Celebrating 50 years, Buckman is proud to continue connecting its customers to highly trained experts, quality chemicals, intelligent technologies and advanced data analytics. More than ever, we are partnering with our customers to improve productivity, increase profitability and ensure safety, compliance and sustainability.
We would like to thank ourloyalcustomers,suppliers,distributors,alliance partnersandstakeholdersforyoursupportoverthelast50years.Weare lookingforwardtoasustainableandsuccessfulfutureforusall.
-RolfBreidenbach-ManagingDirector
The existing toilet use paradigm is water intensive and designed to use a high volume of water to transport human waste away. Reduced-flush water toilets are possible and will contribute to decreased water use; however, with water-efficient flush toilets, there is poor uptake in public and private sectors. P6
Managing wastewater sludge represents a significant portion of total wastewater treatment plant costs. To reduce this expense, the volume of sludge can be reduced or alternatively beneficiated into biogas or a saleable product. WASA asks Chris Braybrooke, GM: Marketing at Veolia Services Southern Africa, about the treatment of wastewater sludge.
SANITATION
Low or High, Bermad can handle the Pressure
Whether your needs are to reduce, relieve, or sustain, we have the right valves to handle any pressure and keep your business going. Our partnership with Bermad is long-standing and has been one of the ways we keep reinventing ourselves.
Scan the QR Code to get in touch with us and find out more about Macsteel Fluid Control
Editor Kirsten Kelly kirsten.kelly@3smedia.co.za
Managing Editor Alastair Currie
Head of Design Beren Bauermeister
Chief Sub-editor Tristan Snijders
Contributors Giulia Barr, Teodora Damian, Lester Goldman, Mille Poulsen Jensen, Jørgen Erik Larsen, Brian Lewis, Dan Naidoo, Masindi Mapholi, Zaid Railoun, Jacques Rust
Production & Client Liaison Manager Antois-Leigh Nepgen
Production Coordinator Jacqueline Modise
Distribution Manager Nomsa Masina
Distribution Coordinator Asha Pursotham
Group Sales Manager Chilomia Van Wijk
Bookkeeper Tonya Hebenton
Advertising Sales Hanlie Fintelman
c +27 (0)67 756 3132
Hanlie.Fintelman@3smedia.co.za
Publisher Jacques Breytenbach
3S Media
46 Milkyway Avenue, Frankenwald, 2090 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117
Copyright 2021. 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
WISA’s Vision Inspiring passion for water
Physical address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand Website: www.wisa.org.za
Please contact the WISA Head Office at admin@wisa.org.za for more information
Talking toilets
When we commemorate World Toilet Day on 19 November, let’s take a moment to appreciate how much work has been done, and realise how much work still needs doing. This edition – our 2021 ‘Dignified Sanitation Issue’ of WASA – covers topics ranging from SANS 30500 to upscaling technologies.
As a mother of two children under five, a stomach bug is the stuff of nightmares. So, when my son was recently sent home from school on a Monday, I knew I was in for a difficult week. My daughter was the next victim, followed by my husband, and then me. I spent a lot of time in the bathroom, cleaning and flushing toilets.
I tried to imagine what life must be like in an informal settlement, with overfilled, filthy ventilated pit (VIP) toilets that were far away from my dwelling. How safe would it be to take my daughter there at night? And if a stomach bug can hit a family of four (that has the option of three clean toilets for their exclusive use), how often do children who have to share VIP toilets get stomach bugs?
Like many others, before stepping into the world of water and sanitation, I took toilets for granted. Living in a leafy suburb, I did not give sanitation a second thought. But over the past few weeks, I have researched, interviewed people and spoken about toilets specifically a great deal. I have even started to wince every time I hear a toilet flush and imagine the litres of potable water going down the drain.
WRC
I am particularly proud of this ‘Dignified Sanitation Issue’, and cannot think of a better organisation
to be on the cover. The Water Research Commission (WRC) has been involved in impressive work that aims to restore dignity, privacy and safety to people who have been left behind in the drive towards sanitation for all. Read all about how we can fast-track the adoption of low-flush toilets on page 6, as well as some of the latest technologies on pages 13, 20 and 22.
We have the technologies but, as Dan Naidoo says on page 9, we now need to focus on the acceptance and adoption of these technologies.
The water sector has many challenges, but our industry is filled with incredibly talented scientists, engineers and personalities. We bid a sad farewell to Dhesigan Naidoo as his tenure at the WRC has come to an end (more on page 34), but he will thankfully continue to work within the industry. The inspirational Mark Bannister is featured on page 10.
I always love hearing from people within the industry. If you’d like to share your thoughts or opinions on anything in the magazine, or if you’d like to see us cover a specific topic, please do not hesitate to contact me at kirsten. kelly@3smedia.co.za.
COVER OPPORTUNITY
You said it in WASA
The opinions and statements shared by thought leaders in the water industry to Water&Sanitation Africa.
“Close to 11 million households have access to a flushing toilet – using mostly using 9 to 12 litres per flush. If we can reduce the amount of flush water used by half or 50%, we could potentially save up to 400 Mℓ of water per day. It is imperative that we all learn how much water we are using, especially regarding sanitation. If we can manage the amount of fresh water that goes down the drain, we have a better chance of securing water for other uses.” Akin Akinsete, programme manager, WRC
“Sanitation needs coordinated and facilitated discussions with the community before any technology is even trialled, let alone adopted. It requires a type of social trust (which is sadly lacking in many communities and municipalities). With sanitation, technical people need to consider social behaviour, customs, community norms, as well as local risks – and the appropriate technology needs to be strongly motivated. Engaging with communities, stakeholders and municipalities is crucial to success.” Dan Naidoo, chairman, WISA
“ISO 30500 will permit the creation of a new market with a lot of innovative nonsewered sanitation systems and will drastically reduce the diseases linked to a lack of sanitation. ISO 30500 is the first step for the development of a local circular economy with the transformation of human wastes into valuable resources.” Jay Bhagwan, executive manager: Water Use and Waste Management, Water Research Commission
“With significant political changes (a new minister, impending new director general and new local government) as well as a revitalised outlook from business and society due to Covid-19, an opportunity for a renewed approach to the water crisis – a water renaissance – has presented itself.” Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA
“The social model of disability states that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference. Removing these barriers creates equality and offers disabled people more independence, choice and control.” Mark Bannister, chief engineer: Water Services Planning and Information, Department of Water and Sanitation
“Large parts of the South African population have inadequate access to sanitation facilities and services. In order to address this, the current sanitation environment must be transformed towards a smart sanitation technology solutions environment that will see sanitation going off the grid and adopting a circular economy approach. NEWgenerator is an example of this type of technology.” Wayne Taljaard, managing director, WEC Projects
“Conventional practices related to wastewater sludge management include land disposal, waste piling, landfill disposal and, to a lesser degree, use in agricultural practices. These are becoming less viable with a ban on liquids to landfill and the plan to reduce solid organic waste to landfill. Furthermore, transport costs and landfilling fees keep increasing. With sludge production increasing daily, the current practices are unsustainable.”
Chris Braybrooke, GM: Marketing, Veolia Services Southern Africa
PAGE
“Urbanisation increases the coverage of impervious surfaces, preventing water from infiltrating the ground and increasing the volume of runoff. The impervious surfaces (such as roads) are spaced closely together and have their own stormwater drains. This means that the whole system responds rapidly to a high-intensity storm – causing frequent flash flooding. Compounding the issue is the fact that run-off often carries debris, chemicals, bacteria, eroded soil and other pollutants, and transports these into streams, rivers, lakes or wetlands.” Chris Brooker, consulting engineer specialising in water management
PAGE
“I would also advise the new [Water Research Commission] CEO to always listen to authorities but, in the manner and tradition of science, one should not always be obedient. Research institutions need to redefine the operating environment, and this involves challenging rules that do not make sense and developing new rules to prosper. Be tactful, as there is no need to rude, but never be afraid of talking truth to power. That is the power of science: it is not an opinion. You must present the science as it exists. Good science requires brave people and this job is for a brave individual.” Dhesigen Naidoo, former CEO, Water Research Commission
PAGE
“Many water resources are shared between provinces. National interests are prominent in such transboundary dialogues. Water services authorities should seek to voice their needs and concerns through intermediary organisations such as associations because they are best informed of local conditions relevant to river basin management.” Dr Masindi Mapholi, directorate: Water Services Macro Planning, Department of Water and Sanitation
PAGE
“With elections now past and the pink and orange forms dropped, people are still suffering from an acute nationwide drought of water service delivery. The question that remains is: can the electoral elite colours of blue, red, orange and chartreuse yellow implement long-term solutions with their short-term gains?” Zaid Railoun, project relationship manager, Morwakoma Matji Investment Holdings
PAGE
“In addition to a longer lifespan, HDPE pipes are easier to install and have less resistance than steel pipes. This leads to a pump working less, with the additional benefit of pumps lasting longer and using less electricity. Even when using solar energy, if a pump works less, the entire solar system can be smaller. Furthermore, HDPE pipes can be exposed to sunlight for long periods of time. This gives a farmer greater flexibility, as the pipes can be placed above the ground and easily moved in a few years’ time. Rodents and animals cannot chew through an HDPE pipe either.” Renier Pieterse, director, Barona Pipelines & Fittings
PAGE
“Leak detection in non-discrete areas can be challenging, as it is difficult to isolate the leak due to feedwater from other areas. The City of Cape Town has therefore developed a different approach where a scorecard is used.” Unathi Noludwe, senior technician: Water Demand Management Division, City of Cape Town 50 PAGE
Fast-tracking adoption of water-efficient toilets
The existing toilet use paradigm is water intensive and designed to use a high volume of flush water to transport human waste away. Reduced-flush water toilets are possible and will contribute to decreased water use; however, with water-efficient flush toilets, there is poor uptake in public and private sectors.
The Water Research Commission (WRC) has pioneered various initiatives to reduce flush volumes in toilet systems, resulting in innovations such as the pour-flush and low-flush toilets. Low-flush, water-efficient toilets are designed to use low amounts of water for flushing between 1 to 2.5 litres a flush, which, if upscaled, would result in significant nett water savings on a country scale, where nearly 30%
to 40% of all domestic water supply is used for flushing.
Furthermore, the locally manufactured low-flush toilets hold potential to create new employment across the value chain and contribute to reducing capital expenditure on greenfield projects, while also improving the capacities of burdened existing sewerage and wastewater systems.
A large volume of South Africa’s water consumption is used for flushing
toilets. Water-efficient toilets minimise the amount of water used to convey the waste collected in the bowl to the back-end treatment, conveyance and collection system.
“Close to 11 million households have access to a flushing toilet – using mostly 9 to 12 litres per flush. If we can reduce the amount of flush water used by 50%, we could potentially save up to 400 M ℓ of water per day. It is imperative that we all learn how much water we are using, especially regarding sanitation. If we can manage the amount of fresh water that goes down the drain, we have a better chance of securing water for other uses,” explains Akin Akinsete, programme manager, WRC.
Challenges
Despite the overwhelming advantages of low-flush/water-efficient toilets, acceptance and uptake are hampered by various factors:
• Many plumbers do not stock or fit lowflushing toilet pedestals because of the perception that they do not work.
• There is concern that low flush volume is insufficient to transport waste from the toilet to the conveyance system, and human waste coats the conveyance pipe, causing odours and obstructions. Recent studies and those emanating from the Cape Town drought have proven otherwise.
• There are also concerns around the impact of low flush volume on wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs); however, with new technology, there are now examples where low-flush toilets have been installed with a sewer at standard gradient and no additional blockages have been noted.
• User concerns centre around noise, high installation and maintenance costs, and the lack of readily available parts, especially in rural areas.
• There is a lack of financial incentives for people to use low-flush systems. Rebates, grants and retrofits should form part of municipal pricing.
• Another challenge is the general lack of data relating to the uptake of low-flush toilets and further studies are needed, especially in low-income households.
• The public is not exposed to this technology.
• Very few low-flush toilets are already on the market and available for purchase.
Gaps in policy, regulation, standards and by-laws
A recent WRC study explored South African policies, regulations, standards and municipal by-laws that governed low-flush or water-efficient toilets. This was done to identify any gaps and make recommendations that would facilitate the uptake and implementation of lowflush toilets in South Africa. The study findings indicated that:
• Terminology is not standardised. This
SASTEP was established by the WRC in partnership with the Department of Science and Innovation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and with the support of the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP) seeks to fast-track the adoption of innovative and emerging sanitation technologies in South Africa through fostering local manufacturing and commercialisation.
SASTEP aims to create jobs, contribute towards the economy, minimise pollution, beneficiate waste, and promote health, safety and water security. It further seeks to be a global leader in the application of alternative sanitation technologies, providing everyone in South Africa with access to dignified sanitation.
The core strategy of the programme includes supporting and empowering sanitation innovators (technology partners) and sanitation entrepreneurs (commercial partners).
The programme’s approach is hinged on the formation of collaborative partnership with these partners to ensure the transition of suitable and appropriate sanitation technologies to the marketplace.
The programme is an operational vehicle of the WRC’s sanitation transformational vision, SANiTi: Sanitation Transformation Initiative.
creates a disconnect and confusion. Low-flush terminology should be standardised across all literature, standards and documents. There are also ineffective rating systems and there is no clear, leading authority to manage the process forward.
• Most policies do not make provision for low-flush water toilets. Low-flush toilets are not included in the National Building Regulations and the Guidelines for
Human Settlements and Planning (Red Book). They need to be more specific and defined. Critically, SANS 10400 needs to be expanded with part XB –‘efficient water use in buildings’ –which will then form part of the national building regulations.
• Most small to medium municipalities have developed their by-laws from generic ones made available from the Department of Water and Sanitation
in 2005 that do not accommodate low-flush technology or water efficiency. Fortunately, most metros have bylaws that do accommodate lowflush technology.
• Non-compliant products can be legally imported and manufactured – this gap must be closed. National standards are required to assist manufacturers and a labelling system on products can provide guidance on rating and the rate of water consumption.
• Unprofessional plumbers must be held accountable for the products they fit. Recommendations have been put forward that the National Building Regulations be revised to accommodate toilets that use less than three litres per flush, as well as use greywater in those flushes. Waterless toilets and urinals need to be included.
Performance testing protocol
Developed to accelerate the standardisation of low-flush toilet technology development in South Africa, the WRC has conducted a study to create a performance testing protocol that evaluates the impact of low-flush pedestals on water consumption at household and municipal levels, and determines which ones perform optimally. It also assesses the effect low-flush toilets have on internal and external piping and reticulation systems, as well as the WWTPs.
The performance testing protocol is not designed to replace SANS1722:2011 – it is built upon the main performance tests within the standard. It provides an overview of the performance of the pedestals (eight low-flush pedestals were tested). The performance testing protocol can be used as a starting point, where pedestals can be tested against different attributes under different contexts. This will assist municipalities and developers to identify the most suitable pedestal for a specific environment.
