Chair’s comment

Let’s have more

After attending the IWA event in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as the WISA Biennial Conference and IMESA Conference in Johannesburg, it was the dialogue with people from all spheres of government and the private sector that provided enormous value.

By Dan Naidoo, chairman, WISA

Individually we are one drop, but together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro (Japanese writer)

We have a better chance of solving water and sanitation issues by intentionally creating working relationships and partnerships with each other; we need to pool our resources together. By collaborating with different institutions, government divisions and private companies, we encourage a broader method of thinking that results in creative solutions to complex water and sanitation challenges.

The water crisis will never be solved by a single engineering discipline or science subject area – we need a multitude of experts with extensive experience in many different fields to tackle these problems. There can only be knowledge sharing when we begin to appreciate all disciplines and sciences. There are many important aspects of municipal engineering that have a direct bearing on water and sanitation (e.g. pavements and their role with stormwater management).

All professionals and institutions need to band together as members that care for the built environment and work together – this is in the best interest of the communities they serve. There are many synergies and overlaps between institutions that we need to explore.

Lobbying As professionals in the infrastructure sector, we all share concerns regarding corruption, funding and skills development; we would be more successful if we lobby together. South Africa could learn from the US, where, through lobbying, President Biden signed a US$1 trillion (R18 trillion) bipartisan infrastructure plan into law, the majority of which was allocated towards water and sanitation. Everyone within the infrastructure sector needs to speak with one voice and lobby for a better South Africa together. I am calling on professional bodies to meet more frequently, support each other, find ways that we can all collectively add value to our members, and create a united front when lobbying government.

South Africa has a wealth of talented scientists and engineers, as well as a plethora of papers and research on all aspects of water and sanitation. As an industry, as associations, we have an obligation to give this knowledge and research a platform, to share it and take it seriously.

There needs to be a focus on talking to different people, to welcome new people, industries and expertise into to the water and sanitation sector. We cannot solve this crisis on our own. These conferences have brought people together and I hope, in the next few months, we continue with this momentum.