech oil cleanup device his company spent years developing, BP tested the machine and overnight released a statement saying that not only does the device work, officials are “excited” about its potential. “We were confident the technology would work but we needed to test it […]
Wash Your Hands!
Real-World Proof of Hand Washing’s Effectiveness Scientists are reporting dramatic new real-world evidence supporting the idea that hand washing can prevent the spread of water-borne disease. It appears in a new study showing a connection between fecal bacteria contamination on hands, fecal contamination of stored drinking water, and health in households in a developing country […]
Using Fish as Bio-Indicators of Water Pollution
Tilapia now SA’s own bio-indicator of water pollution Southern African water specialists can now use a local Tilapiine species – instead of alien fish species – to test whether water sources are polluted by compounds that can cause hormonal imbalances. Such chemicals can subtly mimic the female hormone oestrogen and alter the male hormone testosterone, […]
Olifants River highly contaminated
The Olifants River in Mpumulanga is highly contaminated, researchers say. Microbiologist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Martella du Preez, said all the sites along the river showed mild to heavy microbial contamination most likely due to untreated, or poorly-treated, sewage flowing into it. “People using untreated water from these contaminated sites […]
South Africa’s potable water use can be reduced by 25%
Consulting engineering company SRK reports that with careful planning and research, potable water use in South Africa could be reduced by 25%. SRK principal hydrologist and partner, based at the company’s Johannesburg office Peter Shepherd, says that it is estimated that industry uses about 27% of South Africa’s current demand for potable water. He adds […]

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Jojo Tanks Suppliers April 21, 2019
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Fear of a dry future for Cape Town June 27, 2018
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What is Raw Water, and is it healthy? January 7, 2018
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Rainwater Harvesting Calculator – South Africa December 29, 2017
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Lowveld Dam Levels – Watch out for the 2017/2018 dry season March 29, 2017
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