Untitled Page
DWA Home Page  
 

NATIONAL WATER WEEK 2006

Background

National Water campaign is seen as an awareness week which serves as a powerful campaign mechanism re-iterating the value of water, the need for sustainable management of this scarce resource and the role water plays in eradicating poverty and under-development in South Africa.

Vision of the campaign

The campaign seeks to continue building on the ongoing awareness creation within the broader South African community. This awareness creation is coupled with the responsibility that every citizen must take in ensuring the integrity of our water resources and its efficient use. Particularly, the linkages between water services, supply, resource management, poverty eradication, social and economic development are emphasised in a number of innovative ways.

The proposed annual campaign has been influenced by local needs and international sectoral trends. The envisaged celebrations intends contributing towards achieving the following:

  • Increased awareness of the processes towards realising the constitutional right of all South Africans to have access to water

  • Building on existing campaigns around sanitation and hygiene (particularly the WASH campaign)

  • Ensuring that the cleanliness and the integrity of our water sources and outlets is maintained

  • Ensuring the long term sustainability of our water resources

  • Highlighting the crucial link between water and health with the objective of eradicating water-borne diseases and, thereby, reducing child mortality

  • Empowering communities, especially women, in managing and improving their living conditions

  • Highlighting the vital interdependence between poverty eradication, socio-economic empowerment and our water resources

  • Developing an aware and responsible South African society across the demographic spectrum

  • Supporting the Women in Water, Sanitation and Forestry Awards 2006

  • Supporting the Baswa Le Meetse Awards 2006 (Youth in Water Awards)

  • Celebrating Water as a source of life

Theme

The theme for the 2006 Celebrations is "Water for growth and development".