OVERVIEW
Water Cape Town has learned big lessons from a harsh drought.
Pipes before installation in the Western Aqueduct project, the massive scheme to bring water to Durban from the Midmar and Spring Grove dams in KwaZulu-Natal. Image: Knight Piésold.
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n 2030 South African demand for water will be 17% greater than supply. That is the verdict of the 2030 Water Resources Group. The Water Resources Group, an international consortium of private companies, agencies and development banks has established a South African chapter, the Strategic Water Partners Network. The Western Cape, which bore the brunt of a fierce drought for several years, in fact fares well in terms of providing water infrastructure and maintaining its wastewater treatments plants. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture has launched a climate action plan called Smart Agri which includes doing studies on conservation agriculture. When the long-term drought was at its worst, tourists to Cape Town were encouraged to “Save like a Local”. Together with a range of technical and legislative measures, the campaign to use less water worked remarkably well. Where residents and businesses were using 1.2-billion litres per day in 2015, by the middle of 2018 the figure was 516-million litres. While the taps were not literally turned off (the dreaded “Day Zero” was averted), pressure in the pipes was reduced. The International Water Association’s Water Loss Conference in Cape Town reported that two of the world’s largest advanced pressure control systems are operating in Cape Town. The drought also led to creative thinking by corporate South Africa. Old Mutual’s large Pinelands campus (accommodating approximately 9 000 staff members) is producing its own water by purifying wastewater. The City of Cape Town is thus relieved of the need to supply 15 000kl of water every month as a result of the plant. SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2020
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SECTOR INSIGHT An inventor is using macadamia nut shells to filter water.
Technology and innovation Although Cape Town had an urgent need for desalination plants when drought came to the region, the province of KwaZulu-Natal is taking a lead in this technology. Richards Bay has installed a 10-container desalination plant next to the municipal water treatment plant at Alkanstrand. The first mobile sea water purification unit in South Africa, it comprises 10 containers and is located adjacent to the water treatment plant at Alkantstrand. It can deliver
