Editor’s comment

Editor Kirsten Kelly kirsten.kelly@3smedia.co.za Managing Editor Alastair Currie Head of Design Beren Bauermeister Designer Jaclyn Dollenberg Chief Sub-editor Tristan Snijders Contributors Lester Goldman, Derek Hazelton, Dan Naidoo, Niel Ramsay Louw, Jan Venter Operations & Production Manager Antois-Leigh Nepgen Production Coordinator Jacqueline Modise Distribution Manager Nomsa Masina Distribution Coordinator Asha Pursotham Group Sales Manager Chilomia Van Wijk Bookkeeper Tonya Hebenton Printers Novus Print Montague Gardens Advertising Sales Hanlie Fintelman c +27 (0)67 756 3132 Hanlie.Fintelman@3smedia.co.za

Publisher Jacques Breytenbach 3S Media 46 Milkyway Avenue, Frankenwald, 2090 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 www.3smedia.co.za

ISSN: 1990 - 8857 Annual subscription: R330 (SA rate) subs@3smedia.co.za Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. All articles herein are

copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publishers. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Water Institute of Southern Africa or the publishers.

WISA’s Vision

Inspiring passion for water

WISA Contacts: HEAD OFFICE Tel: 086 111 9472(WISA) Fax: +27 (0)11 315 1258 Physical address: 1stFloor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand Website: www.wisa.org.za

BRANCHES Central Branch (Free State, Northern Cape, North West) Chairperson: Dr Leana Esterhuizen Company: Central University of Technology Tel: +27 (0)51 507 3850 Email: lesterhu@cut.ac.za

Eastern Cape: Branch Contact: Dan Abrahams Company: Aurecon Tel: +27 (0)41 503 3929 Cell: +27 (0) 81 289 1624 Email: Dan.Abraham@aurecongroup.com

Gauteng Branch Lead: Zoe Gebhardt Cell: +27 (0)82 3580876 Email: zoe.gebhardt@gmail.com

KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson: Lindelani Sibiya Company: Umgeni Water Cell: +27 (0)82 928 1081 Email: lindelani.sibiya@umgeni.co.za

Limpopo Chairperson: Mpho Chokolo Company: Lepelle Northern Water Cell: +27 (0)72 310 7576 Email: mphoc@lepelle.co.za

Mpumalanga Chairperson: Lihle Mbatha (Acting) Company: Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency Tel: +27 (0)13 753 9000 Email: mbathat@iucma.co.za

Western Cape Chairperson: Natasia van Binsbergen Company: AL Abbott & Associates Tel: +27 (0)21 448 6340 Cell: +27 (0)83 326 3887 Email: natasia@alabbott.co.za

Namibia Please contact the WISA Head Office on admin@wisa.org.za for more information

THE VALUE OF WATER

With great excitement (and a little trepidation), I have assumed the position of editor for Water&Sanitation Africa.

My first two months have been filled with interviews, reading, listening and writing about all things water. What is my key take-away so far? It has come as no surprise to find that South Africa faces significant water challenges, but it is thrilling to discover that there are solutions. And this is what WASA is: a platform to highlight problems in the water sector and to showcase solutions.

As this is the ‘National Water Week’ issue, we decided to commemorate World Water Day by adopting its #Water2me campaign. WASA called upon individuals in the water industry to tell us: What does water mean to you? (read more on pages 14 and 15).

Water is dignity While working on this edition, I constantly thought about the value of water. For me, water is dignity. It’s the dignity to keep myself and my house clean, to flush my toilet, and to cook my food. While interviewing environmental consultants around groundwater projects in the SADC region (pages 28 and 29), there was a discussion around water in relation to earning a living. The question was asked: How can you even think about earning a living when your basic needs are not met, and you have no access to water? In our water security article (from page 20), it was mentioned that, as South Africa works towards SDG 6, we need to decrease water demand while increasing overall access to water. It is heartbreaking to discover that some schools have no water or sanitation facilities at all. We tend to focus on water and sanitation’s impact on one’s physical health, but what about one’s mental health? When a human being cannot access water or sanitation, as a country, we are telling that individual that they do not matter, that they have no worth.

Everyone agrees that water is valuable, and so it justifies WISA’s call (on pages 7 and 8) for the professionalisation of key positions within the water sector. It is vitally important that the custodians of this precious resource are ethical and competent.

In closing, I want to thank the engineers, scientists and academics who I have met so far for their warm welcome, and I look forward to meeting more ‘water warriors’ in the upcoming months. Please do not hesitate to contact me at kirsten.kelly@3smedia.co.za if you have any feedback or content suggestions.

Promoting professional excellence in the water sector

The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

Water &Sanitation

Complete water resource and wastewater management Africa

WATER SECURITY

Is Gauteng water secure? RAINWATER HARVESTING

What stands in its way? WATER WEEK

What does water mean to you?

HI98494 Multiparameter Bluetooth® Portable pH/EC/OPDO® Meter 1 Instrument – 12 Water Quality Parameters

COVER OPPORTUNITY

In each issue, Water&Sanitation Africa offers companies the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or service on the front cover of the magazine. Buying this position will afford the advertiser the cover story and maximum exposure. For more information, contact Hanlie Fintelman on +27 (0)67 756 3132, or email Hanlie.Fintelman@3smedia.co.za