Tests included:
• Flush volume – measuring water used per flush.
• Full flush performance – clearing the pan in a single full flush.
• Paper removal performance – clearing of toilet and newspaper from the pan.
• Mixed-media flush performance –clearing simulated faeces and toilet paper from the pan.
• Bowl-washing performance – removing the surface coating of sawdust from the pan.
• Dye test performance – diluting dye in the water trap.
• Splash performance – ensuring that flushing does not result in water splashing on to the floor.
• Drain line transport performance –ensuring simulated faeces do not block drainage pipework.
A traditional water-intensive toilet was included in all the tests as a comparison, and it performed poorly in some of the tests. No pedestal managed to pass all the tests. It was therefore apparent that poor performance was not always linked to the reduced volume of water for flushing.
Three low-flush and one international vacuum pedestals all performed well and passed six out of the eight tests. This demonstrates that the low-flush pedestals on the market and in late-stage development are able to perform well – if not better than the existing pedestals on the market.
While the development of the testing protocol can be viewed as holding low-flush pedestals to higher standards
than the existing water-intensive pedestals, they can also be used as a driver to encourage new innovations and outperform existing systems.
Changing the narrative
There are a number of locally designed and manufactured pedestal toilets available in South Africa and we need to buy local and support these businesses in the sector.
The WRC’s low-flush, water-efficiency study adds that there needs to be a mindset reset. “We need to reintroduce water-efficient concepts, making sure that they are inclusive, systematic and organised. Information needs to be readily available.”
The WRC believes that the following plan of action should be adopted in order to facilitate the effective uptake and implementation of low-flush, water-efficient toilet technology in South Africa.
1) The availability and benefits of waterefficient pedestals must be promoted to the public.
2) SASTEP must co-create a strategy with government where water-efficient toilets are included in national programmes.
3) Promote standardisation and certification of water-efficient pedestals – making sure that they are all able to perform.
4) Promote South African manufactured pedestals.
While the early transition from highvolume flush toilets to water-efficient toilets is positive, there is also a dire need to consider decentralised sanitation and waterless toilets, since South Africa’s wastewater treatment plants are largely dysfunctional and nutrient pollution (eutrophication) is a huge problem.
TABLE 1 Water usage per toilet type
Poised for a water renaissance
With significant political changes (a new minister, impending new director general and new local government) as well as a revitalised outlook from business and society due to Covid-19, an opportunity for a renewed approach to the water crisis has presented itself.
By Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA
Professional services firm PwC has published its latest economic outlook for South Africa, including forecast scenarios for the country’s lockdown levels and their likely impact on the economy. While all scenarios plan for a fourth wave of infections, with varying severity, during the summer holidays, they forecast the lifting of all lockdown restrictions by at least June 2022. As we exit lockdown, the water sector can use this opportunity for renewal. Like a sector emerging from a cocoon, how should we spread our wings?
• Water and sanitation services cut across a number of government departments, including Cooperative Governance, Environmental Affairs, Human Settlements, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Health, Public Works and Rural Development. New Department of Water and Sanitation leadership can facilitate improved and focused leadership of this vital sector, and work with other departments to use water efficiently, secure supply and create economic growth.
• Many residents living in informal settlements do not have adequate access to safe water and sanitation – this must be improved, as communities are despondent.
• Non-revenue water is at an unacceptably high level and rising, and this will have unfortunate spiralling effect on service provision.
• The condition of existing assets across the sector is deteriorating and requires attention, while at the same time people remain without adequate access to safe water and sanitation. The tension between spending funds on existing assets for those with access and on new assets for those without must be focused upon, and balanced. Large capital investments and new approaches to the provision of these services are urgently required.
• Tariffs, affordability and regulation require attention to improve efficiency in the sector.
• Competent management, engineering professionals, artisans and treatment works operators are needed. Both water and sanitation are critical factors in achieving a sustainable future for South Africa – so we cannot improve the economy without improving this sector.
Hydrology has evolved as a transdisciplinary, data-driven science in a remarkably short period of time. What is needed now is a renaissance
regarding our attitudes towards – and management of – water. As a precious resource, water will always be intertwined with politics. But society also needs to take responsibility. Water is our responsibility. We need to act to conserve and restore water resources. Let’s embrace a water renaissance and a better, new approach to water.
Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA
SANITATION IS A SOCIAL ISSUE, NOT A TECHNICAL ONE
South Africa already has numerous new, promising sanitation technologies at its disposal. But the level of acceptance and adoption is low.
By Dan Naidoo, chairman, WISA
As opposed to water –which is in a pipe, delivered and accepted –sanitation options are seldom immediately received with a positive response. Unfortunately, the flushing toilet is considered the gold standard for sanitation. There is a perception that all other sanitation technologies are inferior.
Sanitation needs coordinated and facilitated discussions with the community before any technology is even trialled, let alone adopted. It requires a type of social trust (which is sadly lacking in many communities and municipalities). With sanitation, technical people need to consider social behaviour, customs, community norms, as well as local risks – and the appropriate technology needs to be strongly motivated. Engaging with communities, stakeholders and municipalities is crucial to success. Dialogues need to happen; communities need to be consulted on the associated stressors on water resources and systems. Nonsewered sanitation is a viable and sustainable option, and all issues need to be discussed in an open and transparent manner. The design and implementation of any of these technologies/systems must evolve via social interaction, dialogue
and consultation. Sanitation requires a softer approach, it’s a personal understanding that a new technology is a safe and dignified option.
Whenever there is a change in leadership, people may be more open to new ideas, options and technologies. With the election of new municipal leadership and councillors, this may hopefully be a great opportunity – through an appreciation of new ideas, driven by renewed energy – to provide dignified sanitation solutions.
Off-grid sanitation
How do we implement this technology? How do we sustain it? And how do we get it to be embraced by communities?
As a water-scarce country, we simply cannot afford to keep flushing large amounts of water down the drain. The areas that desperately need sanitation typically have no access to water, so non-sewered sanitation is a reality. But the key to this is getting buy-in and an understanding of how these technologies work – and for people to know that these technologies are as good (if not better) than flushing toilets.
The Water Research Commission has done excellent work in facilitating international research and localising it with the South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP) via piloted projects at different locations.
While we have largely been focusing specifically on water over many years, sludge handling and management has become a huge issue and risk to our communities and the environment. If these technologies are deployed into areas that are difficult to access, one needs to consider how the solids are to be managed. Waste needs to be dealt with in a responsible way and a total solution implemented.
We must be able to deliver various solutions for different areas and cultural practices. The technology is already available; it is by focusing on behaviour and acceptance that we can successfully deploy new sanitation technologies.
Dan Naidoo, chairman, WISA
A disability is defined by the environment
Does our water and sanitation workplace cater for people with disabilities? Mark Bannister, a recipient of WISA’s 2021 Senior Fellow Award and chief engineer: Water Services Planning and Information at the Department of Water and Sanitation, talks to WASA
With a career spanning over three decades and a lifetime spent in a wheelchair, Mark Bannister has a unique perspective on the inclusivity of water and sanitation operations. “In terms of infrastructure planning, issues regarding disability and inclusive access are often an afterthought.” He points out that it is easier and
less costly to include better access for people with disabilities in the planning and design of infrastructure rather than retrofit at a later stage.
“All water and sanitation treatment plants should have wheelchair access and appropriate toilets to encourage the employment of people with disabilities. This provides for temporary
disabilities in the workplace such as a broken leg, and for visitors with a disability. In many instances, physical barriers to access – such as steps, stairs and inaccessible toilets – should not even be there. Inclusive planning from the beginning will maximise accessibility using ramps for entry to buildings, appropriate toilets and
Mark Bannister and the Malundjawele Water Committee
meeting rooms that are accessible for everyone.
“You get some organisations that construct ramps for the sake of compliance, rather than with functionality in mind,” explains Bannister. “I have been to a major water utility who was proud to show me their wheelchair access to a particular building. It was 45-degree slope with a door at the top that opens outwards, with no level platform by the door. Imagine trying to access that building in a manual wheelchair with a laptop on your knee, and then trying to open the door at the top without rolling back – it is simply impossible.”
Social barriers
The physical barriers to inclusivity are obvious, but the social barriers are less so, as they are not visible. When applying for work as an engineering graduate, Bannister declared his disability with every job application and received no interviews at all for four months. He then decided not to declare it and rather take the interview panel by surprise. From there, he could challenge any doubts the panel may have and remove any stereotypical perceptions that exist.
“So, how will you move around a muddy construction site?” they would ask. Bannister would pull out a photograph of him riding through the South American Andes on a quad bike and explain that a muddy construction site is simple in comparison to what he had achieved. He was employed with Severn Trent Water within a few weeks. These are typical social barriers that he comes across on a regular basis and this example demonstrated the stereotypical misconceptions people have that can impede progress.
The social model of disability states that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference. Removing these barriers creates equality and offers disabled people more independence, choice and control.
“My own disability has brought a different perspective and approach towards my life and work experience. As a person with a disability, I am forced to be creative, develop a
MARK BANNISTER’S STORY
Mark Bannister was born in Liverpool, UK, with a degenerative disorder called spinal muscular atrophy.
From an early age, he took an interest in motor sport and competed against able-bodied drivers in kart racing – the first stepping stone towards Formula 1. He won two Provincial Championships in his class during 1981 and 1983, and raced against future F1 stars such as David Coulthard and Johnny Herbert.
However, Mark realistically knew that his disability would not help him become an F1 world champion and he decided to focus on the engineering side of race car design to see if he could enter F1 from that direction. In his karting days, he would spend many late nights after school tuning and rebuilding his two-stroke engines and changing his chassis configurations to increase his performance on the track. He therefore decided to study mechanical engineering.
Mark approached several universities and was denied acceptance. He was told to study a physically less demanding subject, such as languages. Mechanical engineering requires students to learn how to weld, work on milling machines and use workshops that were not accessible for disabled persons. Undeterred, he was eventually accepted to do his honours degree at Loughborough University –the top engineering school in the UK.
Due to his media exposure as the only wheelchair user in the UK karting fraternity, Mark was given the opportunity to participate as a volunteer in Chile with an expedition called Operation Raleigh. Realising that it would be difficult to navigate the terrain of the Andes mountains in a wheelchair, Mark managed to gain sponsorship from Suzuki for a quad bike. When the terrain became too much for the quad bike, he simply swopped it for horseback.
The quad bike was a great help and, despite one near-death experience, Mark assisted in refurbishing a medical centre and building a wooden bridge across a tidal river for children to get to school.
It was working in poor communities and witnessing first-hand the difference basic infrastructure could make in people’s lives that
within an F1 team to working towards the provision of basic services. He developed a desire to elevate the poorer communities of the world so that they could have options to grow and develop within their own potential.
South Africa
Mark’s love for development brought him to South Africa to work in rural areas building water and sanitation projects, with close community involvement. He offered his services free of charge to a programme called Voluntary Services Overseas. “Assisting a community to build their own project and give them access to basic services is incredibly rewarding. These types of projects had a positive impact on women, as they could collect water safely and efficiently. I would visit the site after a year of completing the project and find community members with new skills and the time to start businesses and earn a living.”
While implementing water and sanitation projects in rural South Africa, Mark experienced fewer social barriers to his disability compared with the UK. “The communities were desperate for basic services – they didn’t see a guy in a wheelchair; they saw an engineer who was there to work with them, build a water project and give them a better life.”
Mark is now the chief engineer within the Water Services Management Branch of the Department of Water
Mark now resides in South Africa, with his son Jayden and wife Sina
different skill set and improvise where necessary. My own well-being and that of those I work with is made a lot easier by applying vision to overcoming challenges, using good planning in providing appropriate solutions, and using the resources of the people around me to maximise the outcome,” adds Bannister.
“Those with disability make up 15% of our own society – that is 15% of additional resources we are underutilising as a nation and can contribute towards the economic growth of South Africa,” he explains.
Engineers, planners, social scientists, government officials and all members of society have a responsibility to build appropriate infrastructure, break down the physical and social barriers that exist, reduce segregation and discrimination, and build inclusivity. Only then can we claim to address issues of inclusiveness.
Division to help apply innovation
The Innovations for Water Supply and Sanitation (IWS) Division cuts across all of WISA’s divisions and aims to promote innovation through building expertise and sharing knowledge.
IWS connects all stakeholders together through various platforms like webinars and learning events. They initiate discussions and introduce innovators with people from water utilities and municipalities.
when people work in silos. “We want to be that platform that breaks down the silos, that brings the people who need solutions and the innovators together. Information sharing is an important part of IWS and we like to create a space where professionals, utilities and municipalities can learn from one another.”
Wendy Mey, lead of the IWS Division, believes that an inhibitor for innovation is modular/rural and urban context).
Focus areas for the division are the following:
• Water treatment technologies (focus on new materials, energy intensity, driving down the cost of treatment, and smarter management of sludge and brine produced through the process).
• Smart grid concept (linked to data analytics, sensors and real time modelling, predictive analysis and forecasting).
• Disinfection technologies or processes (chemical-free treatment or on-site generation of chemicals/mobile and
• New water sources or integrated planning of available water resources
• Waste to beneficiation technologies (nutrient recovery, energy, agriculture, etc. with a water and wastewater focus, upscaling and zero-waste treatment facilities).
• Business, data and digital transformation in the water and sanitation industry (modelling, 4IR technology, data management, analytics and information use).
WISA • IWS Mark was given the opportunity to participate as a volunteer in Chile, with an expedition called Operation Raleigh
From an early age, Mark took an interest in motor sport and competed against able-bodied drivers in kart racing
Wendy Mey, lead of the IWS Division
Green innovation in practice
Without the need for sewer connections and a continuous water system, the Clear Enviro Loo Sanitation Treatment Plant treats wastewater and kills pathogens by means of a natural, organic process.
Originally developed in China, the Clear Enviro Loo Sanitation Treatment Plant is now manufactured at the Enviro Loo factory in Johannesburg using 100% locally sourced components.
The aim of this aspirational product is to transform the lives of individuals and empower communities, by providing an off-the-grid, fully recycling and flushing, cost-effective, sustainable, and dignified sanitation system that does not rely on continuous water supply to operate.
The Clear Enviro Loo Sanitation Treatment Plant can be connected into existing or new ablution facilities , with multiple toilet
seats making it ideal for schools, clinics, housing projects or anywhere without access to a continuous water supply.
How it works
Bacteria is introduced into a closed-circuit tank that biodegrades the organic pollutants contained in black wastewater and reduces their concentration. The wastewater is treated within a membrane biological reactor, which separates the pollutants. The treated water is then further disinfected via a UV process before being recirculated for the next flush.
This process ensures an odourless system with clear water that does not stain the ceramic toilet bowl. The spread of harmful pathogens is prevented, reducing the risk of infectious disease caused by poor sanitation.
