Water&Sanitation Africa November/December 2023 by InfrastructureNews

Promoting professional excellence in the water sector The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

Water& Sanitation Complete water resource and wastewater management

Africa

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN WITH AN INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

WILL RESIDENTS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS PAY FOR SANITATION SERVICES?

THE EVOLUTION OF MAGALIES WATER

BACK TO BASICS with water quality monitoring

HOT P14 SEAT

sanitation and wastewater solutions. Water and sanitation are invariably linked and that is why Calcamite is a perfect fit for JoJo Tanks. Without suitable wastewater management, we cannot have quality water.” Sebasti Badenhorst Sales and Marketing Executive, JoJo Tanks November/December 2023 • ISSN 1990-8857 • R55.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 18 No. 06

IN THE

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VOL. 18 NO. 06

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

CONTENTS

Promoting professional excellence in the water sector The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

Water& Sanitation ON THE COVER Africa Complete water resource and wastewater management

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN WITH AN INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

WILL RESIDENTS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS PAY FOR SANITATION SERVICES?

THE EVOLUTION OF MAGALIES WATER

BACK TO BASICS with wa water quality monitoring

Collaborative water management: a path to Israeli-Palestinian peace “We are focused on growing the business beyond water storage into a full water solutions company and the purchase of Calcamite falls within that strategy. Calcamite is a leader in on-site sanitation and wastewater solutions. Water and sanitation are invariably linked and that is why Calcamite is a perfect ﬁt for JoJo Tanks. Without suitable wastewater management, we cannot have quality water.” Sebasti Badenhorst Sales and Marketing Executive, JoJo Tanks P14

IN THE

HOT SEAT

November/December 2023 • ISSN 1990-8857 • R55.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 18 No. 06

In 2018, Mergence Investment Managers acquired a majority stake in Siza Water and Silulumanzi from Sembcorp, a Singapore-based company. The management of these entities has since been entrusted to the South African Water Works (SAWW). P6

Regulars Editor’s comment It was said in WASA Index to advertisers

3 4 48

Cover Story Proudly South African with an international flair

PRECAST CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY TO FAST-TRACK WATER SERVICE DELIVERY

COLLABORATIVE WATER MANAGEMENT: A PATH TO ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE

WISA CEO’s comment Chair’s comment We need accelerated action Bridging the academia-industry gap in the WASH sector

8 9 10 12

Hot Seat Solving the sewage dilemma: a closer look at on-site treatment

Decentralised Plants Decentralised solutions: the answer to South Africa’s water crisis

Water Storage Water storage for rural communities 19 Precast concrete technology to fast-track water service delivery 20 Water storage: from 5 000 to 4.5 million litres 23

WILL RESIDENTS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS PAY FOR SANITATION SERVICES?

Water Supply & Demand African examples of efficient water use 25 Day Zero: never waste a good disaster 26 Transboundary Water Collaborative water management: a path to Israeli-Palestinian peace

Sanitation Nearly 3000 sanitation units for eThekwini Municipality Will residents in informal settlements pay for sanitation services? Confronting the pit latrine crisis

MINE WATER MANAGEMENT: A REGULATORY OVERVIEW

35 38

With the acquisition of Calcamite, JoJo Tanks has transitioned from a water storage company to a water solutions specialist. WASA catches up with Sebasti Badenhorst, sales and marketing executive from JoJo Tanks, about navigating the sewage crisis. P14

Water Quality Monitoring Back to basics withwater quality monitoring

Energy Loadshedding-resilient water and sanitation operations

Mine Water Mine water management: a regulatory overview

Water Boards The evolution of Magalies Water AA+ rating for Rand Water

46 48

IN THE

THE EVOLUTION OF MAGALIES WATER

infrastructure news

HOT SEAT infrastructure4

www.infrastructurenews.co.za

EDITOR’S COMMENT

Water& Sanitation Africa

Managing Editor: Kirsten Kelly

The public, the government and trust

kirsten@infrastructurenews.co.za Digital Manager: Ziyanda Majodina Designer: Beren Bauermeister Sub-editor: Tristan Snijders Contributors: Preyan Arumugam, Chris Ashmore, Richard Friend, Lester Goldman, Clive Lipchin, Raquel Nosie Mazwi, Chetan Mistry, Dan Naidoo, Mbali Sibiya Advertising Sales: Hanlie Fintelman c +27 (0)67 756 3132 hanlie@infrastructurenews.co.za Digital Sales: Gontse Zuma c +27 (0)64 513 0904 gontse@infrastructurenews.co.za

Publisher Infrastructure News 47 Grove Road, Orange Grove, Johannesburg Gauteng, 2192 Tel: +27 (0)83 433 4475 www.infrastructurenews.co.za

ISSN: 1990 - 8857 Annual subscription: R330 (SA rate)

WISA’s Vision

Inspiring passion for water

WISA Contacts: HEAD OFFICE Tel: 086 111 9472(WISA) Fax: +27 (0)11 315 1258 Physical address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand Website: www.wisa.org.za BRANCHES Eastern Cape: Branch Contact: Dan Abrahams Company: Aurecon Tel: +27 (0)41 503 3929 Cell: +27 (0) 81 289 1624 Email: Dan.Abraham@aurecongroup.com Gauteng Branch Lead: Zoe Gebhardt Cell: +27 (0)82 3580876 Email: zoe.gebhardt@gmail.com KwaZulu-Natal Chairperson: Lindelani Sibiya Company: Umgeni Water Cell: +27 (0)82 928 1081 Email: lindelani.sibiya@umgeni.co.za Limpopo Chairperson: Mpho Chokolo Company: Lepelle Northern Water Cell: +27 (0)72 310 7576 Email: mphoc@lepelle.co.za Western Cape Chairperson: Natasia van Binsbergen Company: AL Abbott & Associates Tel: +27 (0)21 448 6340 Cell: +27 (0)83 326 3887 Email: natasia@alabbott.co.za DIVISIONS • Anaerobic Sludge Processes • Industrial Water • International Water Association-Southern Africa (IWA-SA) • Innovation for Water Supply & Sanitation • Mine Water Lead • Process Controllers • Small Wastewater Treatment Works • Water Distribution • Water Reuse Division • Modelling and Data Division

"The glue that holds all relationships together – including the relationship between the leader and the led – is trust.” Brian Tracy, author

n South Africa, protests against poor public services are common, sometimes turning violent and destructive as citizens express their frustration with inadequate water supply, sanitation, housing, and electricity. At the forefront of protesters’ demands are calls for an end to widespread corruption that they say undermines the state’s ability to deliver high-quality public services. Meanwhile, citizen trust in public institutions that are supposed to address corruption has been dwindling. A study by Edelman Trust Barometer in 2021 reports that only 27% of South Africans trust their government. This makes it increasingly difficult for government to engage with the public and businesses alike around critical policy measures. Every time a new policy is announced, political trust is brought into question. All levels and positions in the state apparatus come under scrutiny: from the president to the provincial premier, municipal mayors, the judiciary, political parties, corrupt mediators, even politicians’ families. Recently, Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu had to defend the establishment of the South African National Water Resources Infrastructure Agency (NWRIA). The main rationale for establishing the NWRIA is to create an enabling institutional environment for raising more private sector finance for water resource infrastructure. The bill had not been supported by 75% of the submissions. Concerns have been raised on whether the NWRIA will turn into a corrupt, underperforming state-owned enterprise that will further Promoting professional excellence in the water sector The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

Water& Sanitation Complete water resource and wastewater management

Africa

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN WITH AN INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

WILL RESIDENTS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS PAY FOR SANITATION SERVICES?

