Water & Sanitation Africa Jan/Feb 2017

Wat e r & Sanitation

Complete water resource and wastewater management

NuWater

Tapping tomorrow

a fter the flood

Climate impacts on urban development

Africa

Welgedacht extension

Wastewater treatment saves wetland

crisis mitigation

Enhancing dams for better capacity

Experts from South Africa’s top desalination technology companies discuss the latest innovations making supply security achievable for water-stressed towns and industries.

The cycle of solutions –water technology by KSB

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on the CoveR A recent addition to the NuWater team, James Morisse, executive: Business Development, Africa, gives his unique insight into the

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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 Lester Goldman, Dion Govender, Nora Hanke-Louw, Neil Louw, Valerie Naidoo, Mike Smart, Peter Townshend, Johan van der Waals, Stuart Woolley

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

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 2016. 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

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

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.

diluvian danger and desalination

Those who have worked in the water industry for a couple of years will be aware of the increasing occurrence of floods in cities and their growing severity. At the start of last year’s rainy season, seven people lost their lives as a result of the destructive power of fast-moving water. Yet, in spite of the death toll, little is done to protect Southern Africa’s most valuable flood-prevention infrastructure: wetlands. Because green infrastructure such as this is free, we fail to value it sufficiently, and so it is not adequately protected. I’ve heard one developer, who promised to build “the first green precinct” (this at a time when every developer claimed to be building the “first”), describe the wetland he was building over as a “smelly bog”. No, not all wetlands are pristine and teaming with wildlife, but every wetland is important, especially when it comes to mitigating natural disasters and preserving human life.

World Wetlands day

World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February, in commemoration of the historic day in 1971 when representatives of nations from around the world adopted the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar. This year, the Ramsar Convention’s theme for World Wetlands Day is ‘Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction’. The theme is aimed at raising awareness concerning the role wetlands play in reducing the impacts of floods, hurricanes and droughts on communities. In light of the recent tragedy, and those that came before, the City of Joburg is fighting to protect its wetlands and integrate them into its development planning. Read more about wetland policy on pages 15 to 21. To find out more about the physical challenges to integrating stormwater systems with wetland management, take a look at Johan van der Waal’s article on pages 22 to 25.

affordable desalination

Flooding has not been the only water-related challenge faced by city planners in the last couple of months. Ironically, drought conditions have persisted, and although some dams’ levels are starting to improve, the effects of the rapid depletion rate of 2016 will continue to reach some way into the new year. Desalinating seawater and mining effluent has never made more sense. In the past, the cost of implementing this technology was prohibitive, but as the need for potable water has increased, economies of scale and new innovations are driving costs down. Indeed, the economic case for ensuring continuous supply far outweighs any argument for cutting costs on water – particularly when water restrictions come into effect. Water&Sanitation africa’s comprehensive panel discussion this month covers all the ways in which desalination costs are reducing, as well as the necessity of this technology for assuring water supply security. Read more on pages 28 to 45. There is a great deal of high-level technical content in this issue, and I hope you gain as much new insight reading these pages as we did in putting them together.

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 Avé Delport or Jenny Miller on +27 (0)11 467 6223, or email avedel@lantic.net / jennymiller@lantic.net.

www.ewisa.co.za

Tapping tomorrow

As a new member of the NuWater team, James Morisse, executive: Business Development for Africa, offers unique insights into how the company foresees its role in maintaining water supply security across different markets and sectors.

In my 17 years working in the water sector, I’ve never been aware of a company that puts the needs of its customers first the way NuWater does. A lot of firms put unnecessary sys tems and paperwork in place internally, which ultimately affects the customer negatively.

At NuWater, we do things differently, in that it’s always about what the customer wants to achieve in terms of their water quality needs. Another thing that drew me to working here is the exclusive focus on water. I’ve worked at other multidisciplinary organisations but NuWater’s business model has allowed me to focus and specialise, as well as gain experience on a diverse range of water projects,” says Morisse.

discharge water that is at least at the same quality as was when received. When this is not done, our surface and groundwater supplies become contaminated,” he says.

While blue-chip companies have been leaders in treating water and discharging clean supply back into the environment, Morisse points out that other players need to follow suit if there is to be enough water for future generations.

leFt Municipalities are starting to see the benefits of rapidly deployable solutions through the value they’ve offered the mining and industrial sectors

the local marketplace for their ease of transportability, featuring a construction option for fast attachment to and detachment from the back axle of a truck, after which quick connections facilitate rapid, easy installation.

While it’s a given that, in sub-Saharan Africa, many local government institutions struggle to keep pace with providing services to their growing populations – especially in times of water scarcity – Morisse believes that some of the region’s biggest challenges actually come from a lack of enforcement.

Sub-Saharan challenge

“Probably the biggest challenge facing sub-Saharan Africa in terms of water management is a lack of regulation. There is little to no prosecution of users who illegally dump polluted water without treating it effectively. Industrial water users have a responsibility to

“Water is becoming a serious business risk and what many smaller players conveniently forget is that what they don’t treat now is going to affect them further down the line. The only way to combat this short-sightedness is for more licence inspectors to be active in the field and for more prosecutions to take place – a slap on the wrist just doesn’t work,” he explains.

engineered solutions

NuWater offers rapidly deployable modular filtration systems, which include reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, seawater desalination systems and sewage treatment systems. “The latter has been particularly well received throughout various market sectors", comments Morisse.NuWater’s “modular and mobile” solutions have stood out in

“Some of our larger units can be mounted on top of these trailer-type arrangements and we offer these as rental units. Alternatively, we build plants into 6 m and 12 m shipping containers. Those then are easily transported via road, rail or sea,” he adds.

Municipal focus

In my 17 years working in the water sector, I’ve never been aware of a company that puts the needs of its customers first the way NuWater does

NuWater recently supplied one of its packaged sewage treatment plants to eMalahleni Local Municipality for the purposes of increasing facility efficiency while enhancing income generation. “We run the plant on a build-own-operate contract and the municipality benefits because this arrangement means no capital budget is required. The plant is financed through operational budgets, as it generates additional income to the municipality through having more product to sell to consumers. This provides the municipality with added flexibility and the ability to use this additional income to pay for the facility,” explains Morisse.

Mining sector

Compared to municipalities, the mining sector has been more accepting of rapidly deployable packaged treatment plant technology in a shorter space of time.

“Mines generally see water treatment as a business undertaking. They know that if they recruit professional water service providers such as NuWater, we’ll be able to deliver on deadline, at the required quality. They can see a demand and we offer a fast, effective solution,” says Morisse. As a result, NuWater is enjoying more and more success in marketing its products to this sector and to industry. While municipalities have been slower to appreciate the flexibility offered by decentralisation, things are starting to change.

agri-business

Morisse notes that the biggest user of water globally is the agricultural industry. “As farming becomes more professionalised and scientific, we’ve

International mining concerns cannot allow for the reputational damage that would result if they are found to be polluting the environment – modular and mobile treatment plants offer a fast, effective way for mines to be good environmental stewards

increasingly noticed that farmers want to improve the quality of water used on crops and for livestock to improve their outputs. Gone are the days when a farmer simply sinks a borehole and accepts whatever quality of water comes out. As the agri-trends toward consolidation and corporatisation continue, we foresee a higher demand for reliable treatment solutions coming from the sector,” he adds. Different crops require different pH balances and mineral levels. NuWater engages with its clients in the agricultural sector to ensure they get the water specifications they need for optimal success.

Market differentiator

“We often reinvent processes and designs available in the local market so that they are cost-effective, save space, and are easily transportable and rapidly deployable. All of these things culminate to make NuWater’s solutions wholly unique,” says Morisse. “We also boast a large stock-holding of readily deployable units, as well as spares and consumables. This makes for an excellent turnaround time

during the initial project but also in the support thereafter,” he adds. NuWater has operations in South Africa, Singapore, Mexico and the UK. Most of its local manufacturing takes place at the company’s Cape Town head office. “We’ve developed much of our intellectual property in South Africa, which we’ve then gone on to market in other regions. For example, our 16 inch seawater desalination membrane was developed here.

That’s a world first,” says Morisse.

“Given NuWater’s position as a market leader, and global leaders situated in Africa, we can say with confidence that future opportunities are likely to come about in the municipal, agricultural and mining sectors for the reasons stated above. We also predict a continuing trend where mines will prioritise recycling their water as part of mining houses’ internal initiatives to promote good environmental stewardship,” he concludes.

www.nuwaterglobal.com

RIght James Morisse, executive: Business Development for Africa, NuWater

Leadership, governance and welcome back

WISA CEO lester goldman looks back at the year that was, remarking on the changes that will build a stronger WISA in 2017 and beyond.

It is with a great sense of appreciation and acknowledgement that I write this column. I want to acknowledge the WISA board and council in having been, and continuing to be, receptive and empathetic to organisational change, aligned to best practice and good governance. They have encouraged discourse and listened attentively, while analysing symptoms, identifying root causes and understanding risks – all this while still showing ethical volunteerism and leadership. This has not always been an easy path, as change seldom is, yet great leadership was shown in navigating WISA through the change.

Winds of change

So, what change are we talk ing about? First, WISA took a hard look at itself, and drew comparisons with similar organisations, both locally and globally. This provided some food for thought. We also spoke to our members, who provided critical inputs into the direction the institute should go. We earnestly looked at our governance, and realised that there was excellent work done in the past in this regard, but that we were not always compliant. We also realised that the environment has changed, and that we needed to rethink

some of our governance procedures. The WISA board then proactively started on a path of changing WISA, to meet the changing needs of its members, and the sector. We borrowed from best practice, and decided that we should become effective, efficient and, most importantly, remain ethical. This we did, well before it became a favourable or well-accepted path for non-profit organisations.

King iV transition

Of course, King IV now requires the above outlined approach, but we are already well advanced down this path thanks to the foresight of the WISA leadership.

By no means will this journey ever end, but it certainly is reassuring to know that we are sailing in the right direction. As required by King IV, the WISA board has led from the front, in steering and setting strategic direction, approving policy and planning, overseeing and monitoring performance, and ensuring accountability.

Indeed, WISA is practising what it preaches, and is ensuring that we not only transform the organisation as required, but provide ethical leadership to the sector. The 17 principles established

Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA

A new year brings with it a chance to recommit to the same work ethic that has characterised the local water sector for so many years

by the King IV report are well entrenched already, and ensure that we can achieve desired benefits like an ethical culture, good performance, effective control and legitimacy.

Like any path to a new destination, there are always many avenues, with various possible routes; nonetheless, we are excited to be on this journey. This allows us to better serve our members and the sector itself. Please do chat to me or any of our board or council members about it when our paths cross.

Welcome back

It is also that time of the year when we all return from a much deserved break. Let us return reinvigorated and ready to tackle the new challenges of the year ahead. As we re-enter our offices and go to site, let us approach our work with the same enthusiasm, commitment and work ethic that has come to characterise our industry.

Thank you,

Putting research on the map

Water Institute of Southern Africa president valerie naidoo makes the case for investment and coordination in water research, development and innovation.

The Water Research Commission, Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Department of Science and Technology kicked-off four Water RDI (research, development and innovation) Roadmap Roadshow events in Cape Town, Bloemfontein, East London and Durban towards the end of last year.

For those that are not familiar with the roadmap, it is a high-level RDI planning tool for the sector, which signals priority water research clusters, human capital development targets and the need for an active innovation playground leading to breakthrough technologies every five years.

alternate water sources

The first cluster deals with unlocking

The Water Research, Development and Innovation Roadmap will, among other things, set a course for making the DWS’ National Water Resource Strategy II a reality in the next 10 years

alternate sources of water, focusing on making the DWS’ National Water Resource Strategy II a reality in the next 10 years. It also aims to model and scope opportunities using all options in the water cycle such as rain- and stormwater harvesting, as well as groundwater using integrated management principles.

Reuse of water is a major focus and concentrates and sets targets for reclamation or fit-for-purpose opportunities using grey-water, wastewater, industrial water and mine water. Thus, this cluster should focus not only on technology development but also on capability build, risk management, social acceptance and health.

