00:00This water looks clean enough, but at least once a year, Ferial Adam takes samples to
00:14check for bacteria infestation in Johannesburg's Emmerinche Dam. E. coli is particularly common
00:21and extremely dangerous.
00:22If it turns black, like that, it's positive for bacteria. So it's a whole range of bacteria.
00:34It's the E. coli, it's the coliform which is from dead plants, animals.
00:41The additional Petri film test takes 36 hours and confirms the presence of E. coli bacteria,
00:48which probably got there from an overflowing sewer.
00:52Water pollution is an increasing problem in South Africa, with sewage often flowing from
00:56homes and factories into lakes and rivers with little or no filtration due to dysfunctional
01:02infrastructure, and the problem is exacerbated by heavy rainfall and other extreme weather
01:07events.
01:09The data that the authorities do regularly publish on water quality is too general, which
01:14is what prompted Ferial Adam to set up WaterCan three years ago, an organisation that enables
01:19residents to do their own tests.
01:21The difference with our kit is it gives you localised information. So this point, this
01:27stream, this community's tap water, and that's what's the difference. Because when you look
01:31at the results that's been submitted to national from local government, it doesn't specify
01:36where, it gives you an overall result.
01:39Environmental water quality is a vital issue for people like Klebilo Masika living in the
01:43Vaal region. It's home to a range of mines extracting heavy metals, which other WaterCan
01:49tests can detect too.
01:51The problem that I saw is that we have, Asenamita is the biggest giant polluting industry. There
01:58is a drainage dome that is running through to the streams. So we have to test that water
02:03because we are no longer getting fishes there.
02:06The tests are provided by WaterCan at low cost and free of charge for schools or people
02:12on modest incomes. Cleaner water for all means, the more citizen science activists, the better.
02:19Let's be informed as ordinary people. Let's create that noise about the pollution. Because
02:25when you create that noise, you start forcing change and people start realising that they
02:30have to be part of the solution.
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