Editor’s comment

Editor Kirsten Kelly kirsten.kelly@3smedia.co.za Managing Editor Alastair Currie Features Writer Ziyanda Majodina Head of Design Beren Bauermeister Designer Janine Schacherl Chief Sub-editor Tristan Snijders Contributors Lester Goldman, Hans King, Masindi Mapholi, Dan Naidoo, Frank Stevens, Swen Weiner Production & Client Liaison Manager Antois-Leigh Nepgen Production Coordinator Jacqueline Modise Distribution Manager Nomsa Masina Distribution Coordinator Asha Pursotham Group Sales Manager Chilomia Van Wijk Bookkeeper Tonya Hebenton Advertising Sales Hanlie Fintelman c +27 (0)67 756 3132 Hanlie.Fintelman@3smedia.co.za

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

ISSN: 1990 - 8857 Annual subscription: R330 (SA rate) subs@3smedia.co.za Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. All material herein is

copyright protected. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of WISA or the publishers.

WISA’s Vision

Inspiring passion for water

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Water technology: it can save lives

Massive destruction from the devastating flooding events that took place in KwaZulu-Natal is another reminder about the urgency to bolster flood resilience in South Africa. And how is this done? Technology.

More than 440 lives have been lost and 4 000 homes destroyed; there is R5.6 billion of road damage, rail infrastructure damage of R950 million, and water and sanitation infrastructure damage of R1 billion.

With all of these losses, I initially started to rethink this issue’s technology-focused theme around the internet of things, monitoring, machine learning, artificial intelligence and modelling. But it is this very technology that will help to mitigate the effects of these floods.

It is technology that will help to design and construct climate-resilient infrastructure. It is technology that can predict weather system movements in advance to help better plan for the potentially devastating impact on our local population and infrastructure security. It is technology that can help the water and sanitation sector to make better operating decisions and drive down costs. It is technology that will align South Africa with international trends.

Digitalisation is driving change in the water and wastewater treatment sectors, just as it is in other industrial and corporate environments. Water and wastewater treatment plants now collect more data than ever before. Control and treatment equipment is increasingly augmented with sensors that collect data to support control of the process.

In the issue, we tackle the modelling of wastewater treatment plants (page 12), Rand Water’s Innovation Centre (page 15), and the latest in monitoring (page 16).

Release of the Green Drop report Last month, the Green Drop report was released. The Green Drop process is recognised as an international best practice and has received both local and international accolades. The audit process provides essential information to inform planning by sectoral partners, with the shared objective of achieving functional wastewater systems in the short term and excellence in wastewater management in the longer term.

“This year’s results may not have shown the progressive improvements that we saw in previous cycles, but I am confident that we will get back on the right trajectory. This year’s assessment has provided us with a baseline and the platform to launch the turnaround. As in previous years, the programme was widely embraced and the general euphoria around the process tends to spark improvements in subsequent cycles,” said Director General Dr Sean Philips of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

The audit covered 995 wastewater networks and treatment works. A total of 334 (39%) municipal wastewater systems were identified to be in a critical state in 2021. Only 23 wastewater systems scored a minimum of 90% when measured against the Green Drop standards and thus qualified for Green Drop certification.

These results are bad, but not surprising. Minister Senzo Mchunu of the DWS must be praised for releasing the report, and we can only hope that it will be used as a means to plan and implement improvement.

We commend our cover story patron, Sasol, on achieving Green Drop status.

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The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

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COVER OPPORTUNITY

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