Governance, management and planning

There are two clusters in the roadmap that focus on governance, management and planning for both the supply and demand needs of the country: clusters two and five. The need to drive

Dr Valerie Naidoo, president, WISA

these aspects within the roadmap is critical since, no matter how many solutions are created in the sector, they will likely fail at the implementation stage if the enabling environment is absent or the relevant stakeholders are unwilling to test and deploy them. These include enabling tools, such as regulations and policy that ensure the protection, fairness, equity, planning and management of demand. There is also a call for action research, which should help unpack and strengthen our application of water allocation, management of transboundary water, mitigation of pollution, operationalisation of catchment management authorities and planning for national and local water demand.

infrastructure solutions

Cluster three deals with built and ecological infrastructure (BI and EI) and

For WISA, it is important that all technical divisions and branches understand the 10-year plan and promote and test innovative solutions, as well as provide technical guidance

encourages solutions that allow the sector to manage BI and EI in a sustainable manner. This cluster encourages researchers and technical professionals to rethink supply infrastructure by exploring new storage infrastructure, performance indicators, transdisciplinary partnerships, and the strengthening of urban systems. It is critical that all water sector players understand the economics of balancing the BI and EI at catchment and city or town levels.

Service environments

Clusters four, six and seven aim to unpack solutions and opportunities for the operational (service) environments and will focus on water efficiency (public sector, consumers, and industry). It includes looking at new-generation options for the treatment, conveyance and management of water and wastewater.

investment opportunities

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Clusters four and seven take a critical look at “water as a sustainable business” and encourage the sector to look at innovative financial and social models as well as the tools, devices and revenue collection solutions. These will allow South Africa to secure water more effectively by investing appropriately in its infrastructure and operations and maintenance. The implementation of such solutions requires a massive, coordinated effort from all water and cross-sectoral players. In this regard, the triple helix of government, academia and industry should also become fully operational. Thus, the Water RDI portfolio management unit and the 10-year roadmap aim to coordinate this.

It will signal to all partners where to invest for research, innovation and human capital development. Industry plays a critical role in working with universities and science councils to invest in the right areas as well as playing an instrumental role in testing new technologies for the sector, which, in turn, should strengthen and make them more competitive both locally and globally. Therefore, for the Water Institute of Southern Africa, it is important that all technical divisions and branches understand the 10-year plan and promote and test innovative solutions as well as provide technical guidance on new knowledge and innovations. This roadmap provides exciting opportunities for testing new approaches, technologies, and infrastructure for a water-scarce and potentially “future climate-impacted” country, which will most definitely face different challenges than developed nations.

What a year for YWP-ZA

Going from strength to strength, 2016 was another exciting year for YWP-ZA. National chairperson nora hanke-louw reflects on the past year.

Last year was exciting for the South African Young Water Professionals (YWP-ZA). Amidst increasing pressure on our country’s resources, the youth across South Africa is awakening. This has been shown in the #FeesMustFall movement and in the water sector. 2016 marked the year of water restrictions and increased public awareness around water issues.

As the new year begins, the network of young people under 35 years of age and part of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) and the International Water Association (IWA) is excited to share its activities in 2016 and planned activities in 2017.

New chapters

YWP-ZA opened two more provincial chapters in 2016 – in Limpopo and Northern Cape, respectively. This brings the total number of provincial chapters to seven. In the past, provincial chapters have shown that they are the

FATAL FACTS

• More than 2 million tonnes of wastewater and agricultural waste are discharged into the world’s waterways each year. Over half of the world’s hospitals are occupied by people suffering from illnesses related to waterborne diseases resulting from polluted water (this is high in comparison with the number of people killed as a result of violence, including wars).

• Almost 90% of all wastewater in developing countries is discharged, untreated, directly into rivers, lakes and oceans. At least 1.28 million children under five years of age die each year from water-related disease – that’s one every 20 seconds.

first contact point for our members and young people in the water sector more generally. We are, therefore, excited to reach out to new communities and integrate them into our family of water professionals. Additional activities included technical tours, among others. Due to ongoing student protests, numerous events had to be cancelled at the last minute but we are looking forward to holding the events early this year.

One of the provincial projects YWP-ZA wants to showcase is taking place in KwaZulu-Natal. WISA, YWP-ZA and eThekwini Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Department have identified decommissioned hand-pump boreholes and some off-grid water solutions that could essentially provide clean potable water to surrounding communities. The purpose of this project is to provide infrastructure solutions that would alleviate the shortage of water in communities most affected by drought in the rural parts of eThekwini Municipality since the current intervention programmes used by the municipality are not sustainable.

In some of these areas, there is water infrastructure but the supplying reservoirs have run dry. As part of WISA’s social responsibility programme, YWP-ZA is volunteering its services by taking a lead role in resuscitating and upgrading the old or abandoned infrastructure. Sustainable decentralised potable water supply systems will then be accessible to poor rural communities. The feasibility study for this project has been completed and the first of these boreholes is being installed.

Workshop participation

The YWP-ZA’s national committee also runs three flagships projects, namely a Publication Workshop, the Imvelisi Enviropreneurship workshops, and its biennial conference, which you can read more about in this edition of Water&Sanitation africa.

Following the success of the 2014 Publications Workshop series, YWP-ZA decided to host this training programme on a biennial basis and partnered with the Water Research Commission to achieve this plan.

The purpose of these events is to equip students with the skills needed to publish in leading international journals. The workshops follow a diverse programme covering writing skills, practical activities, review systems and extensive interrogation of participant papers. The sessions are facilitated by leading experts with experience in writing, reviewing and editing journals. Professor Gustaf Olsson is a former IWA Publishing Award holder. As the former (2005-2010) editor-in-chief of Water Science and Technology and Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, Prof Olsson is highly experienced in the publishing and academic domains. He has also served as a member of the IWA Board of Directors and IWA Strategic

Participants at the KwaZulu-Natal workshop for the Second Young Water Professionals Publications Workshop

Council. He was supported by local experts in publishing, including Tamsyn Sherwill (editor of Water SA) and Lani van Vuuren (editor of Water Wheel). Those wanting to find out more about our Publication Handbook can contact YWP-ZA’s Western Cape chairman, Ashton Maherry, on amaherry@gmail.com.

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enviropreneurs workshop

The Imvelisi – Developing Enviropreneurs workshop is aimed at developing the pipeline of potential entrepreneurs towards a greener economy. It has a particular focus on emerging ‘enviropreneurs’ and their innovative ideas for products and services that will have a positive impact through water and biodiversity businesses. Conceptualised and being implemented by GreenMatter (a national network of partner organisations responsible for implementing its 20-year Biodiversity and Human Capital Strategy) and the YWP-ZA network, Imvelisi is designed to improve the potential of aspiring enviropreneurs in gaining access to mainstream incubators and business funding streams. The programme is funded by the Department of Science and Technology. Imvelisi 2016 was conceptualised to have two phases to increase the pool of applicants: Phase 1 was a pre-bootcamp roadshow in four provinces, supported by the Department of Environmental Affairs, focusing on generating awareness about entrepreneurship opportunities in water and biodiversity. Phase 2 will take place this year. Potential applicants wanting to take part in one of these bootcamps can contact YWPZA past chair Shanna Nienaber on shannan@wrc.org.za.

Global presence

Internationally, YWP-ZA was also been active in 2016. The IWA’s World Water Congress took place between 9 to 13 October at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Queensland Australia. The congress

traditionally brings over 5 500 water, environment and related professionals from more than 100 countries and offers new insights into how pioneering science, technological innovation and leading practices shape the major transformation in water management that is underway. This year, the congress brought together emerging water leaders (EWL) from all over the world for the EWL sessions integrated throughout the programme.

a strong foundation for infrastructure success

WISA, YWP-ZA and

eThekwini

Municipality have identified decommissioned hand-pump boreholes and some off-grid water solutions that could provide clean potable water to surrounding communities

YWP-ZA vice chair Suvritha Ramphal formally took office as the South African Representative for the IWA’s EWL Steering Committee on 8 October during the EWL Steering Committee Meeting. The role of the EWL during this congress was to present their view on current topics shaping the water sector today – namely water scarcity and drought, sustainable development goals and water-wise cities. This was successfully orchestrated through the use of rapporteurs capturing key messages at strategic sessions.

At the closing ceremony of the congress, Suvritha Ramphal from the Royal Danish Embassy in South Africa, Arlinda Ibrahimini from the UKKO Joint Stock Company in Albania and Kathryn Sylvester from Sydney Water in Australia touched on the topical key messages of the congress: water scarcity and drought as signals of a climate shift; blended financing models required to realise the Sustainable Development Goals; and the need to work towards developing tools to increase our understanding of the complexities of water and cities. To find out more about our international programme, contact Suvritha Ramphal on suvram@um.dk.

After such an exciting year, we are looking forward to 2017 where we will continue to run events and build on South African talent in the water sector. Or, to put it in the eloquent words of Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke, “And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.”

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I15056

WATER RESTRICTIONS IN JOHANNESBURG

The City of Johannesburg is required by the Department of Water and Sanitation to reduce its water usage by 15% with immediate effect, as water levels at our source (Integrated Vaal River System) have dropped to alarming levels. This mandatory mitigation measure on water usage has been triggered by on-going drought and unusual warmer conditions.

1 2 3

Level-2 water use restrictions according to section 44 (3) of the Water Services By-law states that consumers are compelled:

• Not to water their garden between 06:00 and 18:00;

• Not to use irrigation systems, only a hand held hose or bucke t is permitted during watering times;

• Not to fill swimming pools with municipal water; and

• Not to use hosepipes to wash their cars or to clean paved are as and driveways with water.

Water demand restriction tariffs on domestic users effective on water usage from September 2016. Full tariff schedule: www.johannesburgwater.co.za

Implementation of water supply restrictions through reduction of outflows from our reservoirs will take place during off peak times (20:00 – 04:00) in selected areas daily.

For more information and water saving tips visit www.johannesburgwater.co.za. Please subscribe on our website, to our SMS notification service for planned or unplanned service interruptions.

Olifants charges ahead

How do

you eat an Olifants River Water Resources Development Project?

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) says, “One phase at a time.”

Steven Arumugam, chief director: Infrastructure Development, DWS, provides an update on Phase 2’s 2C Sub-phase. By Frances Ringwood

How long is the pipeline and what is its diameter?

Sa For Sub-phase 2C, the steel pipeline is approximately 40 km long, with a diameter varying between 1.8 m and 1.3 m.

What community or industries will the pipeline benefit?

The water delivered by the pipeline is earmarked for social and commercial use (including mining and industry) in the Greater Tubatse Local Municipality.

How did these communities and industries receive water prior to the pipeline being constructed?

Generally, the communities received water through a series of boreholes and directly from the river. Water was also sourced from Flag Boshielo Dam on the Olifants River, by the mines, through a weir and pipeline scheme constructed by them under approval from the DWS. This is administered through the Lebalelo Water Users Association (LWUA).

How was the project funded?

This portion of the project is wholly funded from the fiscus.

can you provide some details about the project timeline and background?

Cabinet approved the project in 2004. Work on the De Hoop Dam started in 2007 when the then Minister of Water Affairs issued the Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) with a directive for the bulk distribution system in 2008. Design started in 2009, and construction on Sub-phase 2C started in 2012, with

completion anticipated in 2017. The TCTA is the implementing agent for Subphase 2C and an Aurecon-Ndodana JV is the consulting engineer. Basil Read is the main contractor.

Were there any interesting challenges regarding the project?

The pipeline passed through a number of communities. On a number of occasions, the pipeline project was on the receiving end of service delivery protests in the area. Even though we commenced the consultation process with neighboring communities about employment and business opportunities long before construction began, our project was still caught up in local issues.

How were local employment opportunities created through the project?

The contract required that certain employment targets be met, including that all unskilled labour and a certain percentage of skilled employees were to be sourced from the local areas surrounding the pipeline. This process was overseen by a collective community structure, called the project liaison committee (comprising two representatives from each community), whose members had the responsibility of reporting back to their respective communities.

