Community-based water quality-monitoring programme in Makhanda, which involved Grade 9 learners. The Grade 9 learners monitored the water from their households the Hydrogen Sulphide Test kit. This engagement programme with the community of Makhanda about the concepts of water quality and health facilitated the development of the necessary connection between academia and the society. The citizen Science program succeeded in generating GIS water quality maps for Makhanda using water quality results generated by Grade 9 learners.
What skills and resources were you able to draw from the community for this project?
Since this is a community-based water quality-monitoring programme in Makhanda, which involved Grade 9 learners from 3 Local high schools, the learners were the ones who helped us in the community.
The challenges
I aimed to address the lack of water quality monitoring in Makhanda by citizens; community access to water quality results; knowledge and understanding of water quality results by the community as well as community ability to do something about the water quality. Makhanda repeatedly experiences instances where the water coming out of the taps is of poor quality. The consumption of water with poor quality can lead to the outbreak of waterborne diseases. Therefore, it is important that the community of Makhanda monitors the water frequently to avoid waterborne disease outbreaks.
Addressing the challenges
This engagement programme with the community of Makhanda about the concepts of water quality and health facilitated the development of the necessary connection between academia and the society. The citizen Science program succeeded in generating GIS water quality maps for Makhanda using water quality results generated by Grade 9 learners.
The achievements
We ran a successful water-quality monitoring program in Makhanda
Token Project / Move One Million
Johannesburg, South Africa