32 minute read
Abstracts
& PAPERS
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Abstracts 48 Paper 1: Rajiv Paladh & Jay Bhagwan
Paper 2: Tjeerd Driessen 49 Paper 3: Jacques Rust
Paper 4: Lennin Naidoo 50 Paper 5: Burgert Gildenhuys
Paper 6: Esaias Oosthuizen &
Sboniso Masuku 51 Paper 7: Geoff Tooley
Paper 8: James van Eyk 52 Paper 9: Dr Kevin Wall
Paper 10: Matt Braune &
Lauren de Bude 53 Paper 11: Amanda Gcanga &
James Cullis
Paper 12: François Figueres &
Timothée Cargill 54 Paper 13: Nomathandazo Makhushe
Paper 14: Shuaib Yunos 55 Paper 15: Altus de Klerk &
André Kowalewski
Paper 16: Yeshveer Balaram 56 Paper 17: Dr Nezar Eldidy
57 Papers
PAPER 1
Rajiv Paladh & Jay Bhagwan
President Ramaphosa highlighted the need for Independent Water Producers to contribute towards South Africa's water security future during the 2020 budget speech. The Water Research Commission initiated a study that explored this opportunity within the South African water legislative and institutional framework. This paper thus presents the findings from the study, and details future steps that need to be completed to establish Independent Water Production in South Africa.
An Independent Water Producer (IWP) is an entity, which is not a publicly owned utility, but which owns and operates facilities to produce water for sale to customers. Customers can include utilities, central government, municipalities and end users (industry or farmers).
There are two broad pathways for the introduction of IWP in South Africa. This is either the introduction of IWP within the existing legislative and institutional framework or amending the current framework to allow for the introduction of IWP within the existing water value chain. Including IWP within the existing legislative framework may require the introduction of additional regulations to prevent unintended consequences.
The opportunity for IWP in South Africa exists around desalination, wastewater reuse and small scale production for industry. IWP could therefore be implemented by focussing on Water Boards and Water Services Authorities (WSA) that: • Are developing programmes around desalination and wastewater reuse; • Have strong credit ratings; and • Would benefit from streamlined processes for procuring these projects. An alternative approach would be to develop a single off-taker with sovereign guarantees to procure water from IWP on behalf of Water Boards and WSAs.
Industry will develop its own water supply to ensure security of supply in the appropriate conditions. This additional supply and possible redundancy is useful for building resilience in the broader water sector and the national economy. However, it does pose threats to municipal revenue. Restrictions and uncertainties created in the regulations around water sector intermediaries are the biggest barrier to industry doing this and should be improved. However, these activities should not be subsidised through public funds.
The study raises several key questions and positions on the role and inclusion of IWPs in the water sector. A key question is around the issue of what independence actually means in the South African landscape. Any issues of licensing and allocation of water resources raise the conflict of independence.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. What is Independent Water Production? 2. How could IWP be implemented in South Africa? 3. Key steps towards the introduction of IWP in South Africa.
PAPER 2
Tjeerd Driessen
QUANTITATIVE FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR THREE TOWNSHIPS IN JOHANNESBURG USING HIGHRESOLUTION MODELLING
This project focused on the widespread illegal dumping in river floodplains which predominantly comprises of building rubble and fill material for creation of platforms and development of shacks. The proliferation of these informal developments is no longer sustainable as it is already resulting to encroachment of the floodplains, unsafe living conditions, damage to existing infrastructure and possible increase in flood risk due to changes in the river hydrology. These impacts are expected to worsen if no interventions are taken. The objective of this study was to assess the flood risk increase due to illegal dumping along the water courses in Alexandra, Kaalfontein and Diepsloot. This project was commissioned by City of Johannesburg and implemented by Johannesburg Road Agency.
Six state-of-the-art, cloud-based, two-dimensional flood models were developed using Digital Terrain Models with 1m horizontal resolution. For each area, two flood models were generated; one representing the 2012 (pre-dumping) situation and one representing the 2019 (post-dumping) situation. An extreme value analysis of the rainfall events of the three areas was done to determine the normative rainfall durations and depths which were required to force the hydraulic models. A total of 28 modelling scenarios were simulated using combinations of different time horizons (2012 and 2019), different areas and different return periods (ranging from 5 to 100 years). Not only were the flood lines derived for each scenario, but also water depth maps, water level difference maps and flood hazard rating maps were generated. This gave a good first insight how the response of the river system changed as a result of the illegal dumping of building material in the floodplains.