Other than the fact that the contractor met, and in some cases exceeded, the contractual requirement for procurement from and development of local enterprises, an additional R38 million was allocated for local business (from the project area) opportunities. Through our

corporate social investment initiatives, the project rolled out the following projects: a pedestrian safety programme, aimed at schoolchildren, due to the high incidence of vehicle accidents with pedestrians; Passport to Future, for unemployed high school graduates in consultation with the water services authority (Sekhukhune District Municipality), and upgrading and developing water resources, like boreholes, at selected communities.

Would it be possible to provide more background regarding the interesting features of this project?

The Olifants River Water Resources Development Project Phase 2 (ORWRDP-2) is sited in the Olifants River catchment area, incorporating the Steelpoort River catchment area, and extending into the Mogalakwena and Sand River catchments. ORWRDP-2 comprises the following sub-phases: Sub-phase 2A entailed the construction of the De Hoop Dam on the Steelpoort River; Sub-phase 2B is a bulk distribution system from the Flag Boshielo Dam to the Mokopane area; and Subphase 2C, which I discussed earlier. Bulk infrastructure components include pipelines, pump stations, balancing reservoirs and a terminal reservoir at Pruissen. Sub-phases 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F cover a bulk distribution system from the De Hoop Dam that will ultimately link with the existing Olifants-Sand Transfer Scheme at Olifantspoort. Sub-phase 2H will entail the incorporation of portions of LWUA’s infrastructure into ORWRDP-2.

What is the total cost of the project? Around R2 billion

Enhancing dam capacity

South Africa has reached a crisis point regarding water demand. Although there are about 1 510 water supply dams in the country, the potential for new dams is severely limited. Thus, we need to find methods to augment the water supply in our existing dams. By Peter townshend*

Water, unlike electricity, is a finite resource in South Africa. Further, our ageing dam infrastructure of about 1 200 medium to large water supply dams has lost considerable storage from sedimentation. Global warming is now having an effect on increased water usage, high evaporation rates as well as more extreme events such as floods and droughts. This puts a significant constraint on our country’s water supplies. We have limited potential to build more dams, and the cost, social and environmental issues attached to new dams are problematic. One way to address these problems is to utilise existing dams and provide effective methods to raise dams’ full supply levels (FSLs) to gain additional water storage.

challenges

The challenges are multifaceted and include the increase in demand for water for:

• The population, which is increasing rapidly due partly to improved health facilities as well as an influx of people from other countries. The government has undertaken to provide water to nearly all citizens, thereby increasing the demand to millions of people who previously did not have piped water. Further, most people’s lifestyles have improved considerably, which increases water usage.

• The increasing supply of industry, mining and power-generation to meet a growing South Africa as well as agriculture, which accounts for more than 60% of the country’s water usage. Water losses are also unacceptably high. Causes of water loss range broadly and

include: ageing and leaking pipelines and fittings; unrecorded and illegal connections resulting in unaccountable usage; illegal abstractions from rivers and dams; and sedimentation

Sedimentation is particularly interesting for its impact on dams. About 50 dams were surveyed for sediment accumulation in the 1980s and 1990s, and the total volume lost to sediment was in the order of 1 555 million cubic metres over an average 10-to-15-year period. This amounts to almost 150 million cubic metres per annum, which is equivalent to one large dam’s capacity lost per year!

Even though dam design makes provision for loss of storage to sediment, it is nevertheless a considerable loss. Unfortunately, this is a reality we must live with as measures to reduce sediment loss have not been very successful.

Ecological reserve – the provision of additional water in dams for the ecological

requirements of the downstream river – has largely been overlooked in our dams in the past. This has led to poor water quality in the river systems downstream of dams, with adverse effects on both human and riverine ecology downstream of dams. Consequently, the ecological reserve has become a fundamental provision in the National Water Act of 1998 and dams are now required to provide storage for ecological releases from dams. While the ecological reserve varies between dams, it still can account for about 10% to 20% of the total capacity. Further, in order to stimulate early reproductive cycles in riverine species, it is necessary to release a large amount of water from the dam to simulate an early seasonal flood. The flow rate needed for this is not readily produced by bottom outlet valves, so a gated system is required for large discharge. The Berg River Dam is the first such dam in South Africa to release up to 200 m3/sec for environmental purposes.

Solution: raising dams

Increasing storage in existing dams is probably the quickest and most costeffective means to gain more capacity. The advantages of raising dams are:

• A modest raising of 2 m to 4 m can result in a 10% to 50% increase in storage volume, depending on the dam characteristics; there fore, raising between three to five dams is equivalent to about one new dam.

impact in the supply of construction materials, displacement of communities and adverse impact on flora and fauna.

• It is considerably cheaper than building a new dam and as shorter time to construct and impound to gain the valuable water supply.

Capacity increase methods include: conventional construction, electromechanical gates, automatic spillway gates and sediment removal.

conventional construction

This is done using conventional methods of quarrying (for additional fill and/or rock), placing and compaction on the existing embankment to provide the additional strength required for the raising. The spillway and abutments are raised in mass or reinforced concrete and often are also anchored to the rock to provide additional stability.

There is a proportional, adverse environmental impact involved with the provision of construction materials as well as construction activity – traffic, noise and air pollution – and they have large carbon footprints. Furthermore, by providing a fixed raised spillway, the high flood level and backwater effect

increases, leading to the purchase of more land above the previous high flood level, which will be inundated by the raised high flood level.

It also does not provide a sufficiently large release of water for downstream environmental flows. Raising dams by conventional means is also more costly and time-consuming than the alternatives. However, in South Africa, conventional dam raising is preferred, for good reasons, over some of the alternative methods.

Nevertheless, with the increasing demand for water and constraints on the fiscus, conventional raisings should be carefully considered against the advantages of the alternatives.

electromechanical gates

These gates require an external power source, mainly electrical, to operate. The most common of these gates in South Africa are radial and vertical lift gates. They are not favoured in South Africa because they require ongoing maintenance and are prone to failure. The assurance of operation is uncertain, especially on dams in remote locations. However, they are acceptable on large dams where there is a permanent operator presence.

utomatic gates

These essentially fall into three categories: rubber dams, fuse gates, and self-opening and -restoring gates.

The rubber-type dams such as the Bridgestone

Tops gate open to pass water at Mnjoli Dam, Swaziland

hemisphere countries, have not found application in South Africa.

Fuse gates and earth embankments are fixed structures on the spillway that are designed to fail at a certain high recurrence flood event. Once the fuse gate or embankment fails, it passes the flood to ensure dam safety, but the additional storage obtained by the raising is then lost. It can then also take some time to restore the fuse, delaying the impounding of the dam. These fixed-type structures also cannot release water for environmental purposes.

Self-opening and -closing gates are gates that attach to an existing spillway to increase the water level in the dam. When a flood occurs and the water levels

rise over the gates, the gates will open automatically and sequentially to release their flood waters in proportion to the inflowing flood hydrograph. When the water level recedes after the flood has passed, the gates will close automatically to retain the increased full supply level. These types of gates comprise:

• Tops spillway gates suitable for ogee and side-channel spillways, which can increase water levels from 0.5 m to 8 m.

• FDS crest gates suitable for ogee-type spillways, which can raise water levels from 0.5 m to 4 m.

• FDS scour gates used in low dams up to 15 m and river weirs. Their primary function is to remove sediment while it is still mobile during floods.

Fast Facts

• South Africa’s ageing dam infrastructure of about 1 200 medium to large water supply dams has lost considerable storage from sedimentation.

• About 50 dams were surveyed for sediment accumulation in the 1980s and 1990s, and the total volume lost to sediment was in the order of 1 555 million cubic metres over an average 10-to-15-year period.

• This amounts to almost 150 million cubic metres per annum, which is equivalent to one large dam’s capacity lost per year!

• Global warming is now having an effect on increased water usage, high evaporation rates as well as more extreme events such as floods and droughts.

FIguRe 1 Breaking out and building the new structure and fitting the scourgate

FIguRe 2 Water test scour tunnel and gate

Climate change is putting strain on dams' storage capacity (Clanwilliam Dam)

Avis Dam in Namibia’s tops gate just opening

Avis Dam’s gate fully open for increased levels

Tops spillway gates can increase water levels by 0.5 m to 8 m

These types of gates do not require any external power source, either electrical or mechanical, to activate them. The activation to open and close is automatic and determined by water levels only. These gates do not require regular maintenance or control systems and, consequently, are suitable for dams in remote locations.

They have the added advantages of:

• minimising high flood levels and, therefore, land compensation costs and relocations

• opening manually to release large flows for environmental purposes when required

• offering cost-effectiveness and fast installation for early impounding of the dam

• closing automatically to retain the increased full supply level.

These gates are developed in South Africa and a number of them have been installed and have worked well on dams and weirs in Southern Africa for more than 30 years.

Removing sediment

South Africa has lost, and will continue to lose, a considerable volume of storage in river weirs and dams due to the accumulation of sediment. Some river weirs have silted up completely. Professors Rooseboom and Basson have indicated, in WRC report No. TT91/97 on dealing with reservoir sedimentation, that to have any chance of effectively maintaining a weir free of sediment, the gate should be able to pass in the order of a 1:2 year flood peak. This usually requires a large outlet area, often considerably more than what is provided by present outlets.

Retrofitting scour gates

It is possible to recover a substantial volume of storage lost to sedimentation behind weirs and medium-sized dams. This can be done by a series of successive flushes, but only during periods of higher-than-normal flow in order to recharge to the weir or dam after each flush.

An automatic scour gate can be retrofitted to an existing concrete weir or dam spillway. It requires careful redesign of the existing structure to accommodate the scour tunnel and float chamber. This work may be constructed

against a full head of water and, therefore, requires careful construction.

However, once the gate is installed, the weir can be flushed a number of times and, once most of the sediment is removed, the scour gate will minimise the sediment build up in the weir or dam.

conclusion

The importance of increasing water supply in South Africa is generally accepted. Of the different options available to meet our forthcoming water crisis, raising existing dams offers the easiest, quickest and most cost-effective means to provide sustainable water in our existing dams. Conventional methods are the safest but are generally more expensive and take longer to implement than raising with gates.

Of the gated options to raise dams, the suite of automatic self-actuating gates that are developed in South Africa offer an affordable and technically acceptable solution to increasing water supply. The urgency in South Africa to provide additional water supply, and the pressure on funding makes raising dams with automatic self-actuating gates vital.

For a list of references, contact frances@3smedia.co.za.

*Peter Townshend (PrEng, BSc Eng Civil) is the MD of AmanziFlow Projects in Johannesburg.

FIguRe 3 Scour tunnel open to discharge silt

After the flood

OAt the time of writing, six people had already succumbed to dangerous waters resulting from summer floods. In light of this, it’s fair to ask whether city planners pay enough attention to climate change as it relates to urban development.

By Frances Ringwood & dion govender*

n 9 November last year, six people were reported dead and one small child was missing as a result of flood waters accumulating in Johannesburg. A flash flood resulted in a wall and bridge collapse, and the Jukskei River bursting its banks. The question on many commentators’ lips following the disaster is whether stormwater attenuation infrastructure was adequate. An important related question is: “Do we, as South Africans, take our wetlands seriously enough?”

The answers to these questions turn out to be complicated. The fact is the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) is a world leader in terms of its stormwater and disaster management, but there’s a lot more at play making flash floods difficult to contend with.

Joburg’s role

The world is becoming more urban. According to an African Union report, over 60% of Africa’s people will live in urban centres by 2063. Even without the devastating effects of climate change, cities have inherited more social and environmental challenges than ever before. Politically, this has also created new centres of both real and perceived

power, which has threatened the hegemony of other tiers of government. Due to its immediacy and adjacency to the demands of larger sections of the population, a city might be able to introduce a level of urgency regarding climate action that is not always matched at a national level. On a related note, global climate leadership group C40 Cities (of which CoJ is a steering committee member) has identified six themes to assist members in meeting climate change challenges, namely:

• improved vertical and horizontal coordination between next-level authorities

• better internal city operations and capacity

• presenting the case for climate action

• understand and engaging urban stakeholders

• collaborating with the private sector

• finance for climate action.

