WASA May/June 2017

Promoting professional excellence in the water sector

Water& Sanitation The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

Complete water resource and wastewater management

Africa

HYSON CELLS Beat sick concrete

Dams & Reservoirs Mini grid breakthrough

in the

hot seat

water reuse

Wastewater: A valuable resource

Mine water

Is Waterberg groundwater worth its salt?

“Grundfos offers a complete range of water pumping solutions that ensure optimal comfort and safety in any application while providing cutting-edge, energy-efficient technology.” P12 Katrina Zlobich Business development manager: Water Treatment, Grundfos May/June 2017 • ISSN 1990-8857 • R50.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 12 No. 3

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Contents

Vol. 12 No. 3

Promoting professional excellence in the water sector

Water& Sanitation The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

Complete water resource and wastewater management

Africa

HYSON CELLS Beat sick concrete

DAMS & RESERVOIRS Mini grid breakthrough

IN THE

HOT SEAT

WATER REUSE

Wastewater: A valuable resource

MINE WATER

Is Waterberg groundwater worth its salt?

“Grundfos offers a complete range of water pumping solutions that ensure optimal comfort and safety in any application while providing cutting-edge, energy-efficient technology.” P12 Katrina Zlobich Business development manager: Water Treatment, Grundfos May/June 2017 • ISSN 1990-8857 • R50.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 12 No. 3

ON THE COvER A groundbreaking construction technique with a track record of 32 years and 4 100 projects promises lasting performance in all civil structures, from dams to reservoirs, canals, clarifiers and more. Read more to find out how to beat sick concrete. P4

Wastewater Treatment

14

Dams & Reserviors

21

Desalination News

45

Stormwater Management

50

REGULARS Editor’s Comment Africa Round-up Industry News Cover Story

3 19 56 4

HOT SEAT

Grundfos: Perfection through advanced technology

12

WISA CEO’s Comment President’s Comment Young Water Professionals WISA Events

6 7 9 60

WASTEWATER REUSE Wastewater: A valuable resource Wastewater as an attractive investment

14 17

DAMS & RESERVOIRS Mini grids power renewable breakthrough

21

MINE WATER

Is Waterberg groundwater worth its salt?

26

LABORATORIES & EQUIPMENT Why we need turbidity testing

32

PANEL DISCUSSION Integral Laboratories SBS Water Systems Veolia Water Technologies SA Quality Filtration Systems

39 41 43 44

DESALINATION Desalination News 45

AUTOMATION Confidence in data

48

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT The blue-green lattice

50 infrastructure news

infrastructure4

www.infrastructurene.ws

Publisher Elizabeth Shorten Managing editor Alastair Currie Editor Frances Ringwood Head of design Beren Bauermeister Designer Ramon Chinian Chief sub-editor Tristan Snijders Sub-editor Morgan Carter Contributors Ivo Arrey, Dave Dewar, Anya Eilers, Lester Goldman, Nora Hanke-Louw, Piet Louw, Julia McLachlan, Ntsika Mtembu, Valeria Naidoo, Arno Nangamso Van Averbeke, Sivuyile Pezulu, Lindelani Sibiya Marketing manager Mpinane Senkhane Head: Digital marketing Roxanne Segers Client services & production manager Antois-Leigh Botma Production coordinator Jacqueline Modise Distribution manager Nomsa Masina Distribution coordinator Asha Pursotham Financial manager Andrew Lobban Administration Tonya Hebenton Printers United Litho Johannesburg t +27 (0)11 402 0571 Advertising sales Avé Delport / Jenny Miller t +27 (0)11 467 6223 avedel@lantic.net / jennymiller@lantic.net

editor’s COMMENT

Best of times, worst of times

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o be clear, President Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle at the end of March this year was directly responsible for South Africa’s downgrade to junk status. Our water sector is primarily made up of the public sector and because a lot of private sector players have to work with government, few inside the industry can ever publically admit they don’t like a decision taken by national government.

Nevertheless, his decision has hurt the economy and, indirectly, the water sector – that is an incontrovertible fact.

Especially confusing for those who work with and in government is that our president had made the sector so proud not one week before, by standing up at Luthuli House and presenting a UN report on why we need to see wastewater as a valuable asset: something leaders in the South African industry have been championing for years.

The good that came out of the World Water Week event in Durban is going to have positive ramifications for the future that we cannot yet comprehend. In the last month, I have heard professionals ask whether South Africa is equipped for the level of wastewater treatment required for direct potable reuse of water. Yes, we have the technology but what we don’t have is the money to pay for and further develop it.

This has reinvigorated discussions around the true price of water and whether it is costed adequately.

A new focus on technology has seen a surprising new urgency and emphasis on alternative building technologies and older proven technologies that were shelved because the money wasn’t there. The new focus on wastewater technology has spread to other disciplines, including hydropower, the elevation of the process controller, scientific testing, desalination, acid mine drainage treatment, groundwater research, and sanitation.

We South Africans are doing amazing things right now. So where is the Southern African water industry heading? I’m going to say that, in spite of the dire geopolitical and economic backdrop, we’ve all come too far now to let inertia set in. And I, for one, can’t wait to see how that plays out.

Publisher

Physical address: No 9, 3rd Avenue, Rivonia, 2191 Postal address: PO Box 92026, Norwood, 2117, South Africa t +27 (0)11 233 2600 • f +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 frances@3smedia.co.za ISSN: 1990 - 8857 Annual subscription: R300 (SA rate) subs@3smedia.co.za Copyright 2017. 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 contacts: Head office Tel: 086 111 9472(WISA) Fax: +27 (0)11 315 1258 Physical address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand BRANCHES www.ewisa.co.za Eastern Cape Chairperson: Selby Thabethe Tel: +27 (0)41 506 2862 | Email: ssthabethe@vodamail.co.za Secretary: Christopher Maduma Tel: +27 (0)41 506 7527 | Email: cmaduma@mandelametro.gov.za Free State Chairperson: Sabelo Mkhize Tel: +27 (0)53 830 6681 | Email: smkhize@solplaatje.org.za Secretary: Noeline Basson Cell: +27 (0)71 362 3622 | Email: ndb@malachi3.co.za KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson: Vishnu Mabeer Tel: +27 (0)31 311 8684 | Email: vishnu.mabeer@durban.gov.za Treasurer: Renelle Pillay Email: PillayR@dws.gov.za Limpopo Chairperson: Paradise Shilowa Cell: +27 (0)79 905 9013 | Email: paradises@polokwane.gov.za Secretary: Salome Sathege Tel: +27 (0)15 290 2535 | Email: salomes@polokwane.gov.za Mpumalanga Chairperson: Susan van Heerden Cell: +27 (0)82 800 3137 | Email: susanvanhd@gmail.com Secretary: Theo Dormehl Cell: +27 (0)83 294 0745 | Email: dormehl@soft.co.za Namibia Chairperson: Dr Vaino Shivute Secretary: Kristina Afomso Tel: +264 61 712080 | Email: afomsok@namwater.com.na

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Western Cape Chairperson: Natasia van Binsbergen Tel: +27 (0)21 448 6340 | Email: natasia@alabbott.co.za Secretary: Wilma Grebe Tel: +27 (0)21 887 7161 | Email: wgrebe@wamsys.co.za WISA’s Vision The promotion of professional excellence in the water sector, through building expertise, sharing knowledge and improving quality of life.

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Business develop

May/June

1990-8857 2017 • ISSN

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 on cover bookings, contact Jenny Miller on +27 (0)11 467 6223, or email jennymiller@lantic.net.

12 No. 3 VAT) • Vol. • R50.00 (incl.

Endorsed by

MAY/JUNE 2017

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cover story

Beat sick concrete What is sick concrete syndrome? Every engineer’s nightmare! Hyson Cells has been developing new technologies for fast, efficient solutions to concrete problems. CEO Sally Hall discusses how to overcome sick concrete syndrome.

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ow, a groundbreaking construction technique with a track record of 32 years and 4 100 projects promises lasting performance in all civil structures, from dams to reservoirs, canals, clarifiers and more.

CEO and founder of Hyson Cells Sally Hall, née Hyson, won the Cement & Concrete Institute (now The Concrete Institute) award for Concrete Person of the Year in 1995. This was in recognition of her laboratory work, which changed the way people think about mixing grouts and concrete.

Hyson’s unique way of approaching an industry problem and then solving it doesn’t stop at mixing concrete. Her experience in the plastics moulding industry led her to develop Hyson Cells BubbleLock, a proven technology, guaranteeing a superior lifespan on all large concrete slab structures.

“After about 30 years, the concrete structures that we assumed to be unbreakable may suddenly disintegrate and collapse as a result of corrosion of the reinforcing steel,” explains Hall.

“We have solutions for this problem that can be applied to water storage structures, wastewater treatment works, canals, stormwater systems and

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may/june 2017

roads,” she adds. Reinforced concrete is expensive and requires specialised personnel. By contrast, Hall’s product is far more cost-effective, using cast-insitu articulated block mats requiring no reinforcing steel.

Alternative building technologies Alternative building technologies (ABTs) are the only answer to the growing problem of the overstretched, overworked, underfunded municipal engineer. Designed to be more affordable, quicker and easier to maintain and install (employing a lowskilled workforce), these technologies provide an answer to the problem of under-capacitated municipalities.

Yet, many municipal tender documents do not make provision for tendering on ABTs. This is a missed opportunity, which makes many of South Africa’s capital projects much more expensive than necessary.

Sick concrete is a perfect example of why engineers need to investigate ABTs. First off, concrete work is exact and the setting and pouring techniques need to be carried out with precision. While it’s commonly known that reinforced concrete is stronger than concrete that doesn’t incorporate rebar, what is less well known is that even reinforced concrete is still prone to cracking, especially shrinkage cracking, and has

its weaknesses, especially if incorrectly designed or installed.

“If the rebar is not specially treated, corrosion of the embedded steel starts taking place after some 20 years resulting from water, chlorides and oxygen penetrating the cracks and reaching the embedded steel reinforcement,” explains Hall.

“Corrosion of the steel rebar causes it to swell as rust is formed. Rust has a lower density than metal, so it expands as it forms, creating tensile stress. This tensile stress leads to cracking, spalling and the potential failure of structures,” Hall adds.

Epoxy coatings can be applied to the steel before it is embedded in the concrete to protect against corrosion, but the fact is that special coatings are expensive. Also what often happens is that cut ends and bends are not repainted, so even in cases where the right construction steps have been taken, a lack of site maintenance will still lead to sick concrete syndrome.

“Corrosion is a fundamental key to determining structural lifespan. There are numerous examples, from dams to power stations, where corrosion is causing loss of man hours, costing millions (if not billions) in repairs and causing anger and frustration among utility clients because of service interruptions,” says Hall.

Cost and time “Steel is expensive and, therefore, so is rebar. Not to mention that high-quality concrete is needed to create reinforced concrete, further driving up costs.

Contractors will often try to cut costs by adding stone or crusher dust to the mix.

This affects workability and weakens the mix. Water will then often be added to compensate for the workability issue.

This further weakens the mix. The only way to determine the strength of the final product after it has cured is to take core samples. On too many projects, this is treated as an afterthought, or neglected entirely, and when this happens, you get bridge collapses and other dangerous structural failures,” explains Hall.

The solution Hyson Cells’ cast-in-situ pavers present an alternative to reinforced concrete slab construction. This system has no steel and uses a pumpable self-levelling sand grout. “Hyson Cells BubbleLock appears in the bill of materials as a ‘geocell’ but it is really quite a different product to conventional geocells,” explains Hall.

“Geocells originated in 1979 when the US Army Corps of Engineers did research in reinforcing sandy beaches to allow them to be trafficked by wheeled vehicles. The South African Defence Force was, at that time, fighting in Angola and approached the local plastics industry to see if they could develop a similar product. Different companies came up with different suggestions, but I developed my own manufacturing method and Hyson Cells was born,” she adds.

“Our research proved that a 200 micron film would be sufficient due to the size and shape of the cells instead of the 2 mm thick sheeting that was used in the USA. This had the added benefit that it made the product affordable,” says Hall. Hyson Cells provides mats of 200 m² and larger. These are used as sacrificial formwork to cast articulated block paving with the formwork being left embedded in the paving to serve as perfectly fitted jointing.

Maintenance comparison The maintenance cost of reinforced concrete is lower than plain concrete but very expensive to remove and replace if it does get sick concrete syndrome, as it has to be cut out with

diamond or tungsten blades and jack hammers. Maintenance of Hyson Cells BubbleLock is quick, easy and inexpensive. The area to be repaired is excavated with a pick and there is no obstructing steel. A replacement patch of the formwork is pinned in position and filled with poured grout. If a quick set is required, calcium chloride can be used as an additive.

Attitude of innovation Hyson Cells is a company dedicated to innovation. Its Wolmaransstad Sewage Treatment Plant is an example of another one of the company’s ABTs: one that uses a cone buried in the ground rather than the usual concrete cylindrical ring standing on top of it, which municipal engineers will be more familiar with.

The revolutionary design completely negates the need for expensive rebar because the sloping walls of the cone provide the necessary structural support. “Structures such as clarifiers and methane digesters at wastewater treatment plants can be constructed at about 20% of the cost of cylindrical reinforced structures currently in use,” says Hall.

Her plant designs incorporate the use of algae for treating acid mine drainage water, as well as industry-leading biogas and bioenergy technologies, using both algae pellets and methane recovery to generate power for the national grid or internal plant use.

Holistic engineering Many engineering firms will provide a by-the-numbers solution that meets the needs of the tender, or find an effective short-term solution.

Where Hyson Cells differs is its holistic approach. The company sees the engineering problem as the one to be solved, asking how to deliver the most affordable solution without sacrificing quality. “Additionally, we never forget the communities where our solutions are installed, incorporating skills development and job creation opportunities as well as making community health, safety and security a key part of our attitude of innovation,” concludes Hall.

HYSON CELLS www.hysoncells.co.za

“After about 30 years, the concrete structures that we assumed to be unbreakable may suddenly disintegrate and collapse as a result of corrosion of the reinforcing steel.” may/june 2017

5

CEO's Comment

WISA

Water for all As part of the World Water Week celebrations, the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) head office exhibited and presented at the United Nations (UN) World Water Week Summit and Expo, hosted by the Department of Water and Sanitation at the Durban International Convention Centre during March.

T

he meet was an opportunity to reflect on our challenges and learn from our other African colleagues. It was also a valuable networking opportunity, and we were able to interact with our water stakeholders. WISA regularly engages in these national and international events and will continue to do so in future.

World Water Week The conference focused on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which, as formulated by the UN Open Working Group, proposes this mission for the next two decades: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”

The group says that that this goal can be achieved by applying four principles: 1. Separating drinking water from wastewater. 2. Accessing and treating drinking water to remove chemical and biological contaminants. 3. Protecting and restoring freshwater ecosystems 4. Guaranteeing water access and water rights. These are dealt with individually below.

Separating wastewater Separating wastewater from drinking water has been described as a key factor contributing to the increased longevity of humans. Eradicating waterborne disease has played an important role in achieving this result. Yet, a staggering one billion people still do not have access to improved sanitation, in spite of the fact that it would reduce the global disease burden and infant mortality rates.

There are many examples of successful sanitation projects in the developing world, and in our country, which we can learn from. WISA requests its members to submit these stories so we can share them with our members.

Accessing and treating Greater water accessibility has resulted directly in more time being available for productive work, school, business development and raising families. This is particularly relevant in our rural areas, and for women and children who spend a significant amount of time accessing water. Ultimately water must be treated before drinking, but this challenge can be overcome with adequate resources for filtration and disinfection. We must resolve to address this.

Protecting ecosystems Most of the world’s freshwater resources have diminished owing to unsustainable

Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA

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may/june 2017

withdrawal, contamination, the effects of climate change, nutrient pollution and other human activities. This has resulted in decreased water quality and inadequate quantity for consumption.

As a result, we have to preserve and the ecological integrity of our freshwater lakes, rivers and wetlands.

Guaranteeing access Economic development requires water resources and therefore it is crucial that local government planners build this into their systems. All development and land-use changes have consequences.

As the need for water for agriculture and industry increases, it is critical that we focus on water-sharing agreements to ensure equitable access for all water users, including the environment. These agreements will require negotiations across local, regional and national boundaries and was discussed during the Unesco Conference.