In line with the Enviro Loo philosophy of empowerment through job creation,
contractors, servicing and janitorial staff are sourced from local communities as far as possible.
For more information, please contact Mark La Trobe on +27 (0)82 567 8654 or mark.latrobe@enviro-loo.com.
Waterless sanitation–when will it take on?
“No innovation in the past 200 years has done more to save lives and improve health than the sanitation revolution triggered by the invention of the toilet. But it did not go far enough. It only reached one third of the world.” –Sylvia Mathews Burwell
By
Mille Poulsen Jensen, Teodora Damian and Jørgen Erik Larsen
Sanitation rated as safe for people has only increased by 3% worldwide over the last few years and around 2 billion people still do not have access to basic sanitation facilities. Additionally, it is well established that waterborne sanitation in many areas is not the solution.
Looking at the South African landscape, a survey conducted in 2018 revealed that the percentage of households across the country with access to improved sanitation increased from 62.3% in 2002 to 89% in 2018. However, there are still large variations between rural and urban areas when it comes to access to sanitation facilities; 5.6% of rural and 1.1% of urban households still lack sanitation services. Furthermore, there are still 100 000 South Africans that only have the option of open defecation. What can be said is that there is a need for new solutions, ideally in the realm of waterless sanitation solutions, also known as dry sanitation. Communities living in dispersed rural areas rarely have the infrastructure necessary to support the well-known flush systems, yet they still deserve to be provided with dignified sanitation systems.
Over the last 50 years, a lot of effort and significant funding have been put into innovating waterless sanitation alternatives. Many solutions have been developed, but the reality is that the majority of people outside the serviced areas are relying on simple yet nonsustainable pit latrines.
The question is: why have the new innovative solutions not taken off at any scale?
Dry sanitation systems
The available types of dry sanitation systems today are classified as: selfcontained, single- or multilayered chamber tank, mixing device, urine-separating, electric or solar, and completely waterless or with low water usage. As an example, solarpowered, with a multilayer chamber
Mille Poulsen Jensen
Jørgen Erik Larsen
Teodora Damian
and waterless toilets will be selected for remote areas, while a self-contained, electric and single-layer system is used in a building within an urban setting. Currently, the most common systems used in rural and peri-urban settlements in South Africa are long drops or pit latrines. The best attribute of this technology is that it does not require water to function, thereby saving water resources and eliminating the need for sewer pipes. Despite this, the long-drop solution is a temporary one that is difficult to manage, as the number of users is highly variable, and the latrines can fill quickly, so they require constant emptying.
At the same time, municipalities in South Africa still have limited feasible alternative options in use, and therefore have little choice but to implement costly solutions. For example, in 2013 in Cape Town, there were around 5 000 chemical toilets – these are expensive to operate due to the preferred contract mechanism being to rent the toilets from an operator, who then would be responsible for providing the unit and servicing it three times a week. Therefore, it is not sustainable for rural and more dispersed dwellings.
One of very the few waterless sanitation and sewage systems at scale is found in China. The system design here focuses on the separation of four main waste streams: faeces, urine, greywater and solid waste. The study, however, found that the dry sanitation system has a carbon footprint 13 times larger than the conventional system,
BACKGROUND
The South African-Danish Strategic Water Sector Programme (RSA-DK SWSP) has been under implementation since November 2015, when a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of water, water use and water resources between the Danish Minister of Environment and the South African Minister of Water and Sanitation was signed.
The cooperation is headed jointly by the Danish and South African ministries, but further includes stakeholders from local government, water utilities, research institutions, industry organisations and the private sector. The programme is structured around groundwater management, urban water management, water efficiency in industries, research and innovation, and a project support facility.
The purpose of the programme is to support the South African government agencies and other relevant stakeholders in developing and implementing strategy, management and regulatory frameworks to contribute to the National Water Resource Strategy (2013), so that “water is efficiently and effectively managed for equitable and sustainable growth and development.”
Currently in its second phase, the programme has recently been extended to the end of 2022, with the third and final phase planned to run from 2023 to 2026.
resulting from a much greater diesel consumption of the dry system during operations. The study additionally found that the dry system was much more expensive than the waterborne one.
Barriers
This raises questions of whether waterless sanitation solutions actually are the way forward. As this analysis has shown, it can often be a costly solution that requires frequent maintenance and faces several societal barriers. Gisela Kaiser, former executive director at the City of Cape Town, notes that from a sustainability viewpoint, non-piped sanitation is the optimal solution, but it requires a behavioural change that cannot happen overnight. Crucially,
there has to be an attitude shift before waterless sanitation can become widely accepted – especially in poorer areas, where the infrastructure does not support a conventional piped system. Ongoing research in South Africa could point to solutions. Jay Bhagwan from the South African Water Research Commission points to decentralised minigrid systems with modular, containerbased wastewater solutions. Here, direct water reuse and the beneficiation of sludge create low-tech, nature-based solutions where constructed miniwetlands retain the sludge and treat the water. According to his research, this type of solution matches user preferences without the need for sewers, or a reliance on large quantities of water and/or energy supplies.
As it seems, even after more than 50 years of innovation, waterless sanitation is still not the better solution, compared to waterborne-sewagecollected sanitation and the pit latrine. However, it seems that more and better-fit solutions will be coming as research progresses. If one assesses the drivers of technological and energy source changes in history, one factor is clear: change only happens when we acknowledge and culturally accept a better solution. This must be better in terms of feasibility (affordability), in terms of convenience and, even more so now, in terms of sustainability. Therefore, as much as it is a matter of better innovation, it is also a matter of a mindset shift and willingness to adapt to new systems.
stand-alone or wireless
Monitoring
Ground Water Levels
Pressure Ranges
0…5 to 0…100 mH2O
Total Error Band
±0,1 %FS @ 0…50 °C
Recording Capacity
57‘000 measuring points
Dimensions ø 22 mm
Special Characteristics
Also available in ECO design
3G 4G
Pressure Ranges
0…1 to 0…30 bar
Total Error Band
±0,2 %FS @ 0…50 °C
Accuracy
±0,05 %FS
Interfaces
RS485, 4…20 mA
Special Characteristics
ø 16 mm
Communication Mode
2G / 3G / 4G / LoRa NB-IoT LTE 2M
Sensor Interfaces
RS485, SDI-12, analog, digital
Battery Life Up to 10 years
PIONEERING STANDARD TO END TOILET USE PARADIGM
Around 25% the world’s population lacks access to basic sanitation. This is due to waterborne sanitation’s high costs, as well as growing water availability constraints. ISO 30500 (identically adopted by South Africa as SANS 30500) can assist in fasttracking the roll-out of off-grid or nonsewered sanitation.
By Kirsten Kelly
Previously, the public sector had been confronted with new sanitation technology but, because there was no national standard, the onus and responsibility were placed on public officials to provide the guidance and position in terms of validating these technologies. It also disadvantaged many good solutions providers from entering the market.
History
“The Water Research Commission (WRC) keeps being inundated with requests for the validation of new sanitation technology in the absence of any standards and testing platforms. This is a challenge, as without demonstration or testing, scale-up and application were at risk,” explains Jay Bhagwan, executive manager: Water Use and Waste Management, WRC.
The Gates Foundation decided to initiate the development of the international standard, ISO 30500, because ISO is an inclusive platform that brings governments, business, civil society together to create innovative solutions
Fortunately, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation decided to initiate the development of the ISO 30500 international standard. This was done with the intention of enhancing efforts to widely manufacture, market and deploy technologies (developed from their ‘Reinvent the Toilet’ challenge) – as well as several other
Jay Bhagwan, executive manager: Water Use and Waste Management, WRC
new innovations – where they were needed most.
“A substantial amount of work was done prior to the launch of the standard development processes at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). They had tasked TÜV SÜD – a global leader in product testing and certification – and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to draft a pre-standard that could serve as a basis for an ISO standard,” explains Stefan Marinkovic, technical programme manager, ISO.
ISO has hundreds of technical committees that are dedicated to very specific disciplines. At the time, there was no committee that was best suited to work on the standard proposal. Due to the innovative scope of the standard, a project committee (dubbed PC305) was created, with 36 countries participating and 13 observing.
“ISO/PC305 had impressive representation. It was important that the standard was geared towards the users of the technology. The aim of ISO 30500 is to improve the lives of poor communities who have no access to a water or wastewater network. The Gates Foundation wanted the countries in which the technology would be deployed to participate in drafting the standard and, with their support, ensured two experts per country were represented. This facilitated the efficient formation of the standard, and created a fair representation of all countries, including developing countries, which are often at a disadvantage when it comes to funding their experts’ participation,” adds Marinkovic.
The standard was developed with experts representing industry, government, academia and nongovernmental organisations like the African Water Association and the Toilet Board Coalition.
South Africa is one of the first countries in the world to adopt the standard. It played an important role in the development process and was the second country to identically adopt ISO 30500 into a local standard – SANS 30500. “Dr Konstantina Velkushanova – previously senior research associate: Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Research & Development (WASH R&D) Centre, University of KwaZulu-Natal (now a senior lecturer at IHE, Delft, the Netherlands), and the late Professor Chris Buckley – research professor and head of the WASH R&D Centre – were part of the panel of technical experts, while SABS had representation supported
by myself from the WRC, which devised the standard. South Africa hosted a plenary session, as well as a technical tour of some of the piloted technologies,” says Bhagwan.
South Africa, through the WASH R&D Centre, has also been involved in the Engineering Field Testing (EFT) Platform that was funded by the Gates Foundation and designed to test various sanitation technologies arising from the ‘Reinvent the Toilet’ challenge in laboratory and real-world environments. The purpose of the EFT was to determine the robustness of the tested system, user acceptance and the applicability to the South African environment. Through this experience, the centre developed guidelines, funded by the WRC, on how to demonstrate and test innovative sanitation systems in realworld environments prior to manufacture and commercialisation. The guidelines are intended for local technology and commercialisation partners (LTCPs) in the sanitation field.
SANS 30500
ISO/SANS 30500 specifies general safety and performance requirements for design and testing, as well as sustainability considerations for non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSS). NSSS are prefabricated integrated treatment units containing a front-end component (such as low-flush, vacuum and urine-diversion dry or flushing toilets, and excludes conventional water-intensive flushing toilets) and a back-end treatment component (ranging from biological to chemical or physical processes, or a combination of these). It covers aspects and criteria related to safety, functionality, usability, reliability and maintainability, as well as the system’s compatibility with environmental protection goals.
The standard excludes guidelines for selection, installation, operation and maintenance procedures, or the management of NSSS, and neither incorporates nor substitutes for manufacturers’ instructions and user manuals.
Bringing the conceptual toilet to reality
“ISO 30500 entails a lot of testing that can be very expensive and stringent. Currently, there is no accredited laboratory in South Africa that has the facilities to perform
Stefan Marinkovic, technical programme manager, ISO
Preyan Arumugam-Nanoolal, research assistant and scientist at the WASH R&D Centre
every test stipulated in the standard. However, there are some laboratories, like the WASH R&D Centre, currently undergoing accreditation for ISO 17025:2017, which is specifically for calibration and testing,” explains Preyan Arumugam-Nanoolal, research assistant and scientist at the WASH R&D Centre.
Arumugam-Nanoolal has also been involved with the development of a voluntary testing protocol for low-flush pedestals that is based on SANS 1733:2011 and international best practice, with a few adaptations or additional tests that could give municipalities and developers the confidence required when selecting low-flush technologies for different scenarios. “The majority of the tests included in this voluntary testing protocol are easy to conduct and useful for establishing the aspects of the performance that these were designed to address. The testing protocol is fit for purpose and should be adopted as a voluntary performance indicator for low-flush pedestal performance.”
Another challenge is setting up a certification system where an independent body will evaluate a toilet and determine whether it has been manufactured to the requirements of the standard. “For this to happen, there needs to be a critical mass – enough toilets needing to be certified to justify the cost embedded into becoming a third-party certifier of ISO 30500. They are linked to each other – market acceptance is driven by ISO 35000 certified products and ISO 35000 certification will likely only happen once there is a large volume of products on the market,” states Marinkovic.
Conclusion
“Many solutions providers can now enter the market. The standard is also beneficial to manufacturers, as it provides strategic guidance that reduces costs by minimising waste and errors, increasing productivity and facilitating free and fair trade. It gives assurance to manufacturers of NSSS, governments, regulators and end-users that the non-sewered facilities they use are safe, reliable and of good quality,” adds Bhagwan.
“ISO 30500 will be the reference document for the future exchanges between users, prescribers, manufacturers and laboratories to guarantee that the proposed solutions address this urgent world health problematic,” he says. “It will permit the creation of a new market with a lot of innovative NSSS and will reduce drastically the diseases linked to a lack of sanitation. ISO 30500 is the first step for the development of a local circular economy with the transformation of human wastes into valuable resources.”
The NEWgenerator is an off-grid sanitation system that will be rolled out to rural and informal communities in South Africa. Developed by the University of South Florida, the NEWgenerator is designed to turn sewage wastewater into (non-potable) water, energy and nutrients.
From human waste to water
Engineering, procurement and construction contractor
WEC Projects has been chosen by the Water Research Commission (WRC) under its South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme as an industrial manufacturing partner to test a sanitation system called the NEWgenerator.
“This is a particularly exciting system that we predict will help address a number of critical social challenges facing the country, including sanitation, access to water, energy independence and improved food production,” says Dr Gunter Rencken, technical director at WEC Projects.
WEC Projects specialises in the design and provision of custom- or pre-engineered modular, packaged water and wastewater treatment plants and equipment across the continent.
“Our manufacturing capability in Johannesburg, understanding of the conditions and market in Africa, as well as the technical skill set of our engineering and design team make WEC Projects the perfect fit for commercialising the NEWgenerator,” adds Wayne Taljaard, managing director of WEC Projects.
NEWgenerator
A compact, portable and modular sanitation system, the NEWgenerator can be installed in a standard shipping container, moved to site and brought online with minimal effort, easing logistical problems and ensuring a quick setup. It can be installed in areas without the infrastructure needed to support conventional wastewater treatment systems. The NEWgenerator does not require a full sewer network or power supply.
The sanitation system has an anaerobic digester that uses microbes to break down human waste while producing biogas. Clean water is filtered out – with bacteria, viruses and any remaining solid particles removed – and then disinfected through a chlorination system. Most (99%) of the water can be recycled for reuse in the sanitation platform, reducing its reliance on the local water supply. The
Daniel Yeh in front of the NEWgenerator
Wayne Taljaard, managing director, WEC Projects
Dr Gunter Rencken, technical director, WEC Projects
nutrient-rich treated water is an ideal crop fertiliser for use by local small-scale and informal farmers, and the biogas produced can be utilised for domestic purposes such as cooking and heating.
“A unique feature of the NEWgenerator is that it can run independently of the power grid, using solar power to operate or it can be hooked up to a generator. This makes it particularly suitable for use in South Africa where the country’s unreliable power grid, prone to loadshedding and unscheduled outages, has had an adverse impact on existing infrastructure and equipment, often leaving even developed urban areas without power or access to water for prolonged periods,” says Rencken.