The CoJ has conducted excellent research and has at its disposal a climate change adaptation plan, a climate change strategic framework, as well as a biodiversity strategy and action plan. Integrating this type of research into the city’s official Integrated Development Planning process is under way at multiple levels. The Johannesburg Climate Change Adaptation Plan is based on a vulnerability assessment for the city, which has identified the following specific urban flood-related risks:

• damage to water supply and sanitation infrastructure

• damage to property, personal injury and livelihoods

• increased road accidents and traffic congestion

• damage to electrical and communications infrastructure

• disruption to water security

• increased numbers of refugees and migrants due to flooding in low-lying areas.

In addition, from a flooding perspective, the CoJ has developed a world-class catchment management policy, as well as by-laws governing stormwater management. Both have at their core the protection of flood plains, natural drainage areas and the reduction of excess stormwater on public roads. The CoJ’s Open Space Planning Department is also undertaking research into next-level management techniques such as sustainable urban drainage systems and water-sensitive urban design, which will increase resilience to the levels required of severe rainfall patterns.

What went wrong?

The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) described the Johannesburg flash floods an act of God, adding that “it was beyond the capacity of JRA stormwater systems”. Dr Sean Phillips, managing director, JRA, explained, “A road is designed for the likelihood of the severity of the storm statistically happening once every five years. The road surface and reserve including the stormwater servitude are designed to act as a channel if the underground

system reaches capacity, while major systems (underground drainage) –including crossings through residential properties – are designed for storms statistically happening once every 25 years.” The CoJ’s rivers have 1:50 year and 1:100 year floodlines below which buildings may not be erected. Phillips added, “Unfortunately, any severe storm or flash flooding that occurs will result in isolated flooding, as the road infrastructure is not designed for these severities.”

In a nutshell, flash flooding resulting from unprecedented weather linked to climate change is beyond the control of city planners and could not be anticipated by those living half a century ago. In addition, Johannesburg’s geology itself provides barriers to the flood and stormwater planning process.

Joburg geology

Johannesburg is situated atop the Witwatersrand Basin, which consists of a 5 km to 7 km layer of predominantly sedimentary rocks that started forming more than 3 billion years ago, making it one of the oldest geological formations on the planet, predating the formation of continents and even planetary oxygen.

This basin is a largely underground geological formation, deeply buried under later layers; however, rocky outcrops are

FAST FACTS

The CoJ is a steering committee member of global climate leadership group C40 Cities.

The CoJ has conducted excellent research and has at its disposal a climate change adaptation plan, a climate change strategic framework, as well as a biodiversity strategy and action plan.

The CoJ is in the process of conducting wetland audits and developing further efforts to protect and conserve its natural wetland systems.

Rampant urban development has resulted in much of the city’s resources being directed towards basic service delivery to meet the rising demands of residents.

present across the central hinterland of South Africa. In Johannesburg, these outcrops appear as the gold-bearing Witwatersrand Ridge. As a result, a series of disturbed or broken ridges can be found across the city, which have the distinction of being watershed ridges – i.e. rain falling to the south of these ridges eventually flows into the Atlantic

Development, concrete pavements and parking lots create watersheds, diverting water into channels where its flow is stronger

Ocean via the Klip River system, while rain falling to the north eventually falls into the Indian Ocean via the Jukskei River system.

Climate models have shown that average rainfall will not increase significantly; however, rainfall events are expected to be much more intense – causing flash flooding. In the case of Johannesburg’s recent flash flooding, amateur meteorologists demonstrated that parts of the city experienced between 80 mm to 110 mm of rain in the space of two to three hours. The South African Weather Service confirmed that

168

90 mm of rain fell in a 24-hour period at its weather station at O.R. Tambo International Airport.

Wetlands play a crucial role in urban ecological systems through their natural filtration functions, the retention and detention of water, and ecological corridors

The topography of the Johannesburg metro, ranging from 1 753 m to as low as 800 m above sea level, makes the city prone to rapid, gravity-based water movement, coupled with extensive areas of hardened surfaces and developments over natural springs as well as the infilling of important wetlands. Upstream developments over natural springs, increased areas of hard surfacing and the reduction of sponge areas contribute to higher levels of run-off water. The interference of natural water

2 186

systems through development, cut-off drains or tunnelling further exacerbates the threat of flooding, as the vast run-off water finds new routes underground or is forced above ground.

In a short time span, a vast amount of water will flow from high-lying areas with little natural absorption capacity towards low-lying areas where, most often, it will work its way into the water systems. When developed areas and roads get in the way of this flood water, it is physically impossible for the stormwater drains to evacuate this water effectively, unless they are part of a holistic urban water management system.

Wetland protection

As evidenced from the above, wetlands and their protection are crucial to flood mitigation and the prevention of severe

2 087

64%

wetlands that have disappeared since

Wetland sites listed by Ramsar as having international importance

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

World’s

1900

Contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention protecting wetlands

flooding. The question of whether enough is being done at government level to protect this valuable green infrastructure highlights an administrative minefield. Wetland protection is something that many metros and municipalities have grappled with in the last 22 years. Wetlands play a crucial role in urban ecological systems through their natural filtration functions, the retention and detention of water, and ecological corridors. They are also an integrated component of the CoJ flood management system. In fact, the CoJ is in the process of conducting wetland audits and developing further efforts to protect and conserve its natural wetland systems. The latest studies show that the geomorphological health categorisation of the city’s

most important wetlands systems can be categorised somewhere between “largely threatened” and “serious”.

developer challenge

Meanwhile, myriad new private and commercial developments in the CoJ continue unabated and essentially pay lip service to their environmental impact assessments. The city’s excellent but limited resources have been stretched in trying to combat this and they are forced to rely extensively on self-regulation within the private sector.

Therefore, the city’s continued challenge is determining how best to de-link economic growth from environmental degradation, and deliver the required environmental and social justice necessary to protect its wetlands.

*Dion Govender is the CEO of DLINK Holdings, a sustainable development services company focused on working towards environmental and social justice using innovative business practices.

Do you know this logo?

You will start seeing it appear on our products as the SABS mark expires and we replace it with the SATAS mark.

No need to panic!

Nothing has changed regarding the quality of the product. It is still SANS approved, i.e. made to the South African National Standard. It is merely the certification body that we are changing.

Already SATAS approved, to the latest SANS specifications, are Ultraflo 966-2; Duroflo 966-1 and Freeflo 967.

Visit our website for updated SANS certificates on all our water & sanitation piping systems.

+27(0)11 345 5600

info@dpiplastics.co.za

A black-headed heron

URBAN hydrology challenges

Integrating wetland conservation with stormwater management is essential for floodwater attenuation. The following technical paper looks at challenges regarding the integration of wetland management and urban hydrology. By Johan van der Waals*

Wetlands are under threat in urban areas due to the extensive, and intensive, development of their catchments, water supply areas and their occurrence on high-value land. The identification and assessment of wetlands rests on the elucidation and description of wetland habitat and wetland biota. These parameters have value in terms of their expression of ecosystem health and

the biodiversity characteristics of specific landscapes as they constitute the responses to a range of drivers centred around water (Figure 1).

These responses are specifically related to the physical or hydrological parameters of water summarised in the concept of “flow regime” and in the chemical or biological parameters summarised in the concept of “water quality” and are generally referred to as the ecosystem services associated with the responses.

The flow regime, water quality and geomorphology properties (drivers) of a landscape determine the types and characteristics of responses expressed as habitat and biota. It therefore follows that in the event that the drivers are altered, the responses, and subsequently the ecosystem services, will be altered as well. This concept is central to the understanding and elucidation of urban wetland (habitat and biota) impacts and is currently emphasised by the

Cause modification / risk

Activity

FIguRe 1 Ecosystem services drivers and responses (Source: DWS)

PaRt 1 oF 2

Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) when considering water use licence application processes.

Ecosystem drivers are contextualised in geological, topographical and climatic settings. Together with biota and the relative age of the landscape, these parameters constitute five soil-forming factors that determine the specific soil profiles and characteristics encountered in a landscape. It is, therefore, no coincidence that two of the four wetland indicators relate to soil, namely soil form and soil wetness. The remaining two are landscape position (geomorphology –ecosystem driver) and vegetation (biota – ecosystem response).

Soils are useful tools for the elucidation and description of landscape context and hydrological drivers

Soil as a wetland driver assessment tool

Soils are useful tools for the elucidation and description of landscape context and hydrological drivers. The South African landscape is characterised by hard geology of a significant age on stable and old land surfaces that have developed clear morphological indications of hydrological processes in the soils.

This, together with the distinct influence of the physical properties of the soil horizons on the determination of the local water regime, forms the foundation for an emerging field of science referred to as “hydropedology”. Through the correct interpretation of soil morphology and suitable soil property measurement, the hydrological drivers of wetland conditions can be elucidated as the soils both indicate and participate in the hydrological functioning. This observation forms the basis for the determination of the “reference state” of a wetland as required for ecological assessment techniques.

Halfway House Granite dome catenae

One area in Gauteng that is characterised by very specific soil and landscape features and is also prone to extensive urban development pressure is the Halfway House Granite Dome (HHGD) (Figure 2). The typical soil catena (soil sequence along a hillslope) that forms on the HHGD is characterised by relatively shallow soil profiles, often with extensive subsoil ferricrete (or hard

plinthic) layers where perched water tables or daylighting of seepage water occur. The quartz-rich parent granite has a low iron content – ”reserve” – and, together with the age of the material, leads to the dominance of bleached sandy soils with distinct and shallow zones of water fluctuation. The water fluctuation zone is often comprised of a high frequency of iron or manganese concretions and sometimes exhibits feint mottles. In lower-lying areas, the soils tend to be deeper due to colluvial accumulation of sandy soil material but then exhibit more distinct signs of prolonged saturation. Figure 3 provides a schematic representation of the catena. The essence of this catena is that the soils are predominantly less than 50 cm thick and, as such, have a fluctuating water table (mimicking rainfall events) within 50 cm of the soil surface.

For the purpose of wetland identification and conceptual hydrological description of the HHGD landscape, the emphasis is placed on the identification of context-specific responses in the

FIguRe 2 Location of the Halfway House Granite Dome in Gauteng

Fluctuating water table

form of biota and soil morphology. Through this pragmatic approach, the 50 cm “mottle presence” criterion is not applied religiously. Rather, distinctly wet horizons and zones of clay accumulation within drainage depressions are identified as distinct wetland soils. The areas surrounding these are assigned to extensive seepage areas that are difficult to delineate and on which it is difficult to assign a realistic buffer area. The probable best practice is to assign a large buffer zone in which subsurface water flow is encouraged and conserved to lead to a steady but slow recharge of the wetland area, especially following rainfall events. In the case where development is to take place within this large buffer area it is preferred that a “functional buffer” approach be followed. This implies that development can take place within the buffer area but then only within strict guidelines regarding stormwater management and mitigation as well as erosion prevention in order to minimise

sediment transport into stream and drainage channels and depressions. And all of this with the ultimate aim of managing the water resource within the framework provided by the DWS.

Landscape water movement

Water movement in a landscape is a combination of the different flow paths in the soils and geological materials. The movement of water in these materials is dominantly subject to gravity and, as such, it will follow the path of least resistance towards the lowest point, with a number of factors determining the paths along which this water moves. Figures 4A and 4B provide schematic representations of the different flow regimes that are usually encountered.

The main types of water flow can be grouped as: 1) recharge (vertically downwards) of groundwater; 2) lateral flow of water through the landscape along the hillslope (interflow or hillslope water); 3) return flow water that intercepts the soil or landscape surface; and 4) surface run-off. Significant variation exists with these flow paths and numerous combinations are often found.

The main wetland types associated with the flow paths are: a) valley bottom wetlands (fed by groundwater, hillslope processes, surface run-off, and/or in-stream water); b) hillslope seepage wetlands (fed

FIguRe 3 Schematic representation of a Halfway House Granite catena

FIguRe 4a Different flow paths of water through a landscape

Are

DWS gui D e L ine S on W h AT D e F ine S

A W e TLA n D u S e F u L in ALL CAS e S ?