A quantitative flood risk assessment was performed to gain a deeper understanding of the economic impact of floods and how the flood risk changed between 2012 and 2019. This assessment was performed using a Global Flood Risk Tool which is a cloud-based platform that quickly and accurately calculates flood damages and flood risk as a product of the modelled flood hazard maps, land use maps and vulnerability functions of the exposed assets. The study found among others that during a 100-year return period event water level increases of up to 1.8m could occur as a result of the illegal dumping. Also, the economic flood risk (i.e., expected annual direct flood damage) increased by 12-15% for Kaalfontein, 33-34% for Diepsloot and 8-10% for Alexandra between 2012 and 2019.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Townships are often located in flood-prone areas and face increasing risks to flooding. 2. A deep understanding of the flood risks of urban rivers is required. 3. Quantitative flood risk assessments can assist with prioritising interventions, support urban planning, assist disaster risk management, create awareness among communities and is a stepping stone towards social resilience.
PAPER 3
Jacques Rust
WHY FLUSH YOUR TOILET WITH 9L OF WATER WHEN YOU CAN FLUSH WITH 2L –THE NEW NORMAL
When properly designed, built and maintained, the VIP (Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine) provides a decent basic level of sanitation, however most people prefer a higher level of sanitation, with full flush toilets being the most desired and accepted. The drawback however with conventional full flush toilets is that they require a large amount of water, which is not always available (Recent local example Cape Town Day Zero). VIP toilets, whilst, not requiring water to operate, have several inherent problems as they do not have a water seal, can smell extremely bad, attract flies and are perceived by users to be undignified. In a VIP scenario the pit/chamber is directly below the top structure resulting in communities often using the pit as a solid waste disposal site and consequently the pits fill up much faster. By having the pit/chamber directly below there is also always the increased risk that children may fall in and when the pits are full, emptying is a messy, unpleasant, and expensive operation with many municipalities now reporting a “reverse backlog”.
The complex nature of sanitation in South Africa means there is no “one size fits all” solution. Each area whether an informal settlement or rural school has its own unique set of challenges and it was essential to develop a new sanitation solution which could provide a hygienic, safe and most of all dignified solution for all users. The necessity for a suitable solution that could help address the various sanitation challenges led to the development of a Low Flush system that could flush with as little as 2L of water (Potable and Non-Potable water).
The system is able to bridge the gap between a VIP and full flush toilet essentially providing users with the benefits of a flush toilet in areas with limited infrastructure and water. The versatility of the system ensures that it can be adapted to different conditions and on-site requirements. The Low Flush system has been tried, tested and approved by various government departments and independent organisations such as the Department of Science and Technology, Water Research Commission (WRC) and is Agrément certified ensuring it complies with all regulatory requirements. It has proved to be a game changer in the sanitation space and its ability to provide a safe, sustainable and dignified alternative solution has been seen in the 100 000+ units successfully rolled out.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Flushing with 2L vs 9L – The New Normal. 2. Safe, Sustainable and Dignified Sanitation for all Communities. 3. Benefit of Approved Alternative Solutions.
PAPER 4
Lennin Naidoo
LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH THE MISA LIC CAPACITATION PROGRAMME
Labour Intensive Construction (LIC) is a method of construction which proactively seeks to replace plant based tasks and activities with people thereby enhancing job creation through public spending. LIC is implemented under the ambits of the Expanded Public Works Programme: a programme which is now in its Fourth 5-year phase. Despite being in place for more than 15 years, the roll out of LIC may not have been as effective in creating jobs with little or no projects being undertaken labour intensively. Whilst the number of jobs which are created and reported on the National EPWP reporting system has increased, this increase may be attributed to improved reporting rather the creation of more jobs. Several papers have been written about the success and failures of the Programme.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the unemployment crisis with unemployment increasing to more than 30% in 2021. In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a series of governmental initiatives to stimulate economic recovery. Whilst this was effected, the presidency embarked on a capacity building programme to mainstream LIC in order to optimise job creation through projects. COGTA was commissioned to undertake the pilot programme, in who in turn utilised MISA to lead the programme. In a first Cohort, 15 municipalities were selected from around the country as pilot municipalities to implement such a programme with strong focus on job creation using MIG funding through Roads and stormwater projects. Naidu Consulting was appointed as the service provider to support 8 of the 15 municipalities through formal and informal training, data support and LIC mainstreaming support.
