An assessment of the social impacts of water pollution on children in informal settlement : the case of Kliptown informal settlement, Soweto, Johannesburg

Abstract

The study investigated the causes of water pollution in Kliptown, an informal settlement 17km south of Johannesburg. The study further examined the impact of water pollution, sanitation and inadequate and low quality water provision on children’s social life, health and well-being in informal settlements. The subject of water pollution due to inadequate water supply and sanitation is one that brings a lot of debate, due to the overwhelming impacts it has on children’s social life as well as their health. In informal settlements, social impacts arising from inadequate water supply and sanitation such as the prevalence of water-related diseases like diarrhoea, skin rashes and eye infections have become a permanent feature. This study aimed at assessing the social impacts of water pollution in Kliptown’s Tamatievlei, Mandela View and Valentine Village informal settlements. It also looked at the factors that contribute to the social impacts of water pollution and propose recommendations on how to minimise the social impacts of water pollution on children in Kliptown’s informal settlements. The study applied a mixed method approach, utilising exploratory and descriptive questions to extrapolate both qualitative and quantitative data, which was also presented in quality and quantity form. Outcomes of the investigation indicated that diarrhoea is a major waterborne disease that affects children, mostly under-five years of age, in the informal settlements and that children sometimes missed school due to their being treated for diarrhoea and other water-related illnesses. It was also found that children lived in unhygienic conditions with smelling bucket system toilets and rotting garbage. The study established that children congregated for water at water points for long periods and in the process, they were deprived of time to take part in other social activities. The study recommends mitigating inadequate, low quality water supply, water pollution and sanitation in an integrated manner to gradually eliminate the negative social impacts on children’s social life, health and well-being in Kliptown informal settlement.