water contamination

City Shuts Goreangab Dam Park Over Sewage Leak

The City of Windhoek has closed the Goreangab Dam Recreational Park until further notice due to water contamination caused by a sewage pipeline failure. Municipal spokesperson Lydia Amutenya said urgent repair works are underway. Residents are warned not to consume any dead fish found at the dam during this period.

28 July, 2025

Business / Economics

AR party calls on government to declare a public health emergency in Tsumeb

The Affirmative Repositioning party has called on the government to declare a public health emergency in Tsumeb following a recent study by the University of Bern, Switzerland, which revealed alarming levels of arsenic contamination in the town’s soil, plants, and residents. John Johannes, an AR activist for the Oshikoto Region, urged the government to prioritise the medical needs of affected residents in a statement on Monday. Activist Rob Parker […]

29 January, 2025

World

Concern over byproduct of disinfectants found in U.S. drinking water

Researchers have identified a new chemical in U.S. drinking water, which is thought to be a by-product of the disinfectants used for decades to clean water of bacteria and water-borne illnesses. Scientists have recommended more research into the previously unknown compound to work out if it poses a threat to public health. Caroline Malone reports.

25 November, 2024

Africa

Aluminium foil that can clean water: we’ve developed a coating which attracts and traps dangerous microbes

John Fredricks/NurPhoto By Taufiq Ihsan, Universitas Andalas More than 2 billion people around the world do not have access to safe, uncontaminated drinking water. Around 418 million of them live in African countries. The problem is most acute in rural communities, where people’s primary water sources are rivers, lakes and hand-dug wells, which are often contaminated with harmful pathogens. This contamination is caused by inadequate sanitation facilities, open […]

2 September, 2024

Africa

Nigeria’s cholera outbreaks: why they happen and are so hard to control

By Stella Ifeanyi Smith, Mountain Top University On 9 June 2024 the Lagos State government declared a cholera outbreak. Three days later, it announced that 324 suspected cases had been reported in the state, including 15 people who died and 40 who were discharged after treatment. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that as of 11 June, 1,141 suspected cholera […]

27 June, 2024

Africa

In climate-related flooding, a Ugandan river turns poisonous

By Ashoka Mukpo Uganda’s Nyamwamba river, in the Rwenzori Mountains, has begun to flood catastrophically in recent years, partly due to climate change. Along the river are copper tailings pools from an old Canadian mining operation, which are becoming increasingly eroded by the flooding. According to a series of studies, these tailings have been washing into the water supply and soil of the Nyamwamba River Basin, contaminating human tissue, food […]

11 March, 2024