Whilst the projects realised some success, several key lessons were learned in the process which may aid future roll out and importantly begin to understand why LIC was not being effectively implemented in the municipalities. This paper will outline the approach to programme, the scope of works, and the challenges experienced which have been identified as impeding LIC implementation. The paper will not look to unpack LIC but rather focus on unpacking some of the reasons why LIC has not gained the traction that it ought to have.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. LIC has the potential to create jobs. 2. LIC has not been adequately embraced and implemented. 3. Several barriers have hindered LIC implementation. 4. Several work arounds may exist which could enhance LIC implementation.
PAPER 5
Burgert Gildenhuys
There remains a continuous emphasis on infrastructure investment as the solution to municipal service delivery challenges. However, this paper will show that the inability to meet service delivery targets comes from structural impediments that developed over the past three decades in the municipal environment. A strong focus is on increased delivery through improved administrations and implementation capacity. However, since 1990 many seminal events have contributed to structural challenges, making it nearly impossible to meet infrastructure and service delivery expectations. These events started with the Soweto According 1990, where the link between the cost of services and the payment for services was broken.
One should also consider the impact of the De Loor Task Group on a National Housing policy in 1992 that established the principle of differentiated service levels. Differentiated infrastructure service levels were incorporated into the IDP in 1994. Over time, even the constitutional objectives of local government were conveniently ignored by politicians, policymakers and planners. Furthermore, a lack of skills to do infrastructure investment planning, establishing “wall-to-wall” municipalities that had to implement policies with a strong urban bias in rural areas, introducing free basic services, and our spatial planning legislation all created structural barriers for service delivery. These barriers make it difficult, if not impossible, to make good on political promises and meet community expectations through sustainable local government.
The paper will conclude by showing how structural impediments reinforced by continuous low economic growth and higher than expected urbanisation rates bring local government to its knees. Radical new approaches and tough political decisions are required to stabilise the service delivery environment before one can expect an improvement in municipal infrastructure service delivery.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Service delivery diverted from well-founded policies developed in the 1990s. 2. The inability to adapt to a changing environment resulted in structural impediments that make service delivery as contemplated in current policies impossible. 3. Our infrastructure delivery challenges are compounded by our underestimation of low economic growth and high rates of urbanisation.
PAPER 6
Esaias Oosthuizen & Sboniso Masuku
The National Land Transport Act (NLTA, Act 5 of 2009) requires transport authorities at local and district municipality to develop Integrated Transport Plans (ITPs). The objective of ITPs is to facilitate coordinated planning between infrastructure development, operations and regulation for all modes of transport.
The plans provide a five year road map for addressing transport challenges and needs and align implementation of transport projects with spatial and land-use development. The study found that the majority of municipalities do not have ITPs and therefore do not comply with the NLTA. The impact of non-compliance is evident in growing towns where new developments are accompanied by a rise in congestion, poor pedestrian infrastructure and crowded city centres; which together discourages potential investors and thereby curtail the town’s development potential. Lack of awareness, skilled personnel and financial resources were identified as some of the main barriers to compliance by municipalities.
The study discusses the level of compliance and the extent of identified challenges and offers recommendations on how these challenges can be addressed.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Integrated Transport Plan 2. National Land Transport Act 3. Municipal Planning 4. Regulatory Compliance
PAPER 7
Geoff Tooley
A TRANSFORMATIVE RIVERINE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM - A BUSINESS CASE FOR A NATURE BASED ADAPTATION PROGRAM TO PROTECT CITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND SO MUCH MORE….
