The Water Research Commission (WRC) has entered into an agreement with eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and the City of Cape Town to pilot nature – based sanitation technologies.
The technologies, which use blackwater and greywater to build resilience against climate change effects, were designed specifically for informal settlements and other sites outside sewer reticulation coverage.
“People in informal settlements are highly impacted by extreme climatic events like floods due to displacement. In times of drought, the lack of water availability, results in waterborne systems being less effective as a sanitation system ” explains WRC Executive Manager: Innovations, Dr Valerie Naidoo.
The demo is already yielding remarkable results, such as its ability to recycle water, nutrients and energy.
It also has low amounts of sludge, and is designed with flexibility to cope with disasters.
The South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP) is a national platform concerned with the manufacturing and commercialisation of local sanitation technologies.