THE HEALTH OF RIVER CATCHMENTS DR DES PYLE KINGSWOOD COLLEGE GRAHAMSTOWN SOUTH AFRICA d.pylekingswoo

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THE HEALTH OF RIVER CATCHMENTSDR DES
PYLEKINGSWOOD COLLEGEGRAHAMSTOWNSOUTH
AFRICAd.pyle_at_kingswoodcollege.comwww.kingswoodc
ollege.com GA ANNUAL CONFERENCE UNIVERSITY OF
SURREY GUILDFORD 27-29 MARCH 2008
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Grahamstown South Africa
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Background to the study

• South Africa is a dry, drought-prone country
• Many of South Africas rivers and streams are
  highly degraded and polluted
• 80 of all disease in Africa is said to be
  water-borne (esp. diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera)
• 1 in 2 people in South Africa do not have access
  to adequate sanitation
• 1 in 4 people in South Africa do not have a
  reliable supply of potable water
• Many small towns have poor quality potable water
  as a result of the decline in municipal services
• All forms of development are severely restricted
  by water availability
• Our esteemed Minister of Environmental Affairs
  recently publicly stated that South Africa does
  not have a water problem!

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Title and aim of the river study

• The impacts of land use on water quality in the
  Kowie River Catchment
• The aim of the study was to examine how different
  urban and rural land uses affect the health of
  the Kowie River catchment in the Grahamstown
  area, by conducting tests, measurements and
  observations along the catchment at 5 key sites.

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Sites chosen for the study

• at a natural spring on the Port Alfred Road
  (natural grassland)
• on open parkland above Graeme College (middle
  income residential)
• in the centre of town near the old potteries
  (transition zone)
• along the Belmont Valley before the sewage works
  (rural-urban fringe)
• along the Belmont Valley shortly after the sewage
  works (agricultural area)

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Tests, measurements and observations

• Description of the test site (nature of the river
  bed, depth of water, width of river, speed of
  flow)
• Other observations (litter, sewage and faeces,
  waste water from household washing, factory
  waste, dead animals, soil erosion, etc.)
• Settlements nearby (urban/rural, formal/informal,
  etc.)
• Land uses nearby (residential, agricultural,
  industrial, etc.)
• Distance of human activities from the banks
• Condition and type of riverbank vegetation
  (indigenous/alien vegetation, etc.)
• Proximity of landfill/rubbish dumps/sewage
  disposal works
• Water colour and smell
• Water pH (using test strips)
• Water turbidity (clarity) (using a sighting disk)
• Presence of bacteria (using a Petrie dish)
• Water insect and animal life (using a
  checklist/scorecard)

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Water quality test kits

• Developed by Professor Rob ODonogue of Rhodes
  University
• Tests the following
• Chemical balance (pH)
• BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)
• E-coli (human faeces)
• Turbidity/clarity
• Chemical enrichment (nitrates) (presence of
  fertilizers)
• Insect/animal life (score sheet)

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Pupil requirements and expectations

• Grade 12 (final senior year) individual research
  project
• Preparation/initial research
• Locating appropriate maps of the area
• Finding information on the catchment area
• Developing a recording/observation sheet
• Field research (groups)
• Individual report writing (Geographical inquiry
  method, hypothesis formulation to conclusions and
  recommendations)

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Acknowledgements

• Professor Rob ODonogue (Rhodes University,
  r.odonogue_at_ru.ac.za)
• Ms Di Tipler (Kingswood College)
• Mr David Arguile (Kingswood College Headmaster)

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Questions and discussion
Is this water really clean?