NI Water has initiative for schools on tap

As part of the ‘Wonderful World of Water’ programme, pupils will discover how NI Water cleans water and sewage, thus reinforcing the importance of water for all aspects of life.

Over 17,800 primary and secondary school pupils were visited by the NI Water education team in the last school year, which exceeded their target by well over 7,000.

Pupils from almost 230 schools listened to the educators talk about how to save water, how much water to drink and what not to flush down the loo. Some had the chance to see a working sewage works.

Many also had the chance to become a passenger on NI Water’s travelling classroom, the Waterbus and become a nature detective around the beautiful Silent Valley, in the heart of the Mournes.

This year there is a new interactive feature to enhance the experience, a ‘Pebble’ device. This lets the team quiz the pupils on what they’ve learned and provides a full, participatory experience for all schools on board. It brings a new, fun, slant on this very important subject, and it only adds to the Waterbus experience.

Jane Jackson, who is the environmental education manager at NI Water is looking forward to teaching more children about water this year.

“We are looking forward to getting out again in the new school year and bringing the Wonderful World of Water to more children,” she said.