It’s time we put actions to words and ensure that conferences become more than just meeting places and talk shops.

If we don’t, we will not achieve SDG 6.

WISA

President ’s COMMENT

Rethinking wastewater management Valerie Naidoo, president of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), discusses how new and emerging trends and drivers could bring about a renaissance in wastewater management – if adequate funding is made available.

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and its shift from purely a final-effluentquality intervention for protection of health and environment to one that, while attaining the necessary waterquality mandates, also recovers water, energy, and other refined products.

Based on a scan of the academic and wastewater management landscape, wastewater management can be divided into discreet classes: current and established technologies, new and emerging technologies and approaches, resource recovery systems.

Technology choice The choice that one makes for implementing current technologies depends on several factors such as size, land availability, cost, capacity, and general limits. In addition, the choice should also be dependent on factors such as effluent quality vs water treated to a fit-for-use quality, energy efficiency vs energy recovery, intensification of processes (small footprint), and incremental vs disruptive technological development.

The latter set of factors is more clearly aligned to leadership and its vision to achieve sustainability, liveable cities, technological excellence, and a highly capable human capital base that is able to provide high service levels to citizens.

The current and established technologies that are in use in South Africa range from simple septic tanks and ponds

he 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are positioned as a global call to action to end poverty, protect the environment, and bring peace and prosperity. These include new goals such as climate change, economic equality, and innovation, and build on SDG 6, which calls for clean water and sanitation.

The latter expands on sanitation and wastewater management to be more inclusive of solutions aimed at safe reuse and recycling. Furthermore, the SDGs acknowledge that the goals are interconnected. For example, in South Africa, clean water and Currently, safe sanitation cannot be entities and provided without strong initiatives do exist but institutions that deliver tend to have committed high-quality services to the people. Payment for budgets and, to some extent, these services cannot be lead to fragmented and disconnected from the unaligned systems with most need for economic detechnologies dying a slow velopment, nor can it be separated from affordable death in the “innovation and clean energy, as well as a valley of death” technically competent industry, a robust innovation pipeline and well-managed infrastructure.

Resource recovery It is important, therefore, to examine the philosophy of wastewater management

to biological nutrient removal – an advanced version of activated sludge. These tend to be a combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes.

Breaking this technology lock in the sector has been difficult for the new and emerging technologies that are on offer like granular systems, membrane-based systems or the low-energy systems like anammox and hybrid ecologically based systems. This is owing to several reasons such as the inability of institutions to shift to a new capability base, cost, and lack of demonstrations that allow institutions to develop a level of confidence.

To some extent, it also been because of poor financing of wastewater technologies, particularly for operations and maintenance, technology lock-in of consultants, and the ability for a sharedcost model for emerging technologies between industry (technology providers) and water sector institutions.

Killing innovation?

Technology start-ups from individual innovators and academia should have the support of a public sector “Water Innovation Fund”, which combines the budgets of the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, and industry partners

Dr Valerie Naidoo, president, WISA

Adequate funding needs to be made available to inspire entrepeneurship, otherwise South Africa will miss its chance to be a leader in the development of new wastewater treatment technology may/june MAY/JUNE 2017 2017

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President ’s COMMENT

WISA

to show at scale with budgets that allow for demonstration, capabiity building, business incubation and manufacturing incubation.

Currently, entities and initiatives do exist but tend to have committed budgets and, to some extent, lead to fragmented and unaligned systems with most technologies dying a slow death in the “innovation valley of death”. These reasons make it more difficult for South African institutions to shift to recovery solutions at even a basic level, such as moving towards improved energy efficiency, energy recovery and the various options available for reuse of sludge in its various forms such as fertiliser, soil amelioration, and compost.

It will make it far more difficult to test opportunities that academia is currently researching on recovery of higher-value products such as enzymes, lipids, methanol, and isoprene (used in tyres).

This lack of funding for the latter stages of technology development and testing

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make it impossible for municipalities to relook at their business models around wastewater management and limits the return on investment in innovation in science and technology and the economy. Worst of all, it signals to science and technology graduates that their best option is to seek a job rather than explore entrepreneurship.

May/june 2017

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2015/07/17 11:09 AM

WISA

Y WP

Young Water Professionals on World Water Day Young Water Professionals South Africa (YWP-ZA) saw World Water Day 2017 as a rallying call to share and explore some of the opportunities available out there for young professionals. By Nora Hanke-Louw, Anya Eilers, Ntsika Mtembu, Lindelani Sibiya, Sivuyile Pezulu, Ivo Arrey*

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he future remains uncertain for many YWP-ZA members who struggle to find employment or afford education. Yet, the drought has opened doors for investment in the South African water sector.

Uncertain market conditions have ushered in renewed interest in upskilling YWPs to meet the future workplace needs. Thankfully, the 0% university fee increase in 2016 has allowed many of our members to further their studies.

The Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) membership statistics are also promising: 48% of individual members are between 21 and 40 years old and increasingly mirror South Africa’s population demographics. In other words, the South African water sector is alive and well and many of our members have been successful in securing employment and funding.

Municipalities are key in the service delivery pipeline, as well as in the

absorption of young professionals in the sector. Across the public sector, the lack of skills, which is not always due to a skills shortage, may be ascribed to people not wanting to live in rural municipalities.

Other factors discouraging entrance from the public sector include not wanting to deal with “red tape” and the salary packages not being competitive, among others. Some of these could be overcome if YWPs and municipalities adopted a model whereby municipalities contract skilled labour and YWPs to share workplace experience for skills development.

Bearing the above in mind, the YWP-ZA members decided to use their regular contribution to WASA to share their experiences of YWP-ZA World Water Day activities that took place throughout the country. The activities emphasise the multiple opportunities available to young professionals within the sector, in spite of market vicissitudes.

The Limpopo chapter’s celebration was held at the University of Venda

#LoCS4Africa2017 Ntsika Mtembu, a YWP member working as a scientific graduate trainee at the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), formed part of a youth outreach initiative and, in this capacity, attended the Local Climate Solutions for Africa (LoCS4Africa) 2017 Congress and Interactive Expo in Ekurhuleni – focusing on Africa’s rapidly growing urban water needs. LoCS4Africa was a great platform to gather different stakeholders from across Africa, inclusive of youth, to share knowledge and experiences, and propose local solutions for African water

Conference attendees spoke on a wide range of topics, from understanding clouds to how the circular economy operates in South Africa’s water sector

MAY/JUNE 2017

9

Y WP

WISA

YWP-ZA members engaged in activities to promote awareness about opportunities for young professionals around the country

and climate issues. However, youth representation at the congress remained a concern. Africa’s future is in the hands of everyone, especially the youth who will carry on the legacy of such platforms, but how can that be achieved if they are not considered for such platforms?

What is required is not only that the youth attend but that they be present and involved in drafting declarations and informing other important future policy decisions.

While the launch of AfriAlliance was a great success, with lots of interactive sessions, it needs to engage more young water professionals, especially those still busy with their master’s and doctoral studies, to create a platform for young, driven academic researchers who can contribute to innovative practical projects. Throughout the conference, the urgency of climate change affecting local communities was noted, acknowledged, supported and clearly stated in the final declaration. It is now the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure sustainable progress and contextualised local solutions driven by communities and not exclusive of the indigenous knowledge and capacity building.

UN World Water Day Lindelani Sibiya heads up the YWP-ZA KwaZulu-Natal provincial chapter, which organised and coordinated, in collaboration with Umgeni Water, a Professional Skills Workshop during the UN World Water Day conference held at the Durban ICC on 23 March this year. The workshop’s purpose was to discuss the status quo of professional

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skills and encourage young professionals to register with their respective professional bodies. The session was chaired by Umgeni Water’s CEO and president of ECSA Cyril Vuyani Gamede.

Attendance was overwhelming, with delegates filling all available chairs and some standing at the back. The session comprised a set of presentations by WISA CEO Dr Lester Goldman and ECSA CEO Sipho Madonsela, who both articulated the role of professional bodies and voluntary associations in the sector’s skills development.

These were followed by a presentation

by Lindelani Sibiya who presented an overview of water-sector skills and their impact on service delivery.

Lastly, Umgeni Water presented a case study on a National Treasury-driven programme, which was implemented in 2012 through the water boards and municipalities and is currently producing registered young professionals for the water sector to bridge the skills gap.

A vibrant discussion took place towards the end of the session where positive recommendations were tabled.

Delegates were enthusiastic about the improvement of professional skills in the sector and a willingness to support the development of young professionals was displayed by both the professional bodies and government entities present.

Reimagining sanitation Anya Eilers, chair of the YWP-ZA Western Cape provincial chapter, hosted a prestigious discussion panel at the University of Cape Town, which took a closer look at the pressing challenges of sanitation in South Africa. It is no secret that sanitation

is one of South Africa’s greatest challenges, but could the answer lie in crossing the boundaries of adjacent disciplines and pooling our knowledge together?

Engineers without Borders, YWP-ZA Western Cape and other affiliated organisations seemed to think so.

There was a panel discussion on reimagining sanitation with a highly acclaimed panel from a range of disciplines in the sanitation sector, including: Mark Swilling, academic director of the Sustainability Institute of Stellenbosch University; Marc Lewis, CEO of waste treatment start-up BioCycle; Lulama Ngobeni, civil engineer; and Axolile Notywala, Social Justice Coalition activist. With a fantastic turnout and the lecture hall packed to capacity, the discussion was truly imaginative. A primary concept reiterated throughout the evening was the need to develop sustainable sanitation solutions in our established urban areas, and not just in rural and informal settlements.

Complimentary refreshments after the event allowed for further discussion and networking. As only one leg of a threepart series in reimagining sanitation, we look forward to see what other ideas will emerge.

Walk for Water An organised event between YWP-GP and the DESNET Foundation, the 5 km Walk for Water commemorated South Africa’s Human Rights Day observed on 21 March, and World Water Day on the following day. The 105 participants who took part were encouraged to walk

WISA

in the Kloofendal Nature Reserve with a sealed container of water and then donate it at the end of the walk.

The aim of the event was twofold: 1. To conscientise the public on the value of water, and the reality of many children, often girls, who are kept away from school because they have to walk several kilometres to fetch water for the family’s use.

2. To build a community that conserves and uses water sparingly in an effort to make South Africa a more water-secure country.

A total of 450 ℓ of water, packaged in 5 ℓ sealed bottles, was donated. This water was given to a nearby community that has no access to clean, running water.

Malebo Matlala, founder of the DESNET Foundation, thanked the participants warmly and pointed out that “the people who will receive this water are in dire need of such basic services”.

Sivuyile Pezulu, the YWP-ZA Gauteng province chair (also an engineer at the iNdalo Group), added: “The event was a great success. Many participants asked that we do it every month, or every quarter at the very least. This was an encouraging affirmation; we will certainly make it an annual event.”

Clouds and the circular economy YWP-ZA Limpopo’s chapter gathered at the University of Venda’s Library Hall from 22 to 23 March 2017 to celebrate the World Water Day theme ‘Wastewater’as well as the World Meteorological Day theme ‘Understanding Clouds’.

A total of 58 delegates from across the province, comprising students, early career professionals, and researchers, were present over the two-day event.

They represented a spectrum of

168 Contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention protecting wetlands

institutions, including the University of Venda, the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD), the Limpopo departments for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, and the National Department of Public Works.

Day one kicked off with registrations and the welcoming speech led by the interim chair for the YWP-LP, Ivo Arrey. This was followed by an opening address delivered by the Dean of Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, Professor John Odiyo. A YWP-ZA presentation was made by Fhumulani Mathivha and was followed by Mulweli Nethengwe presenting on AWARD’s contribution from a linear to a circular economy. An interactive session about water in a circular economy, its opportunities and challenges was the main activity for the rest of the day.

Day two began with a keynote address by University of Venda-based meteorologist Dr Hector Chikoori on understanding clouds. This was followed by a Q&A session, which ended on a high note. Next was the continuation of the interactive session on water in a circular economy.

Delegates walked away from this with a better understanding of where entrepreneurship opportunities lie.

The day ended with a ‘Let’s Talk About Water’ session, which involved the following documentaries: Water in the Anthropocene, Liquid Assets, and Last Call at the Oasis. These thought-provoking

2 186 Wetland sites listed by Ramsar as having international importance

Y WP

Africa’s future is in the hands of everyone, especially the youth who will carry on the legacy of such platforms – but how can that be achieved if they are not considered for such platforms? documentaries were carefully chosen to trigger meaningful discussions.

Conclusion In closing, at this time of global environmental crisis, we need more action and less talk. We need more inclusive and transparent platforms and a lot more appropriate representation of stakeholders. Knowledge and experience sharing will only be effective if those who are meant to sustain it and pass it on to future generations are fairly represented in all gatherings about issues concerning both current and future generations. This also includes YWPs in municipal structures and other decision-making positions. *Nora Hanke-Louw, Anya Eilers, NtsikaMtembu, LindelaniSibiya, SivuyilePezulu, Ivo Arrey are all members of YWP-ZA.

2 087 Total surface area of all Ramsar-designated wetlands in '000 km2

64% World’s wetlands that have disappeared since 1900

MAY/JUNE 2017

11

HOT SEAT

Perfection through advanced technology Grundfos offers advanced water management and treatment solutions across all industries and building types. Katrina Zlobich, business development manager: Water Treatment, describes just a few of the firm’s leading offerings.

What sites has Grundfos equipped with water management products and solutions?

KZ There are too many to mention but I believe that Grundfos’ solutions are working all around us without us even realising it. In Mall of Africa, for example, our pumps provide perfect water pressure to the mall’s customers; if you work at FNB or Standard bank, Grundfos pumps are working to provide the optimal internal climate; if you drive past the new Sasol Headquarters, our pumps installed there use between 20% to 50% less energy. In gyms, wellness centres and spas, our pumps create hygienic pumping solutions. Our customers enjoy the flexibility of our products, the user-friendliness and accessibility of our top-of-the-range technology and the cost-effectiveness at the end.

What water management solutions does Grundfos offer for commercial, industrial and municipal buildings?

Looking into commercial buildings like hotels, hospitals, office towers and airports, they each have vastly different requirements. Grundfos offers a complete range of water pumping solutions that ensure optimal comfort and safety in any application while providing cutting-edge, energy-efficient technology.

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MAY/JUNE 2017

Below, I outline some of our solution offerings. First, we provide constant water pressure for buildings. Our range of booster systems assures constant pressure regardless of flow inconsistency and fluctuations. Water demand is uneven and depends on the number of taps opened at the same time. Looking at a hotel, for example, the number of people staying at a hotel at a certain time has an influence on the amount of water the hotel will use.

When selecting a system, the main thing to look at is the minimum and maximum flow rate required at a certain amount of pressure. Grundfos’ advanced systems (Hydro MPC) MPC systems can communicate via BMS, SCADA or any other communication protocol, which will allow the user to monitor and control the booster. This makes performance monitoring and system settings optimisation accessible from anywhere in the world.

Second, Grundfos designs and delivers fire systems ranging from simple pump-driver systems to highly innovative engineered and packaged systems in

Katrina Zlobich, business development manager: Water Treatment, Grundfos

compliance with almost all the relevant fire standards. Buildings should be equipped with fire systems according to legislation. Different fire hazards determine whether the water supplies for sprinkler installations should run off single or multiple pumps.

Third, as part of our Lifelink project, Grundfos offers its AQPure products, which can treat up to 2 m3/h of water. The process uses ultrafiltration technology and optional modules can be added to match clients’ specific water treatment requirements.

These can include ultraviolet light and activated carbon. Solar package options can also be supplied with the system. It has a wide application range, from commercial building services, for rainwater treatment to potable water supply, to water supply for rural areas. The solution is mainly used in this latter environment, especially where there is no access to taps or a power supply. Patented, self-adaptive control

HOT SEAT

software reacts to seasonal changes and maximises service intervals. Additionally, AQPure can be connected to a remote management system, which allows for easy system monitoring.

Fourth, chlorine dioxide (ClO2) systems are widely used in building services for hot- and cold-water circuits for hospitals, health centres, spas and other applications that require disinfection. Grundfos develops and manufactures water disinfection and dosing pump solutions for all types of commercial buildings.

We are experts in water disinfection, anti-scaling, -fouling and -corrosion for domestic water systems, air-conditioning systems, boiler and heating systems. We use the term ‘SMART’ when referring to our dosing range, which is short for: high-accuracy, reliable and safe dosing pumping.

