MENVM / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Science / See the attached abstract below

MPH / Department of Public Health / See the attached abstract below

MESHWR / Department of Hydrology and Water Resources / Water scarcity has become a constraint for sustainable development in the higher education institutions in South Africa including University of Venda. Water infrastructure is one of the major challenges within higher education institutions, the existing water supply infrastructure is over 20 years old and was not planned for the current population. This study aimed at developing a water management plan for higher education institutions in South Africa using the University of Venda as a case study. A water resource management plan provides a road map for reducing water consumption while encouraging sustainable water utilisation. Evaluation was done within the institution to identify water sources, water resources infrastructure and water utilisation. The study employed questionnaire survey to collect data on water consumption, to evaluate issues of the institutional participation in resolving the water problems within the institution and deduce water wastage. Water supply data was obtained from meter readings and water invoices obtained from Vhembe District Municipality and University of Venda. The latter were used to determine water consumption within the institution. Based on the sample size, the results indicated the estimated amount of water consumed daily by UNIVEN population is 66 341.9 l/d excluding water utilised at the cafeteria, car wash and auditorium. The average water supplied to UNIVEN in 2017 was 67 642. 25 mega litres/month, this indicates that more water is supplied to the institution since the estimated institutional water demand excluding illegal students in the residence halls ranged between 415 740 l/d and 597 620 l/d of water while the estimated institutional water demand including illegal students varied between 282 2610 l/d and 406 6580 l/d. The latter further indicates that there is water wastage within the institution because the water supplied monthly to the institution was in mega litres as indicated in the invoices, but the results indicated that the amount of water utilised daily within the institution was in litres, this clearly shows that the respondents under estimated the amount of water they utilise. The average amount of water used by students residing on campus was 271 l/p/d to 735.5 l/p/d while day scholars and university staff use 55 l/p/d to 142.5 l/p/d. The average amount of water used for cleaning ranged between 1 318.5 l/d to 3 909 l/d while gardening usage ranged between 4600 l/d and 8 600 l/d. The School of Agriculture experimental farm uses 9 270.4 l/d and the university laundry was found to utilise 5 186 l/d. The university laboratories were found to utilise 125 l/d to 215 l/d per practical session with 3 to 4 practical sessions conducted per week. The study found that the total water used by construction workers for domestic purposes iv is 800 l/d. The utilisation trends showed that during the dry seasons, the university population generally used about twice as much water as compared to wet season because municipal water was supplemented by rain water for watering plants and washing the pavement. The survey results indicated that students residing in the university residences waste more water by allowing the tap to run while brushing teeth, washing dishes, excessive use of water to rinse clothes while doing laundry, opening showers and leaving the water running while waiting for a desired water temperature. Activities such as watering flowers and lawn in an unmonitored manner and pavement washing in which the hose pipe runs for several hours during watering and pavement washing result in water wastage. The university does not have an environmental or water education projects that encourage students and staff to use water efficiently. Water conservation measures are lacking in the institution because there are no policies and procedures that outline how water should be utilised. The developed water management plan for University of Venda outline the current water consumption, targets for reduction, drivers for reducing water consumption and water reduction strategies. This study recommends that the University targets to reduce potable water usage by 12% in the next 5 years. The latter has been highlighted in the proposed water management plan. The proposed plan further presents a suite of strategies to reduce water usage, improve institution water resources data and to plan for the future. Water utilisation within the institution has not been efficient due to water not being utilised in a sustainable manner. Sub-metering of each building, water awareness campaign, introduction of water utilisation policies, routine inspection and maintenance of infrastructure and appointing an environmental coordinator or working with water experts in the School of Environmental Sciences will help reduce water consumption within the institution. / NRF

MENVSC / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences / Many rural communities of South Africa are living without adequate water supplies mainly due to historical lack of infrastructure and effective water reticulation systems. Day to day challenges of accessing water from distant boreholes and rivers are a reality particularly for women and children in rural Limpopo. This study investigates the nature and extent of water supply problems and how communities are living without adequate water in three rural communities of Greater-Giyani Local Municipality in South Africa. The study area lies in a semi-arid region which regularly experiences climate extremes such as droughts and floods which can reduce the ability of the municipality to supply water. Primary data was collected through questionnaires, key informant interviews and field observations while population, climate and hydrological data are also analyzed. A mixed methods research design was employed using qualitative methods such as content analysis whilst quantitative methods were dominated by time series analysis techniques and online interactive climate platforms such as the Climate Engine. It was found that households, schools and clinics in the study area rely mainly on boreholes for water supply but sometimes rivers supply those living nearby. An incomplete and poor water reticulation system coupled with erratic and shortening summer rainfall seasons are some of the major causes of water shortages in the study area. In order to cope with inadequate water, community members and public institutions in the study area have drilled boreholes and the sustainability of groundwater in the area is not well established. During summer, most households and institutions practise rainwater harvesting while a few resort to purchasing water from vendors. Despite these challenges which are not well documented, it was concluded that most of the rural poor households and institutions in the study area are well adapted to cope with water scarcity in the short term, while being vulnerable in the long term due to population growth and climate change. The study recommends the need for government and municipalities to invest in water reticulation systems in the long term whilst providing water to affected rural communities through water tankers, drilling more boreholes and maintenance of existing ones. Lessons learnt from this study may be useful to other municipalities across South Africa that are grappling with challenges of water access and supply. / NRF