NEWS
7
WPC partners team up to tackle
2 000 township taps in Diepsloot
The World Plumbing Council (WPC), in association
with The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Foundation (IWSH), supported an ambitious new initiative
from WASSUP Diepsloot — the Water Amenities and
Sanitation Services Upgrading Programme — which
targeted repairs to 2 000 communal taps across the
township in 50 days, through June and July 2020.
‘Tackle a Tap’ is a nine-week programme that brings
together a unique group of plumbing industry partners,
local and international, in the fight against Covid-19. Local
community host WASSUP Diepsloot welcomed volunteer
plumbers from IOPSA and further technical support and
resources from leading South African plumbing merchant
Plumblink. These efforts are being further supported by
fellow WPC Member organisations BPEC (British Plumbers
Employment Council) and the IWSH Foundation.
All photos by Eamonn Ryan
Replacing taps in Diepsloot.
“IOPSA has a passion for plumbing and firmly believes
that everyone should have access to proper water and
sanitation,” says IOPSA executive director Brendan Reynolds.
“WASSUP has proven to be a very honest, reliable and
hardworking organisation. We have similar values and a
‘can do’ attitude. In short it is a good match between two
organisations with a common purpose — decent water and
sanitation for the people of Diepsloot.”
Despite the presence of a water supply in most informal
settlements across Johannesburg, local authorities are often
unable to keep pace with repairing communal taps as they
break quickly due to a high demand on infrastructure and a
shortage of outlets. Lack of access to reliable water supply is
an issue, even more so in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic
and the requirement for regular handwashing and cleaning
to prevent infections and virus spread.
There are 642 communal taps in Extension 1 alone, which is
the largest of the 13 Extensions (neighbourhoods) that make
up the township of Diepsloot. In some areas, 39 households
share one tap between them. Starting at WASSUP
headquarters — which is also based in Extension 1 — a
team branched out to conduct audits of tap conditions and
prepare lists of materials that will be required to repair them.
The team will then prepare material and equipment packs
and transport them via hand-pulled cart or truck.
This far-reaching programme has a further educational
aspect, as a group of five young and aspiring plumbers
joined with WASSUP to mark South
African Youth Day. “We have identified
five young people, who are from our
community and appreciate what we are
doing, for the upcoming programme
of repairing taps,” says WASSUP
member Princess Zondi. “I myself was
introduced to WASSUP by a youth
programme, Project Vuthela; I went
to a plumbing school in Pretoria, and
then I was bought to WASSUP to do my
practical work. After some months, I
became employed with them!”
“The WPC is honoured to be part of
such a worthwhile and ambitious effort
to make sure as many households as
possible have access to clean, safe
water, and it’s even better that we’re
involving young community members
in the programme,” says WPC Chair/
UA Director of Plumbing Services
Tom Bigley.
The WPC is an international
organisation that promotes the vital
role the plumbing industry has to play
by enhancing health, environmental sustainability and
economic prosperity through good quality plumbing
practices, worldwide. PA
The sanitary condition of Diepsloot
has inspired the plumbing
community to rally around to assist.
September 2020 Volume 26 I Number 07
www.plumbingafrica.co.za