So often engineers look for hard solutions to risk to infrastructure and forget about looking at nature and the options that it can provide. The same is true in eThekwini municipality when it came to damage to road crossings and rivers.
Engineering solutions helped to reduce some of the risk. The analysis of the cause of damage highlighted the role of alien vegetation and solid waste in these blockages and damages. The Sihlanzimvelo project was born in a meeting of the eight departments mandated with looking after eight different facets of the same rivers. Eight departments with reduced budgets and staff compliments.
This project looked to remove alien vegetation and waste from the streams through the use of unemployed people from the communities who were upskilled in business skills to form co-operatives who were then employed by the city. The program ran for 9 years on 300 km of stream and we became aware of many more benefits than just the main reason of reducing the risk to culvert road crossings.
Through the C40 Climate Finance Facility we have been able to carry out a Benfit cost analysis and have proved that by managing our natural assets we can achieve the goal of risk reduction and at the same time achieve many other goals of socio-economic and environmental value.
This is a case study of Nature Based Adaptation which is cost effective and which is making our city more resilient in the face of climate change.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Grey infrastructure risk reduction. 2. Job creation. 3. Environmental biodiversity improvement. 4. Socio-economic development. 5. Redressing the imbalances of the past. 6. A Covid recovery plan.
PAPER 8
James van Eyk
A PRACTICALLY APPLIED, HOLISTIC APPROACH TO VANDALISM PREVENTION
Criminal theft has become one of the biggest problems facing South African infrastructure.
If we don’t attend to repairing the social fabric holistically, the country's infrastructure will eventually be stripped bare. Anything less than an overall societal approach merely provides a band-aid when open-heart surgery is required.
The breakdown of social fabric and socio-economic factors faced by many people including, but not limited to, inequality, the cycle of poverty and drug abuse drive the cause of theft and vandalism. But, while the big all-encompassing solutions to fixing the social fabric are (hopefully) the focus of national government, municipalities need to protect their assets as best they can to ensure they can still provide basic services. Community engagement is vital in building trust, educating communities, and preventing vandalism and criminal theft.
South Africa, being a water-scarce country, is regularly faced with droughts. This sometimes causes intermittent or extended water supply failures. Additionally, instances of criminality on critical infrastructure are a separate cause of basic needs supply failures. Massive amounts of water can be lost through the damage and theft of critical infrastructure which in turn leads to further downtime for emergency repairs, which too are costly.
There is difference between vandalism and theft, although the two are often used synonymously. Vandalism normally denotes damage just for the sake of doing damage but does not include theft for income. Criminals have monopolized the availability of an income stream through the like of illegal scrap yards. Most of our water infrastructure damage is criminal to generate income, through the sale of scrap metal. Ultimately, a person who is intent on committing crime, if given enough time or the correct tools will be successful. The key to the prevention of vandalism may lie in being a step ahead of vandals, by reverse engineering their tactics to defeat them. Physical vandalism prevention is only as effective as the security response to vandalism. The security response must be prompt and have a zero-tolerance approach with respect to the law.
This paper explores actionable implementation of systems not only in water, but roads and traffic lights and other cr including physical measures to delay vandalism, and in some pilot projects the vandals reached a point of not being able to complete their mission. Further, it focusses on, community engagement to promote a sense of ownership of the infrastructure and encourage reporting of vandalism. This leads to the interrogation of the market for stolen infrastructure, and the requirements for supporting services such as security. How to bring ownership of infrastructure to the people’s door is the key question.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. The effects of vandalism and criminal theft on critical utility infrastructure. 2. Proactive, practical techniques for vandalism prevention based on reactive occurrences. 3. Community engagement and awareness campaigns. 4. Exacerbation of water supply failures as a result of vandalism. 5. Drought and contributing factors to water supply failures. 6. Ongoing successful pilot projects with roads and traffic flow.
PAPER 9
Dr Kevin Wall
MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR BUDGET AND EXPENDITURE REGULATIONS - REALITIES AND REPERCUSSIONS
Treasury has laid down that municipalities shall budget for maintenance and repair an annual sum equivalent to 8% of the “carrying value” of “property, plants and equipment and investment property”.
