Crane Takes School Sanitation from Disaster to Delight

According to an article published by IOL, in February 2022, more than 5000 schools were still reliant on pit latrines as school toilets or did not have proper sanitation facilities. The article also states that 83% of schools in the Kwa-Zulu-Natal province are still making use of pit toilets. Source: https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/amnesty-international-sa-launches-pit-toilet-tracker-and-urges-dbe-to-fix-poor-school-infrastructure-7aa8c55a-aeb1-405e-b09c-3a5247114f3b#:~:text=The%20international%20human%20rights%20NGO,pit%2Dlatrines%20as%20school%20toilets.

The state of sanitation in South Africa is a major concern as it goes against many human rights. Affecting not only sanitation but dignity, health, and children’s lives. Our country has been shocked by a number of different occasions in the news of these sanitary conditions causing a number of fatalities.

We have been deeply saddened by these conditions our schools are facing, and with our knowledge, skill sets and ability to help, we have decided to take action to start improving the sanitation facilities throughout Kwa-Zulu-Natal.

Crane Group Consulting is pleased to be one of the Professional Service Providers (PSP) for the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) program implemented by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) on behalf of the Department of Basic Education in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

We are providing the SAFE program with turnkey professional services such as Project Management, Quantity Surveying, Architectural, Structural and Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Health and Safety, Geotech Investigation and Land Surveying for a total of 40 schools spread over 4 clusters.

The SAFE initiative aims to demolish and replace the basic pit toilets in schools with appropriate and upgraded sanitation in accordance with the Norms and Standards for school infrastructure. The number of toilet seats at each school is determined by the number of learners present in each school. We also need to take the design of the toilets into consideration as they need to be designed to be age-appropriate for primary schools as well as include facilities for the disabled in all schools.

We are confident that this initiative will have a positive impact on the KwaZulu-Natal province by providing appropriate sanitation in schools and improving the quality of life for many children across the province. The scope of work includes the following:

• Assessment of existing sanitation infrastructure
• De-sludging of the existing pit toilets
• Demolition of the existing pit toilets
• Construction of appropriate toilets
• Provision of rainwater harvesting tanks
• Construction of walkways

We are dedicated to ensuring that the project is completed to a high standard and in accordance with the contractual requirements. We are currently underway with the demolition and rebuild of the Ntili Primary School toilets and look forward to sharing the completed project.

Ntili Primary School Toilets Before

Ntili Primary School Toilets During Construction

We are incredibly excited about being part of this project and eager to contribute in any way we can. Our team is passionate about making a positive difference in the world and we understand the high importance of this project and the change it will bring.

Keep a look out on our website and on our LinkedIn page for the completed project as well as the upgrade of other schools around Kwa-Zulu-Natal.