THE EVOLUTION OF MAGALIES WATER

EMPOWERMENT PLATFORMS • Women In Water • Young Water Professionals Collaborative water management: a path to Israeli-Palestinian peace

The ABC logo is a valued stamp of measurement and trust. WASA is ABC audited and certified.

drain the fiscus. This lack of trust has caused the rejection of what could be a very good solution to the funding problem around water infrastructure. One only needs to read the comments section of articles where government institutions call on the public to use water sparingly. Citizens take exception to being ‘blamed’ for the shortage of water; they in turn ‘blame’ government and any water conservation message is lost. This was emphasised by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality when I asked how they could improve on water demand management (page 26). Communities would take government ‘Day Zero’ warnings more seriously if there were more trust. When I asked Shyam Misra, group MD from the South African Water Works (page 6), how water reuse gained acceptance in Ballito, trust was one of the first words he mentioned. Every possible solution to every water problem requires collaboration and coordination between public and private stakeholders. Trust facilitates long-term collaboration and fosters cooperation and compliance. As the many passionate, competent, and committed people in the public sector continue to work towards attaining clean water and sanitation for all, I hope trust starts to build again. We so desperately need it.

“We are focused on growing the business beyond water storage into a full water solutions company and the purchase of Calcamite falls within that strategy. Calcamite is a leader in on-site sanitation and wastewater solutions. Water and sanitation are invariably linked and that is why Calcamite is a perfect ﬁt for JoJo Tanks. Without suitable wastewater management, we cannot have quality water.” Sebasti Badenhorst Sales and Marketing Executive, JoJo Tanks P14 November/December 2023 • ISSN 1990-8857 • R55.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 18 No. 06

BACK TO BASICS with wa water quality monitoring

COVER OPPORTUNITY In each issue, Water&Sanitation Africa offers companies the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or service on the front cover of the magazine. Buying this position will afford the advertiser the cover story and maximum exposure. For more information, contact Hanlie Fintelman on +27 (0)67 756 3132, or email hanlie@infrastructurenews.co.za.

IN THE

HOT SEAT

N OV E M BE R/ DE C EMB E R 2023

INDUSTRY VOICES

You said it in WASA The opinions and statements shared by thought leaders in the water industry to Water&Sanitation Africa. “Established 24 years ago, Siza Water and Silulumanzi prove that PPPs within the water sector can work. However, procurement processes that were developed after 1999 have added a level of complexity to forming new PPPs. First, the public side needs to prove that they do not have the capacity to provide that service. There is also a rigorous process to get all the necessary approvals, and most municipalities do not have the capacity to even take part in that process. Fortunately, the Water Partnership Office that is headed by the Development Bank of Southern Africa can now assist municipalities with developing PPP frameworks and engaging with the private sector. SAWW is excited about the Water Partnership Office – it is a step in the right direction.” Shyam Misra, Group MD, South PAGE African Water Works (SAWW)

“Water ser vices authorities (WSAs) receive grant funding from both the Depar tment of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the Depar tment of Water and Sanitation. Water ser vice providers (WSPs) fund their own projects through the water tariffs on bulk water and from the markets. Grant funding and even municipal funding instruments are often determined by a WSA’s asset register. Therefore, there is an understandable reluctance for WSAs to give WSPs control of their water infrastructure. This needs to be considered when reviewing regulations and strategic frameworks around WSPs PAGE and WSAs.” Dan Naidoo, chairman, WISA

“New proper ty developments in Mauritius must include their own water supply. Watericon recently installed a decentralised plant that will be scaled to produce 45 m3/h of treated water to ser vice 5 000 to 10 000 people in a residential development. We predict South Africa will soon be going this route, where any new buildings or resor ts will need to generate their own power and water supply. PAGE Chris Ashmore, CEO, Watericon

NOV E MB E R /DE CEM BER 2023

“To fully realise the significance of water reuse in the South African water sector, it is essential to address some challenges and considerations. These include ensuring proper treatment and monitoring of reused water to meet health and safety standards, implementing appropriate regulations and policies, promoting public awareness and acceptance of water reuse, and investing in adequate infrastructure and technologies for wastewater PAGE treatment.” Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA

“Neighbouring countries like Mozambique, Namibia, and Botswana are a lot more receptive to on-site wastewater treatment plants. Many of the developers in South Africa are reluctant to make the investment; they are still hoping that the municipality will install a sewerage connection. Fur thermore, architects do not want to provide space on the site for these treatment plants. Often, in addition to the municipality not providing a sewage connection, they do not provide a stormwater connection either.” Sebasti Badenhorst, sales and marketing PAGE executive, JoJo Tanks

“Of all the water on Ear th, only 3% is fresh, with the majority of that tiny amount either unavailable or polluted. This means that the entire human race relies on 0.5% of the Ear th’s water to sur vive.” Chetan Mistry, strategy and marketing manager, PAGE Xylem Africa

INDUSTRY VOICES

“Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s (NMBM’s) lowest combined dam capacity of 9.98% was reached on 21 July 2021, with only 3.43% of that water available. I do not think anyone in NMBM’s Water and Sanitation Depar tment slept much during that period. It was frightening. It was unprecedented. We had roughly 36 days left until complete failure of supply. We reached the lowest historical dam levels. But municipal officials, engineers, scientists, community members, and businesses pulled together, and several projects that were implemented to push back ‘Day Zero’ began to deliver results. For tunately, after the recent torrential rains in the metro, many of our dams are over flowing.” Matthew Hills, engineer, Nelson Mandela PAGE Bay Municipality

“Before the war, most Gazans relied on private water vendors and a few small desalination plants for drinking water. Israel also piped about 10 million cubic metres of water each year into Gaza. But all told, the water supply is not large enough to meet the entire population’s needs. Now, because of the war, no fuel is entering Gaza to run the desalination plants, leaving them inoperable.” Clive Lipchin, adjunct professor: Environmental Studies, PAGE Tel Aviv University

“The results of this project so far have taken the local sanitation industr y by surprise. It is a completely new approach, showing a willingness of households in informal settlements to pay up to R350 per month for toilet rental and ser vicing, even in parallel to free, government-provided basic communal PAGE ser vices.” Nick Alcock, managing member, Khanyisa Projects

“With the analytical information technology available to us, and the skills of data scientists, there is so much more that can be derived from data to assist with decision-making. What is critically impor tant about consistent and comparable water monitoring is that it generates a trend. This allows scientists, engineers, clients, regulators, and other stakeholders to understand changes in water quality over time – to inform the necessar y responses.” Dylan Harrison, data scientist, PAGE SRK Consulting

“When requested by municipalities, Sanitech ser vices ventilated improved pit latrines. The dr y consistency of sludge and the high rubbish content that is found in many pits can present obstacles to vacuum removal. While pit latrines are estimated to last between eight and ten years, they are often the only discharge point for a household and are therefore filling up in two to three years.” PAGE Robert Erasmus, MD, Sanitech

“Single or sporadic samples have limited usefulness, as these could reflect just the result of an infrequent discharge or may be inaccurate for some other reason. Regular samples from the same point allow the accuracy of readings to be confirmed and highlight changes in quality that require investigation. To give value and purpose to the monitoring activity, it is also vital that the sampling results and analysis find their way into a responsive water management strategy. As impor tant as monitoring is, it is really only the beginning of a broader and more demanding process.” Manda Hinsch, partner and principal scientist, PAGE SRK Consulting

“Last year, Magalies Water took over Sedibeng Water’s assets, operations, staff, and liabilities in the Nor th West province. This was a huge under taking. First, water utilities are graded according to their size: from grade A (a huge bulk water supplier scheme) to grade D (small water entity). Sedibeng Water had a grade B2 rating while Magalies Water at that time had a grade C1. So, upon the merge, we had employees per forming the same job functions earning different salaries. Second, we absorbed close to 400 employees from Sedibeng Water, with an almost non-existent water production asset base. To put this into perspective, Magalies Water at the time had 320 employees and a R4.5 billion asset base.” Sandile Psychology Mkhize, chief executive, PAGE Magalies Water

N OV E M BE R/ DE C EMB E R 2023

COVER STORY In 2018, Mergence Investment Managers acquired a majority stake in Siza Water and Silulumanzi from Sembcorp, a Singapore-based company. The management of these entities has since been entrusted to the South African Water Works (SAWW).

