Sustainable
Development
Catalyst projects for sustainable socio-economic development
Environmental Impact Assessments
Mhlathuze Water has been implementing Working For Water Programme for the Department of Water and Sanitation since 2003. This is an Extended Public Works Programme aimed at alleviating poverty through job creation for rural communities while assisting them in terms of skills development.
Waste Management
MW plans to develop a formal biodiversity management strategy which will provide a framework for assessing the biodiversity status at the organisation's operational areas.
This will highlight areas of high conservation status and will minimise negative impacts of new infrastructure projects on Biodiversity. Biodiversity is currently managed through the following:
- Biodiversity Impact Assessment as a component of the EIAs for new infrastructure projects,
- Alien/ aquatic vegetation control (WfW),
- Monitoring of river systems, and
- Management and rescue for listed tree removals during construction of new infrastructure.
Environmental Sustainability Policy
Mhlathuze Water is committed to the sustainable use of resources thus contributing broadly speaking towards the Millennium Development Goal of “ensuring environmental sustainability”. MW has developed an environmental sustainability policy which is aimed at achieving the following:
- Foster a culture of sustainability and reducing MW’s ecological footprint;
- Incorporate principles and understanding of sustainability into all activities, operations and stakeholder engagement; and
- Incorporate sustainability performance alongside other key performance indicators of the organisation.
It further supports the implementation of our sustainability priorities i.e. water, energy, waste and biodiversity conservation.
Click Here to view Enviromental Policy Statement.
Biodiversity Management
MW plans to develop a formal biodiversity management strategy which will provide a framework for assessing the biodiversity status at the organisation's operational areas.
This will highlight areas of high conservation status and will minimise negative impacts of new infrastructure projects on Biodiversity. Biodiversity is currently managed through the following:
- Biodiversity Impact Assessment as a component of the EIAs for new infrastructure projects,
- Alien/ aquatic vegetation control (WfW),
- Monitoring of river systems, and
- Management and rescue for listed tree removals during construction of new infrastructure.
Carbon Footprint Management
Mhlathuze Water has identified a need to improve its environmental and social impact by addressing its carbon footprint. The organisation has assessed and identified its carbon emissions and is currently in a process of implementing carbon footprint reduction initiatives in response to climate change.
Invasive Alien Plants (IAP)
Mhlathuze Water is currently involved in the Invasive Alien Plants (IAP) control programme as an implementing agent for the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) - Working for Water Programme (WfW).
The fight against IAP is spearheaded by WfW programme, launched in 1995 and administered previously through the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and now the Department of Environmental Affairs.
The removal of these IAP is important as they pose a direct threat to amongst others, water security and can divert enormous amounts of water from more productive uses and affect water supply. This programme works in partnership with local communities, to whom it provides jobs.
Transformation
Women and water have always been in partnership, managing daily customary tasks of cooking, cleaning, caring for the children and maintaining hygiene. Today, these tasks have grown into women playing leading roles in all sectors of the community and business.
At Mhlathuze Water, our women have worked themselves to claim their space in leadership roles from Board level cascading across the organisation, representing themselves in a manner of pride, dignity and excelling in making Mhlathuze Water your preferred water services provider.
They participate in all the functions, from wife and mother to daughter and sister; from engineer and planner to chemist and laboratory technician; from pump attendant and mechanic to accountant and buyer and all the occupations and professions in between.
United Nation’s Sustainable
Development Goals
mentioned SDGs:
Sustainable Development Goal 6.A
Expand cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies.
Sustainable Development Goal 6.B
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.
Sustainable Development Goal 6.1
Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
Sustainable Development Goal 6.2
Achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women, girls and those in vulnerable situations.
Sustainable Development Goal 6.3
Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising the release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.
Sustainable Development Goal 6.4
Substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.