A practical water conservation project at Salt River High School is demonstrating how rainwater harvesting, food gardening and environmental education can help schools and communities build greater water resilience. Supported through the City’s Water and Sanitation grant programme, the initiative was implemented by Unnati Training Academy NPC between February and June 2026 as part of a broader community clean-up and environmental awareness programme in the Lower Salt River catchment.

The project focused on making better use of the school’s existing rainwater harvesting infrastructure and strengthening awareness of sustainable water use among learners and the surrounding community. 

At Salt River High School, Unnati Training Academy integrated previously unused JoJo water storage tanks into a functional rainwater harvesting system to support irrigation at the school’s nursery and climate-smart food garden. This enables the school to make greater use of harvested rainwater while reducing its reliance on municipal water for irrigation.

Caption 1: Robyne O'Callaghan and Devaksha Maharaj of Unnati Training Academy with Salt River High School principal Dave Nichols at the school's nursery. 

The project focused on making better use of the school’s existing rainwater harvesting infrastructure and strengthening awareness of sustainable water use among learners and the surrounding community. 

At Salt River High School, Unnati Training Academy integrated previously unused JoJo water storage tanks into a functional rainwater harvesting system to support irrigation at the school’s nursery and climate-smart food garden. This enables the school to make greater use of harvested rainwater while reducing its reliance on municipal water for irrigation.

Caption 2: The previously unused JoJo tanks were integrated into a functional rainwater harvesting system to support irrigation of the school’s nursery and food garden. 

‘Becoming water wise is not only about saving water at home. Schools, businesses, organisations and community institutions all have a role to play in using water responsibly and finding practical ways to reduce their reliance on municipal water where possible, particularly as we prepare for what is expected to be a longer, hotter and drier summer,’ said Alderman Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

Caption 3: More than 400 bags of waste were collected during a community clean-up hosted by Unnati Training Academy NPC in conjunction with The Litterboom Project, Angels Resources and Devrani Consulting in June 2026.

‘This project allowed us to move beyond awareness and demonstrate water stewardship in practice. By connecting rainwater harvesting with food production, learner participation and environmental action, we have shown how schools can become practical hubs for climate resilience. We are grateful to the City of Cape Town for supporting locally driven solutions that can create lasting impact,’ said Devaksha Maharaj of Unnati Training Academy NPC.