Our SMART digital pumps use advanced stepper motor technology; they control flow measurement while also being user-friendly. Chemical dosing poses many challenges, but the SMART digital range has been designed to solve these challenges in order to reach performance targets. Our SMART solutions provide maximum uptime with minimal operating costs. Equally important is the range’s safe operation, a vital consideration when dealing with hazardous chemicals.

Looking at rainwater harvesting, how effective have you found it to be for extending clients’ water supply and what factors or internal differentiators optimise the process?

The main challenge with rainwater in our country is the fact that it’s seasonal.

During dry seasons, rainwater collection is minimal, posing an enormous problem when it comes to collecting and storing rainwater throughout the year. It’s still a viable option and definitely results in savings, but unfortunately we in South Africa will never be able to use rainwater as our only source of water supply.

That’s why process optimisation is key to successful rainwater harvesting.

Installing pumps with variable-speed drive technology, i-solutions or solar functionality can significantly reduce energy consumption used on dual- or multisource systems. Additionally, control and monitoring helps with process optimisation, saving on chemicals and the various treatment

options that make the water supply from such systems compliant with the relevant legal specifications.

You also provide general water treatment solutions. What technologies do you supply and why are these recommended?

Mainly, Grundfos supplies products that complement our customers’ water treatment solutions (pumps, dosing, disinfection, control and monitoring devices). Our solutions are suitable for conventional water treatment and ultrafiltration, such as lower-pressure centrifugal pumps, for example, and reverse osmosis and desalination, which require highpressure centrifugal multistage pumps as well. Depending on water quality, we can accommodate high-salinity water (corrosive water) using different materials.

Monitoring, control and dosing products help our customers to achieve accuracy in chemical dosing. Our SMART digital dosing pumps are now available on a large scale, and we are launching the SMART XL dosing pump (up to 200 ℓ/h) in May 2017. Our control and monitoring device (DID), which can measure up to three different water parameters on a single controller, can be fitted with different sensors depending on process and customer requirements. Parameters might include free and total chlorine, conductivity, pH, ClO2, oxidation reduction potential, hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid).

One of the most important processes for potable water is disinfection. Without efficient water disinfection in commercial hot water systems, cooling towers, spas and swimming pools, Legionella and other dangerous bacteria can lead to fatalities or extreme illness. Grundfos uses a number of different chemicals in its disinfection systems, including chlorine gas, chlorine dioxide and sodium hypochlorite. The correct chemical to use is determined by various factors, such as: water quality, size of installation, logistics for chemical delivery and, of course, capital and operation funds availability.

za.grundfos.com

Grundfos offers a complete range of water pumping solutions that ensure optimal comfort and safety in any application while providing cuttingedge, energy-efficient technology

WASTEWATER treatment

Wastewater

A valuable resource

This year, on World Water Day, President Jacob Zuma released a high-level UN panel report on how wastewater should be seen as a valuable resource.

By Frances Ringwood

T

he report, titled ‘World Water Development Report 2017 – Wastewater: An untapped resource’ (WWDR), was launched in Durban during an international three-day World Water Day conference at the Albert Luthuli Conference Centre. As a member of the UN High Panel on Water, President Zuma Released the WWDR during the opening ceremony, which included other panel representatives from internationally recognised bodies including the UN, United Nations Education, the Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), the World Bank and the African Ministers’ Council on Water (Amcow). Amcow executive council member and minister of

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South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane read the panel’s joint World Water Day message, which warns, “If the world continues on its current path, projections suggest that it may face a 40% shortfall in water availability by 2030, affecting at least 1.8 billion people.”

Report summary The 180-page report details how increased demand for potable water highlights the vital importance of improving wastewater management for a common global future.

Pressures, which have led to a pressing need to consider wastewater reuse, include over-abstraction for farming and industry, pollution, climate change and population growth. In her foreword to the report, Irina Bokova, director-general of Unesco, points out, “It is estimated that well over 80% of wastewater worldwide (over 95% in some developing countries) is released into the environment without treatment.

“Water pollution is worsening in most rivers across Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 2012, over 800 000 deaths worldwide were caused by contaminated drinking water, inadequate hand-washing facilities and inappropriate sanitation services.” Ultimately, the report carves out a path for how target 6.3 of the 2030 Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) is going to be achieved.

Target 6.3 focuses on halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling, and safe reuse globally.

Social dimension Public acceptance of wastewater reuse has always been a sticking point in the reuse debate, but the report’s compilers argue that, given the immediate need for more secure national water supplies and existing water crises around the world, it’s time to overcome those attitudes.

“Raising social acceptance of the use of wastewater is essential to moving forward. This is the importance of education and training, and new forms of awareness-raising, to change perceptions of health risks and address socio-cultural concerns to bolster public acceptance,” writes Bokova.

Treatment challenge The report revealed a wide gap between wastewater treatment rates in high-income and developing countries, demonstrating that high-income countries treat about 70% of the municipal and industrial wastewater; upper-middle-income countries treat 38%; lower-middle-income countries treat 28%, and in low-income countries, only 8% undergoes treatment of any kind. Globally, over 80% of all

WASTEWATER treatment

FAST FACTS In 2012, over 800 000 deaths worldwide were caused by inadequate water and sanitation ser vices More than 80% of wastewater worldwide is released into the environment without treatment The urban population of sub-Saharan Africa’s cities is expected to nearly quadruple by 2037 The economic costs arising from river flooding worldwide could increase twentyfold by the end of the 21st centur y, if no fur ther floodreduction actions are taken Climate modelling scenarios show that the flood damage in urban areas could reach US$0.7 to US$1.8 trillion per year by 2080

Figure 1 Wastewater in the water cycle

wastewater is discharged without treatment. High-income countries treat their wastewater out of a desire “to maintain environmental quality” or “provide an alternative water source when coping with water scarcity”.

Nonetheless, untreated wastewater continues to be released in the waterways of developing countries as a result of infrastructure shortages, lack of funding and low rates of technical and institutional capacity.

The report advises fit-for-purpose treatment – i.e. treating water to the quality standard required by the end user, meaning that different users would require different qualities, saving costs where users require a lower-quality end-product. It also states “water reuse becomes more economically feasible if the point of reuse is close to the point of production”. A further recommendation was that the price of freshwater should take into consideration the cost of treating wastewater discharged into rivers and streams to the necessary standards.

Electromechanical equipment, civil structure and specialist technologies can be expensive but the ultimate benefit for ecosystems and the environment needs to be taken into account when

WATER TREATMENT IN THE POWER SECTOR South Africa has been pioneering the internal treatment and recycling of wastewater in industries since 1980. This practice has the advantage of reducing both the demand for, and the amount of effluent discharged.

National energy utility Eskom uses large quantities of water in its inland thermal power plants, mainly for cooling purposes, with production of substantial amounts of “blow-down” water (i.e. the water that is drained from cooling equipment).

This water cannot be released untreated due to its high salinity and the presence of pathogens and chemical additives.

In the early 1980s, Eskom began installing reverse osmosis plants to treat blow-down water. Currently, at the Lethabo Power Station in Sasolburg, Free State, a reverse osmosis plant is installed with a total capacity of 12 Mℓ/day.

(Source: Schutte:2008)

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WASTEWATER treatment

Figure 2 Percentage of untreated wastewater in 2015 in countries with different income levels and aspirations for 2030 (50% reduction over 2015 baseline)

“If the world continues on its current path, projections suggest that the world may face a 40% shortfall in water availability by 2030.” securing the necessary funds to invest in wastewater treatment.

Valuable by-products Also emphasised in the report were the secondary revenue streams that can be generated from recycling wastewater – energy and nutrients “remain underexploited”. Biogas energy and electricity generated from heating and cooling were recommended for offsetting the operational costs of wastewater treatment works, with the suggestion that such facilities could even become net-energy positive.

In South Africa, carbon dioxide diverted from the atmosphere by such systems can even be used to purchase carbon credits on the carbon credits trading market (currently driven by secondary prospectors). WWDR also outlined strategies for recovering nitrogen and phosphorus for use as additives in organic fertiliser.

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MAY/JUNE 2017

Africa chapter In the chapter focusing on Africa, the report states, “The gap between water availability and water demand is growing fast, especially in cities where the urban population is expected to nearly quadruple by 2037.”

Improved living standards, changes in consumption patterns, and a notable migration to urban areas all contribute to the growing demand.

Moreover, extractive industries, forestry and agriculture are all sectors that contribute towards Africa’s deteriorating water quality. Many of these industries threaten groundwater, the source of many African people’s water. This trend has also resulted in the over-abstraction of aquifers. Further, WDDR notes that in sub-Saharan Africa, “Of a billion people, 319 million remain without access to improved drinking water sources. For sanitation, the picture is even gloomier, as 695 million people do not have basic sanitation and not a single sub-Saharan African country has met the MDGs target regarding sanitation.”

WWDR proposes governance strengthening through better data gathering and managing, singling out Senegal, the Seychelles and South Africa for having comprehensive data available, although for the Seychelles and South Africa, the information goes back only as far as 2000.

Africa’s wastewater champions In Africa, Namibia and South Africa provide two good examples of wastewater reuse. Case studies from these countries demonstrate that, when wastewater is properly treated, it can be a safe source of water for drinking and industrial purposes. In Windhoek, Namibia, wastewater is treated to meet drinking-water-quality standards, while the water treatment in the power sector text box on the previous page describes how wastewater is being recycled in South Africa’s power sector. When it comes to promoting better wastewater recycling in Africa, the report recommends the establishment of adequate financial mechanisms. “Investors can be reluctant to finance water infrastructure projects, which demand high upfront payments and have long development periods.

Different options for financing wastewater management should hence be explored with national governments, such as payment of water or wastewater levies, participation by the private sector through investment in effective, lowcost, best-available technologies and public-private partnership.”

Donor support is already sought for pilot projects to convince role-players of the efficacy of innovative delivery models and technology, although more needs to be done in this area.

WASTEWATER reuse

Wastewater as an attractive investment With about 50 million South Africans each producing around 100 ℓ of wastewater per day, that’s 5 billion litres of water that could be made available for industrial or even potable reuse. Professor Tony Turton discusses making wastewater reuse an attractive investment. By Frances Ringwood

W

astewater reuse technology is already in place at the Amanzimtoti Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) in Durban, where wastewater is reused for industrial processes in the petrochemicals, and pulp and paper industries, and in Windhoek where wastewater is treated to potable quality.

Certain technologies used in the treatment process at Windhoek’s Goreangab WWTW were developed by the CSIR. The point is that Southern Africa has, in the past, and continues to treat its wastewater as a resource and there is, therefore, scope for replication and expansion. Professor Tony Turton, an independent water consultant, points out that Singapore produces 100% of its drinking water from reclaimed wastewater. The Asia-Pacific country has implemented a dual reticulation network on a national scale and has achieved national water security as a result. The economic spin-offs are well documented.

“From a cost point of view, it’s cheapest to reuse wastewater for industrial

Professor Tony Turton, independent water consultant

purposes first and then consider its reuse as drinking water. To the naysayers who cite the cost of earthWater Development Report 2017 – works as being the major stumbling Wastewater: An untapped resource’. block to implementing a dual-stream “I was excited, as I’m sure many were, reticulation system in South Africa, to see the UN and the South African I want to point out that the government backing this majority of the country’s concept. But if we now reticulation systems have this backing, the have recently question is what “The majority of the reached the end constrains us from country’s reticulation of their 50-year moving forward? systems have recently service life; now Is it technology? reached the end of is the ideal time I would argue to consider a ‘no’. Rather, their 50-year service system change,” the two life, and now is the he explains. major constraints ideal time to consider derive from a system change.”

Wastewater’s value South Africa’s Turton has estabpolitical landscape,” lished a reputation for he explains. asking hard questions.

“Of the two things that This is exactly what he did while constrain us, the first is political will. participating in the three-day World Someone must make a decision and Water Day Conference at Luthuli follow through with concrete, measHouse in March this year – the same urable action. The second constraint is conference where President Zuma that we’ve failed to understand the true released the UN report: ‘World cost of water in society. South Africa

MAY/JUNE 2017

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WASTEWATER reuse

is the most economically unequal county in the world – we know this.

So the present-day government, with its socialist orientation, subsidises the provision of free basic water to those who need it.

“Free basic water works on the assumption that the rich are going to be able to cross-subsidise water for the poor. This is a flawed assumption because even the actual cost of water, as it’s calculated in the first place, is way below the actual true cost of water. So the real constraint is that, because we have not costed water correctly, technological innovation is not being attracted to the reclamation space,” says Turton.

He believes that if water were costed correctly, innovators and their new technologies would be attracted to invest in wastewater reuse but, because of a lack of political buy-in, they remain

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reticent. “The lack of political buy-in manifests as an absence of coherent policies. These policies should be there to incentivise investment,” he adds.

Challenging government During his presentation on day two of the conference, Turton issued a challenge to government to create the necessary policies to make wastewater

reuse a reality.

“I asked this of the members of government who were present on the day – including the deputy director-general of Water and Sanitation – is government at war with the private sector? Is the private sector part of the problem or part of the solution?”

“If you decide that, for ideological reasons, capitalism is ‘evil’, you may need to make a policy decision where you nationalise everything and go down that route. Alternately, if we follow through with the path that government

is currently mooting, which is to proceed with public-private partnerships (PPPs), then you’ve got to accept that the private sector is not necessarily evil.

The next step is to reach out to industry and ask, ‘how are we going to structure PPPs in such a way that we can make technological development and investment attractive?’” Turton adds.

Voting for water?

He adds that, as long as politicians promise free water in exchange for votes, reaching a solution will be impossible.

“If you look at that 5 billion litres produced daily in South Africa as a resource, we can absolutely harness that, but the money needs to be there to build the technology needed to treat that water to the necessary standard,” says Turton.

The necessary precondition for making this goal a reality will be for the public sector to appreciate the true value of water and for the state to embrace the private sector. “The private sector will never be the whole solution, but it may still be part of the solution, more so than being part of the problem,” says Turton.

AFRICA ROUND-UP

Water and sanitation in Africa

Geopolitical pressures have precipitated a downswing of government-led construction projects in Africa’s water industry. Nonetheless, combined dam and hydropower schemes continue to promise socio-economic upliftment, making them attractive investments to over K2 million (about across the continent.

Ethiopia GERD carries a torch for community funding This year, Addis Ababa residents participated in the city’s “walks of life” community event held at the Millennium Hall to mark the sixth Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project commencement anniversary.

The event saw the annual GERD torch being lit, after which it will be carried around the country to raise awareness for the collection of further funds for the dam’s construction.

Over Br700 million (about

US$31 million) has so far been collected from Addis Ababa residents. Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn reminded assembled guests that the flagship project is a symbol of national pride and asked them to “lockarms and make history”.

Completion of the dam will see Ethiopia become a hydro-electric powerhouse in East Africa.

Source: The Ethiopian Herald

Malawi

Water disconnected at Malawian government building complex In May this year, Malawi’s Blantyre Water Board (BWB) disconnected water at the Blantyre Government Building Complex due to unpaid bills amounting

US$2 800). Regional housing officer (South) Wyson Chirwa confirmed the news saying departments should settle their bills for the water to be reconnected.

“We received a bill amounting to K2 453 667.16; therefore, the departments should make sure that they clear their arrears as per the last bill was sent to their offices for the water to be reconnected,” he said.

Workers in the complex said the lack of access to toilets and handwashing facilities was their biggest concern as they feared it might cause spread of disease. The complex houses over 10 government departments such as: the Ministry of Tourism, the Department of Meteorological Services, immigration offices, administrator general, legal aid,

Construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Source: The Ethiopian Herald)

information and offices of the district commissioner, to mention a few.

Source: Nyasa Times

South Africa

Protest over 10 toilets shared by 1 600 students Over 1 500 learners shut down their high school in Port Elizabeth earlier this week, demanding additional and clean toilets, more teachers, and enough nutritional food for everybody.

Ndzondelelo High School in Zwide was shut down for two days following accusations by students that the Eastern Cape Department of Education failed to respond to their grievances. Parents and community members also joined in on the protest.

