DWS hosts workshop in N Cape to improve sanitation

The Department of Water and Sanitation will on Thursday host a faecal sludge management workshop with all Northern Cape water and sanitation stakeholders.

The workshop will be held in the Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality in Upington.

The department in a statement said it had made strides in developing the National Faecal Sludge Management Strategy (NFSMS) for non-sewer sanitation systems, the National Sanitation Integrated Plan (NSIP) and the National Sanitation Framework (NSF).

“The consultative workshop will be a platform to share and solicit inputs from all stakeholders in the Northern Cape to further advance the framework.

“As a result of disparities and inequity in access to sanitation services, the unintended consequences of sewer spillages and other sanitation challenges, the NFSMS, NSF and NSIP will be geared to implement radical changes in the water and sanitation sector,” it said.

The department said some of the issues under scrutiny are sanitation norms and standards that needed to be revised and tailored to address faecal sludge removal, dignity, especially of women, the elderly and the girl child.

“Another thorn in the flesh has been the eradication of bucket toilets that have morphed into a moving target due to the mushrooming of informal settlements. Better forms of sanitation in terms of norms and standards will have to be implemented and enforced to ensure the total eradication of bucket toilets.”

The department said there is a need to strengthen support to Water Service Authorities such as municipalities, which can be done through water and sanitation sector collaboration and partnerships.

“Participation by communities will also be strengthened by further enhancing water and sanitation forums.”