Nelspruit Water Treatment Works

PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN WITH AN INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

AWW is a 100% South Africanowned water utility that has a Level 2 BBBEE rating. The change in ownership has ensured that all revenue generated from Siza Water and Silulumanzi remains within South Africa. The majority of those funds will benefit South African pensioners via Mergence, our majority shareholder,” says Shyam Misra, Group MD of SAWW. Both Siza Water and Silulumanzi commenced business in 1999 as the first pilots of water public-private partnerships (PPPs) in South Africa. Initially competitors, SAUR (a French utilities company) was Siza Water’s majority shareholder while Biwater (a British utilities company) was the majority shareholder of Silulumanzi. In 2007, Biwater took ownership of

both entities. Three years later, in 2010, Sembcorp acquired the shareholding of Biwater’s concession assets. In 2018, Sembcorp was looking to concentrate more on energy and wanted to dispose of its water assets. Siza Water and Silulumanzi were then sold to a consortium put together by Mergence, which included Rex Trueform and the senior management teams of both companies. “We have learned a lot from our former international shareholders, especially regarding governance, technology, risk management, business continuity, organisational culture, and accountability. While SAWW is five years old, the management team heading both Siza Water and Silulumanzi has been involved with the water concession contracts for many years, with most serving the companies more than 10 years. For example, I joined Siza Water in 2002 as a financial manager. In 2008, I was promoted to MD and became Group MD of SAWW in 2019. There are many other managers that have similar journeys,” Misra notes. A water business Siza Water and Silulumanzi have contributed towards growth in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mbombela, Mpumalanga, respectively by providing reliable, high-quality water utility services. The concessions are run as a business and must operate profitably and efficiently. The focus is to deliver efficient services and Shyam Misra, Group MD of SAWW

responsibly manage infrastructure through deploying competent and efficient staff. “We do not have the luxury of relying on government grants, subsidies, and bailouts. Our operations are funded by the revenue we receive for our services. Siza Water and Silulumanzi are proof that the provision of water services can be reliable and profitable, provided there is a focus on efficiencies and the utilities are managed properly,” adds Misra. PPPs The two concessions are PPPs that were created prior to the Municipal Finance Management Act (No. 56 of 2003). “Established 24 years ago, Siza Water and Silulumanzi prove that PPPs within the water sector can work. However, procurement processes that were developed after 1999 have added a level of complexity to forming new PPPs. First, the public side needs to prove that they do not have the capacity to provide that service. There is also a rigorous process to get all the necessary approvals, and most municipalities do not have the capacity to even take part in that process. Fortunately, the Water Partnership Office headed by the Development Bank of Southern Africa can now assist municipalities with developing PPP frameworks and engaging with the private sector. SAWW is excited about the Water Partnership Office – it is a step in the right direction,” says Misra. The two PPPs are formed between the local municipality and the concessionaire, which is responsible for the operation,

COVER STORY repairs, and management of the water infrastructure, as well as the supply of water, which they either buy from the water board or obtain through the production of their own potable water. The impact of Mergence’s investment via SAWW is significant. Through the two concessions, 450 000 to 500 000 customers are supplied with water, through managed networks of more than 1 500 km of pipeline and 900 km of sewerage. SAWW, through Siza Water, has also commissioned one of South Africa’s largest direct water recycling plants, recovering from 2.7 million to 3 million litres of potable quality water per day, thereby reducing the draw on bulk water supply from rivers and dams.

• Established in 1999 • Based in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal • Ser vice provider to iLembe District Municipality • Concession area covers 12.5 km²

• Established in 1999 • Concession ser ves about half of the population of Mbombela Municipality • Concession area covers 406 km² • 5 water treatment works, 3 wastewater treatment works, 92 reser voirs, 42 water pump stations, 30 sewage pump stations

Kingstonevale Wastewater Treatment Works

School tour at Siza Water

“Siza Water’s proven track record with its customers, as well as the drought at the time, went a long way to drive the acceptance of water reuse. A large component has been trust. Siza Water is an active participant in the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Blue Drop (drinking water systems) and Green Drop (wastewater systems) incentive-based compliance systems and has received various awards. Our water reuse plant has certainly helped in providing a level of resilience to the effects of climate change in the Ballito area,” maintains Misra. Expertise He adds that a lack of expertise poses a huge challenge to the water sector. “The cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, the deterioration of water infrastructure, and the dismal Blue and Green Drop results from most water services authorities point to either a lack of technical competence or the fact that qualified, experienced individuals are not being deployed correctly. Our country used to have one of the best water systems in the world.” SAWW places an emphasis on staff training, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and the recruitment of individuals with the requisite skills and experience. There are also annual learnership programmes where participants work under the supervision of water and wastewater process controllers. “We believe in growing talent from within

OUTSTANDING BLUE DROP RESULTS Siza Water is the 3rd best water provider in South Africa. SAWW has received 5 out of the 26 Blue Drop Awards: • Siza Water Dolphin Coast System • Karino Water Treatment Works • Matsulu Water Treatment Works • Primkop Water Treatment Works • Nelspruit Water Supply System ( consist of two water treatment works) Silulumanzi is the only water service provider to achieve Blue Drop in Mpumalanga. the organisation through accelerated development interventions. A culture of hard work, accountability, and belonging is fostered within SAWW. Staff retention is one of the key factors for our success,” Misra explains. There is also a focus on community development projects within the areas where the two PPPs operate. SAWW’s corporate social responsibility programmes include corporate social investment, water education, community training, developmental programmes, job creation, and public health. Going forward, SAWW is looking to assist municipalities wherever possible to deliver high-quality and reliable water services. With a track record spanning over two decades as entities that provide water services that are efficient, consistent, and of a high standard, both Silulumanzi and Siza Water are poised for growth.