The identification and delineation of wetlands on the HHGD is particularly challenging.

• One of the main criteria used during wetland delineation exercises, as stipulated by DWS guidelines, is the presence of mottles within 50 cm of the soil surface (temporary and seasonal wetland zones).

• Even from a theoretical point of view, the mottling criteria of the guidelines cannot be applied to the HHGD catena, as soils at the crest of the landscape would already qualify as temporary wetland zone soils due to soil colour and mottling criteria.

• In this regard, it is often found that up to 75% of a landscape (crest to valley bottom) qualifies as wetland, according to the DWS criteria, with this being an artefact of the non-specific nature of the criteria.

• It is, therefore, imperative that properties other than the generally accepted wetland signs be used to elucidate wetland distribution and functioning in the HHGD landscape.

by interflow water, return flow water, or both); and c) wetlands associated with surface run-off, ponding and surface ingress of water anywhere in the landscape. These flow paths exhibit variation in the expression of water with surface flow paths yielding near immediate responses, shallow lateral drainage between weeks and months and deep lateral drainage between months and years.

conclusion

The conservation of wetlands in an urban context requires a thorough understanding of the ecosystem drivers (flow regime, water quality and geomorphology) that yield the ecosystem responses (habitat and biota) that are of value. It is critically important to elucidate and understand the water movement processes in the landscape/hillslope, as these features are the ones impacted upon by urban developments, therefore yielding altered drivers that lead to altered ecosystem responses. In Part 2, to be published in WaSa March/April 2017, the specific urban impacts that alter the ecosystem drivers will be discussed in more detail.

*Johan van der Waals (PhD Soil Science, Pr Sci Nat) is the owner of Terra Soil Science in Pretoria.

PRODUCTS FOR THE WATER INDUSTRY

FIguRe 4B Typical wetland types associated with the water regime

Wastewater extension saves wetland

On 6 December 2016, Ekurhuleni’s new mayor, Mzwandile Masina, along with dignitaries from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and other stakeholders, celebrated ERWAT’s extension of the Welgedacht Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW), ensuring the future of the Blesbokspruit wetland.

F“loods have led to loss of life here and in Johannesburg, and this raises many questions regarding municipalities’ drainage infrastructure, and their capacity to minimise the negative effects of floods. I think that, together, Ekurhuleni and ERWAT have prepared an infrastructure build programme that explores how we can cater to the needs of citizens over and above providing technologically innovative wastewater treatment services,” said Masina during his address.

While it took eight years and R590 million to complete a 50 Mℓ/day extension to the Welgedacht WWTW, the results

will be well worth it for the residents of Benoni, Boksburg, Springs, Bakerton and Daveyton, whom the plant serves.

The East Rand Water Care Company (ERWAT), which operates in Ekurhuleni, saw the need for an extension soon after Welgedacht was originally completed in 2003. The plant’s original treatment capacity was 35 Mℓ/day. Tumelo Gopane, ERWAT’s new managing director, explains what prompted the decision to extend the plant: “Rapid urbanisation and industrial growth demanded additional wastewater treatment capacity to meet the needs of the surrounding communities. Further, Welgedacht discharges

into the Blesbokspruit wetland. As one of 21 internationally recognised Ramsar sites in South Africa, it was of the utmost importance that we protect this valuable green infrastructure, which is also part of our natural heritage.”

Ramsar is an international treaty that recognises wetlands in order to promote their protection. Without wetlands, landscapes lose their natural resilience to extreme weather conditions, negatively impacting surrounding ecosystems and human life. The reason for the plant’s long delivery timeframe was the numerous environmental and hydrology impact studies carried out prior to the extension’s

“As one of 21 internationally recognised RAMSAR sites in South Africa, it was of the utmost importance that we protect this valuable green infrastructure, which is also part of our natural heritage.” Tumelo Gopane, ERWAT’s new managing director

construction. These were done in order to ensure that the extension’s building works and the final effluent quality meet the required South African National Standards to protect Blesbokspruit – Gauteng’s only officially recognised wetland.

construction details Earthworks began in June 2012 and construction was completed in mid-2016. “We are still in a ‘shake-down’ period at the moment, making sure all aspects of the plant run smoothly,” comments Gopane. The area where the extension, called Module 2 Extension, was built is dolomitic with an extremely high water

table. This necessitated special precautions and foundations. The projects also resulted in the creation of hundreds of local jobs. For example, the civil and building contractor, Group 5, trained 203 local residents with basic skills over the course of the project.

future plans

The extension at Welgedacht is part of a much bigger plan being undertaken by the DWS through ERWAT. “According to our facilities development plan, ERWAT’s strategy tends towards regionalisation. We will be closing some smaller and under-capacitated WWTWs while extending

and building newer ones. This is part of our goal to affordably provide the rightsized works in the most effective geographical location. By incorporating new, modern technological innovations, these new plants will be much more cost- and resource-efficient,” says Tiisetso Nketle, MMC for Water & Energy.

She concludes saying that another 50 Mℓ/day extension is in the works for Welgedacht, ultimately making it a 135 Mℓ/day plant. Gopane adds that it will also incorporate biogas and other beneficiation mechanisms, including the conversion of sludge to agriculturally useful compost.

aqua ResouRCes sa

Why are so many technology experts excited about the potential that desalination has for securing water supply in arid areas?

Sc Technology experts are excited because desalination could produce the potable water needed for large coastal cities and reduce supply pressure on other water sources. Desalination separates dissolved salts from water. Types of water desalination processes that exist include thermal, electrical and pressure. This discussion will focus on pressure-driven reverse osmosis (RO) with ultrafiltration (UF) as pretreatment. RO desalination plants typically use less energy than thermal distillation.

What, in your view, are some of the biggest drawbacks of desalination?

Any desalination technology is energy intensive. RO desalination needs pressure to overcome natural osmotic pressures and “force” water through the membranes.

According to the ‘US Desalination & Water Purification Roadmap’ report, published by the US Bureau of Reclamation in 2003, membrane permeability and fouling resistance are key economic drivers for membrane treatment systems. Energy consumption and capex account for 70% to 80% of the total expense of RO desalinated water. Research is focusing on finding ways to

improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption.

How do your products and services overcome these barriers?

We offer a number of cuttingedge solutions. With LG Water Solutions’ range of NanoH20 RO membranes, encapsulation of benign nanoparticles changes the structure of the thin-film surface of a conventional RO membrane, allowing more water to pass through while rejecting unwanted materials such as salt. It is this thin film that dictates the permeability and salt rejection of the membrane and, therefore, the economics of a desalination plant.

LG Chem’s thin-film nanocomposite membranes have demonstrated a 50% to 100% increase in permeability when compared to the installed base of RO membranes. This increased permeability means less pressure is required to force the migration of fresh water through the membrane, thus lowering a desalination plant’s energy costs.

Aqua Resources SA also supplies a market-leading desalination pretreatment UF solution manufactured by our German distribution partners, inge. The inge range reduces desalination plant running costs in several ways. First, on the UF membranes themselves, pore distribution along the complete modified polyethersulfone fibre means an effective backwash and low trans-membrane

Susan Cole Managing director

pressure operation. Second, energy consumption is lowered through hydrodynamically optimised modules, which also facilitate efficient cleaning (pH 1 to 13). Third, there is no irreversible fouling, further adding to cleaning efficiency and reducing chemical use. Finally, patented Multibore fibres deliver superior mechanical strength, virtually eliminating fibre breakage and reducing plant maintenance.

What, in your experience, are some of the most common issues limiting the performance of desalination plants?

Incorrect or inefficient pretreatment – this compromises the correct operation of RO membranes, possibly limiting water production capacity versus original design flows.

by RO brine flowing through them under high pressure to part of the incoming feedwater. Finally, the disposal of large quantities of brine as a by-product remains a challenge. Disposal can sometimes be an environmental issue if surrounding fauna and flora are sensitive to local seawater salinity increase. This needs to be assessed at the design stage of a project.

What services do you provide to assist clients to get the most out of their plants?

Both LG Water Solutions & inge, supported by Aqua Resources SA, offer the following services:

• assistance with design projections

As mentioned earlier, energy requirements remain a challenge. Methods such as renewable energy and energy recovery devices (ERDs) are being used more and more frequently to mitigate the energy cost of desalination. Examples of ERDs include turbines and isobaric exchangers that work by directly transferring energy generated

• review of piping and instrumentation diagrams

• plant layout and functional descriptions

• operations optimisation and troubleshooting.

LG Chem’s thin-film nanocomposite membranes are 50% to 100% more permeable than other membranes, resulting in lower energy costs

What, in your view, are some of the biggest challenges with regard to making desalination feasible?

SN The capital and operational cost of desalination plants can often be seen as excessive when compared to increasing water storage capacity, and waiting for rainy seasons. With the reality of climate change, we cannot be certain of “normal” rainfall patterns that have been experienced in the past. Desalination removes this concern, and ensures that when drinking water is required, it is available. Aveng Water has invested in testing and implementing various cost-saving technologies to ensure that the life-cycle cost of any treatment plant is as low as possible.

Why are so many technology experts excited about the potential that desalination has for securing water supply in arid areas?

Desalination offers a guaranteed potable water supply, especially for coastal areas. Industries often use up vast amounts of water, which puts pressure on municipalities’ systems. A model that works particularly well is when industrial facilities use desalinated water, which frees up “traditional” potable sources for local communities. This is the concept on which Aveng’s desalination plant in Namibia was developed. It is currently designed to produce 55 Mℓ/day of drinking water for Areva Resources, but the

intake systems were designed to cater for a possible expansion of up to 123 Mℓ/day. This model prevents the average consumer from having to pay more for drinking water.

What, in your experience, are some of the most common issues limiting the performance of desalination plants and what services do you provide to assist clients in getting the most out of their plants?

The most common problem seems to be membrane management. If control and monitoring systems are not sufficient, the plant can very quickly get to a point where required production is not a possibility and, in extreme circumstances, membranes may need to be replaced. We currently operate four membrane plants, all of which have very different feedwaters. Our operational monitoring system (developed in-house) works on all the plants and gives us the confidence to offer five-year membrane warranties.

can you describe how your HiPRo technology reduces costs and improves environmental performance without compromising on quality? When it comes to mine water treatment, limiting brine volumes is the biggest cost driver. Our HiPRO technology allows the brine volumes to be as low as 1% to 2% of the feed flow, with our latest installation producing no brine stream at all. Because reverse

osmosis membranes are the final barrier, this ensures a high-quality product that is always superior to drinking water standards.

aveng Water is constantly investing in R&d to make its desalination offering more seamless. Would you be prepared to share some of the latest outcomes of this research and discuss how it could change sub-Saharan africa’s desalination landscape? We push our R&D from two different angles. The first is new product development and testing. We have a pilot plant with pretreatment as well as membrane options, which is used to try new technologies before implementing them on the larger plants and new designs. This has enabled us to push the limits of our own technology, and has allowed us to treat water we didn’t think possible – as well as proving in reality that a brine stream isn’t always required. We also have a strong R&D side to our Plant Operations Division. There is so much

Aveng’s Namibia plant is capable of producing 55 Mℓ/day of drinking water

“We have a pilot plant with pretreatment as well as membrane options – this has enabled us to push the limits of our own technology and prove that a brine stream isn’t always required.”

opportunity to improve the controls for pretreatment and membrane operation, ensuring a long lifespan for the membrane inventory, which boils down to a client cost saving, increasing project feasibility. We are particularly proud of our operational record and knowledge base, which gets transferred to every new plant where we operate.

Suzie Nkambule General manager

At Buckman, we believe customers deserve access to premier resources, exceptional service and a steadfast commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. We offer an optimal solution for treatment of utility and process waters—an extensive portfolio of specialty chemicals, unmatched technical expertise and service, and a strong network of experienced associates who identify, prevent and solve problems quickly.

Commitment makes the best chemistry.

BuCKman aFRICa

The incredible benefits of desalination are widely known. What, in your view, are some of the biggest drawbacks?