Normal school learning only resumed after a meeting in which a team from the MAY/JUNE 2017

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AFRICA ROUND-UP

Water and sanitation in Africa The Sudanese Minister of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity said that an agreement had been concluded with Siemens to import a gas turbine producing 850 MW and this would be fully operational in 2018

department promised to fix the problems soon.

Student representative Vusumzi Gqalane explained: “We have very few toilets in proportion to the number of learners.” School principal Dan Ngcape confirmed that there was an acute shortage of toilets. “We can’t have 1 600 learners share 10 toilets.

It is unhealthy and not good for the children. The department acknowledged these facts and promised to quickly rectify the problem.”

He also said there was a shortage of more than 300 desks and that the student to teacher ratio was inadequate.

Source: GroundUp

Sudan

Construction of the dam should be given priority to mitigate the risk of floods, which threaten residents’ lives and result in property damage

The value proposition of hydropower projects is such that African countries invest heavily, knowing they will see a return 20

MAY/JUNE 2017

Another toiletrelated debacle unfolds as the Eastern Cape Department of Education fields questions from angry teachers, students and parents about facility shortfalls

company Siemens to import a gas turbine producing 850 MW and that it would reach the Sudan and be fully operational in 2018. He added that an agreement had also been reached to fund the Bagair station producing 350 MW and that work would start soon.

Source: Sudan News Agency

Parliament approves minister’s statement on hydropower projects

Kidete Dam prioritised

The Sudanese parliament has approved a statement delivered by the Minister of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity, Mutaaz Musa Abdalla, on the implementation of projects in the Upper Atbara and Siteit dam complex as well the development of other infrastructure projects.

The minister said that, so far, 3.3 billion cubic metres of water has been stored in the Upper Atbara and Siteit dams, which are at about 89.5% of their total capacity.

He added that the daily electricity that could be generated from the two dams is 80 MW. The 28 km electricity transfer line has been completed and the power will be supplied to Sudan’s national grid. The minister said that an agreement had been concluded with German

The Tanzanian government recently assured residents of the Kilosa District in the Morogoro Region that construction of the Kidete Dam will begin before the current fiscal year ends.

This was in response to a parliamentary question posed to Tanzania’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

During the rainy season earlier this year, the dam overflowed, causing floods in Kilosa town and adjacent areas. Construction of the dam should be given priority to mitigate the risk of floods, which threaten residents’ lives and result in property damage. Tanzania Railway Limited is often forced to halt upcountry trips from Dar es Salaam because long sections of the railway get uprooted by the floods.

During the session, Deputy Minister of Water and Irrigation Isack Kamwelwe

Tanzania

said the government was finalising the feasibility study of the project. He added that, in this fiscal year, the ministry will set aside funds to ensure the project is completed.

“I toured the area and witnessed how important it is to have the dam constructed on time, and I can assure the people of Kilosa that it will be constructed in this financial year,” he said.

Source: The Citizen (Tanzania)

Zimbabwe

Work starts on TokweMukosi hydro Work on the US$20 million mini-hydropower project at Tokwe-Mukosi Dam has started, with Italian contractor Salini Impregilo currently in the process of building a power house for the electricity generation plant. The government and Salini, which constructed the recently completed largest inland dam in the country, have signed a $7 million agreement to build the power house.

Tokwe-Mukosi is now over 70% full. The government agreed with Salini’s recommendation to carry out excavation and civil works for a 15 MW mini-hydro plant at the dam site. The project will take three months to finish.

Source: The Herald (Zimbabwe)

DAMS & RESERVIORS

Mini grids power renewable breakthrough

Sparsely populated rural areas are particularly difficult to electrify. In these cases, decentralised electrification through mini grids provides a feasible alternative that facilitates economic upliftment.

S

mall hydropower schemes can play a critical role in providing energy access to remote areas in South Africa as stand-alone isolated mini grids.

Internationally, small hydro is considered to be the best proven renewable energy technology, ideal for the electrification of remote communities,” explains Marco van Dijk, a lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Pretoria.

The University of Pretoria, Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Water Research Commission (WRC) and WEC Projects are currently executing one such small hydropower project in

the remote village of Kwa Madiba, in the O.R. Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

“Different rivers and river sections within O.R. Tambo were investigated to find height differences within the different rivers that could be suitable for small-scale hydropower generation.

Sites with a higher potential head difference initially gained preference over sites with higher flows due to the increase in cost of larger equipment necessary to convey the larger flows,” explains Van Dijk.

The geometrical layout of the Thina Falls on the Thina River, within the Mhlontlo Local Municipality, as well

as the relatively high perennial flows within the Thina River offered a feasible opportunity for small-scale hydropower development. The total hydropower generation at the falls amounts to about 350 kW. This potential reaches megawatts in the event of higher flows over higher flow periods.

Project overview The Kwa Madiba small-scale hydropower plant is a run-of-river scheme where water is rerouted from the Thina River immediately upstream of the Thina Falls through an intake structure, penstock and containerised turbine room to the section of the Thina River immediately

Members of the Kwa Madiba community and visitors from the WRC

“Small hydropower schemes can play a critical role in providing energy access to remote areas in South Africa as standalone, isolated mini grids.”

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WASTEWATER treatment

TABLE 1 Kwa Madiba scheme technical data

Design flow rate

150 ℓ/s

Design head

48.8 m

Design power output

50 kW

Total penstock length

158 m

Transmission line length

1 140 m

Number of households

39

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May/june 2017

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downstream of the Thina falls. The penstock is constructed by means of directional drilling through the mountain. The system is a closed system with no exposure of the water resource to any chemicals or lubricants and the electricity that is generated will be reticulated to 39 households.

Renewable energy “There are many renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines, solar panels and biogas, which WEC Projects is very familiar with as we installed the only operational example of a biogasto-energy plant on a sewage treatment works in South Africa. These renewable energy options are fantastic, as they have very little negative impact on the environment. However, some of them do have downsides, such as being dependent on ideal weather conditions to work efficiently,” comments Graham Hartlett, commercial director of WEC Projects.

“Hydropower, however, will operate and create electricity regardless of the weather conditions. Electricity will be generated if there is water being conveyed from one point to another and South Africa has a number of perennial rivers that can be used. The flow of water causes the turbine to rotate, generating kinetic energy that is then turned into electricity,” he explains.

Conduit connection “A similar Banki turbine was installed at Bloemwater’s Brandkop Reservoir. A total of 350 ℓ/s of the water supplied to the Brandkop Reservoir via the Caledon-Bloemfontein pipeline is diverted through the turbine to generate 96 kW of electricity,” points out Van Dijk.

Small hydropower projects like Brandkop and the Kwa Madiba site have a minimal impact on the environment due to the fact that only small amounts of flow are rerouted. The technology does not negatively impact dam water volumes and no scouring occurs due to the operation of the plant.

At Kwa Madiba, small amounts of flow are sufficient due to the high available head difference at the Thina Falls.

Social impact The social impact on the community is positive as the 39 households will now have access to electricity.

“The introduction of electricity to the community and the added opportunity to connect a pump to the electrical supply for pumping raw water to the community for the irrigation of their subsistence crops further uplifts the social standing of Kwa Madiba,” concludes Van Dijk.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS OF THE KWA MADIBA PROJECT: Civil components • Intake with primar y screen and cleaning rack • 42 m x 355 mm Class 6 HDPE intake pipeline • 116 m x 355 mm Class 6 HDPE penstock • 6 m containerised turbine room • Tailrace Electro-mechanical components • IREM ECOWATT micro hydroelectric power plant type TBS 3-0.5 • Banki turbine horizontal axis in AISI 304 stainless steel mod.3-0.5 • Three-phase synchronous 4-pole generator-type AS60 Electrical components • 1 140 m transmission lines • 1 000 m distribution lines

KWA MADIBA PROJECT BACKGROUND • In July 2011, government announced 12 implementation plans for immediate action. Action Plan 6 called for “scaling up rural development programmes including investment in rural areas and the revitalisation of smaller towns”. The responsibility for implementing Action Plan 6 fell to the Depar tment of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) in conjunction with the presidency.

By September 2011, the DRDLR had initiated a programme focusing on people living in 23 distressed municipal districts (DMDs).

• The DST has aimed at piloting a range of innovative technology solutions to enhance ser vice deliver y through an initiative called the Innovation Par tnership for Rural Development (IPRD) Programme. The IPRD Programme is aimed at value addition to the targeted 23 DMDs in response to their needs.

• The IPRD initiative operates in close cooperation with local municipalities, the Depar tment of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and the DRDLR. As par t of the initiative, the DST has contracted the WRC to showcase and test a suite of water, sanitation, micro-hydroelectric power and smar t geyser technology solutions at municipal level. The WRC contracted the University of Pretoria to conduct research within the IPRD Programme.

• One of the study areas within the targeted 23 DMDs is O.R. Tambo, where the identification of potential sites for small-scale hydropower generation was researched. Kwa Madiba was selected for its ideal height differential between two rivers.

• WEC Projects has been involved in implementing the electromechanical aspect of the Kwa Madiba project.

Source: WRC

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Bulk services construction under way in Sibaya The Sibaya Precinct is a mixed-use residential development on the north coast of Durban, sprawling over 1 000 ha of coastal landscape. It includes a coastal dune forest conservancy and wetland rehabilitation, with about 75 km of paths, boardwalks and trails planned.

S

3.6 km long), and the 355 mm diameter trunk sewer main to service Node 1.

The latter gravitates from the Sibaya traffic circle on the M4 tying into the existing 450 mm diameter trunk sewer main (about 2.1 km long).

Bulk services Consulting engineering firm SMEC South Africa has been appointed by Tongaat Hulett Developments (THD) to conduct the engineering design for Sibaya Precinct’s bulk services.

New bulk services are being constructed that will service both the existing and new developments. The existing Waterloo Reservoir will also need to be upgraded.

However, this is only anticipated to be necessary following Node 4.

“We conducted water modelling for Sibaya Precinct, including the demands from future developments in the area such as THD’s Cornubia North and Mount Moreland South,” explains Etienne Viljoen, project director, SMEC South Africa.

Construction has started on the 700 mm diameter steel bulk water main (about

Site supervision “We are responsible for site supervision services as well,” highlights Siebren du Plessis, project manager, SMEC South Africa. The design of the 600 mm gravity trunk sewer main and the upgrade to the Sibaya Sewer Pump Station are under way, with construction dependent on the demand for the second phase (Node 4), adds engineer Terence O’Flaherty.

SMEC has also been appointed to conduct the preliminary engineering services report for the Environmental Impact Assessment for Node 4 and the Sibaya Forest Estate. Node 4 is situated between the N2 and the M4, bordered to the north by the M27 and to the south by Sibaya Drive. It will comprise residential, mixed-use residential, commercial, and education facilities.

Here, SMEC will carry out the engineering design for the civil services, including roads, stormwater, sewer and water reticulation.

ituated directly west and south-west of the coastal town of uMdloti, the precinct will be confined by the uMdloti estuary to the north, uMdloti town and the ocean to the east, the uMhlanga estuary to the south, and the N2 to the west. The precinct will consist of seven different nodes, to be developed in a phased manner. Development of Node 1 started in the mid-2016.

MINE WATER

Is Waterberg groundwater worth its salt?

Research at the University of the Western Cape looks at the potential for using water produced with coal-bed methane to irrigate crops. The catch is that the water can exhibit high levels of salinity, having a harmful effect on produce if not appropriately managed. By Arno Nangamso Van Averbeke*

M

ethane production from coal beds involves the management of two important national resources: energy (in the form of natural gas) and water. The extraction of coal-bed methane (CBM) involves the reduction of pore pressure by withdrawing groundwater from the deep confined aquifer, both above and within coal seams, by pumping water to the surface to allow the methane gas to be desorbed from the coal.

Operators drill wells into coal seams, enhancing the release of methane by creating man-made fractures in the coal bed, causing the methane to rise to the surface. At the CBM production site on the Wildebeestpan farm, about 25 km

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north-north-west of the town Lephalale (formerly Ellisras) in Limpopo, methane arising from this process is flared.

However, there are plans in the pipeline to use the methane as biogas.

CBM water management During the dewatering phase of CBM gas production, a large quantity of water is pumped to the surface, which needs to be managed carefully, because it may be of poor quality.

CBM-produced water is managed through some combination of treatment, storage and disposal. It may also be reused, subject to compliance with national water quality standards. At present, significant differences exist in CBM-produced water management strategies in different countries and their basins. These differences are due in part to differences in the

composition and volume of produced water; the geology and hydrogeology of the CBM basins; the legal characterisation of the water; and the water rights established by government authorities.

Additionally, the production of large quantities of water during CBM exploitation poses a challenge in that the high sodium adsorption ratios (SAR) of the waters could degrade agricultural land, especially if directly applied to the soil surface. However, this could also present an opportunity if this water could be reused in one way or another.

A particularly productive reuse of CBM-produced water would be irrigation.

This applies particularly to water-stressed

Despite its name, Waterberg is one of the driest areas in South Africa

MINE WATER

South Africa. Moreover, the use of saline and saline-sodic water for irrigation is receiving renewed attention with the increasing scarcity of freshwater resources in semi-arid regions. Farms the world over will increasingly be faced with the challenge of using such waters to provide food and fibre for an expanding population.

Emerging issues The commercial extraction of methane from coal beds is now well established in a number of countries, including the US, Australia, China and India.

This research forms part of a broader feasibility study for methane extraction in the Waterberg, where only a pilot plant is currently operational.

As the number of CBM wells increases, the amount of water produced will also increase. Reliable data on the volume and composition of associated water will be needed so that countries and communities can make informed decisions on CBM development. In some areas, coal beds may function as regional or local aquifers and important sources for groundwater.

Wyoming parallel A study conducted in the Powder River Basin (PRB), Wyoming, USA, where land application of CBM-produced water was used for irrigation to check for changes in soil chemistry over time demonstrated that land application of CBM-produced water

posed challenges when used for irrigation.

The CBM-produced water was moderately saline and rich in sodium bicarbonate.

Recent research in the PRB indicated that salinity, as measured by electrical conductivity, and SAR produced water ranges from 0.4 dS m-1 to 4.4 dS m-1 and 6% to 69%, respectively.

Long-term application of CBM-produced water to soils, without treatment, posed both a salinity and sodicity hazard.

South African salts In South Africa, mine effluent has been used for growing several crops; however, it must be taken into consideration that these mine wastewaters were predominantly gypsiferous in nature. Planted pastures were successfully irrigated in the short term with sodium-sulfate-rich mine effluent on heavy clay soil. Although these successes are encouraging, it must be taken into account that CBM-produced water is dominated by sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and, therefore, quite different from the abovementioned examples of pastures irrigated with mine wastewater.

While irrigation waters do not affect the physical make-up of soils, saline water may increase osmotic stress, which reduces crops’ ability to extract water from soil.

Crops vary in salinity tolerance. The key issue with respect to irrigation suitability of CBM-produced waters is the naturally occurring sodium concentrations.

The production of large quantities of water during CBM exploitation poses a challenge in that high sodium adsorption ratios of the waters could degrade agricultural land As stated earlier, SAR indicates the sodicity hazard of irrigation waters. Soil infiltration and permeability decline in soils dominated with Na+ due to clay swelling and dispersion. The degree to which Na+ adversely affects a soil is dependent upon inherent soil properties and the concentration of other salts in the soil system. Thus, assessing the sodicity of irrigation water must be done in conjunction with assessing the salinity.

Secondary data In a 2012 study conducted by Anglo American Thermal Coal, three samples were collected from each monitoring site. CBM-produced water samples were collected and placed in 1 ℓ plastic bottles, and 500 mℓ or 250 mℓ glass vials. The samples collected per monitoring site were analysed as follows: •1 7 samples analysed by M&L Laboratories (Johannesburg) for pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, total iron, total alkalinity (calcium carbonate), chloride, sulfate, nitrate, fluoride and manganese • f our samples analysed by iThemba Labs (Johannesburg) for stable isotopes of deuterium

MAY/JUNE 2017

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MINE WATER Table 1: Results of the Anglo American Coal water study

Water-quality parameters

Min

April Median

Max

Min

May Median

Max

Min

June Median

Max

EC

93

454

905

94

678

3 484

100

617

906

TDS

642

3 230

5 274

616

3 484

5 392

612

3 122

5 444

Ca+

15

38

467

23

38

428

25

35

458

Na+

90

625

2 234

89

649

2 341

111

616

2 301

Mg+

8

13

122

8

13

129

7

11

136

SO42-

0.5

5

192

0,5

5

81

0,5

0.5

193

Cl-

79

390

1 376

78

394

1 281

96

377

1 337

SAR

1.5

14.13

154.86

1.6

14

130.1

1.53

15.4

121.1

• fourteen samples analysed by the CSIR (Pretoria) for methane gas concentrations.