www.saww.co.za N OV E M BE R/ DE C EMB E R 2023

WISA • CEO’S COMMENT

A DECADE’S OF ADVOCATING FOR WATER REUSE WISA’s Water Reuse Division recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Its objective is to provide a communication forum for engineers, scientists, and practitioners to share information and knowledge on water reclamation, recycling, and reuse to facilitate the implementation of safe water reuse practices in Southern Africa. By Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA

uring this past decade, the Water Reuse Division has influenced policy and practice, and has been involved in Regulation 2834, Regulation 3630, the ‘Day Zero’ crisis in Cape Town and Eastern Cape, as well as the floods in KwaZulu-Natal. Water reuse plays a significant role in the South African water sector, addressing various challenges and contributing to sustainable water management. This practice involves treating wastewater to a high standard, making it safe for various non-potable uses such as irrigation, industrial processes, and groundwater recharge. Here, we will explore the significance of water reuse in the South African context. By reusing treated wastewater, water that would otherwise be lost or discharged into the environment can be harnessed, increasing the available water supply. This reduces pressure on freshwater resources, ensuring a more reliable water source for various sectors. This reduced demand for freshwater extraction minimises the impact on rivers, wetlands, and other natural habitats. Economic advantage By reusing treated wastewater, industries can reduce their reliance on freshwater sources for their processes. This not only helps lower operational costs but also enhances the overall efficiency of industrial operations. Moreover, water reuse can provide economic opportunities, such as the creation of new industries focused on wastewater treatment technologies, job creation in the water

sector, and the potential for export of water reuse expertise. Water reuse also contributes towards improved water quality. By treating wastewater to high standards, contaminants are removed, ensuring that the reused water meets appropriate quality criteria. This is particularly important for irrigation, as using poor-quality water can negatively impact soil health and crop productivity. With water reuse, South Africa can enhance agricultural productivity, support food security, and reduce the stress on freshwater resources in agricultural regions. Social impacts Access to clean water and sanitation is still a significant issue in many parts of South Africa, particularly in low-income areas. By implementing water reuse projects, treated wastewater can be utilised for non-potable purposes, allowing communities to have access to water for various needs such as sanitation, hygiene, and urban greening. This can improve the overall quality of life and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. To fully realise the significance of water reuse in the South African water sector, it is essential to address some challenges and considerations. These include ensuring proper treatment and monitoring of reused water to meet health and safety standards, implementing appropriate regulations and policies, promoting public awareness and acceptance of water reuse, and investing in adequate infrastructure and technologies for wastewater treatment.

WISA • CHAIR'S COMMENT

The recent reconfiguration of water service providers (WSPs) aims to increase water access to unserviced areas, enhance market capitalisation for infrastructure projects, and reduce skewed supply of water. However, is there an enabling environment for these WSPs to operate? By Dan Naidoo, chairman, WISA

Let’s talk about WSAs and WSPs

he Water Services Act (No. 108 of 1997) makes a clear distinction between water services authorities (WSAs) and WSPs. WSAs are responsible for ensuring access to water services and as such have a governance function. They are accountable for deciding on appropriate water services development approaches, delivery strategies, and resource allocations. On the other hand, WSPs have a delivery function. They are entities that provide water services to consumers or to other water services institutions. As part of their governance function, WSAs decide which WSP arrangement is most appropriate for their circumstances. The sustainability of WSPs is brought into question since their very existence relies on a signed agreement with WSAs. Currently, WSAs have the full mandate to provide bulk services themselves. Regulatory strategies and frameworks and their implementation are unevenly developed between water services and water resources. Municipalities face several challenges in meeting statutory requirements for the provision of water services. This raises

the question as to whether the current level of decentralisation in water services provision and in local levels of regulation is appropriate, especially given the enduring municipal capacity constraints. Many WSAs are keeping the provision of bulk water services in-house, even when the capacity to do so adequately is lacking. Dual governance structure A further complexity is added by the fact WSAs and WSPs report to two different ministries – WSAs report to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), while water boards (regional water utilities) are classified as WSPs and report to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). They further compete in the space with private water companies. This has made it difficult for the DWS to develop a holistic approach to regulating the entire value chain of water. We need a regulatory framework that integrates water resources and water services, and mitigates some of the current risks the sector is exposed to. Going forward, WSPs should be given authority over the primary function of building and

maintaining bulk infrastructure like dams and larger water treatment plants, with WSAs responsible for water reticulation and the retail function. Currently, WSPs can only build bulk infrastructure if they are given a mandate by the DWS or have an agreement with a WSA. The current dual governance poses significant risks in terms of accountability and ensuring compliance with all current legislation and service levels. An example would be when a municipality fails to comply to provide water services. At present, the DWS does not have the authority to remove the powers and functions of a non-compliant municipality, but must defer to the provincial department of local government to intervene or CoGTA. N OV E M BE R/ DE C EMB E R 2023

WISA • CONFERENCE

WE NEED Water, as we know it, is fundamental to almost every sector and social well-being; Water is life! Yet, with the 2030 target just around the corner, it seems as though we are nowhere near to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By Dr Preyan Arumugam, chair: Marketing and Communications, WISA 2024 Conference

T Dr Preyan Arumugam, chair: Marketing and Communications, WISA 2024 Conference

NOV E MB E R /DEC EM BER 2023

he recent outbreak of cholera in Hammanskraal, which lead to just under 50 deaths, was a result of contaminated water supplies, while the 2022 flooding in eThekwini that left many citizens displaced and more than 450 lives lost indicates a well-known issue – bulk water and sanitation infrastructure is failing. The City

of Cape Town survived the ‘Day Zero’ threat but where are we going wrong? The WISA 2024 Conference aims to direct our focus toward finding solutions to our existing challenges and identifying the gaps in a more collaborative approach, with all sectors – including academics, professionals and industry leaders in water, sanitation, health, hygiene, mining, agriculture and manufacturing – as well as the public sector – through policymakers, lawmakers and servicing authorities. The conference, which will take place in the City of Durban on 27-29 May 2024, will create a platform where there is inclusivity, opportunities for partnerships, as well as improved governance within the sector to foster next-generation solutions. To achieve the SDGs, particularly SDG 6 – access to clean water and sanitation – actions and commitment need to be ramped up within the next seven years. In keeping with the nautical theme of the WISA’s previous two conferences – ‘All Hands on Deck’ and ‘Navigating the Course’ in 2020 and 2022, respectively – WISA has chosen ‘Turning the Tide’ for its upcoming conference in 2024. Here are the following subthemes:

WISA • CONFERENCE Hands on the Wheel: Moving towards stronger partnerships and stakeholder engagement

International initiatives, public-private partnerships, SDG 6 communication and stakeholders, developing capacity within the WASH sector with technical and soft skills.

Aye Aye Capt'n: Turn the tide with improved governance

Water governance, policies and regulations, water economics, business development with particular attention to the circular economy, funding and infrastructure asset management, and the Blue and Green Drop Certification.

Reading the Charts: Effecting resilient planning and management in a changing environment

With a changing environment and the devastating impacts of climate change, we must effectively plan toward integrated waste resources management, project management, disaster management (as a result of floods, droughts, waterborne diseases, pollution incidents), surface water resource protection and accessibility, including hydrology, in all terrestrial habitats and aquatic ecosystems. This subtheme will invite papers on groundwater management, availability, accessibility and resilience planning, including stormwater management, with special attention to SDG 2, agriculture and plant-soil-water enhancements.

Forging A'Head: Improving municipal water and sanitation service delivery

All things service-delivery-related, such as the provision of potable water and access to clean water, municipal performance, Blue and Green Drop certification, sanitation service delivery – including alternative sanitation such as non-sewered sanitation systems and re-engineered toilets excluding sewage treatment technology – and infrastructure design, construction, operation, maintenance, and efficiency.

Tending the Lookout: Optimising monitoring and efficiency

Monitoring and evaluation are key to efficient service delivery. This subtheme focuses on efficiency in water use by tackling non-revenue water, working with water balances, water quantity monitoring, WC/WDM and wastewater reuse, water quality impacts (ground- and surface water), monitoring, assessment and modelling, and No Drop certification. New methods and instrumentation for monitoring in chemical, microbiological, and other laboratory analyses.

