Implications of land use practices and socio-hydrological vulnerability within a rapidly developing city: a case study of the Umhlatuzana River, Ethekwini, South Africa.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Anthropogenic actions affect land uses and land use change concomitantly influencing water quality in a catchment. In a catchment varying levels of income and access to infrastructure and resources result in a lack of access to reliable and clean water, forcing households to rely on nearby water sources such as rivers, dams or lakes to meet their basic needs. Utilisation of river water is influenced by the perception of water quality. The main aim of this study is to explore how land use practices and human-water interactions influence socio-hydrological vulnerability within the Umhlatuzana catchment in a rapidly developing city. Previous research has not focused on the water quality and vulnerability of households within South African catchments. Land use activities and land use changes were observed between 2003 and 2014 to examine the pressures on water and water quality in the catchment. Furthermore, selected water quality parameters were analysed for an 11-year period between 2004 and 2014 in order to examine temporal and spatial variation to unpack influences on vulnerability in the catchment. Moreover, 350 household surveys were administered in order to describe the community perception of land use, land use change and water quality in the catchment. Finally, field observations of areas surrounding the water sampling sites were completed to inform results, and provide a more nuanced understanding of data trends, community perceptions, and experiences with the river. Analysis of the spatial data indicates changes in the catchment that may contribute to the deteriorating water quality in the river. Furthermore, reports of malfunctioning Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) link the sewage system to increasing E. coli and T. coli levels in the river, which threatens the health and well-being of all river users. The households in the community are diverse with varying levels of vulnerability and access to resources as many households identified government grants as a source of income. Additionally, although most households perceived the river water in the catchment to be poor and deteriorating, of those that utilised the river water, majority did not treat it before use. The study demonstrates that there are households within the catchment that are vulnerable and at risk to the deteriorating river water in the catchment. Further research is required to identify sources of pollution to improve the water of the Umhlatuzana River and reduce risks to the community in the catchment.Author's keywords: Socio-hydrology, water quality, land use, vulnerability, perceptions

Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil in Preschool Facilities around Industrial Operations, Kuils River, Cape Town (South Africa)

The contamination of soil by heavy metals is a potential health risk, especially among susceptible populations. The aim of this study was to measure the levels of heavy metals, identify the contamination levels and possible sources of heavy metals, and evaluate the health risk caused by heavy metals to the children living in Kuils River. Composite samples of soil were collected at 34 preschools. A portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was used to measure the levels of metals. Contamination levels were evaluated using a geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI). The spatial distribution of the Igeo contamination levels was assessed using ArcGIS. Sources of heavy metals and the correlation among metals were assessed using factor analysis and Pearson correlation, respectively. The measured concentrations of metals were used to estimate the health risk for children. The average levels of the metals were 16, 4469, 137, 30, 176, 1547 and 232 mg/kg for arsenic (As), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti) and zinc (Zn), respectively. According to Igeo, EF, CF and PLI contamination exist in the study area. The health index (HI) for non-carcinogenic effects showed the ingestion route as the main contributor to the total risk, with the accumulative carcinogenic risk exceeding the maximum acceptable level. To protect the affected communities, and children in particular, this study provides evidence of the need for action, including the institution of mandatory buffer zones between pollutant-generating activities and human settlements

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04 avril 18581858/04/04 (N14)-1858/04/04

Sewage surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 at student campus residences in the Western Cape, South Africa

The current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnostic capacity is limited in defined communities, posing a challenge in tracking and tracing new infections. Monitoring student residences, which are considered infection hotspots, with targeted wastewater surveillance is crucial. This study evaluated the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 targeted wastewater surveillance for outbreak mitigation at Stellenbosch University's student residences in South Africa. Using torpedo-style passive sampling devices, wastewater samples were collected biweekly from manholes at twelve Stellenbosch University Tygerberg (SUT) campus and Stellenbosch University-Main (SUM) campus student residences. The surveillance led to an early warning detection of SARS-CoV-2 presence on campus, followed by an informed management strategy leading to restriction of student activities on campus and a delay in the onset of the third wave that was experienced throughout the country. Moreover, the study highlighted the extent of possible infections at defined locations even when a low number of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases were reported. The study also tracked the surge of the Delta and Omicron variants in the student residences using the Thermo Fisher TaqMan® RT-qPCR genotyping assay.</p

Using Wastewater Surveillance to Compare COVID-19 Outbreaks during the Easter Holidays over a 2-Year Period in Cape Town, South Africa

Wastewater surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has shown to be an important approach to determine early outbreaks of infections. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is regarded as a complementary tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 trends in communities. In this study, the changes in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater during Easter holidays in 2021 and 2022 in the City of Cape Town were monitored over nine weeks. Our findings showed a statistically significant difference in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA viral load between the study weeks over the Easter period in 2021 and 2022, except for study week 1 and 4. During the Easter week, 52% of the wastewater treatment plants moved from the lower (low viral RNA) category in 2021 to the higher (medium to very high viral RNA) categories in 2022. As a result, the median SARS-CoV-2 viral loads where higher during the Easter week in 2022 than Easter week in 2021 (p = 0.0052). Mixed-effects model showed an association between the SARS-CoV-2 RNA viral loads and Easter week over the Easter period in 2021 only (p < 0.01). The study highlights the potential of WBE to track outbreaks during the holiday period

The development of Couple HOPES: a guided online intervention for PTSD and relationship satisfaction enhancement

Background: Couple HOPES (Helping Overcome PTSD and Enhance Satisfaction) was created to help overcome a range of barriers to accessing psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and commonly associated intimate relationship problems. Objective: Couple HOPES is a guided, online self-help intervention adapted from Cognitive-Behavioural Conjoint Therapy for PTSD that aims to improve PTSD and enhance relationship satisfaction. Method/Results: This paper describes the processes and principles used to develop the Couple HOPES intervention platform as well as the coaching model and manual used to promote engagement and adherence to the intervention. Conclusions: Current research and future directions in testing Couple HOPES are outlined

Spatial and temporal trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater treatment plants over 6 weeks in Cape Town, South Africa

CITATION: Street, R. et al. 2021. Spatial and temporal trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater treatment plants over 6 weeks in Cape Town, South Africa. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22):12085, doi:10.3390/ijerph182212085.The original publication is available at www.mdpi.comRecent scientific trends have revealed that the collection and analysis of data on the occurrence and fate of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater may serve as an early warning system for COVID-19. In South Africa, the first COVID-19 epicenter emerged in the Western Cape Province. The City of Cape Town, located in the Western Cape Province, has approximately 4 million inhabitants. This study reports on the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater of the City of Cape Town’s wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) during the peak of the epidemic. During this period, the highest overall median viral RNA signal was observed in week 1 (9200 RNA copies/mL) and declined to 127 copies/mL in week 6. The overall decrease in the amount of detected viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA over the 6-week study period was associated with a declining number of newly identified COVID-19 cases in the city. The SARS-CoV-2 early warning system has now been established to detect future waves of COVID-19.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/12085Publisher's versio