The minimum, median and maximum values show comparative properties of the secondary data collected during the period of April to June 2014. Table 1 shows there were some anomalies in some of the comparative properties of the secondary data – TDS being one of them. At high TDS concentrations, water becomes saline.

According to Table 1, TDS is shown to increase seasonally as autumn progresses to winter. This could be due to the study site being in the highland areas, which experience dry winters and wet summers.

Another element with demonstrably high levels was sulfate. For the months of April and June 2014, sulfate was observed to be showing levels higher than 190 mg ℓ-1. This is abnormal for this study site; sulfate levels near CBM wells usually produce relatively low levels of sulfate.

A possible reason for this is that aquifers in a variety of hydrological settings can be sensitive to sulfate contamination.

High concentrations occur in shallow, unconfined aquifers that receive high sulfate infiltration from atmospheric deposition, fertilisers and animal wastes.

These sources, however, should not result in concentrations exceeding the maximum contaminant level (MCL). Also worth remembering is that aquifers’ underlying soils rich in gypsum have high concentrations of sulfate, often in excess of the MCL. Excessive amounts of sodium will deteriorate soil and reduce water penetration into soil. The effect of sodium on soils is related to the abundance of calcium and magnesium, and the sodicity of water is expressed as SAR in the following formula: SAR = Na+ × 0.043/{[Ca+ × 0.05 + Mg+ × 0.083]/2} or SAR What was observed in this study is that SAR values of the wells tapping into the

coal seam during sampling months of April, May and June are exceedingly high.

This may occur for numerous reasons, one being that salt stores in the stratigraphy can cause increases in the salinity of groundwater, as salts can be mobilised by deep drainage and recharge events.

Other reasons for the excessively high SAR values could be the effect of CBM-produced water impoundments on groundwater quality, which relate largely to the leaching or leaking of salts, metals or metalloids, such as sulfate, selenium, manganese, barium and total dissolved solids. These occur naturally in or under impoundments but may be dissolved and mobilised by CBM-produced water infiltrating beneath the impoundments.

Additionally, water in coal seams becomes more sodic with depth due to the dissolution of sodium and the precipitation of calcium and magnesium. Another possible reason for the increased SAR in Figure 4 could be the inflow of saline groundwater from adjacent formations following heavy pumping of the CBM wells.

Upper limits for salts If the SAR value of CBM-produced water is below 3, the water isn’t hazardous to crops, and no restrictions will be placed on its use as irrigation water. If the SAR is 3 to 9, the hazard to crops is slight to moderate: from 3 to 6, care should be taken to sensitive crops; from 6 to 8, gypsum should be used and soils should be sampled and tested every one or two years to determine whether the water is causing a sodium increase.

For a SAR value that is above 9, the water might be an acute hazard to crops and is thus unsuitable as irrigation water if not treated. However, there are some plants that are quite tolerant of high SAR levels, such as cotton (once germinated), wheat, lucerne, Italian ryegrass, barley and Bermuda grass grown in Lephalale – which can tolerate up to and above 40% of the sodium adsorption rates in CBM-produced water.

Moreover, the NaHCO3 CBM deep aquifer water is of very poor quality for irrigation. Salt-tolerant crops, such as those mentioned above, can be

Figure 1 Map of the basin or catchment in which the study site exits with corresponding land

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29

MINE WATER Figure 2 The sampling sites and monitoring wells of the study area are located within the Waterberg Basin

Figure 3 The study area with coal-bed methane wells and monitoring wells (Source: Anglo American Thermal Coal, 2012)

In South Africa, mine effluent has been used for growing several crops; however, it must be taken into consideration that these mine wastewaters were predominantly gypsiferous in nature

Figure 4 Sodium Adsorption Ratio levels calculated for the months of April, May and June 2014

grown with very skilful irrigation and crop management.

Study limitations The first limitation for this study was its timeframe. The cumulative impact of irrigating crops with CBM-produced water in the target area could be measured if the study had been a longer timeframe. There is, therefore, scope to extend this research.

A more comprehensive study might also review and cost the different technologies available in South Africa for separating salts from irrigation water.

Another limitation is that there were numerous gaps in the secondary data. It was not sufficient and consistent enough to plot an appropriate time-series graph for SAR, quite apart from plotting a piper diagram to show the different types of groundwater found in the basin study. Lastly, samples collected at the study site had been analysed by three different laboratories, which may have different procedures of analysing and synthesising groundwater data; fortunately, this had no influence on the charge-balance error of the documented secondary data.

Conclusion The use of some CBM-produced water for site-specific irrigation appears practical, given appropriate conditions including availability of produced water and use of various combinations of selective application to tolerant crops, treatment, dilution or blending of CBM-produced water sources; amendment of produced water and soils to be irrigated; and appropriate timing of irrigation practices.

However, in the event that CBM-produced water is discharged to perennial or ephemeral streams and rivers for the purpose of supplementing irrigation water supplies, careful consideration needs to be given to the potential effects on in-stream water qualities. Suitability of CBM-produced water for irrigation is site specific, necessitating the identification of the most sensitive irrigable crops and soils within the watershed and managing produced water discharges accordingly.

Using CBM water for irrigation will save water resources and be environmentally friendly. The potential use of CBM-produced water in irrigation could ease the tension between farming and mining communities. *Arno Nangamso Van Averbeke is a postgraduate student in the Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Western Cape

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MAY/JUNE 2017

MINE WATER

The right valve for slurries

U

ltra Control Valves (Ultra Valves) is a South African company committed to ensuring its clients get the right valve for the job. Managing director Peter Telle discusses the company’s offering: “We supply the complete range of valves for the water and sewage, and mining industries. Our core business is control valves and besides the company’s standard range of Ultra ACV pilot-operated control valves, other simple, unique solutions we provide are: • ratio pressure-reducing valves (up to 100 bar pressure).

These offer simplicity of control while saving users water and money

•m aric flow-control valves for water saving • segment ball-control valves for a lowcost, flexible solution.

For mines Ultra Valves is one of the mining industry’s choice suppliers of complete pressure-reducing stations. Our offering for slurries include: • Knife gate valves: made in South Africa, this range caters to the abrasive slurry industry. The range is also chemical resistant in stainless steel, with a bonneted design to ensure no leakage to the atmosphere. High-pressure valves of up to 40 bar are available, and these are also bi-directional.

• Diaphragm valves: both Saunders and

Warren Morrison brands.

•M etal-seated ball valves: for very high abrasion resistance including high temperature.

• Segment ball valves: used to control slurries containing abrasive particles.

• Air-release valves: A.R.I.’s air valves are suitable for surry pipelines and with acidic content.

“Besides these offerings, the Maric flow-control valve is fast becoming the industry standard for gland service water control on slurry pumps, due its unique simplicity and reliability,” says Telle.

He publishes a monthly newsletter with technical updates on hydraulic and valve developments. Subscription is free and easily available on the Ultra Valves website.

MAY/JUNE 2017

31

Laboratories & Equipment

Why we need turbidity testing When choosing water testing technology, context is everything. Along with the highest income disparities, South Africa also has some of the most unevenly treated water supplies. It also has one of the highest HIV infection rates, making trustworthy tap water a national necessity. By Frances Ringwood

E

very 20 seconds, a child dies from diarrheal diseases.

An estimated 88% of those deaths are linked to drinking polluted water. Diarrheal diseases tend to affect the very young, the very old, and the very sick – particularly those infected with full-blown Aids.

Diarrheal death from polluted water occurs mostly in developing countries but it also happens in developed ones.

The difference is that places like the USA have the necessary checks and balances in place to identify where problems have occurred and prevent future infections through publicly shaming utilities that don’t comply with legislation – and through heavy fines.

For example, 24 years ago in Milwaukee, the most virulent Cryptosporidium outbreak in recorded US history occurred.

In the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) report filed on the case, it was determined that Aids patients are some

32

MAY/JUNE 2017

of the worst affected by such outbreaks.

Some sufferers die from complications in less than three days. The EPA hauled the Milwaukee Water Works over the coals, and the incident has since been used as a cautionary tale the world over for why turbidity testing is necessary and important.

Why test turbidity?

Many countries do not test turbidity. Although the World Health Organization has published standards for testing turbidity, those countries that do test for turbidity usually adhere to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards.

Following the Milwaukee Water Works’ incident, the US EPA has been ruthless in carrying out its enforcement in order to prevent such outbreaks from happening in the future. In South Africa, water service providers (WSPs) adhere to both the EPA and ISO

standards (the latter generally favoured in Europe, although it is designed to be a global standard).

Although South Africa has world-leading legislation in place, many WSPs struggle with enforcement.

Why is it important that South Africa be a leader in treating drinking water? For two reasons: 1. South Africa has one of the highest (if not the highest) HIV infection rates in the world. The latest statistics indicate that 12% of the country is infected.Hence, drinking water needs to be monitored to prevent diarrhoea-causing bacteria and pathogens from entering the water supply.

2. South Africa is a leader in Africa. If South Africa masters techniques for monitoring drinking water, it can share its success stories with other African countries to multiply the positive outcomes across the continent.

Laboratories & Equipment

Children are among the worst affected by diarrheal diseases, as are Aids patients

The nitty gritty amount of time and effort, also making What turbidity testing actually does is the process much more accurate. to measure the density of particles in a Generally speaking, change is water sample. Recent events in South gradual. Much water quality testing in Africa, where many of the country’s dam South Africa continues to be performed levels reached their lowest points in in laboratories.

50 years, demonstrate exactly what type These labs face a number of challengof conditions lead to high turbidity. Low es – namely the need for a properly water levels mean less dilution when only equipped, accredited facility and the also partially treated water from wastewater the need for suitably qualified staff. treatment works By contrast, online re-enters the system. instrumentation is In the CDC report, it Additionally, lower physically present was determined that water volumes mean on-site, constantly Aids patients are some measuring less dilution of agricultural run-off. pre-programmed of the worst affected Although most of the parameters. This by such outbreaks. country’s dams have allows for extremely Some sufferers die from accurate readings since recovered, this is still not good news because the margin complications in less for turbidity. Heavy for error introduced than three days rainfall causes settled by human technicians sediments at the botis no longer a factor. tom of dams to get stirred up, resulting in That’s not to say that South Africa does a higher ratio of suspended particles. not have some of the top lab scientists.

Climate change is also a factor. In South However, even the best lab technician Africa, it has already shown to result in might have to leave their post to take more unpredictable weather events, lunch or have a comfort break. Also, including more frequent droughts and samples can be mislabelled in a lab flooding events. environment, especially when they are being collected in large quantities.

Lab and field testing Online analysers never rest, they are Before the development of online far less likely to mislabel samples and an analysers, there were laboratory (lab) alarm can be set to go off if pre-existing analysers, where technicians would parameter settings are exceeded. This take the samples and test them at a allows water quality issues to be detected specialised facility. This was ultimately long before the consumer is affected. very inefficient. A lot of the original EPA In a lab setting, it can take up to a week specifications were promulgated against before a problem is detected and, by the context of lab testing. that time, contaminated water may have For example, one specification was already reached the consumer. that drinking water needed to be tested for chlorine levels every two-and-a-half Measuring against disaster minutes. This generated a huge number Online turbidity analysers measure of samples, which were difficult to keep the number of different particles in a track of and avoid mixing up. As online series of water samples, including the analysers developed, chlorine levels number of particles of a certain size such could be tested automatically every twoas diarrhoea-causing pathogens like and-half minutes, saving an incredible Cryptosporidia and Giardia. When a large

number of particles are detected in dams or after the sand filters in a water treatment works, the alarm can be sounded to prevent the contamination of drinking water supply.

These analysers can also be stationed at wastewater treatment works’ river outflows to ensure the treated water meets the correct drinking water standards for discharge. Only a small percentage of South Africa’s wastewater treatment works comply with these standards, which is why the technology is relatively uncommon for this type of facility.

Back to the lab Although online analysers are more accurate and reliable than lab tests, they do not negate the need for lab testing. Rather, online tools must constantly be calibrated against laboratory samples to ensure field equipment is functioning optimally.

Factors like settling need to be taken into account while these calibrations are being carried out. Heavier particles sink to the bottom of lab vials, making their turbidity readings look clearer.

For this reason, lab tests will always appear clearer than readings from field instrumentation, although it should be remembered that field sensors will almost always be more accurate.

Context counts The South African context will always play a crucial role in deciding what analyser technology to adopt and where. High levels of poverty and systemic problems in the education system mean that field equipment has a higher likelihood of being stolen or vandalised.

That is why WSPs need to purchase robust, tamper- and theft-proof field equipment, otherwise their investment in the right equipment and procedures will be negated.

MAY/JUNE 2017

33

The next standard in the evolution of turbidity Only the new TU5 Series Lab & Process Turbidimeters with 360° x 90° Detection™ deliver unprecedented confidence that a change in your reading is a change in your water.

Groundbreaking 360° x 90° Detection™ Technology The TU5 Series employs a patented optical design that sees more of your sample than any other turbidimeter, delivering the best low level precision and sensitivity while minimizing variability from test to test.

Matching lab and online results For the first time you will be able to remove the uncertainty of which measurement to trust, thanks to identical 360° x 90° Detection™ Technology in both instruments.

Everything about turbidity – faster The TU5 Series dramatically reduces the time needed to get a turbidity measurement you can rely on, with 98% less online sample surface area to clean, sealed vials for calibration, and the elimination of the need for indexing and silicone oil in the lab. Not to mention, a smaller online sample volume means you will detect events almost immediately.

No surprises Prognosys™ monitors your TU5 Series online instrument, proactively alerting you to maintenance needs before your measurement becomes questionable. And a Hach Service Agreement protects your investment and helps ensure that you stay in compliance and on budget.

Principle of Operation The TU5 Series turbidimeters measure turbidity by directing a laser into a sample to scatter off suspended particles. The light that is scattered at a 90° angle from the incident beam is reflected through a conical mirror in a 360° ring around the sample before it is captured by a detector.

The amount of light scattered is proportional to the turbidity of the sample. If the turbidity of the sample is negligible, little light will be scattered and detected by the photocell and the turbidity reading will be low. High turbidity, on the other hand, will cause a high level of light scattering and result in a high reading.

52 B Le Maitre Street Brackenhurst, Alberton 1448 P.O. Box 1552 Bramley 2018, RSA Tel: (011) 867 5001/7 • Fax: (011) 867 5047 • E-Mail Address: sales@prei.co.za Website: www.prei.co.za

Laboratories & Equipment

Turbidity technology breakthrough A new standard in the evolution of turbidity testing that enhances accuracy and reliability is now available in South Africa.

Graphic representation of Hach’s patented turbidimeter technology

H

ach’s TU5 series turbidimeters use groundbreaking 360°x 90°detection technology to achieve a new standard in accuracy and reliability, while going a step further to ensure a better match between lab and online test results.

Hach is part of the Danaher Group. Steve Hebst of Prei Instrumentation – the local distributor for Hach’s online instrumentation – discusses the technology, “Hach’s patented 360˚ x 90˚ detection technology uses a whole new methodology for measuring turbidity confirming to the highest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. These standards have been adopted by South Africa’s biggest water service providers (WSPs), including the likes of Rand Water,” says Herbst.

Importance of turbidity Turbidity is important because it represents the “report card” by which water quality can be measured. It is defined as “The amount of insoluble matter present in drinking water is an essential quality indicator”. Silt, sand, bacteria, spores, and chemical precipitates all contribute to the cloudiness or turbidity of water.

Drinking water that is highly turbid

can be unpalatable and unsafe.

The TU5 series solves persistent market challenges. For example, there is a problem in getting the online results from field instrumentation to match with the lab equipment. The reason for this is that lab conditions do not simulate the natural environment, lab technicians can get tired and make errors, or they might get up and go for lunch or a comfort break, allowing sediment in a lab sample to settle. Further, glass vials used in the lab can get scratched from frequent use – this throws off test results,” adds Herbst.