The NEWgenerator is designed with a separate back- and front-end system, and it can be added to existing toilet infrastructure. WEC Projects can also provide a containerised toilet block that is quick to install.
Research, development and trials
Daniel Yeh, professor: Civil and Environmental Engineering, and his research team at the University of South Florida (USF) designed the NEWgenerator. A total of US$2 million (R30 million) in grant money from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from its ‘Reinvent the Toilet’ challenge was donated to USF. The team initiated development and testing in India before setting its sights on South Africa, working with the University of KwaZulu-Natal to test its effectiveness on a pilot scale in the eThekwini area (where it has been tested for three years). The pilot evaluated both technical and social aspects of the technology.
Rencken states that social acceptance of the NEWgenerator by the community
is an important aspect of the studies and trials. “We have partnered with Joburg Water and are trialling the NEWgenerator at a site in Soweto. A community liaison officer is appointed, acting as a day-to-day manager of the facility and interacting with the community. There will also be a questionnaire directed to the community members to ascertain their feelings towards the NEWgenerator, which is basically a flushing toilet system and gives the normal toilet experience – aiding in gaining community acceptance.”
From a technical side, the NEWgenerator demonstration plant in Soweto has been designed to cope with up to 100 users per day, with the potential for expansion of its capacity to meet local requirements. WEC Projects will continuously monitor and test the system during its use, sampling output and reporting regularly to the WRC and USF teams. There will be a further study
in a rural area in the Eastern Cape. As a result of the trials, WEC Projects has added its own design inputs. “We have simplified the design and have made the NEWgenerator more robust, theft-proof, as well as easy to maintain and operate. It has been important to ensure that the entire NEWgenerator unit is manufactured using local content, improving support and backup capabilities,” explains Taljaard.
A licensing agreement with USF for the NEWgenerator is now in place with WEC Projects. “The ability to scale up the manufacture and roll-out of the NEWgenerator locally will not only ensure the country’s ability to deploy it rapidly to where it is most needed but also grow an export market into the SADC region,” adds Rencken.
New technology for the future “While the NEWgenerator addresses a number of urgent social needs, particularly in rural and informal settlements, it can also be used in other areas,” adds Rencken. “These can include eco-tourism, for schools, housing projects, underground mines and in emergency situations. We are proud to be associated with a project such as the NEWgenerator and look forward to its future development and deployment in Africa.”
“Large parts of the South African population have inadequate access to sanitation facilities and services. In order to address this, the current sanitation environment must be transformed towards a smart sanitation technology solutions environment that will see sanitation going off the grid and adopting a circular economy approach. The NEWgenerator is an example of this type of technology,” concludes Taljaard.
Ladies doing their washing at the communal ablution blocks in the Thandanani-Greenwood Park informal settlement in Durban
The NEWgenerator demonstration plant has been designed to cope with up to 100 users per day and can power itself with solar-charged batteries
A vertical hydroponic green wall attached to the NEWgenerator uses the nutrients and water recovered from the NEWgenerator’s waste
Envirosan Sanitation Solutions has designed, developed and tested a low-/pour-flush sanitation solution with the Water Research Commission (WRC) and partners in KwaZuluNatal. It is the perfect compromise between ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines and traditional flushing toilets. By
Jacques Rust and Brian Lewis
While not requiring water to operate, VIP toilets do not have a water seal, can smell extremely bad, attract flies and are perceived to be undignified. Most VIPs are therefore a significant distance from a homestead, creating an unsafe environment for children, the elderly and women wanting to use
the toilet in the dark. Furthermore, the pit is directly below the top structure, resulting in communities using the pit as a solid waste disposal site. The pit therefore fills up quickly and emptying it is a messy, unpleasant and expensive operation.
Conventional flush toilets require a large amount of water, which is not always available or affordable.
Envirosan low-flush toilets
The best of both worlds –low-/pour-flush toilets
Envirosan low-flush toilets combine traditional flush toilets and VIPs. Easily adapted for use in all areas, ranging from rural to urban – including those with limited or restricted water supply – the low-/pour-flush solution is entirely off-grid. It requires no water mains connection, as it flushes manually, with a small amount of greywater, thus placing absolutely no strain on rural households’ limited access to potable water supply, while simultaneously providing a safe and hygienic method for the disposal of the households’ greywater.
The Envirosan low-/pourflush solution flushes with as little as two litres of water, as opposed to the conventional nine litres usually required. This translates into a significant benefit – not only to the end-user, but also the municipality and water services authorities.
Its design is compatible with a conventional sewer system, and places far less strain on the sewage treatment plants, because of the great reduction in the volume of water required for flushing. It is also compatible with a range of rural ‘back end’ solutions, including a leach pit, septic tank, conservancy tank, biodigester, solids-free sewer system or similar on-site/off-grid treatment facilities, without any adverse effects on the surrounding soil conditions.
Benefits
When comparing the low-/pour-flush system to conventional waterborne sanitation systems (even in the
Envirosan Sanitation Solutions’ Jacques Rust (left), technical and sales manager, and Brian Lewis, managing director
absence of utilising greywater as flushing medium), the following volumes become apparent:
• low-/pour-flush solution (six occupants each flushing five times per day) = 60 litres
• conventional toilet (six occupants each flushing five times per day) = 270 litres
• daily minimum water saving per household = 210 litres.
This is a saving of more than 75 000 litres of water per household per year. Extrapolated over the number of households in South Africa (estimated at 8.4 million), there is a potential saving of 630 billion litres of water per year. While in the same price bracket as a VIP toilet facility, the low-/pour-flush sanitation system has significantly more advantages:
• There is no smell or access for flies. This is due to the effectiveness of the water seal within the P-trap, which only holds a maximum of 750 mℓ water, compared to the standard two litres of water contained in a conventional toilet’s P-trap. The means that the system can be installed closer to (or even inside) the homestead.
• It provides a higher standard of basic sanitation, with increased dignity to the end user. Users do not see the contents of the pit due to the P-trap and water, and therefore cannot use the toilet for solid waste disposal, effectively lengthening the lifespan of the pit and minimising emptying costs.
• Community members commonly refer
The design incorporates a water seal within the outlet (P-trap) of the pedestal, which prevents any odours from the chamber entering the toilet bowl
to the system as the safe toilet, as there is no open pit below the toilet, thus negating the horrific incidents where children have tragically fallen into VIP pits in the past.
• The system is extremely robust and easy to operate, with minimum maintenance requirements and limited risk involved.
• It can be upgraded from a pour-flush to a low-flush system with the addition of a cistern or external flush tank; once sewage and water connections are available, it can be connected at a minimal cost.
It is precision injection moulded from SABS-approved virgin raw material, thus resulting in a high-quality and hygienic finish to the products. The products used for the piloting, testing, as well as project roll-out carry Agrément certification and are fully endorsed by the National Home Builders Regulation Council and Department of Human Settlements.
The low-/pour-flush sanitation system can be used
not only to eliminate existing sanitation backlogs, but also to eradicate reversesanitation backlogs. They are cheaper to empty/treat due to no solid waste in the leach pits and they provide users with a dignified sanitation solution without placing any strain on the already scarce water supply, and at no additional cost to municipalities.
Roll-out
Over the past five years, the Envirosan low-/pour-flush sanitation solutions have been researched, designed, developed and tested with both the Water Research Commission (WRC) in Pretoria and Partners in Development in KwaZulu-Natal.
To meet the relevant South African National Standards (SANS), all low-/ pour-flush sanitation systems and associated products must be tested, piloted and approved both use structurally and in terms of system appropriateness before any large-scale roll-outs can be considered. By law, they require at least an
Low-flush toilet facility at an Eastern Cape school
THE FLOW MUST GO ON.
AMAREX - Dual performance submersible pump
Vertical single-stage submersible motor pump for wet installation, with free-flow impeller (F-max), stationary or transportable version. Electrical submersible Motor sizes ranging from 1.1 kW to 10.2 kW.
Applications
- Pumping station
Fluids handled
- Waste water containing long fibre
- Waste water treatment (Including sludge and solid substances treatment and recirculation)
- Municipal and industrial waste water
- Fluids containing gas
- River water transport
- Storm water transport
KSB Pumps and Valves (Pty) Ltd
Tel: +27-11-876-5600
www.ksb.com/ksb-za
Your B-BBEE Partner
- Service water
- Grey water
Agrément South Africa certification. The Envirosan low-/pour-flush solution is Agrément approved.
School sanitation
More than 200 privately and publicly funded school sanitation projects have been completed, varying from very rural schools with limited water sources to more peri-urban schools where more formal water supply was available.
A variety of schools were selected to test how efficiently the low-/ pour-flush units perform, even in areas where limited water sources were available, including the durability and functionality testing between junior and senior schools.
Each school was individually visited, with a full investigation report to ensure that the low-flush sanitation system to be installed and tested allowed for the minimum norms and standards as set by the Department of Basic Education.
Schools with no access to water received new boreholes, which in turn filled raised water tanks installed close to the school ablution blocks and allowed for feeding into a low-pressure cistern.
Schools with limited/interrupted water sources were fitted with raised water tanks, which were periodically filled by
the existing water source. Depending on the existing water source, the water tanks were sized to allow for flushing of the toilets for one to two weeks before requiring refilling. The interrupted water source was therefore not required for full-time operation, unlike with other waterborne sanitation options.
Household sanitation
Different models of the low-/pour-flush sanitation systems have been installed in provinces across South Africa. The options included Agrément-approved precast concrete structures that can sit directly on top of the leach pit, single offset leach pit or dual offset leach pit with swivel drainpipe connection.
All these designs are compact, can be used in any area where VIP toilets are approved for use and, once any of the leach pits are full, can easily be emptied by vacuum tanker.
Differences in the design of leach pits depends on the frequency of emptying, municipal preference and type of soil conditions.
According to WRC Report No. 2137/1/18, “The VIP and pour-flush sludge have similar chemical characteristics; however, the pour-flush sludge has a slower filling rate, as a result of less non-faecal material present in the leach pit and the ability of the
liquid component to seep into the surrounding soil, taking with it soluble material, reducing the mass of solids in the pit.”
Conclusion
This technology provides a viable option to municipalities under pressure to provide waterborne sanitation, where laying sewers is not feasible or affordable. In addition, it could provide an option for householders desiring a flush toilet to upgrade their VIP systems to a low-flush toilet.
The low-flush system can be installed indoors or outdoors, using the same VIP structures with the addition of a leach pit. As many households in South Africa are unable to afford toilet paper, the ability of the low-flush system to accommodate newspaper makes this a technology that municipalities could specify even for poor communities.
Low-flush technology shows the potential to overcome one of the thorniest problems facing municipalities: the difficulty of removing sludge from pits. While VIP sludge is often too dry and contains too much rubbish to be removed with a vacuum tanker, the low-flush system is far more conducive to vacuum removal because its sludge contains less rubbish and has a higher moisture content.
The low-flush system can be installed indoors or outdoors, using the same VIP structures with the addition of a leach pit
From appalling to appealing –wastewater sludge beneficiation
Managing wastewater sludge represents a significant portion of total wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) costs. To reduce this expense, the volume of sludge can be reduced or alternatively beneficiated into biogas or a saleable product. WASA asks Chris Braybrooke, GM: Marketing at Veolia Services Southern Africa, about the treatment of wastewater sludge.
How is sewage sludge locally managed?
Conventional practices related to wastewater sludge management include land disposal, waste piling, landfill disposal and, to a lesser degree, use in agricultural practices. These are becoming less viable, with a ban on liquids to landfill and the plan to reduce solid organic waste to landfill. Furthermore, transport costs and landfilling fees keep increasing. With sludge production increasing daily, the current practices are unsustainable.
Unfortunately, on-site land disposal and waste stockpiling
have become the standard options for many WWTPs in South Africa. Some of these sludges also find their way into water resources and contaminate them.
Bold steps must be taken to ensure that these volumes are reduced, made safe and valorised where possible. This would include looking at fertiliser production, materials of construction, and biosolids
used to produce energy or heat.
Innovative solutions are available to reduce wastewater sludge and turn it into a resource.
How can wastewater sludge create biogas?
Anaerobic digestion (which forms part of the secondary step of sludge treatment) is one of the oldest and most
used processes for sludge stabilisation and biogas production. This is where microbes feed on the organic matter, transforming it into methane gas and carbon dioxide when digested. It is possible to increase biogas production by adding co-fermentation agents like grease, untreated (and highly concentrated) sewage and additional bio-waste to the digesters. Typical gas production for sewage sludges ranges from approximately 400-450 m3 per tonne. The biogas is removed from the digested sludge by air stripping in the gas removal unit before the sludge is fed further to the intermediate storage. Digester biogas would normally contain small amounts of water and hydrogen sulfide (< 0.01 %). This could cause corrosion
Chris Braybrooke, GM: Marketing, Veolia Services Southern Africa
In 2020, Veolia produced nearly 43 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 47 million tonnes of waste
A typical modern wastewater and sludge treatment diagram
in CHP (combined heat and power), tube and gas storage systems. The removal of sulfur is recommended. The treatment gas is then pumped into a storage tank.
What biogas management systems are offered by Veolia?
Veolia has optimised a process known as thermal hydrolysis, which uses temperatures between 150°C and 190°C, as well as pressures of between 6 bar and 15 bar, to crack the long-chain molecules found in municipal sludge. This increases the reaction rate, making more bio-active carbon available than previously possible.
Known as Exelys™, it has been utilised in Veolia-built and -operated plants across the EU and USA. It helps to turn 1.2 Mℓ of sewage into enough energy to supply a single average home for one month. This dehydrated sludge can then be utilised as compost in fields to facilitate agriculture.
Exelys™ is the most effective energy enhancement methodology available to the market, because it increases biogas production and lowers
sludge volumes considerably, while simultaneously pasteurising the recovered sludge. It is also proven to help sewage works reduce CO2 emissions by between 10% and 30%.
Biogas production from wastewater sludge requires optimal temperatures, ranging between 30°C and 40°C for the digestion process to function. In areas where this is a problem, Veolia applies some of its technologies to utilise biogas production to heat up the digestion process.
Furthermore, Veolia’s Struvia technology has been developed to facilitate the recovery, valorisation and reuse of phosphorus contained in wastewater and concentrated industrial water. Phosphorus is a key ingredient in fertilisers used in agriculture and for animal feed. It is primarily produced by mining, and no synthetic substitute currently exists. Struvia allows for the recovery of phosphorus from effluents produced by industrial, agricultural and municipal activities, as struvite crystals (a mineral substance composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate). This opens the way for a local reuse
is no method of capturing biogas, so it boils down to the initial planning of a wastewater works and the capex associated with such a plant. For smaller plants, it is important to manage sludge disposal in a responsible way. In addition to the regulations and specifications regarding the disposal and utilisation of wastewater sludge, the Water Research Commission (WRC) has also published five volumes of guidelines. It is of utmost importance that wastewater sludge is handled responsibly.
of phosphorus, especially in agriculture.
