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World Environment Day and World Day To Combat Desertification
Yonge Nawe participated in the dual celebrations of World Environment Day (June 5) and World Day to Combat Desertification (June 17) held at Siphofaneni Inkhundla on June 19 2003. The theme for Environment Day was "Water: Two Billion People Are Dying For it" and for Desertification it was "Water is Life."

The celebrations were compounded by a tour of the Conco Limited water treatment plant in Matsapha and two community water projects at Siphofaneni and Vikizijula preceding. The tour highlighted the importance of preserving water and using it in a sustainable way so that present and future generations may survive on the same resources. The Minister for Tourism, Environment and Communications, Dr Phetsile Dlamini was the guest speaker at the occasion. 

Treatment Plant at Conco
Conco is a franchise of Coca-Cola Bottling Company located in Matsapha industrial area, that deals with the chemical production of concentrates used to make Coca-Cola products. 
 

10 million water treatment plant at Conco built in 1995

The water treatment plant is a E10 million structure built in 1995. Through it, all the water used in the industry’s operations is recycled such that no effluent is released, as was explained by a company representative. Pipes guide effluent from production to the treatment plant.  There it undergoes several purification processes in stages, where lime

 and sulphuric acid are used to return the effluent into clear water used for watering the company’s gardens and washing of cars. A lab was also established to test the purified water and determine its alkalinity. To illustrate the effectiveness of the treatment, an aquarium carrying live goldfish was exhibited. 

Community Projects
Community Water Projects at Siphofaneni and Vikizijula are currently mainly used to meet domestic needs. Plans have been put in place to extend the project into supporting farming activities.

The first water project visited was at Vikizijula, an area under Phonjwane chiefdom, which falls within Siphofaneni constituency. This was a vision initiated by a local women’s cooperative called ‘Mzabalazo WaboMake’ in the early nineties later to be supported by the Swazi government.  A water tank with a carrying capacity of 90 000 litres was installed which provides water for the Vikizijula community. World Vision donated the electricity-powered engine that pumps water from the ground to the large tank. The project began in 1999.

The next project visited was at Siphofaneni. Started in 1998, the water project serves an estimated population of 900 families from KaMkhweli, Madlenya and part of Vikizijula communities. It was sponsored by our local government, the British Commission and the Italian Cooperation. 

Dr. Dlamini, speaking at the celebrations, commended the community for their cooperation in ensuring the success of the water projects. She noted that planting sugar, as is dominant in the country’s regions including Siphofaneni, is acceptable. She added that planting maize, sorghum and other crops that improve the land and its other resources is even more commendable and that the community ought to engage in such farming. She encouraged the people to visit the Conco effluent treatment plant, which recycles water to learn more about conserving this resource. 

Yonge Nawe advocates for sustainable environmental management practices. In recent months, she has been engaged in efforts to ensure this goal through supporting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in local industries. This action has been congruent with the arrival of many new textile industries in the country as part of the Millennium Projects under the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development. Textile industries are designed with water treatment plants for the treatment of effluent and processing of raw materials into finished products. 

The rise of textile industries must ensure sustainable development. This should not be only through caring for improving the lives of impoverished communities but importantly, it means caring for the precious and very scarce water resource that shall be utilised by these industries.