Finish and World Wide Fund for Nature SA (WWF) release 28 million litres of water

South Africa, the world's 30th driest country, is expected to fall 17 percent short of the amount of water required to sustain itself and us by 2030.

Finish first partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature SA (WWF) in March 2020 to circumvent this by improving South Africans' access to clean quality water.

According to WWF, the invasive alien Wattle plant costs us the equivalent of $1.2 billion in lost water each year. As a result of this collaboration, 12.8 hectares of alien trees were cleared, releasing 28 million litres of water.

Furthermore, three springs were protected, and an increased number of communities received improved water access.

Furthermore, there is a focus on community development. This is accomplished by reducing the negative consequences of high unemployment rates by creating jobs and supporting community livelihoods.

“This might not seem like much but when you consider the accumulative efforts of all our partners, we are able to release billions of litres of water into the ecosystem and see 1.2 mil people benefiting from improved water security. And in a country where water is fast depleting, we can no longer rely on only man-made structures such as dams or artificial waterways,” says Samir Randera-Rees, WWF’s Water Source Area’s Programme Manager.

Natural water sources, such as critical wetlands in the Northern Drakensberg and various national rivers, are being polluted and depleted at an alarming rate.

As a result, Finish has contributed to WWF's Strategic Water Source Programmes, which protect South Africa's critical water catchment areas.

This includes clearing hectares of water-intensive invasive plant species and returning millions of litres of water to ecosystems.

Additional work focuses on commissioning mapping and impact studies in catchment areas, as well as initiating erosion control measures to allow topsoil to recover.

Members of affected communities are employed as eco-champs in addition to having access to affordable quality water.

They are community water custodians, ordinary citizens whose job it is to preserve and protect their local environment.

Their job entails monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on the effectiveness of development on the ground.

Masibonge Mkhize, Reckitt South Africa’s Partnerships and Purpose Manager adds, “The work we do with WWF is important due to water being our most precious natural resource and is fundamental to various industries that contribute to our country’s socio-economic development and growth.”

When it comes to the role of water infrastructure in the country's economy, the National Freshwater Priority Areas (NFEPA) study found that 50% of the population, 64% of the national economy, and 70% of irrigated agriculture rely on water from water source areas.

Yawer Rasool, Reckitt Africa’s Marketing Director says the work Finish does in water conservation is fundamentally about limiting water wastage.

Rasool said: “This is our contribution to making South Africa’s national priorities a reality and aligning to related UN Sustainability Development Goal 6 by enabling access to water and sanitation for all.”

“To supplement the work we are doing, it is critical that we also evaluate how we all use water and consciously use it as sparingly as possible.”