What sets the TU5 series apart is that it makes calibration much easier and more accurate. Using a new, more accurate and affordable methodology, calibrations are performed automatically, negating the margin for error introduced through human intervention. The technology goes a step further, by incorporating radiofrequency identification (RFID).

“Samples that go to the lab have a

Light scattered at a 90-degree angle from the incident beam is reflected through a conical mirror in a 360-degree ring around the sample before it being captured by a detector

magnetic band attached – when you touch samples to the unit, it downloads all the information on that RFID tag, doing away with handwritten labels and allowing the lab to handle large numbers of samples without mix-ups,” says Herbst.

Groundbreaking methodology Both lab and online units utilise 360˚ x 90˚ detection technology – a new standard in turbidity testing.

“The first turbidimeters consisted of a candle under a jar. Divers would peer through cloudy water and judge how far away they had to go before they could no longer see the light from the candle. The next step in turbidity testing used nephelometric readings (light refracting at 90˚ followed by measuring the amount of light bounced back by particles). Thereafter, infrared laser technology was developed in Europe.

This was highly accurate but incredibly expensive,” says Herbst.

“What makes the TU5 series revolutionary is that it directs a laser into a sample to scatter light off suspended particles. Light scattered at a 90-degree angle from the incident beam is reflected through a conical mirror in a 360-degree ring around the sample before it is captured by a detector,” he explains.

The outcome is that the unit’s optical design sees more of your sample than any other turbidimeter, delivering the best low-level precision and sensitivity while minimising variability from test to test.

MAY/JUNE 2017

35

Testing pH & DO in Wastewater Do you need to spot test pH and DO in your aeration tank?

HI98196 Multiparameter Waterproof Meter pH, ORP, Dissolved Oxygen, Atmospheric Pressure and Temperature • Waterproof - IP67 rated waterproof, rugged enclosure for meter, IP68 for probe • Digital probe -with integral temperature sensor and two connections for pH (ORP) and DO sensors • Colour coded, field replaceable sensors • Auto-sensor recognition

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HI98196 Probe and Sensor Features Multi-function Sensor • Sensor replacement is quick and easy with field replaceable, screw type connectors which are colour coded for easy identification.

• These meters automatically recognize sensors HI98196 includes: • Rugged carrying case with custom insert • HI7698196/4 probe • HI7698194-0 pH sensor • HI7698194-2 DO sensor • HI9828-25 quick calibration solution • HI76981942 probe maintenance kit • HI76981943 calibration beaker • HI9298194 PC software • HI920015 micro USB cable • Quality certificate • Instruction manual • 1.5V AA batteries (4) HEAD OFFICE – JHB Hanna Instruments (Pty) Ltd 6 Vernon Road Morninghill, Bedfordview T: (011) 615 6076 F: (011) 615 8582 E: hanna@hanna.co.za

pH and DO Analysis in municipal, agricultural, and industrial dams

pH and DO Analysis in wastewater aeration tank

pH and DO analysis in aeration tanks CAPE TOWN BRANCH Unit B 18 Bellville Business Park Belville, Cape Town T: (021) 946 1722 F: (021) 946 1723 E: ct@hanna.co.za

DURBAN BRANCH 2 Sunnyside Centre 48 Sunnyside Lane Pinetown T: (031) 701 2711 F: (031) 701 2706 E: durban@hanna.co.za

Panel Discussion

Panel Discussion

According to a Frost & Sullivan survey, declining levels of water quality are prompting treatment chemical companies to invest in alternative water treatment methods. Some 98% of South Africa’s existing water sources are already allocated; less water means less dilution of contaminants and, so, the opportunities for suppliers within the water and wastewater treatment chemicals market is expected to increase.

Lower dilution rates mean more chemical (as well as biological and mechanical separation) treatment methods are called for to manage water quality

In this edition of Water&Sanitation’s Panel Discussion, we look at:

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39 Integral Laboratories

Laboratory analysis services

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41 SBS Water Systems

Water storage systems

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43

44

Veolia

Quality Filtration Systems

Total water solutions

Membrane filtration

Panel Discussion

Integral Laboratories What industries require your services and what are the important standards and accreditation codes they require from you as their preferred laboratory service provider?

NvK The ISO 17025 accreditation is the standard applicable to laboratories worldwide, and it is the benchmark that all industries revert to as a requirement.

Further, between all the different industries serviced by laboratories, the only notable difference is certain industry-specific legislative requirements. These differences inform which parameters need to be tested, and the levels thereof that would deem the tested materials to be compliant.

How do you guarantee consistent accuracy from your laboratories?

One of the major benefits of being accredited is that our testing methods and analytical performance are strictly monitored and measured, both internally and by external institutions. This underpins our Quality System approach. We follow the same principles at all of our laboratories across the country, which allows for easier monitoring of performance at each of the sites.

Additionally, sites are monitored to ensure their performance against stringent internal quality benchmarks, proficiency testing schemes and compliance. Without these, we would face a continuous battle to supply our clients with results they can have confidence in.

What partnerships have you established to enhance your service offering?

Rather than trying to be a ‘jack of all trades’, we focus on what we know best – analysis. There are other companies that can offer our clients an improved service delivery in the specific areas in which they are experts. So, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, we work together with a number of these experts within the industry and seamlessly integrate their services into our service offering in order to

provide the best possible service to our clients. By working with, rather than against, these specialist service providers, we provide our clients with what they need – a comprehensive product and service offering. We are always willing to work with other companies to find the right solution for clients.

Neil van Kooten Managing Director

What do you foresee being some of the major We follow the same challenges in managing the quality of principles at all of South Africa’s drinking our laboratories water going forward? across the country, Unfortunately, there are which allows for a number of challenges, many of which are easier monitoring interlinked. The greatest of performance at crisis that faces South each site Africa, right now as well as in the foreseeable future, is the shortage of water. Last night, driving home, the information sign above the N1 in Cape Town was registering dam levels at 12%.

This is scary, and while awareness of the predicament is at the highest levels ever, I think many people are still blasé about the risks, implications, and realities of the situation we are in.

From a quality perspective, many institutions are just happy to have water available. Practically, when you have so little available to treat, there is also a limit to what you can do in the form of treatment. The lower the dam levels, the more difficult it is to successfully treat water. With seven facilities around the country, it is easy to notice the cycles within the sector during the course of the year, and how the challenges experienced follow local weather patterns.

That said, when the water levels are higher and the pressure on this front is lessened, then one observes a shift in the paradigms concerning waterquality testing, with the general focus Working together starting to align with international with trusted industry focal points.

An example is the rising awareness partners allows about pharmaceutical and hormone laboratories to provide levels in water. This is a big positive the best service, for all South Africans as it shows that, without reinventing where possible, we are still trying to get ahead of the challenges looming the wheel on the horizon.

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Panel Discussion

SBS Water Systems

James Preston Marketing Manager

How do you ensure the quality of stored potable water provided for communities in remote areas?

JP Our tanks come standard with international quality PVC liners. These liners act as an ‘inner bladder’, which prevents water from leaking out, ensuring no harmful bacteria or other diseasecausing nasties get in.

SBS Water Systems has been building its service offering in the municipal sector for some time. Would you provide an example of how your recent product innovations have benefitted local communities?

One example is a full turnkey project we did in the Western Cape town of Riviersonderend. The town had grown so significantly that it needed a water reservoir quicker than the time it would take to build a concrete one. Our panel tanks, although able to store the capacity of a large reservoir, can be manufactured and installed within as little as six weeks depending on various factors.

Not to mention their decades-long, maintenance-free lifespan.

In this instance, we conducted all civil engineering work, laid the concrete ring beam, performed all landscaping work (which included the environmental impact survey and the relocation of certain fynbos species), erected the fencing to protect the tank, and then did the installation itself. The project, which saw an ST31/06 model installed, took 10 weeks to complete, and now provides the community with over two million litres of potable water storage.

Water shortages continue to push South Africans to install rainwater harvesting solutions; how is rainwater storage different to storing municipal water and what do clients need to know about hygienic storage?

The great thing about rainwater harvesting is that, in essence, it’s free water from nature. Before civilisation became urban, we drank our water from free sources. By harvesting your own rainwater, you are going back to your roots. Backup water is, of course, still paid for when you fill up your tank. It’s a great start, but still needs to be refilled when required, and if you’re in a drought situation, that can be difficult. Whereas, with rainwater harvesting, you can catch any rain that falls in a drought period.

That rain may not be enough to fill up the dams, but it is often enough to top up your company’s (or home’s) tank.

Rainwater hygiene is very important.

You need multiple sets of filters and purifiers in place if you are going to use it for drinking. You need, of course, your leaf filters, which will prevent large debris from entering the plumbing work.

And then you need a mesh filter for the smaller debris. Then keep in mind that your roof (which catches the rainwater) has all kinds of bird droppings and dirt on it, so you need water purifiers, such as carbon and UV filters, which will remove the finer sediment and purify the water

of microscopic bacteria. All these processes happen at municipal level, so why not bring the process on-site?

With today’s technology, it’s more than possible.

What are some of the quality indicators that demonstrate SBS Water Systems’ superior service experience and product safety?

We are SABS ISO 9001:2008 accredited, ensuring all our systems, from import to manufacture to administrative systems, are audited to the highest standards.

Our tank-wall panels and roof sheets are made of steel that is hot dipped and coated with a molten alloy of 55% aluminium, 43.5% zinc and 1.5% silicon, commonly referred to by its trade name Zincalume, thus rendering SBS Tanks® highly resistant to corrosion.

As mentioned earlier, all our tanks are fitted with a PVC liner that complies with the Australian Water Quality Centre standard AS/ NZS 4020‐2005 – a high standard, I can assure you. On top of this, our manufacturing, logistics and installation processes are very carefully managed by a team of highly trained and skilled professionals who ensure the entire operation moves like clockwork. Our 5 000 m2 factory is kept spick and span, ensuring you get your product in world-class condition at the exact delivery date.

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Panel Discussion

Veolia Water Technologies South Africa How is Veolia Water Technologies South Africa positioned to provide world-leading municipal drinking water services and what services do you offer?

CB Potable water treatment solutions from Veolia Water Technologies South Africa include a range of technologies for large- and small-scale municipal projects and tailored package (containerised) plants. A total water solutions provider, Veolia South Africa designs and builds new turnkey plants, refurbishes or expands existing plants, or can assume the operations and maintenance of plant processes.

Veolia South Africa draws on the 160 years of experience and over 350 proprietary technologies of its global parent company Veolia Water Technologies – a world leader in municipal and industrial water treatment services.

What are some of the flagship water treatment plants operated by Veolia and what is it that makes these plants stand out?

Since 2001, Veolia has executed operations and maintenance at the Durban Water Recycling Plant in the south of Durban on the grounds of the eThekwini Water and Sanitation wastewater treatment works. By treating industrial and municipal effluent to a near-potable standard for use by the city’s industrial clients, 47.5 Mℓ of potable water is redistributed to previously disadvantaged peri-urban communities each day, achieved without the need for investing in major bulk water supply and treatment infrastructure. At the same time, the pollution load on the marine environment is significantly reduced.

What technologies do you recommend for treating wastewater to potable standards?

We cover the complete treatment spectrum, from pretreatment to tertiary and sludge treatment, with a technology portfolio that can treat any municipal or industrial wastewater grade to potable (or higher) standards.

We tailor effluent treatment plants to the treatment requirements of client effluent to remove harmful pathogens, clear hazardous chemicals, detergents

and toxins, and separate and extract valuable substances from effluent.

To treat water efficiently and effectively in our numerous effluent treatment plants across Southern Africa, we recommend Veolia’s trademarked Hydrex range of chemicals. This series includes flocculants like anionic emulsions, anionic powders, anionic beads cationic emulsions, cationic powders and cationic beads, as well as organic and inorganic coagulants used in aerobic and anaerobic biological processes.

Chris Braybrooke General Manager

Veolia South Africa draws on the 160 years of experience and a portfolio of over 350 proprietary technologies of its global parent company, Veolia Water Technologies

What products do you recommend for raw water treatment?

Water clarification helps remove suspended solids and particulate matter – usually assisted by flocculants and coagulants, which improve settling. Water clarification systems are either rectangular, where water flows end to end, or circular.

In South Africa, the most popular water clarification systems from Veolia include our Actiflo and Multiflo products, which ensure the optimum use of space and the greatest efficiency and speed of water clarification. Both Actiflo and Multiflo water clarification systems can be retrofitted into an existing water purification system should plant capacity need to be expanded. These water clarification systems can also be supplied as a prepackaged system.

After clarification, additional filtering is used to remove any remaining suspended particles and unsettled floc. While the most common type of filter is a rapid gravity sand filter, a variety of pressure filters can also be used.

Media that can be used in filters vary from traditional sand and activated carbon, to multiple layers of various media. Where raw

water sources have exceptionally high salinity, membrane separation processes such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis are finding a strong market in South Africa.

What affordable treatment options do you offer for remote locations?

Veolia’s packaged plants (also known as modular systems or modular treatment) are the ideal solution for remote locations without access to bulk water/wastewater services. Any of our technologies can be deployed within a package plant system according to application requirements, and they can be quickly fabricated and transported to site via road.

These modular systems take up less space than conventional water plants and contain very few moving parts. The result is an efficient, highly reliable and affordable potable water treatment plant or wastewater treatment plant with low maintenance requirements and low operating costs.

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Quality Filtration Systems (QFS) What are some of the biggest challenges in treating raw water to potable standards?

HS Conventional technologies, in some cases, are not sufficient to produce potable water quality, as a result of diminishing raw water quality in South Africa’s water sources. The identification of contaminants and water characterisation are critical to determine treatment requirements.

Microbiological contamination assessments identified protozoa contamination as a new danger in raw water, as Giardia and Cryptosporidium can pass through a sand filter and are also resilient against chlorine disinfection.

How does QFS’ technology overcome these challenges?

QFS offers ultrafiltration as a mechanical barrier down to 0.04 micron for the Log 6 removal of Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

The effectiveness of the ultrafiltration membranes to remove suspended solids and microorganisms assists in better

Herman Smit Managing Director

downstream disinfection by chlorine.

Can you provide an example of a client who used this technology?

Treated municipal wastewater requires a stringent tertiary filtration process to guarantee water safety for reuse applications. The provision of an integrity-testable ultrafiltration membrane ensures the quality of the final filtered water.

In the last 12 months, QFS has provided two ultrafiltration skids for this application, at 3 Mℓ/day and 1.5 Mℓ/day plants.

QFS designed, engineered, manufactured, installed and commissioned a 3 Mℓ/day plant to facilitate supply security in the KZN tourist town of Ballito

Desalination news

Desalination uptake rising Packaged, portable, modular desalination is becoming increasingly popular in SA as demand for potable water increases. Large-scale builds for municipal supply are also becoming more attractive. The question remains whether locally made technologies match (or exceed) alternatives from overseas – in terms of cost and quality.

ESKOM CHAMPIONS DESALINATION AT KOEBERG Cape Town’s ongoing drought has prompted the state power utility, Eskom, to reveal plans to install a desalination plant at Koeberg nuclear power station in Cape Farm, Cape Town. Velaphi Ntuli, the power station’s manager, announced these plans during one of the power station’s safety forum meetings in Q1 2017.

“The decision to install a desalination plant was a result of the current water shortage experienced in the Western Cape,” Ntuli said. Although the plant will not be finished in time to relieve the situation posed by the current lack of capacity in Cape Town’s dams, it will have an impact on averting future such crises in the region. Ntuli added that Koeberg already has its own developed water infrastructure with the necessary permitting in place for groundwater desalination. He explicitly noted that new technologies in the desalination space are making this a more affordable, more feasible option.

Plant resurrection Koeberg previously had a desalination plant but it was taken out of commission several years ago due to operational difficulties. Eskom has confirmed that it is not currently feasible to refurbish and resurrect the facility. Ntuli noted that the type of nuclear technology produced at Koeberg requires water mostly for cooling purposes, meaning that it uses water from the Atlantic Ocean, needing very little fresh water.

“Koeberg uses about 7 million kilolitres of seawater per day, so the fresh water usage of 1 370 kilolitres is low in comparison,” he said. Ntuli added that the new desalination plant would be mobile and have features that would allow for easy upgrading and modernisation.

Another plant The City of Cape Town has also mooted plans to build its own municipal desalination plant at the site. The city has previously released a statement saying that its planned pilot site will have no detrimental effect on Koeberg.