The guidance provided by this ruling is invaluable. But a “one size fits all” norm of this type can only be an interim benchmark. Moreover, to what extent do municipalities pay much heed to the ruling on 8% of the carrying value? And what is Treasury doing about those municipalities which chronically under-budget? Furthermore, the 8% norm will likely be insufficient under most circumstances, especially given the substantial maintenance backlogs which municipalities are known to carry.
Research initially undertaken in the course of reviewing budget guidelines for Treasury revealed the extent to which municipalities, with very few exceptions, are reported to be spending far less than even this inadequate 8% – in some cases, spending hardly anything at all on maintenance and repair. Also, whereas it is crucial to service delivery by any municipality that the strategic infrastructure be identified and that it must receive priority when the maintenance and repair budget is allocated, in so many cases this is not done.
The purpose of the proposed paper is (i) to outline and comment on the current guidelines, and (ii) to present the spending realities, acknowledging that, while municipalities are strapped for funds, generally, more can be done, or the consequences for service delivery will be dire – as is already evident.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Does the “8% of carrying value” norm make sense for all municipalities? 2. On what basis should repair and maintenance be budgeted? 3. What to do about that great majority of municipalities which budget far less than 8%? In particular, what could, or should, Treasury do? 4. Will changing the 8%, or Treasury transferring more funding to municipalities, improve municipal repair and maintenance?
PAPER 10
Matt Braune & Lauren de Bude
SOLVING FLOODING PROBLEMS USING SUSTAINABLE URBAN DESIGN SYSTEMS (SUDS) IN A CHANGING WORLD
The current urban environment is rapidly changing due to more high density developments within municipal areas. Additional climate change and sporadic, more intense storm events as South Africa has experienced this rainy season has caused an increase in flooding problems and damage to property. This combined with financial constraints increases the pressure on municipalities to solve urban flooding problems in a more cost effective manner.
A recent project involving the remediation of flooding problems in a residential estate within the City of Tshwane has highlighted the benefits and cost savings achieved when considering the SUDS approach. The project involved the remediation of frequently occurring flooding problems in the Zwavelkloof residential estate. This estate which was part of the Kungwini municipality was developed without considering the impact of natural watercourses and upstream development. This caused several private properties as well as roads to be flooded and damaged. Kungwini was then incorporated within Tshwane who then became responsible for the urban drainage within the Estate. A master plan study was subsequently carried out which determined that a budget of R30 million would be required to solve the flooding problems. This budget was based on constructing an entirely new and larger underground drainage network which nobody could afford .
In order to now assist the residential estate a new approach using SUDS was adopted. This approach included the use of an attenuation dam, diversion berms, as well as swales and natural floodplains thereby reducing the budget to R3,5 million.
This paper presents a case study which highlights the significant benefits of solving urban flooding problems using the SUDS principles. The paper also gives details on how the flood control measures were designed, constructed and how they performed during an extreme 1:100-year storm event that occurred during February 2022.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Cost effective urban drainage control. 2. Benefits of using SUDS for stormwater control in an urban environment. 3. Reducing risk and liability claims against a municipality.
PAPER 11
Amanda Gcanga & James Cullis
Africa is the fastest urbanizing region in the world (OECD, 2020). At the same time, African cities are currently facing climate-change related challenges such as droughts, floods, and sea-level rise. Climate change impacts are projected to worsen water availability in African cities, while water demand is projected to triple by 2030. The IPCC’s sixth report projects that this situation will worsen as climatic conditions will become more frequent putting pressure on the most vulnerable population groups.
In South Africa, climate change brings the urgent attention to water-related challenges faced by cities. In recent years both Cape Town and Gqeberha have illustrated the risks associated with water systems that are vulnerable and unequipped to handle climate change impacts. Climate change is not the only cause contributing to water security challenges faced by cities, other systematic issues are at play. Sound planning, ecological management, investment and management of water resources and water services infrastructure ARE critical to climate resilience. Building water resilience in South African cities will also require new approaches that include sustainable water investments, changes in planning approaches, diversifying water sources, integrated and adaptive water management across society, and shifting behaviour and mindset towards appreciating the true value of water security and resilience. As South Africa’s cities are central to humans, economy, and ecosystems, there’s an urgent need to address immediate and future water shock and stresses within the context climate change.
