Water Week: City showcases public’s innovative ideas to tackle sanitation issues

23 March 2023

More than 30 exhibitors from the public have the opportunity to display their innovative sanitation proposals at the Western Cape Water Indaba and City of Cape Town Innovation showcase yesterday, Wednesday 22 March and today, Thursday, 23 March. This two-day event is being held in recognition of Water Week and hosted by the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government. 

The City of Cape Town Innovation's showcase component of this event highlights some of the ideas submitted by the public to address sanitation issues to help improve inland water quality of rivers, vleis, waterways, and wetlands.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis launched the showcase. It features a wide range of proposals from non-sewered sanitation solutions to technology, bioremediation and catchment solutions.

The public was called to submit feasible ideas to help address these key challenges affecting our inland ambient water quality:

• Theft and vandalism
• Illegal occupation of servitudes and stormwater infrastructure, particularly retention ponds
• Diffuse pollution from informal settlements
  
   
  
  More than 100 submissions were received.
  
   
  
  As part of the first phase of this initiative, a panel comprising City and Western Cape Government officials, started assessing the 30 exhibitions on site during the two-day event. Over the coming days, the remaining proposals will be assessed.
  
   
  

The assessment process will take into consideration factors such as the practicality, feasibility and costs of the proposals. Going forward, these solutions may inform the City's approach towards developing future specifications, or peak interest for consideration into future piloting plans or consideration for potential collaborations through our Supply Chain Management process that could be beneficial towards the City achieving its goal to improve inland water quality.

'The City's Water and Sanitation Directorate thanks more than 100 participants for submitting their ideas to be a part of this conversation to help improve our inland water quality. Inland water quality is everyone's business so it's important for us to share ideas and work together.

'Overall, the Water and Sanitation Innovation Indaba aligns with the City's Water Strategy and is helping Cape Town to become Africa's prime investment location. The City has committed to investing over R11 billion into the water and sanitation systems, positioning Cape Town as South Africa's largest infrastructure investment centre,' said Councillor Siseko Mbandezi, the City's Acting Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

During the indaba, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell, also discussed the initiatives by the Western Cape Government to address water resilience.

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office