Water, Sewage & Effluent November December 2018 | Page 42

Trainers Andrew Damarrah (seated) and Victor Mzangwa conducting training for school cleaners in the Northern Cape as part of the
Domestos “Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Future” programme on school sanitation management.
toilets or improperly cleaned or
managed toilets do not fulfil that
need. Development of operations and
maintenance measures of sanitation
systems is an important aspect. The
WRC is doing a lot of work in this
regard,” she says.
Projects improving lives
A project she was involved in with
the WRC was one led by Louton,
which gathered and analysed
data on the state of rural on-site
school sanitation. “The project
team assessed schools in three
different provinces, with the goal of
determining the general state of rural
on-site school sanitation and coming
up with solutions to the most pressing
problems. One of those solutions was
a school sanitation management
programme, which we got to pilot in
eight schools in the Pietermaritzburg
area, working with school cleaners,
principals, and other school staff
to develop strategies. I had the
opportunity to manage that project
and assess the outcomes, which
40
helped us determine a series of
aspects that hinder or help effective
management of school sanitation,”
Neethling says.
Her current project endeavour
is monitoring domestic pour flush
toilets, particularly those in the
country that have been around the
longest and determining their long-
term viability. A pour flush toilet is
like a regular cistern flush toilet,
except that the water is poured in
by the user, instead of coming from
the cistern above. Developed for
the South African context by PID on
behalf of the WRC, the technology
has moved from just two test sites
in September 2010 to 16 000 units
installed today. “We are currently
working on a monitoring exercise
to determine user acceptance and
the life cycle costs of pour flush
toilets. If the outcomes are positive,
pour flush toilets could be promoted
as a quality, tested alternative to
traditional approaches to sanitation,
namely full waterborne sanitation
and VIP toilets,” she adds.
Water Sewage & Effluent November/December 2018
Jeanette Neethling, environmental
engineer at Partners in Development.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that proper sanitation
is important, as this improves the quality
of life. From looking at Neethling’s work,
delivery is there, but looking at the
longevity of the systems, it is an aspect
that still requires serious contemplation.
It cannot be denied that significant
progress has been made; however, there
is still a long way to go. It is comforting
to learn that the South African research
community has taken an active role in
improving the lives of citizens. u
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