You said it in WASA

The opinions and statements shared by thought leaders in the water industry with Water&Sanitation Africa.

“It was heartening to see people from all spheres of government and different industries attend the recent National Water and Sanitation Summit. Water and sanitation management cuts across multiple government departments, ministries and business sectors, and the water industry cannot solve this crisis alone.” Dan Naidoo,

chairman of WISA

PAGE 09

“YWP afforded me an opportunity to build my network globally, increase my knowledge, soft and leadership skills, as well as gain recognition, exposure and most importantly strong professional relations.” Ashton Mpofo,

national lead, YWP

PAGE 10

“We regularly need to ask ourselves if we have properly determined the skills needed in the sector to ensure the future sustainability of water supply in the country. The water sector must look to the future when assessing what skills are required.” Mpho Mookapele, CEO of

the EWSETA

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“When people ask me, ‘Are we going to meet SDG 6 by 2030?’ I always say, ‘Yes, of course we are,’ but we all need to play our part – this is a ‘sector programme’ not a ‘DWS programme’. We either win together or lose together, and it is very much the Department’s intention to win. While progress is not as quick as we need it to be, as a sector, we must prioritise our actions, accelerate the process, and align ourselves with SDG 6 and the National Water & Sanitation Master Plan – we still have eight years to achieve this goal, and it’s up to all of us whether we achieve it or not.” Mark Bannister, chief engineer and coordinator: SDG 6

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“The water sector is a victim of climate change, but it is also a victim of itself. It is a victim of not doing the right planning, not empowering people, not making investments. South Africa can turn this around. We can turn climate change into an opportunity to simultaneously improve the quality of life for the poorest of the poor while creating fertile ground for industrialisation and entrepreneur development in South Africa, Africa and the developing world.” Dhesigen Naidoo,

senior advisor: Adaptation at the Presidential

Climate Commission and lead: Climate at the Institute of Security Studies 18 PAGE “Water scarcity is becoming one of the most critical risks threatening social and economic development throughout the world. Access to appropriate quality and quantities of water can either impede or enable economic growth, and affects the supply chain of most companies – not only those for which water is a primary input or production requirement. Unfortunately, South African companies can no longer rely on government to consistently supply the quality and quantity of water they need.” Chester Foster, GM, SBS Group PAGE 25

“Without the Nooitgedagt supply scheme, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) would have run out of water some years ago, with disastrous consequences for all. Nooitgedagt will ensure that NMBM will not run out of water entirely should the western supply fail completely due to the persistent drought – but will, instead, be able to provide a large portion of the metro with a continued supply of quality potable water, albeit at lesser quantities than current demand.” Kevin McRae,

COO, AfriCoast PAGE

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“Water reuse is increasingly becoming a part of different companies’ sustainability plans. But in South Africa, water security is the primary driver. Manufacturing plants and other businesses cannot afford to come to a grinding halt every time a municipality is unable to supply water. The cost of potable water in South Africa, compared to the cost of potable water in Europe, is very cheap. So, while sustainability and water security are drivers for water reuse in South Africa, there is little motivation for cost savings. However, as water becomes increasingly scarce – with growing populations and the economy – and as water pollution intensifies, the cost of water treatment will rise and water reuse will become an obvious choice.” Miles Murray,

director: Business Development, Veolia Services Southern Africa

PAGE 40

“Contaminated land is not rare, and almost every industry must deal with it. Industrial sites have traditionally been built on the outskirts of towns and cities, but urban expansion has seen many housing projects being built on or next to industrial areas. Today, many industrial sites are in the centre of towns and cities.”

Lindsay Shand, principal environmental geologist, SRK Consulting

PAGE 38

“Even though South Africa is struggling to deal with water security, it is slow to embrace a circular economy. This is because there is an incorrect perception that a circular economy requires a lot of redesign and investment. Small, deliberate changes can help drive sustainability and ultimately achieve a circular economy – without losing focus of the primary treatment goals.”

Megan Schalkwyk, process engineer, Umgeni Water

PAGE 43

“The politicisation of water prevents its effective management, where technically sound decisions are often overruled. Many politicians (even councillors and mayors) have unchecked powers, where they suspend water tariffs close to elections. If water utilities are poorly governed, there will never be improved quality of service. It is critical to have autonomous regulation agencies as well as a mix of PPPs. Poor water governance impedes social and economic development, as water is crucial to the growth of a country.” Osward Chanda, director: Water & Sanitation,

African Development Bank PAGE

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“With growing evidence of incidents of vandalism of water infrastructure across the country, we must raise the question: should our large dams be national key points? By affording adequate protection to dams and pump stations, we can to some extent alleviate water shortages and not use our strained fiscal resources to replace infrastructure that has been destroyed by vandalism.”

Wally Ramokopa: director: Dam Safety Regulation, Department of Water and Sanitation PAGE

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