SR First of all, energy costs are significant and so funds for desalination projects are not always available to the potential users of treated water. Second, when you evaporate water, as happens when evaporation technology is used, scaling becomes a big problem. This is also the case when reverse osmosis (RO) technology is used, which concentrates salts. Salts that were in solution now precipitate out, causing equipment failure or extremely high maintenance costs. Third, water desalinated in an artificial way is not always usable as is; some concerns remain regarding whether it is fit for consumption or agriculture –such water can cause severe corrosion in conventional steel pipes. Additives are often required to retreat this water. Additionally, pretreatment of the water intended for desalination is vital to the success of this technology and can often double the costs of a desalination plant. This is often overlooked and leads to huge production cost overruns and maintenance bills.

How do your products and services overcome these barriers?

As mentioned, scaling often has the biggest direct impact on the production of desalinated water. Buckman’s experience with RO technology and evaporators has led to the development of a full range of anti-scalants and cleaning agents. These chemicals work in support of normal operational maintenance procedures. Using these chemical solutions results in longer production runs, lower equipment maintenance costs, as well as a reduction in overall production costs. Buckman

also provides a full range of chemicals and equipment for correct pretreatment, further reducing equipment damage and costs.

Our services include monitoring, customer training, membrane autopsies and product development, all aimed at providing the right product and treatment for specific desalination applications and technologies.

What products do you offer for lowering desalination costs?

Our pretreatment products include coagulants and flocculants, sand filter aids and pH adjustment before treatment. Anti-scalants are supplied during the actual desalination process to keep salts in suspension. Also, biocides are vital for effective RO. Biofouling alone can destroy the viability of a membrane facility.

What services do you provide to assist clients in getting the most out of their membranes?

Our services include plant data monitoring, which allows Buckman to advise on the type and frequency of chemical cleaning, and membrane autopsies to find specific problems or monitor system health and chemical treatment efficiency. We also provide cleaning solutions to specific problems and the correct biocide and anti-scalant dosing programme for each different type of water and production expectations. Computer modelling plays an integral part in our recommendations.

What, in your experience, are some of the most common issues limiting

the performance of desalination plants?

Among the biggest problems is pre-filtration that is poorly designed or designed to cut costs rather than do the job. Another problem is when plant operators try to increase run lengths beyond recommended technology limits. Generally, where plant owners or operators try to seek short-term cost benefits, these hurt operational efficiency in the long term. Another way plant performance is undermined is when a generic chemical dosing programme is applied without matching it to plant water quality and production aims.

do you provide a service or solution that makes desalination more environmentally friendly?

One of Buckman’s fundamental pillars as a company is to minimise any detrimental impact on the environment. To achieve this, it is essential to evaluate customers’ water quality, production aims and brine disposal capacity. Only then can a chemical programme be designed to minimise or remove environmental impacts. Buckman has extensive experience with clients that reuse almost all of their effluent to ensure a cleaner environment.

“Buckman Africa prides itself on its green chemistries, preventing poisonous chemicals from negatively affecting the environment.”

Stephanus Roux Account manager

Green Our Color. Our Commitment.

Buckman specialises in environmentally friendly operations

EASY MAINTENANCE

The BMS range is a complete range of booster modules for reverse osmosis and filtration applications. The secret is a directly coupled pump powered by a highspeed permanent magnet (PM) motor supplied with a variable frequency drive (VFD) or a high-speed asynchronous (AC) motor with the option of ordering the mandatory VFD from Grundfos. Add to that an improved design that makes maintenance and service easier than ever, and you have a winning concept.

▸ High efficiency means energy savings

▸ Easy maintenance and alignment

▸ Extreme durability and reliability

▸ Very small footprint

▸ Easily integrated in any water treatment system

▸ Designed for high flows and pressure

▸ Built-in non-return valve

could you describe some of the technical details behind how one of your industryleading BMS pressureboosting modules was developed and what makes it advanced and applicable in Ro systems?

dN Everyone is talking about saving energy and we all know it’s important given the current global environmental, economic and social circumstances

When we look at desalination systems in particular, they often run 24/7, consuming large amounts of energy.

Grundfos has equipped its BMS pressure-boosting modules with a high-efficiency, permanent magnet motor, which provides up to 5% higher efficiency than standard asynchronous motors. Couple this with a Grundfos variable-frequency drive – that is specifically programmed to work with the centrifugal pump performance profile – and pressure exchanger used as energy recovery, and such a system can significantly reduce energy consumption for the operator. As an example, energy consumption can potentially be reduced from 6.45 kWh/m3 down to nearly 3 kWh/m3, for approximately 20 m3 of clean water produced per hour. Grundfos are strongly committed to solving the urgent

water and energy challenges of our world, and we take steps every day to care for our people, our planet and our business. Our core promise is to be Responsible, to think ahead and innovate for the future, which is why – in keeping with the BMS pressure-boosting module design philosophy – we offer higher efficiency and energysaving motors (compliant with Europe’s IE3, or greater than IE3 in some case) for all our other desalination products.

What are some of the biggest challenges related to desalination projects and how does your solution overcome these challenges?

Dean Naidoo Industry segment manager

efficiency, lower energy cost and a smaller footprint, improving transport requirements, building space requirements, and ease of maintenance.

“Our core promise is to be responsible, to think ahead and innovate for the future.”

Extremely high equipment and running costs present the biggest challenge for any desalination plant. High-pressure pumps require larger motor sizes, in order to obtain the necessary pressure for the desalination process. High energy consumption and running costs result. Large motors also influence the maintenance programmes and the space required from an access and equipment size perspective – not to mention the difficulty of transporting such cumbersome equipment. The benefits of Grundfos’ BMS pressure-boosting modules in this regard include higher

Another challenge for desalination plants is increased corrosion due to the high salt content in sea- and brackish water. Grundfos produces all critical components that come into contact with salty water out of super duplex stainless steel as a standard offering for all BMS pressure-boosting modules. This ensures extreme durability and reliability, with lower maintenance requirements and costs. We even go so far as to offer an electro-polished stainless steel base frame for the pressure-boosting module as an optional extra.

How do your pumps facilitate lower life-cycle costs?

Lower life-cycle costs are big drivers behind Grundfos’ innovation. Apart from the lower life-cycle costs associated with our BMS pressure-boosting modules (which we’ve already mentioned), energy recovery is also significant. If we look at a basic single-train set-up, without any energy recovery (for the purposes of this

explanation, we can assume a 23 m3/h intake and 40% recovery rate), it would use about 6.6 kWh/m3. If we were to integrate a basic energy recovery device such as a turbine, which Grundfos can specify and offer, it would reduce energy consumption to about 4.42 kWh/m3, resulting in a 33% energy saving per annum, further translating the payback on the initial investment to about 0.45 years. Take it one step further and integrate an advanced energy recovery device such as a pressure exchanger, offered and supplied by Grundfos, and it would further reduce energy consumption to about 3 kWh/m3, providing a 54% energy saving per annum and a payback period of 0.46 years. Additionally, recent design improvements and advancements in technology have helped create a platform for the direct coupling of pump to motor, allowing for higher operation speeds of up to 5 300 rpm. It also reducescostly maintenance on the gears and pulleys used in typical high-pressure pump installations for rampup and -down.

BMS pressure-boosting modules lower costs by driving efficiency

Why are so many technology experts excited about the potential for desalination and its role in securing future supply?

SM Water scarcity and limited fresh water is an ongoing challenge in sub-Saharan countries, which forces communities and governments to explore alternate water sources. Large volumes of untreated wastewater and abundant sea water promote the viability of desalination, which can produce safe and good-quality water using membrane technology, including reverse osmosis (RO).

What, in your view, are some of the biggest drawbacks of desalination? The lack of thorough raw water analysis, and incorrect interpretation thereof, can result in incorrect pre-treatment design before RO. Seasonal variations in raw water quality can also cause operational problems and premature membrane failure.

Also, high energy costs compared to conventional water treatment plants can be an issue. A high level of monitoring and control is required and brine management can create discharge problems, especially on large plants.

These feed into our belief that ‘prevention is better than cure’. Another product we offer to improve operational efficiencies is our online monitoring tools, which provide early warnings on plant performance decay. This will prompt operational staff to administer the correct changes, be it pre-treatment or cleaning.

Sepadi Mohlabeng Director: Engineering

How do your products and services overcome these barriers?

ImproChem provides a complete laboratory service; we conduct detailed water analysis as a starting point to developing pre-treatment designs for our customers. Standard equipment and packaged plants are used extensively as pre-engineered solutions for potable plants and can also be used as RO pretreatment. We offer monitoring and control skids and off-the-shelf equipment with lower energy requirements. ImproChem is one of the leaders in evaporative condensers to eliminate brine discharge.

We have the ability to simulate client conditions to predict the feasibility of treating various types of water. This is followed by design modelling of the necessary process steps and extends to the use of GE Water & Process Technologies’ Winflows product to model RO design, ensuring the correct banking and flux calculations. Additionally, we offer a range of membranes to treat difficult water sources as well as a world-class range of chemicals to enhance recovery of water anti-scalants, cleaners and biocides.

desalination is often associated with providing sustainable supply to coastal towns – but improchem’s Ro offering is much more extensive; can you elaborate on your different areas of expertise?

ImproChem has access to a complete range of membrane technology – including ultrafiltration used for both clean water preparation and wastewater treatment in the form of membrane biological reactor applications. The RO ranges vary from low- to midbrackish units (up to 5 000 total dissolved solids). These products are available in different capacities ranging from 0.5 m3/h up to 102 m3/h as pre-engineered skid mounted units.

The sea water RO packaged range is extensive, and is also available in ultrafiltration and RO combinations. Larger plants require custom designs,

which are available from GE’s comprehensive team of process and design engineers. Other technologies include electro deionisation (EDI) and electro dialysis reversal (EDR), which are used for polishing RO permeate to higher final water quality.

What are some of your most popular products and how do they promote operational efficiency?

ImproChem’s pre-engineered packaged plant designs allow for the rapid design and execution of projects. A comprehensive range of RO plants, membranes and cartridges are in stock, removing the long lead time required for the procurement of pumps, housings and membranes. This means that ImproChem has the capacity to respond quickly to our customers’ demands.

multoteC gRouP

does the unique technical solution offered by the Multotec Group replace or complement desalination?

cvdW Multotec partnered with Australian technology provider Clean TeQ to bring the novel, technically advanced, continuous ion exchange technology, CIF/DeSALx, to Africa. It does not necessarily compete with conventional desalination technologies. In some cases, it complements technologies like reverse osmosis and can be used as a pretreatment step to achieve higher water recoveries.

explain how your continuous ion exchange technology, cif/ deSaLx, works?

Conventionally, ion exchange is a fixed-bed batch process. Typically, adsorption and desorption occur in one contactor. A clear solution without suspended solids is necessary to improve system performance and avoid blockages. Clean TeQ CIF (single-stage) and DeSALx (dual-stage) depart from this convention and can handle suspended and precipitated solids. The continuous and counter-current movement of ion-exchange resin also allows operation of adsorption and desorption closer to ideal equilibrium conditions. Discrete amounts of loaded resin are removed and fresh resin added on a continuous basis. This allows for maximum recovery of target elements and increased process efficiency. Resin movement allows for increased solids handling capabilities, with resin-bed fouling significantly reduced. The counter-current movement of resin and solution promotes concentration gradient formation within the bed, further improving ion-exchange efficiency.

explain the financial and environmental incentives that drove the technology development. Regarding environmental incentives, the technology operates at high water recoveries, reducing the requirement for brine handling via expensive thermal technologies or large evaporation ponds. Another advantage, due to the technology’s ability to handle precipitated solids, is the regeneration of our dual-stage desalination technology, DeSALx, with sulfuric acid and lime for the cation and anion removal stages, respectively. This causes precipitation of gypsum within the columns, producing saturated gypsum slurry as the brine. This greatly increases ease of brine handling, with direct dewatering with one of Multotec’s solid-liquid separation technologies being an option. When compared with other high-recovery or zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technologies, the capital and operating costs of DeSALx are comparably less.

The counter-current movement of resin causes a concentration gradient within the columns, which naturally drives the adsorption and desorption reactions. This means chemical consumption is less than conventional fixed-bed ion exchange, significantly reducing operating costs by up to 30%.

