On Friday afternoon we were about to hit ‘send’ to release this issue, when a thick smoke invaded our office like a ghost. We ran outside to see the wetland beyond our wall go up in flames – fanned by a strong wind blowing in our direction.

The programme was started with the aim to raise awareness of the strategic importance of wetlands to facilitate proper management and restoration of wetlands and focuses mainly on wetlands outside nature reserves.

This year the theme of World Wetlands Day will be ‘Wetlands & Tourism,’ celebrated on Thursday 2 February 2012. This will celebrate the 41st anniversary of the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty signed on 2 February 1971 in Iran for the protection of wetlands worldwide. 160 countries have since signed the treaty.

Every year on and around March 14, thousands of people take action for the world's rivers. Find out how you can make a difference.

An atlas that contains mapped rivers, wetland and estuary priority areas in South Africa was launched by the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, earlier this week. The Atlas of Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas in South Africa is the result of a project by the CSIR and a number of partners to determine which ecosystems in South Africa are the most important to keep in a good condition and the results were mapped.

Africa’s first carbon-neutral bank, continued to demonstrate its commitment to water sustainability as a key participant and host of the Water Roundtable side event at the COP 17.

The coalition of civil society organisations challenging the authorisations given to mining company Limpopo Coal (Pty) Ltd’s proposed Vele colliery outside the Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site, has resolved to commence direct formal negotiations with Limpopo Coal and its holding company Coal of Africa (CoAL).

These days few can dispute mankind is in dire need of alternative, renewable and sustainable energy sources. Few can moreover argue the necessity for energy development that does not come at the adverse auxiliary cost to the environment.

WWF-SA's Water Balance Programme recently received R9 million from Nedbank to invest in South Africa's critical water catchment areas.

Around two thirds of South Africa's surface area is heavily dependent upon its groundwater.  Pulled underground by gravity and stored in mainly non-porous rock cavities, groundwater is a valuable resource, especially in times of drought. The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA)'s, Western Cape branch hosted a workshop last week to address the issue of Oils and Solvents as hazardous waste, and the correct manner in which to store and dispose of these two substances, which could otherwise cause irreversible damage to our precious groundwater.

In bygone decades, Johannesburg was known for its giant yellow mine dumps that were the result of a century's gold mining activities. The dumps were a rather spectacular feature of the Johannesburg skyline but now they have all but disappeared. The reason why, is that the dumps were still full of gold.

An exciting research initiative is underway at the University of Cape Town. The research is running under the brand of Aqua d'UCT, which seeks to enhance water research by promoting integration and interdisciplinary study. The study is being driven my MSc candidate Raymond Siebrits from the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science as part of his thesis.

Hydraulic Fracturing, commonly known as Fracking, is a highly controversial method of extracting oil and gas from existing, redundant and new wells. Drilling has begun in an unregulated frenzy from USA, China and now heading for gas-rich Europe and other countries around the world. The environment and human health is at very serious and potential risk if this method of extracting gas is not stopped.

It came as a surprise to me that only 0.25% of the water on our planet is available to us. I do know  that it is not evenly distributed and that water is the source of all of life. I've also heard a rumour about the shortage of this resource. It is therefore no surprise that an entire conference was recently dedicated to spreading awareness about the serious trouble our water is in.

Many people are aware of the recent campaign in the Karoo against a proposed natural gas mining process known as hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking'. However most do not realise that large parts of the Free State, Eastern Cape Highlands and KZN are also under threat.

With the rainstorms and snowfalls that have accompanied the winter of 2011, it might be hard to imagine that South Africa could be facing a water crisis ' but experts say that unless we start taking water saving measures seriously, we could see demand exceeding supply as soon as 2020. With another scorching summer just around the corner, South Africans will need to be especially careful when it comes to saving water.

With the rainstorms and snowfalls that have accompanied the winter of 2011, it might be hard to imagine that South Africa could be facing a water crisis ' but experts say that unless we start taking water saving measures seriously, we could see demand exceeding supply as soon as 2020. With another scorching summer just around the corner, South Africans will need to be especially careful when it comes to saving water.

With the rainstorms and snowfalls that have accompanied the winter of 2011, it might be hard to imagine that South Africa could be facing a water crisis ' but experts say that unless we start taking water saving measures seriously, we could see demand exceeding supply as soon as 2020. With another scorching summer just around the corner, South Africans will need to be especially careful when it comes to saving water.

Slowly transforming your life and work to one that considers the earth's carrying capacity and future generations in everything you do is a life-long journey of innovation, care and creativity. Every small idea and implementation is valuable and important to share so others can follow. That's why we at the Green Times love telling the stories of new solutions to the challenges we all encounter.

The Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs will next week (Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22) hold public hearings on Acid Mine Drainage (AMD).

The Happy Drum project was launched to support the eThekwini Safe Drum Policy which the Department of Health will be launching soon. The purpose of the project is to stop the sale of used chemical and industrial drums and containers which pose serious health and pollution risks to the public, and health of the city. According to the new policy, companies and persons found guilty of supplying used drums and containers to traders and the public will be prosecuted.

With floods causing havoc in several South African provinces earlier this year, it may be hard to believe that the looming water crisis that was debated in Parliament in 2008 remains an issue. Engineering Council of SA vice-president Thoko Majozi warns: 'the maximum consumption that SA's water resources can sustain will be reached in about five years'.

The South African tourism industry will need to take steps to minimise its impact on the country's finite water resources if it is to grow and maintain a tourism-based economy.

The unified voice of thousands against Karoo fracking  paid off last week when government pressed pause on hydraulic fracturing. Cabinet has endorsed the decision by the Department of Minerals and Energy to invoke a moratorium on oil and gas exploration licenses in the semi-arid Karoo.

Millions of people living along the coast and elsewhere in rural Africa are dependent upon natural resources from which they harvest unsustainably. Some coastal communities are amongst the poorest in the world and are extremely vulnerable to the potential negative effects of climate change. They have no choice but to con­tinue to use the diminishing resources upon which they depend, or face starvation.

As water resources in Southern Africa come under pressure from growing population, climate change and increasing industrial and agricultural use, economic accounting for water is among the tools that could aid better management.

South Africa is the first country in the world to adopt water as a human right. A large group of Kayamandi residents gathered at the Kayamandi Economic and Tourism Centre on Human Right's Day to celebrate Water Week. They were entertained by the Department of Water Affairs' own personal choir and inspirational speakers who urged them to take ownership of the Eerste River. The Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, could not make it to Kayamandi due to last minute plan changes.

Communities need to join with the public sector to solve the worldwide water crisis. The problem can no longer be resolved from the top down. This important insight was mentioned during a discussion at the World Water Day conference held at Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC).

There is an awareness growing in our society about the environmental cost associated with bottled water. To ease the pressure on our pockets and our environment, some people are turning back to drinking tap water. Yet the purity and taste of tap water is lately seriously questionable, and becoming sadly more so. So how to ensure your water is super clean and of a standard and taste comparable with the purest water?