Clipping New Edges with Innovation and Technology

Innovation leads to change and progressive movement. This subtheme will target treatment technologies in water, wastewater and wastewater reuse, including sewage treatment, wastewater and faecal sludge, mine water and acid mine drainage, nature-based solutions such as natural and constructed wetlands, 4IR, digital twins, bioremediation, alternative technology (not related to sanitation), applied science, or artificial intelligence (AI).

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WISA • WISA K WAZULU-NATAL BRANCH

BRIDGING THE ACADEMIA-INDUSTRY GAP IN THE WASH SECTOR

By Mbali Sibiya, chair, WISA KZN Branch

he WISA KwaZulu-Natal Branch – in partnership with Durban University of Technology, Ewseta, uMngeni-uThukela Water, Universal Water Solutions, Borda SA, and the Dr Nomcebo Mthombeni, acting deputy dean, Durban University of Technology

Collaboration, innovation, and education are the keys to a sustainable future in the water and sanitation sector.” Nontando Rambau (left), associate, Talbot, and Vikesh Daya, MD, Universal Water Solutions

Department of Water and Sanitation – recently held a symposium that brought together water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector stakeholders and academia. Here are some of the highlights: Mluleki Mnguni, WISA 2024 Conference Chair

Mluleki Mnguni, WISA 2024 Conference Chair, highlighted the challenges that have plagued the WASH sector lately, with par ticular reference to cholera cases. “We should not be having repor ts of cholera outbreaks in South Africa in 2024 – this is evidence of governance issues in the WASH sector.”

Rambau shared her personal experiences as a practitioner who started working in the private sector after graduation. “The private sector requires professionals with skills and does not make it a habit to recruit graduates who do not possess those specific skills. Graduates are not exposed to technological advancement and therefore lack this skill; they need to align with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Communication, project management, financial, and leadership skills should be honed at

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Nthabiseng Fundakubi, deputy director general, Department of Water and Sanitation

Nthabiseng Fundakubi, deputy director general of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), stressed the importance of water sector collaborations from grassroots. She believes that it is essential to include children from primary school level on water awareness campaigns and advocacy. “Curricula at higher institutions must be fit for purpose so that graduates can easily fit into the workplace. Industry practitioners should not shy away from mentoring and supervising academic students from primary school level. They can also provide real-time WASH projects for lecturers and students to get better industry exposure.” the academic level, particularly with postgraduates.” Daya spoke about the need for the private sector to provide more opportunities for graduates without and experience or skills. He highlighted that this can only be done if the private and public sectors, as well as academia work together – and are intentional about developing a specific workforce for the sector. “Academia must develop soft skills at academic institutional level, so that graduates will manage with integrating into the private sector.”

sales@lovibond.com www.lovibond.com OUTPUTS OF THE SYMPOSIUM: 1. The WASH sector is in need of sessions that bring all role players together, to discuss and implement sustainable solutions for South African society. WISA has a role to play in bringing all stakeholders together; these sentiments were shared by most in the room. 2. All academic institutions present saw a need for industr y professionals to play a role in the development of curricula that will suit the sector. Industr y personnel were also encouraged to open their doors to provide mentorship and super vision to both graduates and lecturers through either formal programmes such internships, the WIL programme, or informal mentorship and guidance.

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3. Professional bodies should have more engagements with academic institutions so that students are aware of them, and are able to focus on working in the sector. 4. Industr y should open its doors to provide the appropriate experience to academics so that they can meet the requirements of professionals bodies such as SACNASP and ECSA. This will assist in bridging the academia-industr y gap, as lecturers will be aware of industr y needs. 5. WASH sector practitioners need to utilise professional bodies such as WISA in doing more meaningful school and community engagements so that communities are aware of the water sector and the skills that are needed. Schoolchildren should be guided from early on, so that they select the correct subjects that are aligned with workforce requirements for the sector and potential careers. STAKEHOLDERS 1. Durban University of Technology 2. uMngeni-uThukela Water 3. Ewseta 4. Borda SA 5. Universal Water Solutions 6. eThekwini Municipality 7. University of KwaZulu-Natal – WASH R&D Centre 8. University of Johannesburg 9. Rand Water 10. MISA 11. South African Youth Parliament for Water 12. Mangosuthu University of Technology 13. Talbot 14. Elangeni TVET College WISA KZN Branch leadership committee and event organisers (L-R) Dr Preyan Arumugam Nanoolal, Sayntha Ganes, Mbali Sibiya, and Ms Velile Chili

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HOT SEAT

SOLVING THE

SEWAGE DILEMMA: a closer look at on-site treatment

JoJo Tanks purchased Calcamite in 2019. What was the reasoning behind this? SB We are focused on growing the business beyond water storage into a full water solutions company. The purchase of Calcamite falls within that strategy. Calcamite is a leader in on-site sanitation and wastewater solutions. Water and sanitation are invariably linked and that is why Calcamite is a perfect fit for JoJo Tanks. Without suitable wastewater management, we cannot have quality water. The two companies have a symbiotic relationship. Calcamite benefits from JoJo Tanks’ logistics network and JoJo Tanks has greater exposure to the commercial/ industrial space via Calcamite.

We are focused on growing Calcamite and have added a few additional professional skills to the business.

There is an increase in the uptake of on-site wastewater treatment plants in South Africa by businesses, estates, and residents. There is also increased interest in water reuse. Why is this? The Green Drop Report released last year revealed that about half of all wastewater treatment works in South Africa fail to treat sewage properly. Further, 334 of 850 municipal wastewater treatment works are in a critical state. Most of South Africa’s municipal wastewater infrastructure is operating at or over capacity. Some municipalities have even placed a moratorium on developments for this very reason. Wastewater treatment plants that are privately owned and operated on-site are an option when looking to circumvent these moratoriums. Furthermore, with South Africa facing a 17% water supply shortfall in 2030, water reuse is becoming an important strategy. However, neighbouring countries like Sebasti Badenhorst, sales and Mozambique, Namibia, marketing executive, JoJo Tanks and Botswana are a

lot more receptive to on-site wastewater treatment plants. Many of the developers in South Africa are reluctant to make the investment; they are still hoping that the municipality will install a sewerage connection. Furthermore, architects do not want to provide space on the site for these treatment plants. Often, in addition to the municipality not providing a sewerage connection, they do not provide a stormwater connection either. Local professional teams need to tackle the sewage and water crisis head on and provide solutions. On-site wastewater treatment plants do not need to be a grudge purchase; they can differentiate developments and businesses from those that are relying on collapsing municipal services and can help create green buildings. You recently supplied the Zebediela Mall with a wastewater treatment facility. Can you provide some background on this? There is little water and wastewater infrastructure in Limpopo. Water tankers are a common sight. Zebediela Mall used to rely on the delivery of 80 000 litres of water daily.