An example of Veolia solutions can be found in T-Park, Hong Kong. Designed by Veolia, this is the world’s largest sludge treatment and recovery plant that is self-sufficient in water and energy and complies with the increasingly stringent environmental standards required by Hong Kong.
Incinerating the sludge reduces its volume by 90% and T-Park has the capacity to generate up to 14 MW of electricity during the treatment process. Electricity generated that exceeds T-Park’s energy needs is fed into the public grid. No wastewater is discharged into the sea, as all of it is treated and recycled through the plant. Fully energyautonomous, it is also water self-sufficient.
What are some barriers to biogas production?
One of the barriers of biogas production could be the lack of secondary treatment works where digesters are utilised. In smaller treatment plants, these process steps are not included, which means there
Many WWTPs already have anaerobic digesters (ADs), but these are in various states of disrepair. Also, where biogas (methane) is produced, it is simply flared (or just released into the atmosphere). The opportunity to utilise this biogas by-product to offset the energy requirements of the WWTPs requires the implementation of CHP technology, as well as the refurbishment of the existing ADs in many cases.
Veolia offers operation and maintenance contracts for WWTPs where processes are improved, future upgrades (if necessary) are designed, and the overall sustainability of the plant is increased.
Conclusion
In 2020, the Veolia group supplied 95 million people with drinking water and 62 million people with wastewater services, produced nearly 43 million megawatt hours of energy, and treated 47 million tonnes of waste. Veolia is committed to ecological transformation.
Exelys™ increases biogas production and lowers sludge volumes considerably, while simultaneously pasteurising the recovered sludge. It is also proven to help sewage works reduce CO2 emissions by between 10% and 30%
Sedimentation as a water and wastewater treatment process
WA recently held webinar on sedimentation formed part of the WISA Process Controllers Division’s Back-to-Basics series. With most of the same principles applicable to both water and wastewater treatment, it was decided to discuss this process unit from both angles in one session. and coagulant aid. It is a procedure that mimics what takes place in the actual treatment plant. It will show the coagulation process and the formation of floc,” explains Sibiya.
hen talking about sedimentation, it is impossible to leave out coagulation and flocculation – as without them, there would not be a proper sedimentation process,” says Mbali Sibiya, process and quality technician at Umgeni Water and member of WISA’s Process Controllers Division.
What is coagulation and flocculation?
Coagulation is the process of adding a coagulant (polymer, alum) to raw water to destabilise the colloidal matter in the water to allow for it to form settleable floc. This happens in the rapid mixing stage and is a key element in the removal of turbidity from water.
Flocculation is the process of allowing the floc formed in the coagulation
process to grow in size by slow mixing. The process is followed by a sedimentation tank where the floc is allowed to settle out.
The factors that affect these processes include:
• Coagulant dose – the jar test is done to estimate the minimum coagulant dose required to achieve certain water quality goals.
• pH – the efficiency of the coagulant depends on the pH of the water and coagulant itself.
• Intensity of stirring or mixing (the G value).
• Time – for chemical mixing and allowance of floc formation.
“Jar testing is where we will add coagulants into the jars of the raw water that we are treating to determine the correct dosage of the coagulant
The process to choose the correct coagulants for the source water is a lengthy process, as only certain ones can work with certain types of raw water. Coagulants are affected by the minerals and type of suspended solids in the raw water. This is why water utilities conduct lengthy trials with different types of coagulants. The trial typically begins with the jar test.
Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the process in which the flocs that have been formed during coagulation and flocculation are allowed to settle from the water. The flocs collect
A rectangular settling tank in the water treatment works
as sludge that, as it has a higher density than water, sinks to the bottom of the sedimentation tank (from where it must be removed on a regular basis). The clean water or supernatant then leaves the sedimentation tank through collection troughs located at the top of the tank. Factors that affect sedimentation are:
• particulate and water quality (key for sedimentation process)
• changes in temperature, alkalinity, turbidity and colour
• coagulation-particle characteristics –size, shape and density
• choice of coagulant
• flocculant aids
• surface loading flow rate per unit of surface area (settled water quality deteriorates when surface loading is increased)
• water treatment residue (sludge) –frequency of desludging can affect the sedimentation process (it shouldn’t be removed too often or too infrequently). In water treatment, the aim is to achieve the maximum removal of sediments or suspended solids in the sedimentation process.
Settling tanks
When dealing with wastewater, the separation of the solid and liquid phases is just as crucial.
“At wastewater treatment works, we deal with both primary sedimentation and final settling (secondary sedimentation). Primary sedimentation is typically found before a bio-filter. The primary sludge that settles out
in the primary sedimentation tank must, however, be treated to make it stable for further disposal. Secondary sedimentation is found after the activated sludge plant or biological filters,” explains Jabulani Chauke, Pr PC Water (Professional Process Controller), who co-hosted the session.
Design criteria for primary sedimentation tanks are the surface overflow rate and hydraulic detention time, while secondary settlement tanks are designed around surface and solids loading rates.
Primary settling tanks
Primary settling tanks are physical processes used in conventional treatment plants for gravity separation of settleable solids in wastewater. They are designed to remove a significant portion (up to 40%) of the biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids loading on a plant – making it easier on the secondary biological portion of the system.
Secondary settling tanks
Secondary settling or clarification is required after secondary treatment has taken place in the activated sludge reactor and/or biofilters. The purpose of clarification is to prevent biosolids from entering the receiving water body, where they could accumulate, decay, cause odours and degrade the water. In the case of activated sludge, the clarification process has the additional purpose of separating the biomass from the liquid or for it to be recycled and retained in the system – as return activated sludge. Secondary settling tanks are named after the process that produces effluent. The two types of secondary settling tanks are:
• Humus tanks:
- effluent from biofilters
- remove sloughed off biofilm.
• Clarifier:
- effluent from activated sludge reactor
- settle out the activated sludge.
The scraper moves just below the surface to move all floating debris
The jar test is a procedure that mimics what takes place in the actual treatment plant. It will show the coagulation process and the formation of floc
THE WORLD’S ONE-STOP WATER TREATMENT SHOP
Klorman dispensers are highly robust, easy to install and require virtually no maintenance. Our systems are modular to suit small, medium and very large bulk water treatment applications. Depending on end-user needs, we offer a choice of manual, semiand fully automated options linked to integrated (app-based) electronic/digital diagnostic, reporting and control systems.
CHLORINE DISPENSER RANGE
The Klorman dispensers are specifically engineered to fit a specially formulated range of Klorman organic chlorine/inorganic chlorine, dry acid and a blend of coagulant/flocculants.
KLORMAN 8000
KLORMAN 3500
KLORMAN 2000
KLORMAN 1000
KLORMAN INLINE
KLORMAN HiPOCHLOR
KLORMAN DuRACHLOR
KLORMAN TANK DISPENSER
DIGITAL WATER DIAGNOSTICS
Applications:
• Commercial water treatment and disinfection
• Large commercial pools
• Agriculture
• Domestic water
• Commercial cleaning
• Water economy
• Product analysis
Features:
• Market-proven, proprietary disinfection systems and chemistry
• Modular diagnostic and system control hardware
• Digitally operated remotecontrol options
• App-based monitoring and real-time reporting
• Management analytics
BEFORE AFTER
Successful rehabilitation of Setumo Dam
For the first time in decades, the people of Mahikeng in the North West province are receiving safe drinking water from their main water supply source, thanks to a special treatment protocol from BlueGreen Water Technologies.
Setumo Dam had been severely contaminated by toxic algal blooms. Known as cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, these organisms use sunlight to make their own food. In warm, nutrientrich (high in phosphorus and nitrogen) environments, cyanobacteria can multiply quickly, creating blooms that spread across the water’s surface. They can either stay submerged or float to the water’s surface. Cyanobacteria blooms can look like foam, scum or mats.
Cyanobacteria blooms may affect people, animals or the environment by:
• blocking the sunlight that other organisms need to live
• stealing the oxygen and nutrients other organisms need to live
• making cyanotoxins, which are among the most powerful known natural poisons and can make people and animals sick.
The outbreak at Setumo Dam was considered one of the worst cases in South Africa. The heavy cyanobacterial load was the result of decades of insufficiently treated sewage being released directly into the dam. The dam’s size and level
of contamination had deemed it untreatable.
“The heavy organic load was also disrupting the ability of the local water treatment plant to operate, increasing the overall costs substantially and keeping the final water quality well below national and international standards,” explains Jurgens van Loggerenberg, director: Africa for BlueGreen Water Technologies.
Treatment and outcomes
BlueGreen introduced its Lake Guard solution to Setumo Dam, in collaboration with Sedibeng Water. The special treatment protocol implemented was tailored for the unique conditions in Setumo Dam by BlueGreen’s
field specialists and its application was concluded with outstanding results.
“The project has positively impacted more than half a million lives as a direct result of improved water quality. Setumo Dam’s high cyanobacterial cell content (billions of cells per millilitre) far surpassed the levels deemed safe and approved by the World Health Organization and SANS 241,” adds Van Loggerenberg.
“BlueGreen is committed to making water safe,” explains Eyal Harel, CEO and co-founder of the company. “We undertook this project pro bono, knowing it was the only chance for this community to access clean drinking water and enjoy Setumo Dam as a safe water source, and unleash its potential for recreational purposes. We wish to empower local authorities to reclaim their water sources and advance the health and livelihoods of their communities.”
The successful treatment at Setumo Dam also eliminated unpleasant taste and odour compounds from the drinking water and opened up recreation opportunities in and around the lake that had been, up until now, impossible.
This project is the result of a joint effort that included the Department of Water and Sanitation, Sedibeng Water and Rand Water Analytical Services.
The success at Setumo Dam comes directly on the heels of BlueGreen winning the ‘Breakthrough Technology Company of the Year’ award at the 2021 Global Water Awards.
BlueGreen Water Technologies has been recognised for its “innovative solutions to the global epidemic of toxic cyanobacteria, undertaking major projects for cleaning extensive water bodies in the USA, South Africa, China and Israel”.
Setumo Dam before and after treatment
Colony of bluegreen algae in a culture medium plate
100 M ℓ of water from Ndlambe desal plant
The Ndlambe Seawater Reverse Osmosis Plant reached the 100 million litre milestone of water pumped into the municipal reticulation system in Port Alfred.
We’d like to thank the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Newground Project, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the municipality for supporting this project,” says Musawenkosi Ndlovu, director of Quality Filtration Systems (QFS).
“The combination of a 2 Mℓ/day desalination plant and 3 Mℓ/day water reuse plant is a powerful and sustainable solution (reduced electricity and running costs) as a coastal town drought-buster. Furthermore, the quality of the water from the desalination plant is far beyond the requirements of SANS 241:2015,” adds Ndlovu.
The municipality is the first in the country to combine a desalination and wastewater plant on one site.
Deputy Minister of the DWS David Mahlobo, a microbiologist by training, was highly impressed with the quality of the water and endorsed the implementation of water reuse
as a solution for drought-stricken areas around the country.
“A project of this nature is technically complicated and advanced. The performance of the plant has improved substantially and we congratulate the project team for making this possible,” explains Louis Fourie of Newground Projects.
Aimed at dealing with the crippling water crisis brought on by protracted periods of drought, the multimillion-rand plant is fitted with technology to treat and process seawater so that it is suitable for human consumption. The plant is fully automated to ensure there is no human error and the water quality produced is not compromised. QFS will continue to operate and maintain the plant for the next three years, during which time it will operate a skills-transfer programme for local residents.
A major part of the project is being funded through a Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant from the DWS.
L-R: Thembani Mazani (councillor: Infrastructure Portfolio), Musawenkosi Ndlovu (QFS), Ray Schenck (chairperson: Project Steering Committee and local ward councillor), Onke Sopela (manager: Water Services, Ndlambe Local Municipality), and Dawie van Wyk (Port Alfred Ratepayers Association)
Walking away on a high
After a decade at the helm, Dhesigen Naidoo bids farewell to the Water Research Commission (WRC). Water&Sanitation Africa asks him a few questions about his time as CEO and his view on the water and sanitation sector.
Over the past 10 years, what are some of the most important achievements of the WRC?
The end of my 10-year tenure coincides with the 50th year anniversary of the WRC. After reviewing the past 50 years, and then zoning into the past decade, the word transformation comes to mind.
Considering that the first 23 years of the WRC’s existence were during apartheid, transformation may be an incongruous word. But the first level of transformation from the beginning of the WRC was around a tacit recognition that higher levels of knowledge, innovation and engineering excellence
were needed to grow an economy in a water-scarce country.
Before the inception of the WRC, there was only a systematic approach in getting water to mines, Eskom, Sasol and the agricultural industry. The year 1971 saw the beginning of a more scientific, organised approach towards water management for the entire country.
Since 1994, the WRC has worked hard to encourage and nurture a diverse water researcher, practitioner and innovator base. Over 70% of project leaders are black males and females. This success is due to the mentorship of older scientists and researchers that worked for the WRC
pre-1994. The previously disadvantaged have been embraced and the WRC has focused on expanding capacities in the system, instead of discarding the existing capacity to build new capacity. I am extremely proud of the high levels of transformation within the WRC.
Another highlight of my tenure has been the internationalisation of South Africa’s water and sanitation Research Development and Innovation (RDI) enterprise. We now have the benefit of using the expertise from some of the best institutions in the world to examine and solve many of our water and sanitation issues. We are one of
14 WRCs in the world, and often pool resources together to take part in joint projects. The Institute of Science Information ranks South Africa’s research production in water and sanitation within the top 20 countries in the word.
I am also proud about the WRC’s efforts in capacitating and empowering the water and sanitation sector with science and technology. We have studied the value chain required to implement new technologies and knowledge in the sector and make a positive difference. The WRC is focused on impact. When applying to the WRC for support, one has to focus on how that research can be implemented to work in the industry.
If you had a magic wand, and could grant a wish to the water and sanitation sector, what would it be?
I have multiple wishes for the industry, but if I could choose three, they would be:
1) Understand and embrace at all levels that:
a. We are in the middle of a climate crisis.
b. South Africa is one of the global epicentres of that crisis.
c. Water is severely impacted by this crisis. Gauteng is experiencing water shortages in the middle of a La Niña cycle (wet cycle). This is a grave issue.
2) For the political leadership to rally, encourage and embrace the existing capacities that are in this country. We have some of the best scientists and water and sanitation experts in the world. I worry about the fact that, currently, South Africa is losing expertise. I have read some excellent research papers written by South Africans who are living in other countries. South Africa needs to retain, nurture and build upon its existing capacity.