Through the Urban Water Resilience (UWR) Initiative in Africa, the World Resources Institute (WRI) is working with individual city and local partners to improve understanding of urban water resilience and identify concrete pathways for action through grounded research, spatial analysis, and a multi-stakeholder strategic planning process utilizing the City Water Resilience Approach (CWRA). Using the CWRA, WRI, supported by Zutari and the South African Cities Network, worked with stakeholders in Johannesburg and Gqeberha, to assess the current context behind their water systems, including shocks and stresses, natural asset and basin management, financing mechanisms, infrastructure capacity, and governance processes.
The outcome of the application of this approach in these two cities will be presented. This includes the identification of critical actions as pathways to building resilience in these two cities, as well as lessons that can be learnt for improving the water resilience of other African cities.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Climate change risks for water supply in African cities. 2. Improved water security and resilience for African cities. 3. Urban Water Resilience Initiative (UWRI) in Africa.
PAPER 12
François Figueres & Timothée Cargill
ACHIEVEMENTS ON NRW (NON-REVENUE WATER) REDUCTION: 3 DETAILED USE CASES
All around the world, water resources are subject to significant stress from human water demand. Water demand is made of the domestic and industrial consumption but also the network losses. Identifying and reducing these water losses is therefore a major functional requirement regarding the sustainability of a drinking water utility.
Indeed, tackling the large amounts of produced drinkable water which do not reach the users is the way for water utilities to gain significant volume of resources and ensure a sustainable service. The understanding of the loss types and the associated volumes is not an easy task and is the key first step to define a proper action plan. Suez have a long track record doing this assessment in many operational contexts and has collected a great experience in this technical analysis. The three use cases presented here are part of this experience. However, the economic feasibility of the reduction measures is the second key issue for the utility. As a matter of fact, the cost of each cubic meter saved varies depending on the used method. The utility may have limited budget resources to execute the defined action plan. Therefore, the water loss reduction levers should be assessed based on studies and successful experiences, to compose the more cost-effective combination of actions. This combination is unique for each network, but some common elements can be discerned.
This paper gives detailed feedback on 3 use cases: Bordeaux, Sao Paulo, and Santiago. In these three cities, significant reduction of water losses was achieved and carefully documented by Suez during the years of execution, taking into account all the parameters and reporting several performance indicators in a way to have a holistic panorama and understanding. The results shared present a detailed breakdown of the reduction achieved, by type of lever and with quantified evaluations, with both volume and cost breakdowns. The International Water Association having identified and documented the 4 pillars to tackle the real losses, the feedback will be presented on this scheme for better divulgation.
This feedback gives actual inputs regarding the cost & benefits analysis which is a key part of any NRW reduction action plan. With the establishment of an effective and adequate water loss management action plan, the utilities can recover the large volumes of water lost through leaks and pipe bursts.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
Detailed feedback on NRW (Non-Revenue Water) reduction: 1. Quantified results of water loss volume saved by type of action. 2. Quantified costs by type of action. 3. Unit price of each saved cubic meter by type of action.
PAPER 13
Nomathandazo Makhushe
THE ROLE OF SMALL, MEDIUM AND MICRO ENTERPRISES (SMMES) IN WASTE MANAGEMENT
The waste management sector and corporate enterprises, in support of corporate social and environmental responsibility have a critical function in sustainable development, especially in the context of South Africa, where the waste management hierarchy in its’ approach to waste management legislation is supported, as well as the promotion of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and employment. SMMEs are critical components in the creation of new job opportunities, maintaining the innovation cycle and strengthening regional economies (Silajdžić, 2015).
The role of SMMEs in achieving sustainable and green development is increasingly becoming an important topic in developing economies. SMMEs account for up to 99% of all enterprises and two-thirds of employment across the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (Usui & Martinez-Fernandez, 2011), emphasizing the key role that they play in transitioning economies towards sustainable business practices.
