MEDIA RELEASE

 

Early Childhood Development centre in Cape Town leads the way with water saving IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

11 March 2016

 

World Water Day is celebrated on Tuesday 22 March 2016, a day when communities around the world recognise the crucial role each person can play in preserving this valuable resource which is a key part of our daily lives. An Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centre, Philippi Children’s Centre, in Philippi, Cape Town is leading the way with a daily saving of at least 4 500 litres thanks to a water saving project installed by Rotary Club of Newlands and Peninsula Beverages (PenBev – the local bottler of the Coca-Cola products in the Western and Northern Cape). In 2013, the ECD Centre was renovated extensively; a brand new wing with an office, more classrooms and ablutions were built, now accommodating 240 children.

 

This was PenBev’s major brick and mortar project of the year and forms part of their social investment projects which assist in uplifting the communities in which they operate. Included in the building extension was the installation of a package sewage treatment plant. “The plant effectively captures the sewage and water effluent and treats it so that it can be re-used for irrigation on the garden and for flushing toilets,” explains Project Architect, Graham Finlayson. “The treated water has no bad smells. All the drainage pipes in the ECD are linked to the tanks, but only the toilets can receive treated water once it has been through the system. It’s extremely low maintenance and only requires chlorine tablets to be dropped into the system as a final disinfectant. The water is constantly rechannelled through the toilets, eliminating the need to flush drinkable water.” Philippi Children’s Centre is located in a farming area where septic tank usage is forbidden. Previously all sewage had to be removed weekly by the local Municipality, at great cost to the Centre. “Saving water is one benefit for the Centre, but they’ve also experienced a great reduction in municipal costs for sewage collection.

 

Another positive result of the plant’s installation is a constant supply of water for irrigation in the garden, regardless of water restrictions. The water is effectively recycled through this system,” explains Finlayson. Denise Behrens, Corporate Communications Manager at PenBev says, “We are pleased to be part of a project that has such a long-term benefit in saving water. It is important that we all act responsibly when it comes to our own water usage. This project sets a clear example of how we can be part of the solution.” Rainwater harvesting at Strand Moslem School, the new Rainbow ECD Centre in Masiphumelele and Nebo Primary School in Ravensmead are other water saving projects installed in partnership with PenBev. [High resolution images available on request. Photos by Craig Wilson] For more information about PenBev and the water saving projects that they are involved with, visit www.peninsulabeverage.co.za or contact 021 936 5500. PenBev is also on Facebook www.facebook.com/PenBev.

 

### Released by Reputation Matters Media contact: Harriet Burke 081 435 2917 harriet@reputationmatters.co.za