3) Lastly, I wish that South Africa starts to view water as an investment opportunity and not a cost parameter. We can use
Singapore as an example; it started off as a poverty-stricken state and evolved into a thriving economy. Water can be a centre piece for economic development. South Africa has the economic structure, consumer base and expertise to supply the world with water solutions. We need leadership from government.
What have you learnt on a professional and personal level from the WRC?
It has been a privilege to work and partner with some the best water professionals in the world. Learning from these people has been the biggest bonus of my job. I have certainly gained a higher level of technical knowledge around the different facets of water, such as in the behavioural and economics domains.
The interconnectivity of water with everything is something I have always theoretically known, but my time at the WRC has really driven this point home. The WRC is leading globally around research relating to the water, energy and food nexus.
I have found water professionals, both young and old, exceptionally generous with their time, ideas, opinions and knowledge –and I am so grateful.
What are your plans? What will you be doing now?
I will be focusing on climate change and new sanitation technology. New sanitation offers an opportunity to revitalise and redefine the whole water-cycle approach. And there is no doubt in my mind that the biggest current challenge in the world today is climate change.
Is there any advice or comment that you would like to leave the new CEO?
CEOs don’t like advice. But if there were anything I had to impart it would be to develop an appreciation for what already exists. It is incredibly disempowering to individuals if you do not do that.
I would also advise the new CEO to always listen to authorities but, in the manner and tradition of science, one should not always be obedient. Research institutions need to redefine the operating environment, and this involves challenging rules that do not make sense and developing new rules to prosper. Be tactful, as there is no need to rude, but never be afraid of talking truth to power. That is the power of science: it is not an opinion. You must present the science as it exists. Good science requires brave people and this job is for a brave individual.
that generates a
Water training financial return
Using water efficiently requires a cultural change in addition to technical solutions. Water education can help develop a water-saving culture – in businesses and communities. Gerrie Brink, managing director of AQUAffection and founder of the #SurplusWater2025 movement, speaks to WASA about the new training programme.
Reducing water waste starts with monitoring and training. We have created site-specific training programmes with site-specific employees, where they are taught how to monitor usage and identify leaks and inefficiencies in the system. The data used in training is from that site’s water meter and monitoring system. Monitoring will show the impact that education has on water consumption,” explains Brink.
Skills development matrix
As a bonus, this training can contribute towards a company’s BBBEE scorecard. “The BBBEE scorecard is a system made up by seven elements, each with certain weighting points. Skills development is a priority element and contributes 25 points towards the BBBEE scorecard,” says Brink. #SurplusWater2025 offers training that falls under Category E ‘Work Integrated Learning’ of the Skills Development
Expenditure matrix. This involves educational activities that integrate the academic learning of water with its practical application in the workplace.
The training programmes qualify as Skills Development Expenditure because they are:
• external training by an external company
• structured, supervised, experiential learning in the workplace, which may include some institutional instruction. Companies are invoiced for training per site. A training register, certificate of attendance and credits are awarded to each person present at the training session.
Reducing demand
“There is little point in increasing water supply into an inefficient network. While there is a strong focus on water supply issues, there is very little done to address water demand. If we can reduce demand, we can reduce our supply deficit. Education is the very first step in decreasing water waste. Training will illustrate what can be done to save water and what should be prioritised. It helps a company understand its current water footprint,” states Brink. Brink has geared training towards fostering a passion, respect and understanding of water. “The aim of this training is action. This training provides people with the tools to address the water crisis from a demand perspective.”
The training includes the following:
• short history of water and where it comes from
• why it is important to monitor and log water usage
• the history and flow profile of the specific site or facility
• how to interpret this data
• how to apply the data to improve and simplify our daily tasks
• identifying options to improve water efficiency and reduce waste
• how actions and decisions contribute to #SurplusWater2025.
Comprising 12 chapters with an intro video, a more comprehensive video, downloadable worksheets and questions at the end of every chapter, the training is interactive and takes about three hours to complete. It covers a wide variety of topics: from the history of water boards, through desalination to finding water leaks and efficiencies in toilet flushing mechanisms. Certain videos and documents can be white labelled. The training course called ‘Water Matters 101’ is available on the SurplusWater2025.com website.
“This is likely the only training course where one can prove savings in water (and in money) via monitoring systems. It is set to align everyone in the company to use water efficiently. Efficiency means to effectively cut out waste, without compromising on convenience. Operating efficiently has a direct impact on profits by decreasing overheads and reducing the capital required to provide water backup systems,” states Brink.
Gerrie Brink, managing director of AQUAffection and founder of the #SurplusWater2025 movement
Hands-on training centres for plumbers
Another member of the #SurplusWater2025 movement, Geberit is a supplier and manufacturer of sanitation parts and systems. Like AQUAffection and #SurplusWater 2025, Gerberit has also prioritised education and has three training centres in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
The Swiss manufacturer offers introductory training courses on Geberit sanitary systems and believes that skills development is vital to ensure a sustainable business, economic growth and success.
A lot of resources and time are put into training, aspiring to shape the future of plumbing, and impacting the lives of these plumbers. More specifically, Geberit’s plumber training enables plumbers to learn precise skills or gain knowledge on Geberit products and installation systems. The training centres are also used to onboard qualified and suitable employees. With input from Geberit specialists and experts in the field, plumbers
are exposed to effective teaching and practical instructional installation strategies. Some of the training includes:
• Geberit’s history and philosophy
• shower drainage
• Geberit public range
• Geberit concealed cisterns and monolith cisterns
• technical training on cisterns
• technical training on ceramics
• Mepla and HDPE supply and drainage system basics
• building drainage dimensioning
• Pluvia syphonic stormwater drainage systems
• SuperTube drainage system.
Trainees are also granted the opportunity to view the Geberit hydraulic tower in Johannesburg, which demonstrates correct and incorrect drainage applications in a simulated three-storey building. Upon successful completion of the introductory course, a Geberit-certified certificate of attendance is received.
WATER CONSUMPTION
Geberit strives to ensure that its products require as little water and energy as possible when in operation. In 2020, over 3.350 million cubic metres of water was saved through the use of water-saving flushing systems. The company's water consumption has fallen by 18.5% since 2015. Geberit’s dualflush system brings real water savings to every household or public space. The spray head of Geberit’s complete urinal solutions has been precisely designed to fit the interior geometry of the ceramic bowl. As a result, just 300 mℓ of water is enough to ensure an optimal flushing out. Even lower water consumption is achieved by the individually adjustable flush programmes, such as intelligent interval flushing.
maximise resources and to understand the importance of waste-to-value with respect to rainwater harvesting, effective and safe water storage and recycling.
SBS brand ambassadors share valuable insights, providing informal training at a community level around the importance of safe drinking water and sustainable consumption.
From installing water storage tanks to upskilling employees through continuous training, bursaries, and internal development programmes – SBS Tanks believes in teaching everyone about the importance of water.
Putting water security first
SBS Tanks is a proud member of #SurplusWater2025. While installing water storage tanks plays a key role in improving water security, the company also highly values water education.
The specialist tank manufacturer believes in empowering business owners, employees, community members and school learners to take ownership of their water consumption. SBS Tanks works with all stakeholders to find solutions to
SBS Tanks is a proudly South African company, and passionate about local business. With a head office and 5 000 m² manufacturing facility in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as regional offices in Gauteng and Cape Town, SBS Tanks also has offices in East and West Africa, and the USA. The company has installed water security solutions across Africa, the UAE, Malaysia, Myanmar and Mauritius. It employs over 200 staff –including a fully fledged engineering team and installation teams across South Africa –and is ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 compliant.
SBS Tanks partners with the Kingsley Holgate Foundation and Tembe Elephant Park to bring water to the Tembe community
Stormwater management
should be
firmly on the urban agenda
Urbanisation increases the coverage of impervious surfaces, preventing water from infiltrating the ground and increasing the volume of run-off.
The impervious surfaces (such as roads) are spaced closely together and have their own stormwater drains. This means that the whole system responds rapidly to a high-intensity storm – causing frequent flash flooding. Compounding the issue is the fact that run-off often carries debris, chemicals, bacteria, eroded soil and other pollutants, and transports these into streams, rivers, lakes or wetlands,” explains Chris Brooker, a consulting engineer specialising in water management.
Urban stream syndrome
Flash flooding can damage road infrastructure, stormwater drains and bridges, and degrades the morphology of water courses. Run-off increases the occurrence of flowing water courses –tearing up vegetation and causing soil erosion. Due to the high frequency of this run-off, the vegetation does not have an opportunity to repair itself or grow back. Stream banks become more vulnerable
to erosion, as they are not protected by vegetation, creating more run-off and more erosion.
“The regular, rapid flow of water in water courses – where the rate of flow changes quickly – creates a negative ecological impact. There is increased shear stress on the beds and banks of a water course, and the living organisms do not have the time to find a place to hide before they are washed away. The movement of sediment affects the ecology, as organisms either have no place to live (as sediment has been washed away) or they are swamped by too much sediment (where it has been deposited),” says Brooker.
Pollution – ranging from shopping trolleys and mattresses to chemicals and microplastics – is carried to water courses via the run-off.
“Urbanisation has a major impact on water courses. Groundwater resources are reduced, as much less water is absorbed into the soil. There is the drying up of small springs that previously provided a
Chris Brooker, a consulting engineer
specialising in water management
ABOUT CHRIS BROOKER
Chris Brooker is a professional engineer working as a specialist consulting engineer in the field of environmental water management. He enjoys river and wetland rehabilitation and renaturalisation, and actively promotes stormwater management and modelling.
With many years of experience in the computer modelling of stormwater management systems, Chris teaches numerous workshops and occasional courses, such as PCSWMM Workshops for the Computational Hydraulics International and the SA Roads Federation Urban Drainage Course. He is an external examiner and honorary senior lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Wits University, where he teaches part of the postgraduate ‘Design for the Environment’ course.
He gives advice and acts as an expert witness in High Court hearings
Streams are becoming ephemeral in urban areas, unless they are fed by water leaking from municipal sewers and water supply pipes,” Brooker adds.
Stormwater infrastructure
Stormwater management can mitigate the negative effects urbanisation has on the receiving system and the reduction of usable water.
“It is a multidisciplinary aesthetic and technical engineering design process –first to find the right mix of interventions suited to a particular location and then requiring careful mathematical calculations, meticulous specifications and properly supervised implementation,” maintains Brooker.
A number of technologies and infrastructure (grey and green) are
available; however, none of them can be used in isolation. Grey infrastructure is traditional stormwater infrastructure, while green infrastructure mimics nature and captures rainwater where it falls. Some stormwater infrastructure options include:
• Rainwater harvesting is recognised as a valuable water source. Storing and using rainwater reduces the demand on the water supply. Rainwater from the roof would typically be led into a tank and then pumped out for domestic use or garden irrigation.
• Attenuation storage, while not changing the volume of the run-off, reduces the peak flow rate and can improve the quality of water released as it traps the sediment that is associated with many urban pollutants.
• Permeable paving is starting to gain more favour as techniques have been found to reduce the frequency of blockages as well
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG’S (COJ) STORMWATER DESIGN MANUAL
The manual promotes the management of stormwater by sustainable drainage system (SuDS) with the objective of recognising the resource value of this water.
In essence, the by-laws require that development does not change the characteristics from the natural condition. This applies to all developments, but specifically those with areas exceeding 4 000 m2 The parameters are peak flow rate, total volume of run-off, frequency of surface run-off, and water quality. These parameters must be determined for all recurrence intervals from less than one year to greater than 100 years, and for all storm durations.
Analysis using continuous modelling is therefore recommended; so, to this end, CoJ has purchased long-duration rainfall data sets that it will make available free of charge to engineers working on stormwater management in the metropolitan area.
as clean and maintain the paving – e.g. it has been found that the gaps between the block should be filled with 6 mm gravel instead of sand.
• Bioswales initially fell into disrepute due to their incorrect construction. It has been found that, when constructing bioswales, the soil used in the surface layer as a growing medium and the plants need to be carefully selected. For instance, the granite soils commonly found in the north of Johannesburg do not work because they are clayey and self-compact, becoming impermeable. Organic material that is mixed into the growing medium helps to hold water and supports the growth of microorganisms that purify the water. The bacteria that live on the organic matter are able to absorb the nitrogen and phosphorous, as well as other pollutants from the stormwater run-off.
• Rain gardens are created by digging a basin, planting it with plants that are happy with wet or dry soil, and adding a layer of mulch or rocks. They are bowlshaped and are designed to capture and absorb rainwater and promote infiltration into the soil.
• Bioretention ponds are depressed vegetated or open water areas that capture and store stormwater run-off, and can work in combination with bioswales.
• Green roofs have a layer of plant material that absorb water like a sponge. They capture water when it rains, slowly
releasing it through evaporation and plant use. Green roofs can significantly reduce the amount of rainwater that would otherwise run off an impervious roof surface.
Brooker believes that a lot of green stormwater infrastructure initially failed in South Africa because the technology was adopted directly from American and European systems. “In Johannesburg specifically, the evaporation rate is double the rainfall rate. This means that the plants in the ground will die unless they are irrigated. Green roofs must have appropriate plants and the correct design. With proper planning and design, green infrastructure can be invaluable to urban areas.”
He adds that while green infrastructure often requires more frequent upkeep and maintenance than grey infrastructure, it is more resilient. “For example, it is much harder to increase the capacity of a pipe than to increase the depth of a channel or swale. Furthermore, nature-based systems are less vulnerable to climate change than engineered systems because they can be overloaded with minimal damage. There is an increasing acceptance of nature-based systems. This is because they offer a wider benefit to society in terms of aesthetics and ecology (attracting pollinators and bats that control insect pests), and mitigating the urban heat island associated with increasingly densely populated cities.”
Using good governance, stewardship to ensure water security
As South Africa confronts reality as a water-scarce country, more is being demanded of water users by the authorities. Water users face the challenge of ensuring water security in the face of changing requirements and expectations. By Giulia Barr
The answer lies beyond compliance, in an approach that embraces good governance of water resources not only on-site but in the broader catchment.
Recent regulatory changes have seen the Department of Water and Sanitation taking steps to reduce the 300-day period for processing water-use licences (WULs) to just 90 days. This has been welcomed by water users as a valuable contribution to speeding up the planning and implementation of projects. At the same time, though, we have seen that there are often further requirements specified by the regulator –such as additional technical studies.
Many of these studies highlight the potential impact of the project site on water resources – and vice versa – but some may not be applicable to the conditions pertaining to the site. They may not even be applicable to the requirements in the National Water Act (No. 36 of 1998). It is seemingly becoming more difficult for sites to successfully apply for a WUL, or to fully comply with the licence once it has been issued, as a result of the continual increase in studies. The cost and time involved in conducting such studies therefore deserve further consideration, as these may be deterring sites from obtaining or fully implementing their WULs.
