hygiene

DWEA Report Highlights Drinking Water
The Department Water and Environmental Affairs (DWEA) has released its first annual report on the quality of drinking water. The report shows that only 22 of the country’s 284 municipalities achieved more than 95% compliance with the management of quality standards.

The department’s chief director for water services, Helgard Muller, says that despite acknowledging that general performance by municipalities in the management of drinking water quality is still “unsatisfactory”, no punitive steps would be taken at this stage against those municipalities that put consumers at risk through negligence.

“We have the legal tools to follow the prosecution route to enforce accountability, but our approach for now is to work with municipalities to improve their capabilities,” says Muller.

To read the article titled, “Water still safe to drink from tap,” click here.

Source:

<br /> Business Day

Article link:

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A998572
Environmentalists Slam CSIR Over Turton’s Suspension
- hygiene
- pollution
Local and international environmental activists have handed over a petition calling on the government to investigate the suspension of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) water expert, Anthony Turton.

The petition argues that Turton’s suspension is an assault on academic freedom. In a document containing 1 463 signatures from civil society, scientists and political parties addressed to president Kgalema Motlanthe, activists are also demanding that the CSIR drop all punitive action against Turton.

The decision to suspend Turton on November 21, just four days after his scheduled keynote address, Science Real and Relevant, on SA’s water situation, was withdrawn from a CSIR conference because of concerns that some pictures used would offend delegates, has prompted heated debate among the scientific community.

To read the article titled, “Environmentalists demand probe into silencing of Turton,” click here.

Source:

<br /> Business Day

Article link:

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A901480