The culture of outsourcing the waste management function in South Africa is evident, and SMMEs are an important component of the waste management value chain. There is room for improvement in environmental responsibility amongst the SMMEs in terms of their response to legislation pressure and supply chain requirements. Some challenges experienced include the bureaucracy of the waste sector legal requirements, uninformed business sector and public with regard to environmental issues, and the competitive nature of the waste management sector.
In the 21st century, the unsustainable consumption of the earth’s resources is an important matter, as well as the increase in waste generation as a result of this consumption. “There is a strong link between waste creation and wealth creation (Strange, 2002) and the problem of waste has emerged as one of the most contentious and dramatic consequences of global marketdriven economic development” (Strange, 2002). The increase in waste generation should be managed to prevent public health, nuisance, and environmental problems.
This presentation explores the role that SMMEs play in extended producer and environmental responsibility from a waste management perspective in South Africa. It also looks into the challenges faced by SMMEs in the implementation of environmental measures, as well as evaluating environmental responsibility in waste management.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. South African waste legislation: an overview. 2. Corporate social responsibility and corporate environmental responsibility. 3. Waste, a business resource perspective. 4. The environmental importance of waste management and recycling. 5. Current waste management practices.
PAPER 14
Shuaib Yunos
Roads form an integral part of Civil Infrastructure, providing safe and reliable access from point of origin to destination. With the rapid growth in population, urbanization, and the pursuit of smart cities, the pressure on effective road design, construction, and maintenance is ever-increasing. With this influx of demand, traditional processes are put under strain, resulting in roads designed inadequately impacting safety and service, with one of these components being stormwater design. As of 2015, there were 29 megacities with populations over 10 million, and by 2030, it is expected that there will be an additional 12, with 10 in Africa and Asia. Polycentric metropolitan regions, which are made up of several connected large urban areas, have gained prominence in recent decades, creating new challenges in transportation planning. For sustainable transport, technological innovation is essential (United Nations, 2016) and effective, well thought-out stormwater design is crucial for safety and infrastructure longevity. This is where Building Information Modelling (BIM) plays a vital role in better tackling these new challenges and design complexities. With the progression in technology, BIM has been implemented, adopted, and mandated by many countries across the world, seen as an intelligent, innovative necessity for enhanced civil infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance, helping us adapt to our changing world.
This session will be showcasing the application of BIM Technologies developed by Autodesk, and The Devotech Group of Companies here in South Africa for intelligent, effective stormwater design. These BIM technologies affords designers to incorporate and review designs as a whole, ensuring that the road design complements the stormwater design, as well as a range of other benefits and automated advantages such as the modelling of the stormwater network in 3D, checking of pipe flow directions, the creation and implementation of popularly used local South African pipe catalogues, regrading of pipe networks as per cover and slope requirements, executing watershed analysis and catchment generation, as well as analytic and quantification capabilities in line with SABS and the SANRAL drainage manual. With these BIM technologies, municipal engineers, civil engineers, consultants, and other design professionals can design and analyse stormwater networks in an intelligent and futuristic manner, promoting digital transformation and sustainable design, construction, and civil infrastructure delivery in South Africa and abroad.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Modelling & editing of a stormwater network using SA catalogues. 2. Regrading of the stormwater network & generating long sections. 3. Running a watershed analysis & generation of catchment areas. 4. Analysis and resizing of stormwater network. 5. Computing of pipe & structure quantities.
PAPER 15
Altus de Klerk & André Kowalewski
NO SMART WITHOUT START – INNOVATIONS IN HYDRAULIC MODELLING
In Southern Africa, municipalities often face a very challenging environment comprising constrained OPEX/CAPEX funding, poor infrastructure information, skills shortages, lack of ICT and software to name a few. Add to these a complex socio-political environment and supply chain blockages, sometimes linked to corruption, results in the prospect of becoming a SMART municipality fade to an impossible dream or at best, a long-term aspiration.