Stewardship
The responsible route to water security in a water-constrained system is to avoid the ‘tick-box approach’ and rather to embrace water stewardship as a strategic principle. The regulations must,
of course, cater for every type of site and eventuality, but not all these requirements will be relevant to every site. While a large, complex site might require five studies to cover the vital aspects of its WUL, a smaller site with less complexity may be able to accomplish this goal with one integrated study. There may also be very specific risks associated with a particular site, which are not covered by the standard, generalised conditions – and which could thus be overlooked, to the detriment of the environment.
A stewardship approach begins with understanding the particulars of each site and goes on to investigate the catchment in which it is located and its stakeholders. This avoids the danger of being awarded a WUL based on standard conditions that may be difficult to meet, or do not apply to the site itself. Officials may even be unable to later change the terms of the licence when it comes to the standard conditions, during a licence amendment application process. Remember that a business’s compliance to the WUL conditions must be internally and externally audited each year, so the requirements must be suited to the site or they could become overly onerous and impossible to fully comply with.
Action plan
Among the useful strategies we have applied in our interaction with clients is a WUL implementation plan, where we
Major water users can adopt a globally applicable framework to understand their own water use and impacts
extract the deliverables from the licence conditions. This could be described as a form of action plan – a living document that is continually adapted over time. Timeframes are identified for each of the deliverables to be submitted to the Department of Water and Sanitation, and these are assessed in terms of time and cost. Where it is not realistic to meet the required deadlines, a motivation is prepared and presented to departmental officials. We have found that there is a willingness by the department to consider alternatives as long as the client can demonstrate their intention to comply.
This is particularly useful for water users with limited resources, who may not have a dedicated environmental manager, for instance. The implementation plan also sets out a clear framework for what needs to be done, by whom and by when. Tasks would generally include surface water and groundwater quality monitoring, stormwater management plans, hydrogeology studies and the annual water balance.
As a practical intervention, such a plan goes some way towards the next strategic goal – which is to understand more clearly the water-related risks that the site may be facing. Too often, the adherence to a WUL is not accompanied by a broader appreciation of how the compliance conditions may reflect real risks to the sustainability of the business.
Water risks
A water stewardship approach can help to achieve this. To fully understand water risks, site management and staff need insight into the catchments in which they operate. Economic growth and urbanisation are among the factors raising water consumption levels, and this trend will inevitably create more competition for water. Being better stewards of water resources means communicating and collaborating with other stakeholders within the catchment – as water security for the business cannot be sustainably achieved if it excludes other users.
Water stewardship does not place the onus on any individual water user to gather information or ensure water management by other users; rather, it gives insight into the water status of the catchment. This helps users understand their site’s impact on surrounding water resources and can also mitigate the possibility of over-allocations in the catchment’s WULs.
The water stewardship approach is not completely new, having been incorporated in certain studies such as the Integrated Water and Waste Management Plan (IWWMP) – which includes catchment information, water quality, water balance and other studies. There is exciting potential to include water stewardship training in the workshops where we present the draft IWWMP. This will assist the client to fully understand the importance of water management at the site, the site’s impact on
the catchment, and the potential impacts from neighbouring sites on the shared water resources within the catchment.
It is significant that the IWWMP be a standard condition of a WUL and an annual deliverable in terms of compliance. Its value can be well leveraged as a focus for the business to consider internal and external factors related to water, while raising the awareness of all employees about water stewardship.
Credentials
To strengthen the expertise of SRK in this regard, a number of water specialists in the network have attended the Standard System training courses designed and conducted by the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS). By joining the AWS Professional Credentialing Programme, we are part of an international organisation of water stewardship professionals across industry sectors. In this position, we ensure credibility in the dissemination and adoption of water stewardship knowledge and expertise.
In turn, major water users can adopt a globally applicable framework to understand their own water use and impacts, and to work collaboratively and transparently with others for sustainable water management within the wider water catchment context. More systematic governance can therefore reduce water-related risk and lead to better water security.
water management tips for local government 10
Functions of local government – ranging from water supply and sanitation to land-use planning and local economic development – are either affected by the way water resources are managed or have an impact on downstream water uses. This makes local government a key player through integrated water resources management.
By Dr Masindi Mapholi, directorate: Water Services Macro Planning, Department of Water and Sanitation
Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is a process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems and the environment. Here are 10 tips for integration in water services management:
IDENTIFY CONSTRAINTS ON WATER ACTIVITIES
DETERMINE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR WATER-RELATED ACTIVITIES
All local government departments influence and are influenced by the hydrological cycle. Municipalities that are designated as water services authorities (WSAs) are responsible for water and sanitation delivery, planning and the local regulation of water services. It is a responsibility that is shared with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The IWRM requires the establishment of a forum that will facilitate cooperation between WSAs and the DWS, and assist with communication and the sharing of information.
MAXIMISE BENEFITS FOR WATER-RELATED ACTIVITIES
1 4 3 5 2
Increased access to safe drinking water, as called for by Sustainable Development Goal 6, faces several challenges:
• Water services cost recovery is difficult.
• Low-income groups may need subsidies from other users.
• Water rights may not be embodied in local or national laws – there may be a need for legislative revision.
• Certain social groups may be disenfranchised and need special consideration.
• Land rights and water rights are often linked – the provision of water to households on unsecured titles may be problematic.
Building political will and trust can be crucial for overcoming constraints.
Maintaining and securing a water ecosystem is a wise investment. Healthier river systems deliver better-quality ecosystem services. This results in more stable and productive soils, greater absorption of chemical pollutants, less risk of landslides, less sediment in water, and the longer life of infrastructure. Additional benefits from a healthy river basin can be greater biodiversity, improved food security, more attractive conditions, as well as more potential for the development of income-generating tourism and other businesses to drive the local economy.
PRIORITISE LOCAL ISSUES – WHAT FUTURE DO WE WANT?
Each municipality, local district or ward should bring together a responsible group. These people, in consultation with other key individuals, should identify the most important issues relating to water management in their area. Prioritisation must be underpinned by consultation.
BUILD A STRATEGY FOR LOCAL WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Actions taken by local governments might be confined to the local area or be extended beyond their administrative boundaries. Even when focusing on more immediate local goals, it is also good to keep medium-term, basin-wide goals in mind.
INVOLVE STAKEHOLDERS IN WATER ISSUES
Stakeholder consultation can take many forms but is an essential part of the IWRM. It should include everyone who has a right to use the water in question. Prioritisation of needs is an important task, which requires inputs from range of stakeholders. This includes representation of all groups in society and involves women.
Policies developed with stakeholder inputs are likely to be more easily adopted than those imposed from above. This can be viewed as democracy in action. Capacity development and raising awareness should be promoted in stakeholder meetings and public forums.
PROMOTE EFFICIENCY OF WATER USE BY SECTORS
Water used by different industries and business will generate different rates of return. This must be considered in water allocation decisions.
The generation of employment is another key consideration. WSAs can support job creation schemes and small business enterprises by making water more readily available.
6 8 7 9 10
TALK TO THE NEIGHBOURS ABOUT SHARING WATER RESOURCES
Many water resources are shared between provinces. National interests are prominent in such transboundary dialogues. WSAs should seek to voice their needs and concerns through intermediary organisations such as associations because they are best informed of local conditions relevant to river basin management.
BUILD EFFECTIVENESS IN MANAGING WATER RESOURCES
Effective local policies can provide support for national commitments to international agreements. This can be done by the following:
• Encourage participatory monitoring and record data by ward, building knowledge about your resource base.
• Highlight the responsibility of all to take care of water resources.
• Promote meaningful gender representation in the decision process – include normally disenfranchised groups.
• Request inputs and support from all relevant public and private sector bodies – encourage publicprivate partnerships.
• Use by-laws to strengthen legislation – based on the principles of equitable and reasonable use.
• Strengthen pollution controls and enforcement to reduce water treatment costs and health impacts.
• Respect the natural environment and recognise that it is part of a larger ecological system that provides our own life support.
GENERATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT YOUR WATER RESOURCES
Science can support more informed decision-making in favour of local water resources. WSAs should make use of the best available knowledge for carrying out their responsibilities. This applies to, among others:
• Land-use planning: science can make the impact more evident.
• Monitoring: science allows for more accurate identification of the risks from sewage, overabstraction of water, and pollution from nitrates and heavy metals.
• Enforcement: scientific evidence can support cases of prosecution where illegal activity, such as the discharge of pollutants into a watercourse, is suspected to have occurred.
• Disaster management: a scientific approach to integrate hydrological data collection in each municipality is useful to improve the accuracy of flood forecasting, thus helping to mitigate the impact of the floods and preventing disasters. Droughts can be forecast and managed more effectively.
Water and life outweigh politics
There is widespread concern regarding water service delivery nationwide, with communities in Gauteng, the North West and Eastern Cape bearing the brunt.
By Zaid Railoun
Cited for global recognition in the provision of water supply and sanitation after the 1994 elections, South Africa will now be measured by new standards for a resilient water future. With elections now past and the pink and orange forms dropped, people are still suffering from an acute nationwide drought of water service delivery. The question that remains is: can the electoral elite colours of blue, red, orange and chartreuse yellow implement long-term solutions with their short-term gains?
South Africa’s water-scarce label is no secret and its mostly attributable to physical causes and further exacerbated by the impact of global climate change,
climate variability and increasing demand on available water resources. Several reports and studies show that the country will face its biggest water crisis yet by the beginning of the next decade. When we look at the country’s municipal sewerage system, 90% of the 824 treatment plants releasing raw or partially treated sewage into rivers are close to non-functional.
In the Ekurhuleni township of Etwatwa, while millions of South Africans queued up to vote on 1 November, residents were queuing for water. Supply disruptions in the area had left the community without a drop coming out of their taps for the preceding four days. To make matters worse, the little water they do have is being polluted and wasted.
Bonani Madikizela, research manager at the Water Research Commission, stated: “We must regain our human rights to a healthy environment, freedom to swim, fish, irrigate with clean water, and access to dignified sanitation for all. Unless we urgently attend to these fundamental rights, freedom will remain meaningless to the suffering and marginalised societies of South Africa.” This can be driven by citizens and their right to vote and choose who they want to govern their water privileges.
The voting decision
Imagine that this coming Saturday, you’re going out to the movies with a friend. To be nice, you’ve decided to let your friend pick the movie you’ll see. Who would you rather the friend be:
1) someone who shares your taste in movies but doesn't read movie reviews and knows nothing about which movies are showing in the theatres
2) someone who reads lots of movie reviews but doesn’t like all the things you like
3) someone who once picked out a movie for you to see that you liked? In other words, should you choose someone who shares your preferences, has the expertise, or has a small track record of success in the past?
That’s the sort of decision all voting South Africans were faced with at the ballot boxes. Should they endorse the candidate who agrees with us most about what government should do? Should they endorse the candidate who knows the most about solving the nation’s problems? Or should they
throw their support behind a candidate whose party has proven to be the most successful in running the country in the recent past?
Water and life decision
Voters need to know and note after their decision-making process that the preservation of water is not only government’s responsibility – each person in the country must play their part in a resourceful South Africa. It is important for all citizens, young and old, to commit to safeguarding and conserving water resources in the country, not only for us to continue to live but also thrive during this critical period, as water is infused in our human culture.
It is easy to avoid this responsibility, but we cannot avoid the consequences of our actions, which will have an impact for generations to come. Water is viewed as much more than just ‘wet’ and is immersed in our language. We use phrases like “go with the flow” when we cooperate or “blow off some steam” when we get upset. We “freeze up” when we get nervous, and “make a splash” when we become influential and important.
Water floated the Titanic and sank her at the same time; water can be everywhere and nowhere all at once, seemingly static, modest but alive with energy in certain pressured scenarios of anthropology.
Water is essentially one word, yet it takes immeasurable structures and forms part of every moment of
our very existence, as it is involved symptomatically in everything. Therefore, water conservation needs to be a part of our lives – not just something we think and talk about only when there is a threat of it becoming scarce. We all need to understand the magnitude of this issue and work together to protect this precious resource. The questions, in this case, are: what you are going to do to play your part and preserve water, and which aligning colours of blue, red, orange and chartreuse yellow did you pick at the polls to look after your constitutional right to build an inclusive, water-resilient future?
There is still much more that needs to be done to ensure access to clean water for all, as human beings cannot exist without it.
BULK WATER STORAGE SOLUTIONS
One small sensor helps
ABOVE Both the high-water safety and nature development projects would be paid for with the proceeds from sand and gravel extraction along the Meuse
A
single Keller digital sensor is used as part of a flood safety programme in the Limburg province in the Netherlands.
During 1993 and 1995, the province of Limburg was confronted with two floods on the river Meuse, which caused €200 million (R3.5 billion) in damage. Society demanded more flood safety, but the cost of some €700 million (R1.23 billion) was a stumbling block for years.
Eventually, an agreement was forged with Consortium Grensmaas – a partnership of contractors, gravel producers – and Natuurmonumenten, the Dutch organisation for the conservation and development of nature. It was agreed that both the high-water safety and nature development project would be paid for with the proceeds from sand and gravel extraction along the Meuse.
Gravel extraction
Consortium Grensmaas extracts about 100 000 t of gravel every week – a quantity that requires an enormous logistical operation.
BELOW A Keller 26X high-precision, media-isolated, piezo-resistive pressure sensor encased in a robust stainless-steel housing with high-quality cable gland. Typical applications are hydrostatic pressure measurement, level measurement for groundwater and surface water, and fill level measurement of water – and fuel tanks
“To give you an idea, 1 t equals 11 wheelbarrows. On an annual basis, we extract 4 500 000 t of gravel. And this gravel extraction is an important part of the Grensmaas project because it is the financial engine. Thanks to this gravel extraction, there are no costs for the taxpayer,” explains Hans van der Meer, head: Production and Technical Services at the Grensmaas gravel extraction site.
All gravel is transported by barge, with ships leaving and arriving continuously. A mix of sand and extracted gravel creates a mixture called tout venant. The gravel is rinsed and sorted using an ingenious system of conveyor belts, sieving machines, washers and screw conveyors. Each dimension of gravel has its own final destination – from asphalt to decorative gravel. There is limited space on the site due to the widening of the river and sometimes a pile of gravel may be covered in water.
Water level
Due to the nature of
the production process, progress is largely dependent on the water level (which fluctuates hugely) in the Meuse. Van der Meer wanted to be able to monitor and record the water level properly. A Keller level sensor was mounted on a mooring post that communicates the water levels with the cloud via a LoRa network.
“This system gives me up-to-date information about the water level on a dashboard in my office. Thanks to the sensor’s communication with Keller's own Kolibri cloud, we now have all the information we need from that sensor. Since we have the ability to monitor it ourselves, we can also sound the alarm in good time,” explains Van der Meer.
The digital level sensor – Series 26 X – not only measures the water level, but also the temperature of both the water and the air. “We cannot produce if there is ice formation, so we also want to be aware of that risk as early as possible. Under normal circumstances, production here goes on for six days a week, 07:00 to 19:00. If we know that this is going to change, we need to be able to respond as quickly as possible,” concludes Van der Meer.