HOT SEAT

This prompted the decision by the mall to recycle its wastewater for non-potable uses. A hybrid wastewater treatment system was installed that combined a Calcamite plant and a tertiary purification plant from Waterwise. It comprises underground septic tanks with an above-ground bioreactor and tertiary purification plant, ensuring the water is of a quality fit for recycling. Given that Zebediela Mall houses a butchery and multiple fast-food outlets, a significant amount of fat is disposed of. High concentrations of fats, oils, and grease can disrupt the breakdown of organic materials in the anaerobic chamber. These concentrations can also limit oxygen transfer, meaning aerobic organisms might not get sufficient oxygen to treat the wastewater effectively, limiting chemical oxygen demand reduction. To handle the excess fats, fat traps were incorporated into the design, additional user training provided, and regular maintenance rescheduled. Calcamite’s services include the design of plants and full construction drawings, as well as supervision of the installation

and commissioning of plants. These can also be operated within the framework of maintenance contracts. The wastewater treatment plants typically undergo a minor service every three months, as well as major annual services. Calcamite provides a 25-year warranty for underground tanks and a 10-year warranty for above-ground tanks. In addition to being backed by an iconic brand, what else sets Calcamite wastewater solutions apart? Calcamite is backwards integrated; we locally manufacture roto-moulded products that are tailored for sewage containment. Other companies use their water storage tanks for sewage containment, which is not ideal. Sewage storage tanks need to cater for hydraulic flows, be watertight and anti-corrosive, with no corners where sewage can settle. Calcamite’s roto-moulded products are joint-free and do not leak. We test our products for water-tightness. Furthermore, many competing products have to be imported and – due to the size of roto-moulded containers – ithis is a costly process. With Calcamite, everything is locally manufactured. Calcamite tanks are also scalable. This is particularly important to developers, who can expand the size of the wastewater treatment plant as the uptake of stands increases. What advice would you give to a developer or customer looking to install a wastewater treatment plant? Do not split the plant. For example, in an effort to try to save money, developers often opt to source their septic tanks from one supplier and bioreactors from another. The end-product is a wastewater treatment plant made up of equipment from many different

suppliers. The problem is that it is then very difficult to allocate ultimate responsibility to any of these suppliers should issues with the plant arise. When looking for a supplier, seek a company that has a solid track record. A wastewater treatment plant will at some time during its lifespan need technical support; it will also need to be maintained. Therefore, it is important to use a company that will not disappear in a few years’ time, has a good reputation, and is willing to provide the necessary backup when needed.

www.calcamite.co.za

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DECENTRALISED PLANTS

DECENTRALISED SOLUTIONS: THE ANSWER TO SOUTH AFRICA’S WATER CRISIS South Africa is currently facing the perfect storm of a failing water supply: outdated infrastructure, poor maintenance, prolonged droughts, increasing population, lack of investment, and a skills shortage have led to contaminated drinking water, raw sewage spewing into rivers, and run-down water treatment plants reminiscent of an apocalyptic movie. By Chris Ashmore, CEO, Watericon

chilling warning sign is the 31 people confirmed dead from a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, where Watericon subsequently installed a water treatment plant at a school that did not have access to safe, clean drinking water – considered a human right by our Constitution. The South African government’s latest Blue Drop Report, which assesses the state of all drinking water systems across the country, reveals an alarming decline in water quality and management. Roughly half the sites assessed failed

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to meet acceptable biological and chemical standards with regard to drinking water. Further: • 23% of municipalities were ranked as being at critical risk • 56% wastewater treatment works are not functioning properly • 60% of systems do not comply with microbiological standards, and 77% flunked the chemical treatment requirements. The Green Drop Report, which assesses the country’s wastewater systems, found that one in three wastewater treatment plants was considered in

critical condition. An expose by the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism found that many have been completely abandoned or vandalised, leaving raw sewage polluting our water systems, including the Vaal Dam, which supplies water to around 19 million people. Centralised vs decentralised solutions A centralised solution is a large-scale water treatment plant servicing surrounding areas. These plants have the capacity to process enormous volumes of water, while the transport of water to and from the facility occurs via an expansive distribution network. The main advantage of centralised systems is the efficiencies gained through economies of scale. They are commonly used in developed nations all over the world, and in South Africa for municipal water supply. However, there are several disadvantages of this type of system: • The distribution network is complex and costly. • Large capital investments are needed for facility upgrades • Operating and servicing costs are high. • Highly skilled technical expertise is required to manage the plant. • It is difficult to measure and record upstream and downstream

DECENTRALISED PLANTS

water quality because of the vast piping system. Decentralised approach A decentralised approach involves smaller-scale water treatment solutions that are applied directly to individual facilities or communities. They typically consist of modular units or packaged plants that are mobile. They have several advantages: • The plants are designed and tailored for one specific application on-site. • Water reuse and wastewater reticulation are easier, as water does not have to be piped across vast distances. • Capital costs for setup are much lower, as are the lead times. • They can be scaled up or down at any time. • Modular units are mobile and can be easily transported from site to site where needed. • Their small footprint means much less space is needed. For example, at Capricorn College in Limpopo, a plant we designed and installed treats borehole water to be used as drinking water by the community of over 1 000 people. The equipment is also used for chemical engineering students to learn how to operate the plant.

Decentralised solution for sugar mill

Decentralised solution housed in shipping containers

Small footprint, big impact Mauritius recently turned to a decentralised solution to produce clean drinking water. Although the island has access to seawater, desalination plants are costly. Luckily, the island also has abundant rainfall, as well as 11 self-contained units that treat captured rainwater to drinking water standards and currently supply 260 000 residents. New property developments in Mauritius must include their own water supply. Watericon recently installed a decentralised plant that will be scaled to produce 45 m3/h of treated water to service 5 000 to 10 000 people in a residential development. We predict

Decentralised solution housed in shipping containers

South Africa will soon be going this route, where any new buildings or resorts will need to generate their own power and water supply. Mines in far-flung places are also regular users of decentralised solutions. At one such mine in the DRC, the camp and surrounding community had no option but to drink polluted water from the river, causing people to fall ill. Just two 20-foot containers purified this water, supplying drinking water to over 50 000 people. At another mine in South Africa, we built two 20-foot containers to treat sewage water to produce effluent in line with local regulations. The effluent is currently being used for irrigation by nearby farms. Reduce, reuse, recycle Companies can turn to decentralised solutions to reuse and recycle water. A local automotive plant was able to save around 21 million litres of water a year by treating their effluent to be reused in the system. This made them less reliant on municipal water for processes like rinsing paint, while minimising their environmental footprint. With any water treatment plant, it’s vital to understand upfront what the water balance is. How much water is coming in? How much waste will be generated? The goal is to reuse and recycle as much as possible. This means N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

DECENTRALISED PLANTS

Decentralised solution, using skidmounted reverse omosis units

understanding the regulations, and what is stated on the company’s water use licence. The importance of operations and maintenance Similar to servicing a vehicle, a water treatment plant needs to be maintained to increase its lifespan and make sure it functions optimally and safely. With any water system, it’s crucial to create a blueprint for operations and maintenance (O&M). This is where many municipalities are falling short. The Green Drop Report found there is no monitoring in place at many of the wastewater treatment plants, equipment is broken, and no records exist for the water systems. According to the report, a run-to-failure strategy is allowed without any apparent intervention from municipal leadership. Among these is the Gariep Dam wastewater treatment plant. One of the plant's pump stations has been broken for two years, and is discharging raw sewage into the adjacent nature reserve. The nine-year gap in Green Drop assessments allowed several functional plants to reach a state of total collapse. A run-to-failure approach is not a good strategy, unless the system is very basic and there are no safety risks – but

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certainly not for the complex systems of a centralised solution. Often, water testing isn’t done regularly enough, or samples are not being sent to accredited labs. It is essential to test water quality entering homes on a frequent basis to ensure that it has not been contaminated by septic tanks or other sources of disease via leaking pipes. But the vast piping network of centralised solutions makes regular testing a costly and complex task. Preventative and predictive maintenance Preventative maintenance involves consistent monitoring and servicing on a weekly or monthly basis. It does not need advanced expertise, just competent technicians who are trained to measure indicators and test water. With innovations in technology, there is also the option to monitor plants remotely. Predictive maintenance can be used for more advanced systems. It is more costly initially, and requires a higher level of skills, but timely and informed monitoring can prevent breakdowns. Each asset in the system should be barcoded and entered into a reporting system like Sage, or even an Excel spreadsheet. It is possible to track a small bolt from its purchase to endlife. By following trends and patterns in the data, it’s possible to spot where and when a breakdown is likely to occur.

