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Editor’s comment
Editor Kirsten Kelly kirsten.kelly@3smedia.co.za Managing Editor Alastair Currie Editorial Coordinator Ziyanda Majodina Head of Design Beren Bauermeister Designer Jaclyn Dollenberg Chief Sub-editor Tristan Snijders Contributors Ralf Christoph, Jessica Fell, George Gerber, Lester Goldman, Ednah Mamakoa, Gina Martin, Chetan Mistry, Dan Naidoo Production & Client Liaison Manager Antois-Leigh Nepgen 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 Production Park, 83 Heidelberg Road, City Deep Johannesburg South, 2136 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 www.3smedia.co.za
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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
Sailing in
EDITOR’S COMMENT high winds
– Aristotle Onassis
In keeping with the WISA 2022 Biennial 2022 Conference’s nautical theme – #NavigatingTheCourse – the wise words from Greek shipping magnate Onassis, who amassed the world’s largest privately owned shipping fleet, are particularly fitting.
Over the past few years, the water and sanitation industry has only experienced high winds. Nearly every speech, press release and report starts with listing at least two of the four depressing facts: • South Africa is the 30th driest country in the world, with a semiarid climate and average annual rainfall of about 465 mm – half the world average. • South Africa is approaching physical water scarcity in 2025, with an expected water deficit of 17% by 2030. • South Africans use more water than the global average –234 litres per person daily – which means the country’s per capita water consumption is higher than the global average of 173 litres. • South Africa needs at least
R1 trillion to recapitalise the water sector.
Adversity drives innovation But its these high seas that have inspired innovation. South Africa has built a highly active research and innovation capacity in the water sector, which is spearheaded by the Water Research Commission (WRC). As a result, South African scientists have been among the significant contributors to new knowledge creation in the water innovation domain, especially in water treatment technologies.
An early example of local water innovations is the Khoisan methods of detecting and harvesting water under the desert floor and using empty ostrich eggshells for storage for long journeys across the Kalahari. In addition to dam building for agricultural growth and interbasin transfers to enable mining and industrial development, South Africa has boasted world firsts such as reverse-osmosis membranes and dry-cooled electricity generation. Sanitation could now also become the nucleus of a new circular economy, comprising a cycle of technology design, water treatment, water distribution, water use and consumption, wastewater collection, recycling and water reclamation, and product recovery and residual waste use (page 24).
The Darvill Wastewater Treatment Plant’s upgrade is now completed (page 44), showcasing a number of innovations as well. It is, however, important to remember that these innovations bring their own challenges, such as underappreciated cybersecurity issues (page 26).
As Dan Naidoo, chairman of WISA, points out on page 9, none of these innovations would be possible without our committed water professionals. I look forward to meeting you all in person at the WISA conference.
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The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa
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