Despite the recent flooding in the north of the country, South Africa is a water-scarce country. Not only do we generally have low rainfall figures, a significant amount of water is lost to alien vegetation. The Working for Water programme was started by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in 1996 - both as a poverty-relief programme and as a means of clearing the alien vegetation that threatens our water supply.
The widespread practice of burning old tyres to retrieve and sell the wire inside them is not only a serious health hazard for neighbourhood residents, but poses a risk to air safety as well. Jo Stein reports.
The air at home is dangerous to the health of more than half South Africa'€™s population. This is because some 50 percent of households still use "dirty" fuels such as paraffin, coal and wood for heating and cooking Jo Stein reports.
It all started with waging a war against intestinal worms in Khayelitsha'€™s school children. Now that the war has been won to a large degree at some schools, the local community is taking it another step forward by trying to address the severe pollution that contributes to the spread of worms and other diseases.
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