What capacity can your system treat and how is it flexible?

applications. By adjusting the rate of resin movement through the system, and thereby changing residence time, the system can easily and automatically adjust to feed concentration changes while maintaining desired product water quality.

How does your solution facilitate brine reduction?

The continuous and countercurrent operation facilitates higher water recovery and reduced brine production. The brine, typically gypsum slurry, can be handled via dewatering. In acidic mine water applications, we can operate the process at ZLD conditions using DeSALx, which is used as the polishing step on the overflow of a conventional upfront neutralisation process. The brine produced by DeSALx can be sent back to the upfront neutralisation, seeding the precipitation process and closing the loop to achieve ZLD in one step.

How does your equipment facilitate lower life-cycle costs?

does Multotec offer piloting and testwork for customers who wish to explore this novel desalination technology?

Resources and facilities are available to test at lab scale and pilot plant scale. Multotec has invested in a 1 m3/h DeSALx pilot plant for customers’ sites. We also have a lab-scale unit to pilot on a smaller scale.

Please provide a caption for the four image

It is not limited by volume throughput and can handle various capacities. It can also be modularised to facilitate an increase in volume throughput. A major advantage is its flexibility and ability to adjust to changing feed conditions, an essential requirement in industrial and mining water

Operating cost is 30% to 40% less when compared to conventional processes. This facilitates lower life-cycle costs over the plant lifetime. Our technology is also suited to selective metal recovery from effluents. Waste produced becomes a valuable byproduct, offsetting the cost of water treatment and facilitating shorter payback. Our technology can be used to costeffectively recover low concentrations of base metals, precious metals, rare earths and radioactive elements.

Carien van der Walt Process engineer

Laboratory-scale pilot rig

WATER TECHNOLOGIES

veolIa WateR teChnologIes south aFRICa

Why are so many technology experts excited about the potential for desalination and its role in securing future water supply?

GR Seawater covers 70% of the planet and represents 97% of the world’s water. At the same time, there’s limited scope in South Africa for constructing new dams, and rivers are increasingly overabstracted and polluted. Having the technology to efficiently treat seawater to a potable standard is becoming an increasingly key solution in combating water scarcity. For these reasons, seawater desalination is gaining increased traction in South Africa, where Veolia Water Technologies South Africa (Veolia) has commissioned seven plants to date.

Desalination of inland brackish water sources and brine in arid inland regions is also possible. In recent years, Veolia Botswana has constructed 11 desalination plants in the landlocked country, serving both communities and

Veolia supplied and maintains a turnkey seawater desalination plant for the Bitou Municipality, which produces 2 Mℓ/day of potable water for Plettenberg Bay

industry. On a large or small scale, Veolia can help address water shortages with tailored desalination solutions using both membrane and thermal separation. In addition to full-scale permanent plants, we can also fabricate desalination solutions in fully customisable package plants.

energy use is seen as a major barrier to the adoption of desalination. How does Veolia overcome this issue?

Yes, desalination presents a greater per-unit cost than more traditional water treatment solutions. However, Veolia can recover energy from the reverse osmosis process, which can help

"With more than 100 years of global desalination experience, Veolia is a leader in helping municipalities, small communities and private customers around the world achieve water security through desalination."

lower power consumption, significantly reducing running costs and carbon footprint. Alternative desalination solutions, such as the reclamation of wastewater for industrial use, also provide options that are more energyefficient, while implementing greater water-use efficiency. Veolia can also design desalination systems that utilise renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.

How can Veolia guarantee maximum desalination plant efficiency?

Because the composition of saline water differs from place to place, each desalination project requires its own specific pretreatment process. Thus, we begin each desalination project with a feasibility or pilot study to determine the most efficient and cost-effective pretreatment solution.

Beyond design and build, Veolia offers comprehensive operations and maintenance plans to ensure plants operate with maximum efficiency. Services include preventive and responsive maintenance, technical support and tailored operations programmes, with full access to spare parts, consumables and chemicals.

Dr Gunter Rencken Managing director

With these services, Veolia can ensure minimum downtime and maximum cost savings and full environmental compliance.

Why is Veolia seen as a leader in desalination in subSaharan africa and South africa?

Veolia is an holistic water treatment services company that, since its beginnings in 1853, has developed over 350 proprietary technologies. We have over 100 years of global desalination experience, and have built more than 1 950 desalination plants and systems in 108 countries, producing more than 13 million m3/day of treated water. Veolia also has more than 30 years of local desalination and membrane technology expertise in South Africa.

As a result, Veolia Water Technologies South Africa has access to an unparalleled level of global expertise and experience, ensuring client satisfaction through our customised, environmentally sustainable solutions.

ULTRAFILTRATION

FLEXIBLE

HIGH

ENERGY RECOVERY DEVICES

Supplier of commodity and specialised products for the manufacturing of Water Treatment Plants.

vovanI WateR PRoduCts

What products and services do you offer for promoting sustainable supply security?

HS Vovani Water Products (VWP) represents and supplies the following commodity and specialised products to the Southern African market:

• ROPV: fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) pressure vessels for reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF) and ultrafiltration (UF) applications

• GE’s IMT product for micro- and ultrafiltration membrane modules

• FEDCO’s high-pressure, multi- and single-stage centrifugal pumps

• FEDCO’s energy-recovery devices for high-pressure RO applications

• PASS’s flexible couplings and weld stubs

• Aqua Solutions’ low-flow, gravity-fed ultrafiltration units for various applications. Partnering with the above product suppliers, we offer our customers a unique support service where VWP makes use of customised software to use market-leading products in the best possible design configuration to meet clients’ water treatment needs.

What differentiates your Ro pressure vessels from your competitors’, making desalination more affordable?

ROPV pressure vessels have a specialised locking system for their end caps. From a safety perspective, this is important for ensuring pressure vessels are secure with no possibility of faulty sealing that would cause leaks. Additionally, the product boasts an ultra-smooth inside surface, providing a ''mirror effect'', which has the following advantages:

• decrease in pump losses over the length of the pressure vessels, which saves on energy and operation costs

• less scaling inside the vessels, on the inner surface, that is sometimes difficult to remove

• easier loading and unloading of RO membrane elements into the pressure vessels, saving on maintenance and service time.

What further innovations can the market look forward to?

ROPV has also patented an exciting new technology launched at the end of last year. It is called Multi Vessel Integration (MVI), and it will

“ROPV pressure vessels have a specialised locking system for their end caps, this is important to prevent leaks from faulty seals.”

save huge costs on new water treatment installations, especially on a large scale. This innovation has the following advantages:

• projects are easier to install

• saving on the large number of ports and couplings required, lowering the cost of projects

• reduced on-site installation and adjustment seal parts, and reducing leakage risks

• reduced footprint size

• all the seals are visible and, thus, it is easy to detect any leakages, and repair and change parts.

What advantages does your full product suite offer customers?

VWP represents unique products that complement each other and can be used together on one water treatment project. We offer up to four products crucial to most water treatment projects, through a single supplier. This gives clients the advantage of dealing with fewer suppliers, and benefiting from discounted prices when buying multiple products from VWP. We also offer direct access to the suppliers we represent in order to assist the client in getting the

best technical assistance and service possible.

Which markets do your water treatment products serve?

Surface water, potable water, industrial and mine wastewater, water desalination, brackish water, and special applications. We also meet the needs of specialised market segments, such as the marine industry, firefighting, HVAC, and oil and minerals, through our flexible pipe couplings.

Henk Smit Managing director

GE IMT ultrafiltration membrane racks

qualIt Y FIltRatIon sYstems

Herman Smit Managing director

What supply security technologies do you offer?

HS QFS specialises in advanced treatment technologies like ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO), which are essential for wastewater reuse and sea water desalination applications.

could you describe some of the technical details behind how one of your leading technologies works and why its operation is so advanced?

We supply the trademarked MEMCOR CPII UF units, which are renowned the world over for their remarkable efficiency. A treatment train incorporating these units typically involves the following: membrane filtration modules – using proven polyvinylidene fluoride homogeneous asymmetric UF hollow-fibre membranes with a nominal pore size of 0.04µm; module housings – made from proprietary moulded nylon components, which form the pressure casing for each pair of membrane filtration modules; and a pipe, valve and instrumentation skid mounted on a steel frame. The skid is fitted with

piping manifolds, valves and fittings, pneumatics, instrumentation and control components for each MemRACK connected to it, and provides interconnection points to the main system piping. A MemRACK is formed by an innovative assembly, which combines the feed, filtrate, air, and waste headers with membrane housings.

How does the MeMcoR cP ii system facilitate client savings?

The new, modular, compact UF system minimises plant footprint, reduces installation costs and simplifies system operations.

Moreover, the MEMCOR CP II’s system reduces the membrane array footprint by up to 50 % of previous MEMCOR membrane arrays. The modular system is designed to lower installation and operations costs and is scalable to meet a wide range of plant capacities.

can you discuss a case study where you supplied a unique supply security solution that ensured sustainable supply or managed your client’s risk effectively?

Last year, QFS had to design, engineer, manufacture, install and commission a 3 Mℓ/d plant to facilitate supply security in the KZN tourism town of Ballito. Technologies supplied included sand filtration, RO, UF and chlorination.

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

Jg aFRIKa

The new desalination plant has a capacity of 2 Mℓ/day

JG afrika was recently appointed principal consultant on a new desalination plant in KwaZulu-Natal. Who was the client and what were their needs?

NB A R74 million desalination plant was commissioned by South32 in September 2016 at the company’s Hillside aluminium smelter in Richards Bay. The plant will remove minerals from seawater abstracted from the Richards Bay harbour, producing industrial process water that enables the company to maintain operations during drought conditions.

What was the rationale behind the project?

South32 and JG Afrika had been discussing the need to investigate water-use reduction activities for some months. When level 4 water restrictions were implemented, it became clear that an alternative to municipal water supply was urgently needed to ensure continuous smelter operations.

The knock-on socio-economic impacts if the smelter were to close would be dire: a loss of up to 10% of the GDP in the region, a potential loss of 20 000 primary and secondary jobs, and the need to import aluminium at a cost of some R4.1 billion per annum. Seawater desalination was identified as the preferred alternative to relying on municipal supply.

What were some of the challenges encountered by JG afrika and how were they overcome?

The urgency of the project required the engineering team to focus on the existing infrastructure and mechanisms owned by South32, Foskor and Mhlatuze Water, where use could be made of current licences, waste discharge permits and infrastructure.

Foskor, a producer of phosphates and phosphoric acid, uses existing abstraction infrastructure at Richards Bay harbour, and its extraction point is designed for a capacity of 1 250 m3/h. Foskor’s current estimated demand for seawater is 700 m3/h and this created the option to partner with South32 to deliver 280 m3/h to Hillside while remaining within the current, approved licensed limit.

The existing abstraction pump station has two concrete pump chambers, of which only one is in use. An agreement was reached whereby South32 would add a second pump, sharing a portion of the existing rising main, to abstract the seawater. The upside of this agreement was that most of the infrastructure and some of the pipeline to transfer seawater from the harbour to Hillside were already in place, or could be installed within the existing servitude, speeding up construction. Another opportunity came from the existing concrete slab within the Hillside complex

Bromley Technical director

and its relative proximity to the Hillside process water storage reservoir. This, together with a fully containerised modular plant designed, supplied and installed by NuWater, kept the civil construction requirements to a minimum.

How was the challenge of brine disposal handled?

The team identified an existing 1.5 km long pipeline between Hillside and the decommissioned Bayside smelter. This existing 300 mm diameter pipeline required minor refurbishment and a 335 m long extension to connect the brine effluent from the Hillside smelter into the existing Mhlatuze Water-licensed marine outfall.

Proudly South African, JG Afrika (previously Jeffares & Green) provides civil and structural engineering and environmental consulting services throughout Africa.

