WSU RESEARCH LEADER UNDERTAKES WATER CONTAMINATION STUDY ON GOUGH ISLAND

World Water Day and the United Nations Water Conference, which take place in March each year, aim to accelerate action on purification and preservation of water for the health of people and the planet.

Silindokuhle Ndlela, a WSU and National Pollution Laboratory official went to Gough Island to lead research on “Microbial Surveillance of The Environmental Water Bodies at Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean” during the 2022 take-over.

The island supports a spectacular nature and abundance of seabirds that contribute to it being identified as a nature reserve under the Tristan da Cunha Conservation Ordinance of 1976. Its positioning has been recognized for collecting meteorological data by the South African Weather Services (SAWS).

“The aim of our project was to study the microbial population in all types of water bodies of Gough Island. Microbiological assessment of the water on the island will then contribute to identifying microbial contamination of the water to mitigate potential health risks by taking proper remedial actions such as the use of antimicrobial chemicals and decontamination.”

The island’s main source of water is groundwater which comes through the mountains and forms streamflow that winds up in streams, rivers, lakes, and eventually the ocean.

She added that “The project was conducted to develop a baseline, or a reference point of the microbial population found in water at Gough Island. Microbiological assessment of water in the island will then contributes to identifying microbial contamination of water.”

The team consisted of Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) costal monitors, Andani Makhale and Bongolethu Zenani.

By: Ongezwa Sigodi