The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) calls on all South Africans to roll up their sleeves and participate in Clear Rivers Campaign in their own areas. 

In the month of July the department embarks on the Clear Rivers Campaign- a campaign dedicated to Nelson Mandela.

This campaign calls on everyone to dedicate their 67 minutes of goodwill activities towards cleaning up rivers, streams, wetlands, dams, canals and any freshwater source. Everyone is encouraged to participate in cleaning the water ecosystems, on any day during Mandela Month.

The 2019 theme for Mandela Month is “Action Against Poverty”.

For the DWS, this theme carries a lot of meaning as they strive to ensure that each and every citizen, especially the poor gain access to clean water.

“Water is life and the rivers are the lifeblood that ensures reliable supply of this source of life. Pollution is having a serious negative impact on the water resources, as it affects the quality as well as the quantity of usable water,” said the department in a statement.

“The Clear Rivers campaign is one attempt by DWS to ensure clean rivers and allow for poverty stricken communities near rivers to have clean and usable water. In this way, we are ensuring dignity of the poor amongst us as a nation.”

Pollution also negatively affects the flow of rivers in a way that the waste dumped in the rivers may block the flow of water resulting in lack of supply for the communities downstream.

Various river cleaning activities will be held around the country and DWS will keep the public informed, so that they can participate in these activities.

The objective of the Clear Rivers Campaign is to undertake a collaborative effort and engage communities as well as promoting and creating awareness and education on protecting our water resources.