South Africa’s population has increased by about 530 000 people to 49.99 million, according to Statistics South Africa’s Mid-Year Population Estimates. This year’s estimates are up from last year’s updated estimate of 49.46 million. The estimates also show that 51 percent (about 25.66 million) of the South African population is female. Black Africans at 39.68 […]
Tag Archives | Limpopo
Limpopo women team to clean river for a year
A team of 100 women have undertaken to spend a year cleaning up the Luvuvhu River in Thohoyandou, Limpopo. Addressing the launch of the Luvuvhu Adopt-A-River project in Tshishaulu, near Thohoyandou, on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, said R800 000 had been allocated for the initiative. “We have set aside […]
Natural Insect Repellents
Making human flesh unappetizing to mosquitoes, ticks, flies, and fleas is an age-old preoccupation. The earliest insect repellents included smoke, mud, and various plant substances. Our contemporary contribution is DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), a powerful insecticide found in over 400 repellents. DEET can peel paint, damage rayon and spandex, and melt plastic. Up to 56 percent […]
Videos: See how Water Rhapsody Harvests Rain and Recycles Grey Water
Have a look at the 3 short videos below. These videos were made by a Water Rhapsody branch in the Cape (South Africa); they briefly explain and demonstrate how some of our rainwater harvesting- and grey water recycling systems work. If you live in Mpumalanga or Limpopo, contact us for all your water conservation requirements.
The Use of Wind Turbines vs Solar Power in South Africa
Many of us associate a wind turbine with sustainable farming as we regularly see them spinning ferociously on grassy hill tops in rural areas. The truth is that wind turbines have now been specially adapted for residential use and they can be used in addition to other energy efficient products to reduce one’s carbon footprint. […]
Eco-friendly Landscaping
Ways to ‘green’ your lawn and reduce its consumption of fresh water The above video is sure to make you re-think your ideas about lawn. The dependence and amount of water that domestic grass lawns use is usually only noticed when there are droughts and/or water restrictions in place. There are certain grass species and […]
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 […]
Competing for Limpopo Water
Climate change will bring higher temperatures to Southern Africa while changing rainfall patterns will affect the amount of water available for food production. “Irrigation is often listed as an adaptation strategy for farmers, but no one has really looked at the impact of climate change on irrigation,” said Claudia Ringler, a Senior Research Fellow at […]
Water at the core of climate change impacts
Desertification, flash floods, melting glaciers, heatwaves, cyclones or water-borne diseases such as cholera are among the impacts of global warming inextricably tied to water. And competition for supplies might cause conflicts. “The main manifestations of rising temperatures…are about water,” said Zafar Adeel, chair of UN-Water which coordinates work on water among 26 U.N. agencies. “It […]