Neal

The right pipe for the job

Purpose-manufactured plastic pipes negate the consequences of damage caused to pipes when using trenchless technology and other alternative installation techniques. This ensures a working life of at least 100 years. By mike smart*

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes have earned widespread acceptance as the material of choice for numerous applications in many markets, including civil engineering infrastructure, mining service columns and slurry pipelines, irrigation, AIT (alternative installation techniques), and many more. Greater market proliferation has resulted in a growing appreciation of HDPE pipes’ superior qualities.

AIT – particularly the sub-discipline of trenchless technology (TT) – imposes extremely demanding conditions on pipes being installed, usually causing short- and long-term damage. Installation conditions for AIT require a pipe with a service life that is not affected by surface damage or imposed point loads. To this end, a substantial improvement has occurred in the MRS (minimum required strength) of HDPE pipes’ polymer over the last 60 years.

This has enabled the allowable design stress (σ) to be increased by 60% –from 5 MPa (megapascals) to 8 MPa, including the applicable International Standards Organisation (ISO) safety factor or design coefficient (C). Table 1 illustrates these improvements in polyethylene (PE) polymers.

Polyethylene strides

There have also been improvements made in third-generation PE (PE100) itself since its introduction in 1990, as shown in diagrams 1 and 2. Diagram 1 shows the creep rupture regression curves for an earlier PE100 polymer with an 80°C curve “knee” at about 150 hours. Diagram 2 shows the creep rupture regression curves for the latest PE100 polymer with the 80°C curve having no “knee” at over 10 000 hours. For a polymer to be designated PE100, the technical requirement is that there is no “knee” on the 80°C curve before 5 000 hours. These improvements

HDPE pipes can sustain damage if not installed carefully using alternative installation and trenchless technologies

in the MRS of PE100 notwithstanding, the unique, extremely onerous conditions imposed on pipes used for AIT require a product with better SCG (slow crack growth) characteristics.

crack resistance comparison

Standard PE100 pipes, conforming to SANS 4427/4437-2, have historically been used for AIT applications with great success. However, AIT imposes extremely demanding conditions on the pipes installed and there have been some premature failures of these “standard” pipes because of short- and long-term damage sustained. A PE100RC polymer is a PE100 polymer with extremely high resistance to cracking (RC). The comparison of SCG resistance characteristics is set out in Table 2.

In response to these unique, extremely onerous conditions and probable damage, pipes have been specifically engineered that take cognisance of this environment and ensure the preservation of the lifetime of the pipes. Preventing premature failure caused by damage occurring during or after installation is how this is achieved. The outer PE100-RC layer prevents premature failure of the pipe that may be caused by external damage, such as scratches, scores, notches, grooves

taBle 1 Improvements in PE polymers taBle 2

and

Note: *Ductile failure not a brittle failure. NPT (ISO 13479); FNCT (ISO 16770); PLT (Hessel Ingenieurtechnik)

and point loads. Additionally, the inner PE100-RC layer prevents premature failure of the pipe that may be caused by external point loads creating stress magnification and initiating crack growth on the inside of the pipe wall.

Specifications upgrade Until 2009, the requirements of pipes used in AIT were insufficiently described in various technical

directives. Authoritative requirements on materials and piping were specified for the first time in Publically Available Specification (PAS) 1075: 2009 ‘Pipes made from polyethylene for alternative installation techniques’, which comprises the following:

• Type 1: Solid wall PE100-RC pipe

• Type 2: Pipe with integrated protective layers of PE100-RC, double and triple layered

AIT – particularly the sub-discipline of trenchless technology – imposes extremely demanding conditions on pipes being installed, usually causing shortand long-term damage

• Type 3: Pipe with dimensions according to ISO 4069 with an additional external protective layer. In South Africa, coextruded pipe that conforms to PAS 1075 Type 2 pipe is manufactured by Rare Plastics, in association with the company’s international technology partner, Borealis, and branded as RPC (Rare Plastics Coextruded).

The wall of RPC comprises three inseparably bonded coextrusion fused layers as follows:

• an outer layer of PE100-RC conforming to PAS 1075

• a core of PE100 conforming to 4427-2/4437-2: Pipes

• an inner layer of PE100-RC conforming to PAS 1075.

The total wall thickness of the above three layers conforms to the requirements of SANS 4427-2: ‘Pipes for water’ and SANS 4437-2: ‘Pipes for gas’, and

the layers are fused together by coextrusion and are inseparably bonded.

coextruded pipe compliance

RPC is either Type 1 for small diameters or Type 2 triple-layered pipe, inner and outer layer PE100-RC and PE100 core for larger diameters. RPC pipes are far superior to SANS 4427-2/4437-2 pipes because of the outer and inner layer of PE100-RC. The SCG, notch and point load resistance properties of PE100-RC are substantially superior to those of SANS 4427-2/4437-2 PE100 pipes. In PAS 1075, differentiation is made between approval testing and quality control testing and, in addition, between material testing and pipe testing to ensure the customer receives a conforming product. Material approval testing provided by the raw material supplier is required to conform to the

Trenchless Technology Specialist

Our range of services include:

• Pipe Bursting

• Horizontal Directional Drilling

• Pipe Rehabilitation

• Slip Lining

AIT comprises two categories of construction:

TT (trenchless technology), which includes (among others):

- Directional drilling

- Pipe bursting

- Close-fit, site deformed swagelining

- Close-fit deformed pipe

- Slip lining

Conventional trench and backfill (cut and cover):

- Without selected or imported embedment (bedding and surround)

Pipe Ramming

CCTV Inspection

Dewatering

Industrial Pipe Cleaning

Excavation and Shoring

JAN/FEB 2017 49

example

taBle 3 PAS 1075 PE100-RC conformance

Components accreditation and has supplied a number of projects in South Africa with pipes for AIT projects.

RPC pipes are available in diameters from 90 mm outside diameter (OD) to 250 mm OD – SDR (standard dimension ratio) 11 (PN 16), 13.6 (PN 12.5) and 17 (PN 10) – 100 m coils up to 180 mm OD, and 6 m or 12 m straight lengths throughout the range.

conclusion

following four tests:

• FNCT (Full Notch Creep Test) conforming to ISO 16770

• PLT (Point Load Test) conforming to Hessel Ingen.

• TAT (Thermal Aging Test) conforming to DVS 2205

• NT (Notch Test) conforming to ISO 13479.

There are two additional requirements for PE100-RC provided by the raw material supplier, in addition to PAS 1075, which are:

• density (ρ) conforming to ISO 1183

• MFR (melt flow rate) conforming to ISO 1133.

The quality control of the PE100-RC material is provided by the raw material supplier and has three tests, which are:

• FNCT conforming to ISO 16770

• PLT conforming to Hessel Ingen.

• NT conforming to ISO 13479. Pipe approval testing is provided by the raw material supplier and has three tests, which are:

• 2NCT(Two Notch Creep Test) conforming to EN 12814

• PLT conforming to Hessel Ingen.

• PT (Penetration Test) conforming to IKT. The quality control of piping is provided by the manufacturer and has two tests, which are:

• 2NCT conforming to EN 12814

• PLT conforming to Hessel Ingen.

RPC conforms to the Centre for Expertise’s trenchless technology tender specification. It also has Joint Acceptance Scheme for Water Services Installation

RPC pipes are specifically engineered for AIT construction methods and are not intended to replace “standard” SANS 4427 or 4437 PE pipes. They are fit for purpose for the appropriate application and will provide a service life of not less than 100 years where AIT construction methods are used – other products may not. The cost of failure compared to the cost of the product may pale into insignificance when the engineer compares and considers the two.

*Mike Smart is a professional engineer who heads up Genesis Consulting, Engineers and Project Managers. Smart would like to thank Rare Plastics’ Renier Viljoen and Carl von Graszouw for their contributions to this article.

Conferencing for opportunities and growth

The International Water Association (IWA), the Water Institute of South Africa (WISA), and the Young Water Professionals of South Africa (YWP-ZA) are excited to announce that South Africa will be hosting the 2017 IWA International Young Water Professionals Conference. By stuart Woolley and neil louw*

The 8th International Young Water Professionals Conference, to be held from 10 to 13 December this year, will be the fifth Young Water Professionals conference of any type to be held in South Africa. The preceding conferences saw three Southern African Young Water Professionals conferences held in 2010, 2011, and 2013 – with the 4th YWP-ZA Biennial Conference combined with the 1st African IWA YWP Conference being held in 2015. Now, after a rigorous selection process, the upcoming international conference will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, affording Africans new opportunities to learn, demonstrate, be inspired, grow, and network with young professionals from all over the world.

Moreover, it can a never be understated how valuable an experience it is, as a YWP growing in experience and knowledge, to be exposed to the diversity and learning opportunities tailored to developing and capacitating YWPs.

Past successes

In 2015, the 4th YWP-ZA Biennial and 1st African YWP Conference featured 440 attendees representing 19 nations,

soft skill development workshops, 69 podium presentations, and 96 poster presentations on undergraduate, postgraduate and in-industry research being conducted by young professionals in the African water sector.

As the conference drew to a close, those YWPs who stood out at the conference were rewarded for their outstanding efforts. The upcoming conference will offer a similar platform for recognising local talent; this time, at a global scale. What follows is a brief recap of those 2015 awards and a look at how the awardees have progressed in their careers since.

2015 awards recap

The Water Research Commission-funded Jo Burgess Award for the best platform presenter was awarded to Benjamin Biggs (University of Cape Town) for his podium presentation, ‘A Laboratory Investigation of the Treatment Efficacy of Permeable Pavements’. Biggs’ award includes funding to attend an international conference in his field, as a delegate, and be included in the programme as a podium presenter, to provide further exposure and opportunities to learn and grow.

Another important award presented at that conference was for posters serving

aBove RIght Benjamin Biggs, podium presentation award winner at the 4th YWP-ZA Biennial and 1st African YWP Conference

to catalogue research and knowledge recently acquired by young professionals, often at the leading edge of the sector.

Although the quality of posters was high, a panel of judges awarded the Adrian Puigarnau Award for the best poster presenter to Kwangu Magalie Kanama (Tshwane University of Technology), for her work on ‘Occurrence and Removal of Metals in Hospital Wastewater Treatment Plants’.

Kanama’s award came with a fully funded trip to the 2016 WISA Biennial Conference & Exhibition in Durban in May of last year, attended by 3 000 delegates, and an opportunity to present her research in a podium presentation in the wastewater stream. As such, another wealth of capacity development opportunities awaited this YWP as she became a part of the one of the largest events on the South African water sector calendar.

*Stuart Woolley is the YWP-ZA conference chair and Neil Louw is a Gauteng committee member.

Dignified sanitation uplifts entrepreneurs

he Rocla Thuthukisa Sanitation Initiative (TSI) has launched its “Community Cast” system, which has been established to empower local communities, entrepreneurs, contractors and SMMEs to become manufacturers and suppliers of the most innovative and highestquality concrete toilet structures in Africa.

Andre Labuschagne, product development manager, Rocla, comments: “The communities that urgently require toilets are often found in rural and outlying areas. Access to such areas by delivery trucks and bakkies carrying traditionally manufactured precast toilet units is extremely difficult, while the high cost and lack of concentrated volumes affect the viability of establishing traditional manufacturing facilities. Many of these areas also have no infrastructure or access to electricity. Therefore, we at Rocla developed our unique TSI in order to overcome these obstacles, while at the same time empowering communities.” Concrete used in the process cures within two weeks. The resulting waste material can be recycled into practical items for everyday use.

The Community Cast system has been successfully demonstrated in various remote towns around the country

decentralising the factory

Experimentation with a concept called pancake casting led to the Rocla team offering a real on-site manufacturing capability that requires only a small piece of land with no requisite infrastructure. This unique process simply involves casting one item on top of another in frameless, single-use moulds of a similar size in a planar form. The end product requires stiffening on the edges by forming an angle or adding a stiffening rib.

The company’s patented textile sandwich concrete is used in the planar panels, giving the very lightweight panels a hard-wearing strength and finish.

easy to transport

The resulting toilets are lightweight enough to be easily transported to their final placement site or they can be manufactured right where they will be erected. “This unique process also removes the capital requirement usually associated with a manufacturing facility, no matter the project size,” concludes Labuschagne.

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