When running a water treatment plant, it is important to ask the following questions: • W ho is going to maintain the plant? • D oes this need to be outsourced? • Is a safety officer required? • D oes there need to be full-time staff on-site? • Is it necessary to have a laboratory on-site for monitoring? At some plants we have installed, there is a full team of people running it – from operators to mechanics and technicians – working in shifts to ensure equipment is working optimally. They regularly test and monitor water, and implement preventative maintenance with schedules, job cards, inspections, and audits. Training is crucial. Technicians need to know their instruments, what they are measuring, as well as the physical, chemical, and biological components. Conclusion The Blue and Green Drop reports have highlighted the many challenges facing our water sector; however, unless regulations are enforced, not much will change. With willingness from government to decentralise some of our water infrastructure, combined with private sector investment in skills training and capital expenditure, South Africa can ensure our communities aren’t left in the ‘poop’.

WATER STORAGE

Water storage for rural communities Two existing concrete reservoirs in the rural Makhosini region (part of the Zululand District Municipality) have now been supplemented with two new bulk water storage tanks from SBS Tanks.

espite being the largest district in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and making up 16% of its geographical area, 77% of the population in the Zululand District Municipality (ZDM) is rural and widely dispersed in settlements across a range of difficult terrain,” says Mava Gwagwa, director: New Business, SBS Tanks. High levels of unemployment and the existence of fewer economic zones have resulted in a low revenue base for the ZDM. This has had a negative impact on not only infrastructure development and maintenance, but also service delivery in the area. Municipal managers, engineers, and consultants had to consider the most sustainable solution to deliver bulk water storage to the Makhosini site as quickly

as possible, and also had to acknowledge the logistical challenges, environmental impact, and budgetary limitations. “The poor road infrastructure, remote nature, and need for cost and time efficiencies make SBS Tanks the ideal solution for rural municipal installations,” adds Gwagwa. “Our tanks are made up of lightweight panels used to build the tank structure on-site – from the ground up – using a jacking system. The reduced weight and modular design of the materials mean the tanks can be transported on a light delivery vehicle, or in areas where road infrastructure does not exist, and can be carried to site by hand. Community members can be hired to assist with this process if necessary, providing much-needed employment. There is no requirement for heavy machinery on-site during the installation process.” The tanks were installed by SBS Tanks’ in-house installation teams and hold a combined capacity of 750 000 litres of water storage. The SBS tank model (ST17/06) provides the bulk of that storage capacity, at 600 000 litres, and stands just over 6 m tall, while the (ST13/03) accommodates 150 000 litres of water and stands just over 3 m high. “At SBS Tanks, we consider it a privilege to assist municipal teams in the delivery of water storage and sanitation solutions

to communities, no matter how remote. We also enjoy working with experienced contractors such as Afrostructures and consultants such as ECA Consulting Engineers who share the SBS Tanks values of improving and enhancing our country, changing lives through the delivery of sustainable, cost-effective engineering solutions with integrity, to build for better,” states Gwagwa. SBS Tanks have been engineer-designed to last and have an expected lifespan of 65+ years. An internal bladder, or water storage liner, is fitted within the tank during the installation process, which prevents the water, effluent, or other stored liquids from making contact with the structure of the tank. This adds to the corrosion resistance of the tank, which comprises steel panels that have been coated in Zincalume® for protection from corrosion. On completion of installation – which can take a matter of days on either a compacted sand bend or a simple ring beam – the tank can be filled or commissioned immediately. SBS Tanks offers a 10-year no-leak warranty on the tank and liner.

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WATER STORGE

PRECAST CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY TO FAST-TRACK WATER SERVICE DELIVERY

Seven precast concrete reservoirs in the City of Ekurhuleni (ranging in size between ranging in sizes from 20 Mℓ to 30 Mℓ) are in various stages of completion, and form part of the municipality’s water augmentation strategy.

y harnessing prestressed, post-tensioned precastconcrete technology, these reservoirs are completed in record time. A 25 Mℓ reservoir can be constructed in only seven months. This is about half the time that it would take to build a similar-sized reservoir using cast-in-place methods. Significant construction time savings are achieved by enabling the various trades to work simultaneously. The different prefabricated concrete elements that make up the reservoir are manufactured while earthworks and site terracing are underway. They are then integrated on-site once the in-situ works have been completed. This includes the footings for the columns that

support the centre portion of the roof structure – also referred to as the ‘core’. Once it has been constructed, work on the inner portion of the in-situ concrete slab and ring foundation that supports the prefabricated wall panels can start. Thereafter, the wall panels are integrated on-site and the wall post-tensioned via precast concrete buttresses and placed along the perimeter of the reservoir. By this stage of the construction programme, the reservoir is close to practical completion, with only a few outstanding items remaining. Corestruc The municipality’s Water and Sanitation Department has been refining and

improving this innovative method of constructing reservoirs since it first deployed the system in 2020. On the first project, Corestruc – a leading precast-concrete specialist – worked alongside principal contractor Selby Construction. Tango’s Consultants was the project engineer. The three companies are again working together on the newest 25 Mℓ reservoir. “Having worked on a previous project with Selby Construction and many more with Tango’s Consulting for the City of Ekurhuleni, the team dynamics between Corestruc, Selby Construction, and Tango’s Consultants are again working together on the newest 25 Mℓ reservoir that is being built in the City of Ekurhuleni

WATER STORAGE

the contracting and engineering teams on-site are already excellent. They know our system well. By now, we’ve learnt many important lessons and have a wealth of knowledge that has made us even more efficient at what we do. This is very evident on this worksite, where the build is progressing according to schedule without any major challenges,” Kagiso Maleka, contract manager, Corestruc. As principal contractor, Selby Construction is supervising the construction of the latest two reservoirs by Corestruc. It also undertook the earthworks and site terracing, and is responsible for all in-situ and ancillary works, such as the interconnecting pipework. With the core already in place and a sizeable portion of the in-situ works complete, Corestruc and Selby Construction started integrating the wall and buttress panels in mid-November. They will work towards completing the project when their teams return from the annual builder’s break in 2024. Quality Corestruc has absolute control over the entire process, starting at its approved factories where the precast concrete elements are manufactured. Working in a factory environment, the company’s concrete technologists can also ensure the perfect dosages of admixtures. This is to achieve early strength development, which is crucial for maintaining high levels of production. Just as importantly, a faultless water-to-cement ratio can also be maintained to ensure concrete strength. Aggregates from suitable suppliers are also graded appropriately to avoid early concrete shrinkage. Trial mixes are undertaken for every project to test strength and durability, as well as workability of the construction material. All of the precast concrete

elements are then approved for dispatch to site according to the works programme. This process includes verifying the reinforcement bar size and layout. To ensure the various prefabricated concrete elements comply with the required standards and specifications, quality control checks are also conducted after transportation – another aspect of the precast concrete value chain over which Corestruc has complete control – and during installation. Roof structures The roof structure comprises precast concrete columns and beams, as well as hollow-core slabs. Corestruc makes light work of integrating them on-site, considering its extensive rigging capabilities. Working closely with the principal contractor, the company oversees the setting out and installation of the column anchors. By confirming the dimensional accuracies before erection, the suspended beams fit the first-time round on top of the columns, reducing delays and waste. The precast concrete columns are connected to the hold-down bolts in the column basis. Thereafter, the suspended beams are connected to dowels that protrude from the precast concrete columns. The hollow-core slabs form the roof cover. They are connected to stirrups that protrude from the precast concrete beams. Steel reinforcing is placed into the voids of the hollow-core slabs, which are then filled with in-situ concrete. This forms a composite mechanism

