Vision
“Healthy Rivers for All”
Mission Statement
“To sustainably maintain, improve and protect river health for a healthy Nation”
The constitutional framework states that every person has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being, the right to have an environment that is protected, for the benefit of present and future generations.
History of the Adopt-a-River Programme
The Department of Water Affairs initiated a water resource programme named the "Adopt-a-River" as a means of creating awareness among communities and relevant stakeholders of the need to care for our scarce water resources and to actively participate in the protection and management of our water resources, with emphasis on our natural river’s watercourses. The programme is primarily based on community participation, training, partnerships, and focused action plans. The program primarily seeks to promote the commitment, from various natural rivers stakeholders, to protect the health of the related river watercourse in a sustainable manner. (DWA: 2009).
The aims of the AaR/ Citizen Science Programme:
- Encourage the public, communities, and private sector, to take part in protecting and taking ownership of water resources in their vicinity
- To empower the public on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
- To contribute to improving water quality and the state of river health
- To contribute to skills development and drive the water saving message.
| Activities |
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| No | Component | Tools/ Mode of Delivery | Purpose |
|---|
| 1 | Safety, Health, and Environment | Training on Health and Safety in the water environment | To empower volunteers with basic health and safety knowledge, as well as understanding the water environment |
| 2 | Solid waste removal | General guidance on waste management (sorting and recycling) | Maintain water resources that are free of solid waste |
| 3 | Water resource monitoring (citizen science) | Citizen science tools (Water Research Commission (WRC) Project K5/2350) | To assist communities with understanding the condition of their rivers health and encourage ownership to improve their water resources |
| 4 | Removal of Alien invasive species | A comprehensive manual for river rehabilitation in South Africa including identification, removal, and control of alien invasive plants (WRC Project KSA2: K5/2270) | This will increase water availability, conserve biodiversity, and empower communities to take care of their water resources. |
| 5 | Awareness and advocacy | Pamphlets, Posters, Door to door campaigns, attendance, and representation at forums, engaging perpetrators, other communication tools | To create awareness on water resource management, encourage advocacy and recourse and reduce negative impact on the environment. |
International Obligations
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1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
SDGs were endorsed by all Heads of States (UN) and South Africa became a signatory (2015). The DWS is responsible for SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation) on behalf of the country. Citizen Science monitoring programme contributes to two of the 17; SDG 6 target namely:
SDG 6.b.1: Participation of local community in water and sanitation management
- advocates for platforms to engage and ensure the participation of local communities in the water resource management and an indicator has been developed to measure the performance of community involvement.
SDG 6.3.2: Ambient Water Quality
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- SDG 6 Target 6B1 SDG Target 6.3.2 Data generated through Citizen Science initiatives or monitoring can also be used to support that provides information on ambient water quality as part of level 2 reporting.
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2. UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP-IX)
Priority Area 1: Scientific research & innovation
Output 1.10
- Conducting and sharing of research on integrating citizen science in the hydrological discipline by the scientific community and other stakeholders supported, to improve understanding of the water cycle enabling science-based decision making.
Proposed activities
- 1. Citizen science pilot studies in different regions for water resources monitoring and crowdsourced assessments by local stakeholders, including validation of data quality to ensure adequate accuracy.
- 2. Country and community level projects integrating indigenous knowledge in water and land management, through citizen and open science methodologies to build water resilience.
- 3. Collaboration with AMCOW and/or NEPAD Water CoE to pilot crowdsourced/citizen science-based project monitoring water quality towards improved water management, involving, among other collaborators, the Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY) Working Group on water towards improved water management).
- 4. Continued Research and Development and capacity building work, including development of a citizen science toolbox, its promotion through training programmes and in cooperation with non-governmental organizations as catalysts.
Contacts
Programme Manager: Mr Elijah Mogakabe
Adopt-a-River/ Citizen Science Scientist: Noloyiso Xoliswa Mbiza
Implementation - useful links :
Phase II - Miscellaneous documents :
Phase II - Inception report :
Phase II - Development of an Implementation Plan :
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