Unfortunately, this kind of thinking effectively eliminates opportunities to develop the digital assets required to better understand physical assets, operations, and even the potential to effectively leverage SMART technologies such as Digital Twins, IoT, AI and Cloud Processing. Rather than being complacent, these municipalities must try to establish some form of hydraulic model as a first step towards supporting operational understanding towards a preliminary digital twin, and then develop longer-term aspirations such as master planning to ultimately become a SMART municipality. At many smaller municipalities it is often found that the information required to support the establishment of hydraulic models are wholly inadequate, rendering the effort close to impossible. Critically, many of these challenges require significant and laborious interventions and to compound this, these municipalities more often do not have access to the necessary OPEX budgets to support these inventions. However, through deliberate collaboration, adaptation and innovation, new and exciting (often disruptive) approaches were developed for municipalities to solve these challenges. These included the development of costeffective methodologies comprising consumer demand analysis and profiling, data cleansing and network cleaning which are all supported by the development of intelligent software algorithms. The combination of these tools and the necessary engineering skills and creativity enabled municipalities to ingest, analyse, clean and build hydraulic models at unprecedented rates without compromising quality. This approach has successfully provided many Southern African municipalities, including the Drakenstein Local Municipality, with the capability to build and maintain their hydaulic models. Drakenstein’s efforts showcase the value this approach provides and how access to hydraulic modelling capabilities can unlock significant downstream value and set a municipality on course to being truly SMART.
It is proposed that any municipality starting its journey to becoming SMART consider the establishment of hydraulic models as a top priority.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Challenges at Southern African Municipalities. 2. SMART disruptive technologies for building hydraulic models. 3. Success at Drakenstein Local Municipality. 4. Establishment of hydraulic models a top priority.
PAPER 16
Yeshveer Balaram
THE MANAGEMENT OF ROAD MAINTENANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA – OBSERVATIONS ON CURRENT PRACTICE AND A MODUS OPERANDI TOWARDS ADDRESSING SERVICE DELIVERY
The single most important (and valuable) infrastructure asset, that affects every citizen one way or another, is a country’s road network.
However, in South Africa, as with other developing and, developed nations, public expectation in terms of infrastructure service delivery varies for a number of reasons. To many people the provision of decent housing, sanitation and electricity is the most important issue, to others the timeous collection of refuse and the cleansing of streets is the main concern whilst to many citizens the provision of well managed health services is the overriding subject. All of these topics are, obviously, of significant importance and all require substantial government funding.
Despite the importance of the road network to a nation’s economic wellbeing, the funding of road maintenance is, globally, often curtailed to increase budgets for other perceived more important infrastructure. With constrained (and often inadequate) budgets, the undertaking of optimized cost effective and appropriate road maintenance of even a small road network is challenged without some form of road maintenance management plan. For larger networks this task becomes even more difficult. Ad hoc road maintenance on a reactive basis is not only inefficient in terms of cost, usually leading to premature failure due to incorrect remedial intervention, but also creates a perception of inadequate service delivery, and the risk of bringing the road infrastructure into a backlog situation.
This paper presents observations on the current road network maintenance practices of South African road authorities and postulates a strategy to address public expectation in terms of acceptable service delivery in this regard.
Key Presentation Impact Point:
Road maintenance status quo and need for paradigm shift in methodologies to so as to begin reducing the current maintenance backlog which is rapidly approaching the point of no return.
PAPER 17
Dr Nezar Eldidy
FLOODING IN LADYSMITH, PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
Flooding has been a recurring in Ladysmith for the past 170 years due to its peculiar location in the uThukela catchment at the toes of Drakensberg mountains. During 1987/88 Ladysmith was flooded on three separate occasions and extensive damage was caused to residences and businesses.
The worst flooding in 30 years occurred in 1996 leading to R500 million in damages and the evacuation of 400 families. Efforts to tame the river and manage flooding date has been going on since 1940s. Due to climate changes, research shows that the rain intensity slightly increasing from year to year. Also, the return periods are getting closer than expected. The existing drainage system need to be examined and its performance to be evaluated during flood incident.
This paper, diagnose the causes to the chronic flooding, present the various approaches to solve the problem. The paper, examines local the risks, suggests measures and adjustment to the current drainage system, measures to maintain the river the system’s and successfully implement the solution within tight schedule.
Key Presentation Impact Points:
1. Flooding 2. Risks 3. Drainage 4. Run-off 5. Back-flow 6. Seepage 7. Project scheduling 8. Klip River
