Bucket Loads of Health

A drought in Cape Town has led to restrictions on water usage and residents are experimenting with different water-saving methods, including harvesting rainwater and recycling grey water for household use. 

We will respond to the multiple health risks that are associated with these approaches to reusing water using a series of audio-visual workshops where participants can explore their experiences of water shortage and water saving. The workshop will enable co-learning between water scientists, government representatives and community members, allowing the exchange of knowledge about how water-saving efforts can compromise health and encouraging people to think of ways to make these measures safer. 

This work will emphasise the importance of public engagement in making scientific research more accessible and relevant to communities and policy makers. It will also enable policy makers to draft guidelines underlining the health-related aspects of water saving and reuse of water in different contexts.