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The South African Water Caucus (SAWC) is urging the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to address critical water and sanitation shortages in more than 200 communities. The letter highlights failures in the DWS hotline, the lack of coordination via the National Disaster Water Command Centre, and the severe health risks posed to vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides a detailed annexure of affected areas across several provinces, including the Western Cape, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Free State, where residents rely on polluted rivers, unreliable water trucks, or have no infrastructure at all.

The report profiles ten U.S. cities where residents live in close proximity to petroleum refineries, documenting systemic exposure to toxic air pollutants, high rates of cancer and asthma, and frequent industrial accidents. It highlights a pattern of 'significant violation' of the Clean Air Act by major refineries and notes that these facilities are often located in low-income and minority neighborhoods. The document calls for the EPA to implement more stringent air toxics standards and improved fenceline monitoring to protect public health.