The pilot plant will be a small-scale modular reverse osmosis desalination plant with a capacity of between 2.5 Mℓ and 5 Mℓ per day.

Koeberg has not yet been confirmed as the final site for the plant as another site along the same coastline is being considered. If the small-scale plant is considered successful, it may be replaced by a larger-scale plant treating between 150 Mℓ to 450 Mℓ per day, city sources confirm. There are also plans in the works to manage and drill the Table Mountain Group Aquifer as well as build a R120 million water reclamation plant at Zandvliet.

Plans are in the works to install a desalination plant at Koeberg nuclear power station, although most of the water it needs is used for cooling – this cooling water comes from the Atlantic Ocean

PUBLIC-PRIVATE COOPERATION IN PE Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, beer maker AB InBev (formerly SABMiller) and salt producer Marina Sea Salt have been in talks about building a large-scale desalination plant in Port Elizabeth.

The plant would potentially produce potable water for the townsfolk of PE. The talk took place publicly at the South African national government’s Business Adopt-aMunicipality scheme.

The scheme aims to garner support for municipalities and other state-owned entities from business.

AB InBev and the Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs have already signed an agreement that includes provisions for the plant.

eThekwini has signed a memorandum of agreement with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation to build the R600 million plant may/june 2017

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Desalination news

Doosan has been named the top winner of the ‘Desalination Plant of the Year’ award numerous times and has won nine awards in total, starting with the Sohar desalination project in Oman in 2005 R600 MILLION JAPANESE PLANT TO BE SITED ON THE BLUFF Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has entered into a public-private partnership with the City of eThekwini to provide a low-energy desalination plant for the city as part of its efforts to stave off the effects of the water crisis. JICA has been working with South African municipalities for some years, investigating areas of cooperation between the two countries, especially in the technology sphere. eThekwini has signed a memorandum of agreement with Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (Nedo) to build the R600 million plant. Nedo is the world’s largest government-based public organisation that funds major infrastructure projects in developing countries.

The plant will use 30% less energy than conventional plants, meaning it will also be environmentally friendly as it uses less energy from state supplier Eskom, ultimately cutting down on the amount of fossil fuels used in securing the city’s water supply. Project manager Devan Govender commented that the energy-saving desalination technology will be the first of its kind in Africa. “It’s going to be a 6.52 Mℓ/day demonstration plant. The grant funding involved a prefeasibility study and a demonstration plant.

“The prefeasibility study compared conventional desalination to the environmentally friendly technology from Japan. The feasibility study shows clearly that the power consumption is 30% less than conventional desalination resulting from the element of reuse involved,” said Govendar.

The demonstration plant will be built with a seawater outfall in the central water treatment works on the Bluff. The R600 million is the price tag for the infrastructure alone, and the city will be footing the bill for the year-long demonstration after construction.

A unique partnership between business and local government will see desalination creating potable water as well as salt for sale to consumers

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DOOSAN WINS ‘DESALINATION COMPANY OF THE YEAR’ Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction was named as the winner of the ‘Desalination Company of the Year’ award by Global Water Intelligence (GWI), one of the industry’s leading research organisations. The company was recognised with the award at the 2017 Global Water Awards held in Madrid, Spain, on April 24.

According to the company, the prestigious award recognises Doosan Heavy’s contribution to the desalination industry – last year, it won the seawater desalination plant Phase 1 in Kuwait and the operations and maintenance services contract for the Ras Al-Khair desalination plant in Saudi Arabia, which has the largest capacity in the world, among other major projects.

Other awards Further, Doosan successfully completed the Yanbu Phase 3 seawater desalination plant in Saudi Arabia and the Escondida seawater reverse osmosis plant in Chile, for which it received the ‘Municipal Desalination Plant of the Year’ award and the ‘Industrial Desalination Plant of the Year’ award, respectively. The company was also named as the winner in three out of ten categories.

Middle East projects Water business Group CEO Seokwon Yun of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction said, “Doosan has won a series of large-scale seawater desalination projects in the Middle East during the last two years, and has successfully completed water plant operation and maintenance projects, proving its technological prowess and construction capabilities. In the near future, we aim to further expand our presence in global water treatment markets by banking on our world-leading desalination expertise.”

Doosan had been named the top winner of the ‘Desalination Plant of the Year’ award numerous times and has won nine awards in total, starting with the Sohar desalination project in Oman in 2005.

AUTOMATION

Confidence in data

For water services authorities (WSAs) like Johannesburg Water, it is crucial that everyone involved in the provision of water and infrastructure maintenance processes has confidence in their data, so they can make quick decisions and be proactive before problems occur. By Frances Ringwood

E

dward Livesey is the electrical support manager at Johannesburg Water (JW).

He stresses the necessity of having confidence in the data gathered through WSA’s telemetry, supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) systems and geographical information systems (GIS) to be able to use these technologies to their full potential.

“We operate on the basis of a theory developed by Russell Ackoff, where the path from data to knowledge is like a pyramid, where data is the foundation.

When you ask ‘what’ and provide the necessary context to understand that data, it becomes information. When you ask ‘how’ and gain more intelligence and understanding around that information, it becomes knowledge. Finally, when you ask ‘why’ something has occurred, your knowledge becomes wisdom, enabling you to project past experiences into the future, prompting certain outcomes and avoiding others,” he explains.

“Without good, reliable data, which is the basis for everything else, you will not develop knowledge or wisdom within an institution and you will not be able to act out of anything beyond intuition and assumptions. Action based on intuition

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and assumptions can often result in knee-jerk responses that do not solve the problem and waste valuable time and resources,” he adds.

Continuous improvement JW’s older version of its current Scada system would only provide graphical readouts of a variety of different levels and limits from sensors and devices installed at the WSA’s assets. When a level or limit reading was irregular, an alarm would sound, a team would be sent out and that was more or less the end of the process. Sometimes, a follow-up visit would be carried out or a team would be asked to justify their overtime, but that was it.

“By adopting a philosophy of continuous improvement, the system now allows for manual inputs like making notes.

After accumulating these notes and reasons for potential issues, a larger pattern may start to emerge, which can then be escalated and a management decision taken,” explains Livesey. Included in the upgrade was networking JW’s GIS into the data transformation process, allowing for real-time data to be mapped on to JW’s Scada intelligence. Not only does this enhance operators’ confidence in the

accuracy of the data, it also allows the generation of reports, which can be sent to managers’ smart devices.

Outcome One of the benefits of having large amounts of data readily at hand about the assets in a specific geographical area is that planning decisions can be made based on that data. For example, city planners will be able to see if there is capacity in the existing network to build a new retail centre. For construction purposes, they’ll have a better idea of where underground pipes lie so that these can be avoided, preventing unnecessary service interruptions.

Another benefit of the system upgrade is that when teams are dispatched, it is now possible to know what size team is needed, what vehicle is needed and what type of repair equipment might potentially be required based on the size of the pipe located in the callout area.

“Additionally, the system prevents the loss of institutional knowledge when a particular individual leaves the institution or changes their position. This is achieved by saving, storing and backing up our documentation. Documentation is updated every six months and we

do a standard review once a year,” Livesey explains. Other things that can be achieved include performance reviews for individual controllers, reviewing a configuration to determine whether or not it is the best fit, reviewing alarm performance, identifying problem areas, faulty signals, design problems and excessive demand.

“We’re moving to a space where we have data on every component connected to the system, right up to the software.

We can use this information for planned maintenance. So, when in the past a technician would scribble a report in a book and leave it on somebody’s desk where it would never be read, we now have an intelligent system where each component has a code with information on its installation date, condition and service life. This means that when maintenance is due, an automated signal sends a team out before a problem occurs. It takes time to log every component in a system as big as the one delivering water to the whole of the City of Johannesburg; so this part of the system isn’t operating at full capacity yet, but this is what the future will look like.

Water conservation “Building confidence in our data has allowed us to make decisions about conserving water. In Johannesburg, our water pressure is extremely high. So, when the drought hit, we knew there were certain areas where we could drop the water pressure. Yes, there were some complaints, but the reality was that, after implementing this strategy, there

was enough water to go around,” says Livesey. By having confidence in its data, JW is also able to go to its main supplier, Rand Water, and compare its levels to theirs, ensuring their data correlates.

This is a practice that all WSAs should engage with in partnership with their water service providers – but it is not often carried out.

Another facet of JW’s system’s capability with regards to water conservation is its ability to monitor reservoir levels and water quality. “When you hear that a dam’s water level is only 67%, what does that actually mean? We now have the capability to monitor the actual rate of change. This allows us to anticipate a problem and, for instance, send out a press release asking consumers to limit their consumption. “Similarly, by having data on water quality, we now have the ability to make instant decisions where we used to have to wait days for transport and testing at a laboratory,” Livesey explains. A further tier to the new system is the integration of visual

data fed through WiFi-enabled cameras located at certain assets. This, again, assists managers to make the right decisions based on visuals rather than just graphs on a screen.

In future, the system will also have the capability to prioritise and allocate job teams, ensuring no vehicle leaves JW’s depot without the necessary equipment.

Once on-site, teams will be able to upload photographs for record keeping, risk management and legal purposes.

Benefits The benefits include improved governance, accountability, optimised asset utilisation, avoidance of service interruptions and prevention of extended downtime, up-to-date scheduling, better facility management and active maintenance forecasting, among others.

“In conclusion, we started off small and we’re continually improving our utilisation of the system through building confidence in our data. This process has required continuous training,” concludes Livesey.

JOHANNESBURG WATER OVERSEES: • 89 reser voirs (networked via telemetr y – there are more) • 28 water towers • 10 depots • 6 wastewater treatment works • 12 581 km of potable water pipes • 12 581 km in sewerage pipes • 1.4 million domestic, commercial and industrial clients • 4.5 million water users • 2 500 employees

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stormwater management

The blue-green lattice Marrying green and blue infrastructure can open up public spaces, creating new economic and recreational opportunities while also beautifying cities. There is an opportunity to create value from stormwater but it will require interdisciplinary collaboration.

By Dave Dewar, Piet Louw and Julia McLachlan*

S

outh African towns and hydrological cycle and damaging cities frequently suffer the the valuable ecological processes consequences of either too little to which they contribute. (as is currently the case in the The canalisation of streams and Western Cape) or too much (as evidenced rivers has also had other unwanted by recent floods in Gauteng) rainfall – both consequences. Frequently, buildings turn with potentially devastating consequences their backs on these spaces, minimising for the populace. This tendency is likely surveillance: these wall-like corridors have to increase in future years as the pace of become the back-lanes of communities climate change accelerates. Despite this, where litter accumulates, dumping occurs conventional engineering approaches and accumulates, and criminal activities to stormwater management continue to can be concealed. dominate, relatively unquestioned.

Further, these water management In terms of these approaches, run-off is practices occur in isolation from planning seen as a problem, not an asset. for open space, which The challenge is seen to be increasingly takes the to remove it from the form of residual or urban fabric as quickly left-over spaces.

Water management as possible, primarily practices such as via underground Water-sensitive pipes and chanurban design canalisation occur in nels. This occurs It is clear that isolation from planning simultaneously this situation for open space, which with uncontrolled cannot increasingly takes the urban sprawl, continue. What compromising the is required is form of residual or leftnatural systems by to place the over spaces removing a significant hydrological amount of the land’s cycle and other capacity to absorb water. critical life-supporting In the process, the ecological ecological processes role of streams, rivers and wetlands has central to urban design. New urban also been compromised. Many wetlands development should occur within a bluewithin urban areas have been built over green lattice, which also underpins the and streams and rivers have been canaurban open-space system. Urban open lised, thereby negating their role in the space is not a luxury. Urban open-space

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systems are integral to positive-functioning settlements: they contain elements of nature and provide valuable ecological processes from which city landscapes cannot be divorced; they are a significant element of urban structure; and they play an important role in the lives of people who live in these settlements.

Tools for implementing this blue-green lattice exist. Under the umbrella term of water-sensitive urban design (WSUD), tools such as sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) are being incorporated in places as alternatives to conventional stormwater infrastructure. WSUD offers an ecologically sensitive approach to addressing urban water systems at source.

Instead of channelling and removing water rapidly from the urban fabric, the approach seeks to slow, filter, absorb and store water more effectively, using constructed ecologies and integrating with the open-space systems of settlements.

The WSUD approach has potentially valuable outcomes: recharging groundwater

and addressing issues of water security; contributing to food security through irrigation alternatives; and contributing to urban landscape resilience by providing for adaptation to unpredictable weather events, such as flooding or drought, while contributing to life-sustaining ecological processes.

At a larger scale, there is the potential for the blue-green lattice, which lies at the heart of WSUD, to contribute to transforming South Africa’s urban settlements into more integrated, safe and economically viable places. Open-space elements of the lattice include: •M ovement routes: These account for the largest surface area in settlements and are currently mostly hard, impermeable surfaces (roads). The urban design challenge is to transform “roads” into “streets” – linear spaces accommodating a wide range of informal human activities. SuDS planters along streets serve the utilitarian function of intercepting run-off and providing for attenuation, filtration and groundwater recharge. They also critically provide amenity value, transforming streets into pleasant blue-green corridors for people to walk and interact on.

•C ity squares and pocket parks: These can be designed to incorporate SuDS systems to treat run-off water at source, draining into elements such as small-scale biofiltration basins where they can provide stormwater attenuation and valuable open space for recreation, particularly in built-up areas such as city centres.

•P arks: The overflow from street planters can be directed into larger stormwater filtration parks or water reuse parks.

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Existing parks can be transformed not only to receive and treat stormwater runoff using bio-retention wetlands, but also to provide recreational opportunities for the surrounding communities, as well as habitats for numerous bird species. This type of water reuse could be adapted to also provide much-needed economic opportunities such as urban agriculture or floriculture, depending on community needs and treated water quality.

• Wetlands, streams and rivers: Overflow from the various open spaces should gravitate to the lowest areas where wetlands, streams and rivers occur – completing the lattice of blue-green “rooms” and corridors. These natural elements contribute to effectively functioning biodiverse ecological habitats that support ecologically sensitive activities such as species migration and habitat selection.

figure 1 The structure of water in its various forms and functions (Drawn by Julia McLachlan)

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Retrofitting is quite possible. In various countries, strategic decanalisation has been adopted to restore some of these ecological processes. These decanalised sections now serve as ecological corridors and, in terms of open space, have been transformed from unsurveilled corridors into active recreational spaces with growing amenity value (community reintegration).

one that views open space not as a luxury but rather as an essential part of integrated ecological infrastructure. This change is not going to happen automatically from within the engineering professions. It is the responsibility of all commissioning authorities to ensure that skilled, interdisciplinary (not multidisciplinary) teams are established for planning and building all future infrastructural projects.

Conclusion A change of mindset is urgently required – from one that sees stormwater run-off not as a problem, but as an asset, and from

*Dave Dewar is an Emeritus Professor of Town Planning at the University of Cape Town, Piet Louw is an architect and urban designer, and Julia McLachlan is a landscape architect.

stormwater management figure 2 Artificial wetlands: Intaka Island, Century City, Cape Town

MAY/JUNE 2017

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Groundwater resources

Groundwater to assist with

Cape’s water crisis As the end of summer finds Cape Town’s water supply in a precarious state, there are options for making relatively quick and expanded use of local groundwater resources – while acknowledging that groundwater is not the panacea for the city’s water woes.

A

ccording to leading engineers and scientists at environmental engineering firm SRK Consulting’s Cape Town office, the aquifers in the greater Cape Town area could offer some relief if current conditions endure by taking pressure off the demand for potable water – excluding the conventional exploitation of the Table Mountain Group Aquifer.

Assessing capacity “Groundwater sources such as the Cape Flats Aquifer and the Newlands Aquifer could be accessed relatively quickly, and people are regularly filling up containers from one of the springs associated with the latter aquifer,” says Peter Rosewarne, corporate consultant at SRK. “It would also be useful to conduct an audit of groundwater use in the greater Cape Town area – and to see how much more capacity could be

This borehole was drilled to irrigate sports fields

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legally and sustainably developed by individual landowners.”

Rosewarne cautions that even if fully developed groundwater resources could only supply a relatively small percentage of the city’s water needs. However, there is a great deal of scope for using non-potable groundwater for industrial purposes and domestic irrigation.

potable water supply by a considerable margin during the summer months. In the same way, many schools could have boreholes to supply irrigation water for sports fields and gardens.”