Unleash Nigeria’s water bounty with affordable sanitation
Nigeria is one of Africa’s most water-rich countries, being home to over 215 km3 a year of available surface water. Yet, the country suffers from economic water scarcity, leaving many people without regular access to potable water.
Poor management of the resource and ageing water infrastructure have led to vast under-usage of what should be a readily available commodity. The situation not only impacts Nigeria’s people but restrains its industrial and socio-economic development as well. If implemented correctly, water sanitation can be an enormous benefit for overall water availability. The question is: how can public utilities achieve such benefits without spending too much?
The answer lies in modern ultraviolet (UV) and ozone sanitation systems. UV and ozone are good at removing contaminants from water without overly relying on chemicals such as chlorine. Yet, chemical treatment often still seems more affordable. This logic, though,
suffers when you factor in reliability, sustainability and safety. And while chemicals such as chlorine still belong in water management cycles, their impact on water reuse and the environment can be tempered by introducing UV and ozone purification systems.
At face value, such new systems might seem more expensive, but not if one considers the total cost of ownership. When the City of Stockholm in Sweden looked to revamp its water systems for better reuse and sustainability, it weighed its choices based on the total life-cycle costs for 20 years. One brand –namely Xylem’s Wedeco systems – won the tender.
Wedeco systems
Wedeco’s sanitation systems lower costs
through several avenues. The equipment’s acquisition, installation and running costs are highly competitive. Since Wedeco systems are often self-contained, they require minimal maintenance and oversight. Further to that, Xylem’s local partner network provides reliable design and service choices for the client. Today, over a million people in Stockholm can access clean recycled water.
In order to deliver clean water, one does not need to replace entire water management sites. By applying the right strategic changes, even incumbent sites can reuse water and expand access to surrounding communities. Such strategic investments in water sanitation can significantly increase the number of Nigerians who enjoy reliable access to clean water.
Wedeco was founded in 1976 in Herford, Germany, to develop chemical-free and environmentally friendly water treatment technologies, including UV light and ozone systems. There are more than 250 000 installed Wedeco systems for UV disinfection and ozone oxidation globally in private, public utility and industrial locations. Wedeco introduced ozone technology in 1988 and has been expanding internationally ever since. UV disinfection systems have a number of applications, including water treatment and aquaculture. Ozone disinfection systems have applications in drinking water, wastewater, process water, product polishing, bleaching, ozonolysis/
ABOUT WEDECO
Leak detection in the Mother City
Leak detection has been identified by the Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WC&WDM) Strategy of the City of Cape Town (CoCT) as one of the best methods to minimise water losses in its reticulation network. By Kirsten Kelly
The City concentrates on detecting both visible and non-visible leaks, supporting reticulation depots to pinpoint the location of existing leaks, and improving the leak repair response
time to a maximum of 48 hours,” says Unathi Noludwe, senior technician: Water Demand Management Division, CoCT.
Non-visible leaks
Different types of equipment are used by the CoCT to detect non-visible leaks:
• Mechanical listening stick – used at all contact points (meters, valves, fire hydrants).
• Noise loggers – deployed on pipe fittings and programmed over a period of time (recordings are usually taken at 02:00).
• Leak noise correlators – this needs accurate information around the pipe material and diameter. Then the exact location of certain noise profiles (such as hissing leak sound) on the pipe is determined by correlating the noises that reach both sensors and measuring the difference it takes to travel on the pipe from the leak location to each sensor.
• Data loggers – measures the flow and pressure of water in order to analyse the minimum night flow.
• Ground-penetrating radar – locate the pipe direction and depth.
Methods
The CoCT uses four leak detection methods:
• Visual leak detection – drive or walk on streets to inspect reticulation networks for obvious ground leaks. There is a 3 km target per team per day.
• Localise – conduct leak noise surveys by using a listening stick and noise loggers.
• Locate – identify a leak location by using a leak noise correlator.
• Pinpoint and confirm – find the exact leak location by using a ground microphone.
“We also use step testing as a leak detection method. Step testing is the process of localising leakage into specific pipe segments of the distribution system for subsequent replacement or repair. It is conducted at night when there is low demand, as we often shut off certain valves. A leak is usually found in an area with a disproportionate drop in flow,” adds Noludwe.
Non-discrete zones
Leak detection in non-discrete areas can be challenging, as it is difficult to
Unathi Noludwe, senior technician: Water Demand Management Division, CoCT
One of the leak detection methods used by the CoCT is a mechanical listening stick
Damp areas on the ground or very green grass patches surrounded by dry grass are visual indications of a leak
The CoCT’s leak detection results over the past three years
isolate the leak due to feedwater from other areas. “The CoCT has therefore developed a different approach where a score card is used,” explains Noludwe. Parameters like type of pipe material, age of infrastructure, average pressure, pipe burst record, soil type, period of supply, leak detection record and type of land use are included on the scorecard. Leak detection will be prioritised in areas with a high score.
Discrete zones
Discrete zones are monitored by controllers like i20, Zednet, MyCity and MNF/AF. The minimum night flow (MNF) is compared to the average flow (AF), and leak detection is considered if the MNF is more than 30% of the AF.
“We also use the SanFlow model (night flow analysis) that helps in identifying key problem zones. It uses
the MNF, average pressure, number of connections, number of properties and the residential population as part of its calculation. Unavoidable annual real losses formulas are also used,” states Noludwe.
Results
“Over the past three years, we have covered the entire water distribution network of Cape Town by using non-visual methods. Most of the leaks occurred by the water meters, followed by service connections,” adds Noludwe. Going forward, the CoCT aims cover 100% of its network on an annual basis by 2031. The metro also wants to pilot and explore new leak detection technologies.
Optimising revenue from service charges
Service charges from electricity, water and sanitation are the main source of revenue for municipalities. When not managed properly, this can result in a downward spiral of reduced income and impaired service delivery.
Consulting engineering and infrastructure
advisory firm Zutari has successfully assisted a major metropolitan municipality to recover hundreds of millions of rand in previously unpaid water and electricity bills over the past few years. It now aims to roll out this Revenue from Service Charges Management (RSCM) solution to the other major metros in South Africa, as well as municipalities struggling to manage their revenue from service charges.
Zutari has produced a case study, entitled ‘Optimal Revenue from Service Charges’, to illustrate the full benefits of its RSCM solution, which is based on a water and electricity meter management consultant model. Its key deliverables for the metro were meter installation and repair management (work management), meter reading management, credit control management, contractor management, materials management, and ad hoc services such as revenue recovery and enhancement.
Avoiding estimates
The ultimate aim is to ensure the highest possible percentage of what is known as ‘readings on to bill’ – that is, the number of consumers receiving a bill detailing actual consumption and related charges, as opposed to being charged interims or estimates. Zutari assisted the applicable metro to achieve a readings on to bill rate of over 90%.
For the specific metro in question, a revenue enhancement project for water meters was also undertaken, involving investigating who the top water consumers were, identifying all feeds – whether metered or not – and then combining all of these feeds into a single, metered feed. This has resulted in a significant increase in billable water consumption and subsequent revenue.
“The proper management of processes – from procurement right through to life-cycle maintenance and end of useful life replacement – plays an integral part in optimising revenue from service charges,” highlights Leon Prinsloo, associate: Asset Management, Zutari. The crux is that managing the data of hundreds of thousands of meters requires a data management system that can handle large volumes of data. Here, Zutari’s internally developed SQL-based data management system was key to achieving the successes outlined in the case study. The system makes use of the unique 27-digit surveyor general land parcel code as the primary key to link any data to this land parcel or stand. The data ranges from
Leon Prinsloo, associate: Asset Management, Zutari
account holder and meter information, to the histories of the work, meter readings and credit control activities done at the stand. This provides for a complete record of all data applicable to a specific stand.
Capturing accurate data
An immediate advantage is that reports can be provided in formats that can be tailored to a client’s specific needs. An important report from a municipality perspective, for example, is the annual Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan report. Municipalities are audited on these reports, and Zutari successfully assisted the metro referenced in the case study in compiling reports conforming to audit requirements.
In order to provide accurate reports and data integrity within the client’s systems, a process of data verification also takes place. This ensures that meter information captured on the client’s system is accurate. Meter information typically consists of the
AGRULINE
FITTINGS & PIPES RESISTANT TO CRACKS
LONGER SERVICE LIFE
crack resistant PE 100-RC
HIGH ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY
sandbed-free installation
LASTING CONNECTIONS
better welding results
ONE STOP SHOPPING
complete PE 100-RC piping system
RSCM BENEFITS
Major benefits of the Revenue from Service Charges Management (RSCM) solution from Zutari for municipalities:
• Optimised revenue from service charges through:
- improved percentage of readings onto bill
- revenue recovery initiatives (potential of high return on investment)
- revenue enhancement initiatives (potential of high return on investment)
• Positive impact on non-revenue water management
• Positive impact on non-technical energy losses management
• Data management to ensure data integrity of assets
• Scalable solutions
meter number, meter size, the dials of the meter, date of installation and the GPS coordinates of the installation.
“The RSCM model also positively impacts non-technical losses for electricity, as well as non-revenue water management with the replacement
of faulty meters not recording consumption being one example. The solution can be used either in its entirety for maximum impact, or in part. Revenue recovery can be seen as an example of a part solution,” concludes Prinsloo.
Suppliers and installers of high- and low-density polyethylene and polypropylene extruded pipes. Fittings can be fabricated for extrusion welding, butt welding, and electrofusion welding in sizes ranging from 16 mm-1000 mm(HDPE) and 300 mm-3500 mm (Structured Wall Pipe). Custom fabrications include manifolds, manholes, tees, and reducing fittings. HDPE fabricated fittings can be made to design according to your individual specifications or, alternatively, we are able to assist in the design process to produce a fitting that meets your exact application.
Project planning: Installation of HDPE, LDPE plastic pipelines, and fittings.
TURNKEY SOLUTIONS
Designing installation: Butt welding, electrofusion, branch, socket, and extrusion welding of plastic pipes.
HDPE pipe lines are ideal for carrying corrosive and abrasive products such as acid water, crude oil, slurry, wet gas, raffinate and effluent.
HDPE systems gaining traction in agricultural market
Due to their longevity, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping systems are drawing an increasing amount of interest within the agricultural industry. Barona Pipelines & Fittings has formed a partnership with Koty Pompe to create customised pipelines for farmers.
In addition to a longer lifespan, HDPE pipes are easier to install and have less resistance than steel pipes. This leads to a pump working less, with the additional benefit of pumps lasting longer and using less electricity. Even when using solar energy, if a pump works less, the entire solar system can be smaller. Furthermore, HDPE pipes can be exposed to sunlight for long periods of time. This gives a farmer greater flexibility, as the pipes can be placed above the ground and easily moved in a few years’ time. Rodents and animals cannot chew through an HDPE pipe either,” says Renier Pieterse, director, Barona Pipelines & Fittings.
Maintenance is another huge advantage. Due to the remote locations of most farming operations, it is critical that problems with pipes can be fixed immediately on-site by staff on the farm. It is very costly and time-consuming for a company to travel to a farm to repair a pipeline, and it can put the farmer’s business at risk if everything must come
to a standstill. “After the installation of an HDPE system, we can leave a farm with critical spares and problem parts can be replaced immediately. From there, we can be called in to investigate any fatigues or failures,” explains Pieterse.
Koty Pompe (a supplier of water pumps and irrigation-related products in Limpopo) and Barona work closely together to design the best possible water system for a farmer. “We are specialists in HDPE pipelines and they are specialists in pumps. Barona Pipelines & Fittings will advise on the type of HDPE design and build any fittings, bends, manifolds and tees to a client’s custom specifications.”
Floating device
With its manufacturing plant in Sunderland Ridge, west of Pretoria, Barona – together with Koty Pompe – can design and produce a floating device for any typical borehole pump. This means that one can easily pump water out of a dam by putting
a borehole pump into this floating device, connecting it to a pump and placing it into the dam. It alleviates the need for specialised (and expensive) pumping systems.
Barona Pipelines & Fittings specialises in HDPE and focuses on quality through its entire supply chain – beginning with pipe manufacturers through to installation and ending with repairs and maintenance.
“We specialise in HDPE fabrication and installation, which ensures that we provide a quality product and service with decent turnaround times. Custom fabrication requires specifications and parameters to ensure maximum tolerances and minimal losses to a pipeline project. The ever-increasing demand for more complex and economical pipeline designs has resulted in a greater need for HDPEfabricated fittings and pipes to solve installation situations where common fittings fail,” concludes Pieterse.
One can easily pump water out of a dam by putting a borehole pump into this floating device, connecting it to a pump and placing it into the dam
Barona Pipeline & Fittings is an HDPE fabricator that can design and manufacture all fittings, bends, manifolds, manholes and tees to a client’s custom specifications
Although Werner Pumps started off as a small family business, focusing on continuous improvement and the local manufacture of all its components and load bodies has enabled the company to grow into a major force within the water recycling and high-pressure jetting sectors.
Founded by Germany-born Norbert Werner in 1988, Werner Pumps has grown to become a leader in its field, offering a comprehensive product range – from 2.2 kW electric skid units to 12-cylinder diesel-powered units (mounted either on trailers or trucks). Over the past few years, since 2009, when Norbert handed over day-to-day
operations to his son, Sebastian Werner, the company has enjoyed a period of rapid growth and expansion. Within his first few years at the helm, Werner Pumps saw a 200% increase in sales and has enjoyed year-on-year growth since, even in the face of Covid-19. It has added the Indlovu Vacuum Unit, Impi Combination/ Jetvac Units, and Amanzi Recycling Units to its range of truck-mounted solutions.
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
Sebastian Werner, managing director, Werner Pumps
“We do everything we can in-house and have been building these capabilities over the past few years, adding additional space in our workshop, investing in CNC machinery, building a painting spray booth, developing a fleet of service and repair vehicles, upskilling our in-house auto electricians, and developing hydraulics and design skills in our team – and even creating our own small aluminium recycling system,” he says. Werner Pumps owns a 6 000 m² premises situated in the industrial site of New Era Springs (50 km east of Johannesburg), which houses its workshop, office and stores.
In recent years, Werner Pumps has begun offering flexible financing solutions, and expanding its sights to other countries on the African continent. “We’re working on expanding into the African market, where only used units had previously been deemed affordable,” says Werner. “We can now offer units built in South Africa at great competitive prices.”
YOUR TASK. OUR FORCE.
Whatever the dewatering challenge we have the solution for you. Sludge, slurry, big pumps, small pumps, electrical or diesel driven, corrosive abrasive particles or high pH levels, we have the pump that matches your requirements with a reliability and performance second to none. From the legendary Flygt Bibo to the lightweight Ready, the sturdy Flygt 5000 to the independently-powered Godwin, Xylem covers the full spectrum of dewatering needs. We’ve got your back!