Strategic borehole placement Desmond Visser, associate partner and principal hydrogeologist, SRK, proposes the installation of strategically placed boreholes or well fields in neighbourhoods where the groundwater resource potential is good, to supply irrigation water to homeowners, parks, public buildings and sports fields.

“There are many areas in the city, probably at least 70% of the Cape Town area, where there is sufficient groundwater for this to be feasible,” says Visser. “Such a system would reduce the demand on the

Groundwater for schools Elements of these ideas have, in fact, already been implemented; SRK’s Cape Town office is part of the provincial Department of Transport and Public Works’ programme to find and develop groundwater sources for new and upgraded schools.

Since 2011, over 50 schools have been provided with boreholes as part of this programme, saving at least 500 000 m3/a of water (equivalent to 200 Olympic-size swimming pools) that would have had to come from treated municipal supplies.

SRK believes that this irrigation programme should be expanded to include nearly all schools, public parks and many buildings in the Western Cape.

Drilling of a borehole at a school in Atlantis

Irrigation of newly seeded sports field at school in Delft

Groundwater resources

Ekurhuleni prioritises stormwater attenuation

A

ll new properties developed in the Ekurhuleni region are required to submit a stormwater management plan to the Ekurhuleni Municipality.

To meet this prerequisite, consulting engineers Mhiduve developed an innovative stormwater attenuation management system through the use of Technicrete’s Aqua Zig Zag sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) and DZZ interlocking pavers on the new Columbia Pharmaceuticals factory development in Boksburg – enabling it to meet local authority requirements.

Deon Slabbert, project engineer, Mhiduve, commented, “We believed

that the successful management of the stormwater element at this new factory required an innovative approach due to space challenges we faced on-site. In addition to permeable paving used as a covering for attenuation ponds, we used Technicrete’s DZZ 80 mm interlocking pavers over areas of 3 000 m2 and 1 200 m2 below the permeable paving that had the capacity to hold 1 600 m3 of stormwater.

We also sourced 4 300 m2 of Aqua Zig Zag 80 mm Class 40/2.6 pavers.

The DZZ pavers were coupled with 2 mm to 4 mm of filler stone that was used as grout in the system.”

Paver characteristics “The DZZ paving blocks are, in fact, ‘slotted’ paving blocks, which allow the stormwater to penetrate the surface through these slots and be collected in the unique layerworks underneath the paving surface. From here, it can be released, in a controlled manner, into the system of the local authority. SuDS are increasingly being used to prevent run-off and flooding, including as a method of collecting, attenuating and cleaning stormwater,” said Slabbert.

Technicrete ISG is part of the IS Group of companies, which includes Rocla and Ocon Brick.

MAY/JUNE 2017

55

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AUTOMATION

INDUSTRY NEWS

Wide process analysis portfolio for water applications pH

ORP µS/cm

fact

m g/l

O2

mg/l ClO2

Advanced process automation and quality monitoring in drinking or sewage water facilities Process analysis for the water and wastewater industry – technology driven by KROHNE • Extensive portfolio of analytic sensors, also with integrated transmitter technology, and complete measuring systems • Reliable analysis of parameters directly in the process, e. g.: – pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature – sedimentation monitoring, sludge zone tracking • Mounting assemblies and accessories, approvals from drinking water to Ex • Wide range of mounting assemblies and accessories

KROHNE South Africa 8 Bushbuck Close, Corporate Park South Randjiespark, Midrand, Tel.: +27 113141391 Fax: +27 113141681, Nirisha Harinarain, n.harinarain@krohne.com, www.za.krohne.com

S

ince potable water has become a valuable resource, all stages of water treatment must be monitored effectively and reliably. Applications such as quality or limit-values monitoring in waterworks, quality monitoring in distribution networks, filter monitoring and disinfection control use analytical sensors and systems for an automated process control.

Sensors Krohne is a supplier of process instrumentation as well as (inline) analytical sensors and systems. The company’s SMARTPAT series is the most recent innovation for the easy handling of analytical sensors. SMARTPAT pH/ORP and conductivity sensors feature an integrated transmitter for direct connection to the process control system and allow for calibration either online (in the field) or offline (in a controlled laboratory environment).

One-stop shop Matching accessories such as buffer solutions, junction boxes, loop-powered indicators or operating units, together with mounting assemblies (static or insertion), round the portfolio for a one-stop shop for process analytical sensors.

With the OPTISENS series, Krohne offers the same sensor types for use with an external transmitter – e.g. for existing installations. The product line also features measuring systems for water applications. OPTISYS CL 1100 is a potentiostatic disinfectant measuring system for free chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone.

It is used in bypass lines and comes readily mounted, pre-installed and tested with 3 x 4 20 mA output, chlorine sensor, valves, flow-through holders and optional pH sensor. OPTISYS TUR 1050 is an optical turbidity measuring system for potable water applications with cost-effective cuvette calibration and an automatic ultrasonic cleaning system. It offers multiple communication options and is suitable for use in bypass lines.

Water-quality monitoring should be precise and comprehensive

INDUSTRY NEWS

Boosting black empowerment

C

ivil engineering consulting firm UWP Consulting has announced that it is now wholly owned by its employees, with 51% of shares held by black employees at all levels. Another milestone achieved in UWP’s transformation journey has been the formation of the UWP Black Employees Trust (UBET), which owns a 25% share of the company.

All South African black employees of UWP are beneficiaries of UBET. A further 26% stake is already owned by black executive shareholders.

Transformation journey UWP Consulting took its first significant step towards transforming its ownership structure in 2004 when the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa

(Contralesa) acquired 25% of the company. Contralesa’s investment took the black shareholding in UWP Consulting to 33.69% by 2015.

Early in 2016, the company achieved majority black ownership of 51%, facilitated by the internal sale and transfer of about 17% shares from white to black shareholders.

Following extensive negotiations, Contralesa divested its 25% stake in UWP in late 2016. “Our relationship with Contralesa was very fruitful and we wish the organisation well in its future endeavours,” says Nonkululeko Sindane, CEO of UWP Consulting.

“This development gave us a wonderful opportunity to realise our vision of empowering our own black employees,” she adds. “UBET was formed by all black

employees following a consultation process across the company.” The 25% share in UWP sold by Contralesa has been transferred to UBET. MAY/JUNE 2017

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Vane-tastic flowmeter

T

he Vane Technology Principle, a method of measuring and monitoring the flow of different media through piping, has been proven worldwide. Kobold flow meters and monitors work with this principle. Kobold, represented locally by Instrotech, has on offer a new rotating vane flowmeter, applicable whenever traditional impeller technology is to be used for the measuring or monitoring of volumetric flow rates. The modular design of this device makes the system universal, inexpensive and space-saving.

Operational parameters Able to measure flows of 0.2 ℓ/min up to 60 ℓ/min, Kobold’s DFT range of rotating vane flowmeters can be used in a variety of applications. With a maximum

operating temperature of 80° C and a maximum pressure of 16 bar (if the brass housing is used), these devices can be used under almost all process conditions.

How it works The heart of the Kobold impeller is a securely embedded ring magnet, which is hermetically sealed against the respective medium. It transfers the rotation of the impeller to a Hall sensor fixed to the housing with a space-saving attachment.This sensor, in turn, transforms the rotational movements into a frequency signal in proportion to the volumetric flow.

The downstream Kobold electronic evaluation unit then transforms the signal into either a digital display or an analogue, normalised signal or it can be used to switch up to two limit contacts. LEDs show

Applications where the Kobold DFT can be used include cooling water monitoring, general mechanical engineering, wastewater treatment, all heavy goods industries, and in the chemical industry

operational readiness and the switching state of the limit value relay. Also, counter or dosage electronics can be used.

In combination with the Kobold electronic unit, this system provides extremely accurate measuring results.

New slurry pump proves its mettle CURVE pump installed at Hernic Ferrochrome

T

he new CURVE range of pumps was launched in September last year and already the world’s fourth-largest ferrochrome producer (based in the North West province), Hernic Ferrochrome, has installed one unit and plans to refit all the pumps at their OB-Plant to the new range.

The conversion project commenced with the installation on 1

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November 2016. Since then, this pump’s performance has surpassed all expectations, while being closely monitored to validate the actual performance of these pumps in real-world applications. The range is manufactured and distributed by Pump and Abrasion Technologies (PAT).

“This was, in effect, the first true test of the S150 pump,” says James Pienaar, sales director, PAT. “The changeover of all existing pumps at Hernic Ferrochrome’s OBPlant to the CURVE range is a process that takes time, but we are currently standing at close to 10 new pumps installed and operating at the OB-Plant.”

Impressive features The S150 model offers several innovative features that make it an ideal candidate to meet Hernic Ferrochrome’s operational needs. These features include a onepiece volute liner, fully profiled impeller vanes, adjustable throatbush, enhanced cutwater profile, and a clip-in suction joint. Sealing performance and lifespan

have been addressed by a larger-diameter expeller and high-chrome shaft sleeve and lantern ring. The S150 also features a discharge piece designed to eliminate the need to remove the discharge pipe during routine maintenance.

Low total cost of ownership An astounding 52% reduction in the total cost of ownership was reported, with a number of factors contributing to the reduction. Firstly, the pump’s adjustable suction liner maintains optimal clearances, thereby reducing wear and tear and improving efficiency.

Then there is the one-piece volute liner that improves the liner wear life from 10 weeks to 30 weeks. An assessment of the pump also revealed that the CURVE pump impeller had visibly reduced wear at 15 weeks, compared to the previously installed pump at just 5 weeks.

“The facts are there to prove that the CURVE slurry pumps save real money,” Pienaar concludes.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Safety first

A

frica’s biggest occupational health and safety (OHS) exhibition, A-OSH EXPO 2017 show, takes place between 30 May and 1 June 2017 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, and is colocated with the industry’s top security and fire exhibition, Securex. The expo is in its 17th year.

Registration is now open.

Why register?

“By visiting www.aosh.co.za and completing the required details, you’ll gain entrance to experience all A-OSH EXPO

2017 has to offer: from protective clothing and training to environmental management, gas detection and first aid,” says Joshua Low, event director at Specialised Exhibitions Montgomery. “A-OSH has rightfully earned its title as the foremost African show within the OHS space by consistently shining a spotlight on the sector’s most relevant topics, as well as its latest products and services, and providing an opportunity for face-to-face dialogue between industry specialists and best-ofbreed solution and services providers.”

What’s new?

New features for the 2017 show include Occu|Fit’s Wellness Zone, a company under the Health|Insite Group, where delegates are able to undergo a full occupational health medical, on-site in the hall.

Simple steps like procuring the right personal protective equipment (and then making sure they are worn properly) radically decrease the risk of accidents on-site

Corporate wellness and occupational health service provider Health|Insite will be showcasing its mobile unit – providing a full physical exam, in addition to audiometry and spirometry testing and a full visual screening with keystone, to A-OSH EXPO attendees – at no cost. Each medical takes between 45 minutes to an hour, and visitors will receive a “certificate of fitness to work”, signed by an occupational health practitioner (OHP), indicating validity for a year.

“A-OSH 2017 delegates will also have access to first-rate educational content and critical advice on pressing issues. They are furthermore provided with a platform to connect with more than 80 market-leading companies and the opportunity to network with industry peers,” Low explains.

MAY/JUNE 2017

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WISA EVENTS

Events in May 2017 The WISA/IWA Conference in the Kruger National Park is a must for those wanting to learn more about managing rivers, catchments and watersheds

WATER SUSTAINABILITY SYMPOSIUM Date: 7 – 10 May, 2017 Venue: Lord Charles, Cape Town Contact: Jaco Seaman, events@wisa.org.za Southern Africa is faced with increasing water-scarcity challenges due to population growth and climate change. Turning these into opportunity requires both water technology innovation and water behavioural change, in order to manage water-resource scarcity in a sustainable manner.

Jointly hosted by the Water Reuse, Membrane Technology and Water Science divisions of WISA, the Water Sustainability Symposium aims to bring together researchers and professionals from various nexuses to address water scarcity within Southern Africa. The conference theme is ‘From Scarce to Sufficient’.

WISA/IWA WATER AND RIVER BASEMENT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE Date: 9 – 11 October, 2017 Venue: Skukuza Camp, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga Contact: rbm2017@savannaskills.co.za The conference will be hosted by the International Water Association (IWA) Watershed and River Basin Management Specialist Group in partnership with the Water Institute for Southern Africa (WISA) and IWASouth Africa, and will address cuttingedge issues related to sustainable watershed management, with a special focus on emerging issues related to climate change.

PERI-URBAN CONFERENCE Date: 26 – 29 November, 2017 Venue: Cape Town More info to follow shortly

8TH INTERNATIONAL YOUNG WATER PROFESSIONALS CONFERENCE Date: 10 – 13 December, 2017 Venue: Cape Town, Western Cape Contact: IWAYWPconference@iwahq.org Following seven successful International Young Water Professional Conferences (IYWPCs) in the UK, Netherlands, Singapore, USA, Australia, Hungary and Taiwan, the International Water Association together with Water Institute of Southern Africa and the South African Young Water Professionals will organise the 8th edition of the IYWPC. Through technical paper sessions, topical workshops, soft skills learning sessions, networking opportunities and a career fair, the IYWPC will be the must-attend event for young water professionals, especially for those wishing to develop their career and progress further into the water sector.

Index to Advertisers African Construction Expo

55

Integral Laboratories

38

A-OSH Expo South Africa

59

Johannesburg Water

IBC

Aquadam

23

KSB Pumps & Valves

IFC

Aqua Resources SA

47

Krohne

56

ERWAT

OBC

8

Sizabantu Piping Systems

40 2

SMEC South Africa

25

Structa

22

UWP Consulting

57

Ultra Control Valves

31

Grundfos

12

Oil & Gas Africa

53

Hanna Instruments

36

Prei Instrumentation

34

Quality Filtration Systems

44

Veolia Water Technologies

42

Rocla

51

Vovani Water Products

28

Hyson Cells Indutec

60

Mather+Platt

SBS Water Systems

MAY/JUNE 2017

OFC Insert

Providing

clean water and

sanitation services to

Johannesburg Johannesburg Water is a municipal entity, wholly owned by the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality as a sole shareholder to provide water and sanitation services .

The entity supplies 1,574 Ml/day of potable drinking water, procured from Rand Water, through a distribution network of 12,581 km, 116 operational reservoirs, water towers and 35 water pump stations. The spent wastewater is then collected and reticulated via a wastewater network and treats 973 Ml/day of sewage at its six wastewater treatment works of which two of its biogas-to energy plants which convert methane gas to energy are located.

We are determined to deliver a sustainable, affordable and cost effective service. In the last financial year (2015/16) our response to water bursts improved from 81% in 2014/15 to 84.29%. We have also managed to reduce water consumption in Johannesburg from 320 litres per person per day to 309 litres through our water demand strategy. We invite you to be an active partner in protecting our precious pipe network and assets. Report any form of vandalism and theft of water infrastructure to 0800 00 25 87.

City of Johannesburg Johannesburg Water (SOC) Ltd 17 Harrison Street Marshalltown Johannesburg

PO Box 61542 South Africa 2107

Tel +27 (0) 11 688 1400 www.johannesburgwater.co.za 24 Hour Water Hotline 011 375 5555 / 0860 - JOBURG or 0860 562 874 JW SMS Line : 082 653 2143 email: customer@jwater.co.za Providing Water. Providing Life

@jhbwater

Johannesburg Water

ERWAT

Consistent quality requires consistent excellence ...

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Serving both the public and private sectors, ERWAT promotes a healthy environment by providing cost-effective wastewater treatment solutions through innovative technologies. It specialises in sustainable, quality wastewater services, backed by focused technical, maintenance and engineering services. An ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory renders a wide variety of specialised analyses, while industrial wastewater quality management assessments and advice are also offered.

East Rand Water

Reg. No. 1992/005753/08 (Association incorporated in terms of section 21)

GPS Co-ordinates: S 26° 01’ 25.8” and E 28° 17’ 10.0” Address: Hartebeestfontein Office Park, R25, Bapsfontein/Bronkhorstspruit, Kempton Park.

Tel: +27 11 929 7000 E-mail: mail@erwat.co.za

uppe marketing A13900

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