These precast-concrete roof structures are up to five times faster to build than cast-in-place processes that enables

the stirrups to work as mechanical interlocks. Notably, these precast concrete roof structures are up to five times faster to build than cast-in-place processes. While this is the first to be constructed by Corestruc, the roof is one of the final aspects of the works programme when a reservoir is built using conventional methods. Work on the roof can only commence once the wall and the in-situ concrete columns reach their final height. Many tonnes of scaffolding must be installed inside the reservoir to support the forms for the frame of the roof structure. The extensive reinforcement and concrete works are also an onerous process that needs to be carefully managed. Then there is the need to coordinate the timely delivery of large amounts of concrete for the continuous pours. In rural areas that are underserviced by readymix concrete producers, the construction material will have to batched on-site which requires further quality controls. Using permanent locating plates that are fixed to the ring foundation, Corestruc places and positions the wall panels in the same way that it does the precast concrete roof columns. N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

WATER STORGE The core is already in place and a sizable portion of the in-situ works complete

The first panel is supported by a pushand-pull prop, with the wall temporarily braced back to the roof structure. Steel brackets hold the panels together, thereby eliminating the need for extensive propping to free up space. Unbonded cables are then pushed through the polyvinyl sleeves in the panels. Thereafter, they are grouted monolithically with the joints of the panels. Walls Then, the wall panels and horizontal cable sleeves are grouted with a high-strength and -flow grout. It has an extended pot life so that it does not segregate and set too early. This is achieved by manipulating the water-to-cement ratio of 0:37 with admixtures. Water temperature is also reduced and controlled to act as a chiller in the mix. Moreover, only cement, including an unhydrated type that reacts with water to seal possible leaks, is used in the concrete mix.

Corestruc makes light work of integrating the various precast concrete elements on-site, considering its extensive rigging capabilities

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When the grout has cured to a strength of 80 MPa, the cables are stressed to 75%. This is undertaken via six buttress panels that have been spaced along the perimeter of the reservoir. The wall is then pinned by casting a reinforced kicker 200-250 mm high on the wall footing on both sides of each panel. Joints between the panels are grouted with a high-flow and -strength grout, while the post-tensioning compression achieves watertightness. Corestruc uses a ‘slide-and-pinned’ system. Post-tensioning is undertaken when the wall is not yet fixed to the ring footing and it is, therefore, allowed to slide on a steel bearing or locating plates. The coated post-tensioned cables are not bonded to the grout, with the reservoir designed to maintain a residual compression of a minimum of 1 MPa in all directions. Horizontal reactions to the wall base are transferred to the ring foundation through the second-phase, cast-in-situ kicker. Here, the ring tension in the base is also activated to resist the reaction. Additional post-tensioning of the lower part of the wall reduces the amount of rebar required in the cast-insitu ring footing. This is a significantly more efficient and productive way of constructing reservoir

walls. Constructing watertight walls for reservoirs using cast-inplace methods is a complex and specialised undertaking – a task that can only be handled by a few contractors. It entails significant steel-fixing, and the installation of the side shutters is an onerous process. Care also needs to be applied when managing processes such as the placement of the concrete to avoid segregation and the displacement of the reinforcement to ensure a watertight structure. Any mistakes in this aspect of the works programme will require rework and result in costly delays. Flooring As part of the final aspect of Corestruc’s reservoir construction method, the concrete floor slab is completed and the hollow-core slabs that make up the outer portion of the roof structure are connected to the precast-concrete beams. A concrete ring beam is then placed over the hollow-core slabs to form a single, monolithic structure and a precast concrete coping is installed around the perimeter of the roof as an aesthetic finish. Notably, Corestruc has already helped to deliver 500 Mℓ of water-storage capacity using its precast concrete system. The company was either appointed to construct entire precast concrete reservoirs or subcontracted to build the roofs for in-situ structures to reduce construction time and eliminate risk. These projects also stand out as stellar examples of hybrid concrete construction, with their in-situ walls and precast concrete roofs. “Corestruc has a strong order book for reservoirs, critical for the reliable supply of drinking water to municipal jurisdictions across the country. These projects are located in metropolitan municipalities and smaller districts in rural areas. Certainly, we welcome government’s earlier announcement that it has allocated R14 billion to our municipalities to address water infrastructure backlogs. Some of this money will also be allocated to reservoirs and water towers. We look forward to assisting our clients deliver these projects on time, according to the budget and within scope,” concludes Willie de Jager, managing director, Corestruc.

WATER STORAGE

WATER STORAGE: FROM 5 000 TO 4.5 MILLION LITRES

Midi range Circotank

Structa Technology – a division of the Structa Group of Companies – offers solutions for water storage from 5 000 litres to 4.5 million litres through its Prestank and Circotanks ranges, to suit both function and budget.

restank is Structa’s 40-yearold flagship brand, while Circotanks is an economical but robust round galvanised steel tank range. Prestank The Prestank water storage tank is the ideal water storage solution for volumes from 10 000 litres and above, especially on elevated stands. They are fully customisable, high-quality water storage solutions that are manufactured according to SANS guidelines and meet South African hot-dipped galvanising requirements. A major advantage of the sectional tank design is that it facilitates easier handling and transportation over long distances to remote areas, regardless of

the final dimensions of the assembled unit. Furthermore, assembly on-site is quickly achieved without the need for sophisticated tooling methods. Minimum maintenance is required because the galvanised steel panels resist weathering from the elements, while maintaining the integrity of the water within from contamination of most forms. Circotank Manufactured from aluzinc sheet coldrolled with a stiffening profile, the Circotank utilises a PVC liner that hugely improves the speed and quality of build, resulting in a reliable product. Liner replacement is possible, thus resulting in ease of maintenance and longevity. Circotank is offered in two size ranges, being a Maxi range – covering tank sizes of

Structa Technology’s Prestanks are hygienically safe, cost effective and a reliable way to store water for commercial sectors, private sectors and even for personalized storage. Temporary or permanent erection at mines, powerstations, building sites, hospitals, water affairs,municipalities, rural communities and agriculture.

Specialists in the manufacturing of domestic and industrial water storage

100 000 litres up to 1.5 million litres – and a Midi range – covering a very user-friendly range of 5 000-20 000 litres. The Maxi range is aimed at medium-scale water storage projects, with typical application in mass rural water supply schemes. These tanks are easily transported, have simple foundations, and can be erected without cranes – making an economical total cost per cubic metre water storage.

sustainable & long term

WATER STORAGE

SOLUTIONS

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CONDITION MONITORING

TO OPTIMIZE YOUR BOTTOM LINE

At Xylem we are 100% about water, including delivering transformative solutions across the entire water cycle. We are pioneering our approach through 360 Performance solutions, delivering source-to-tap support, products, engineering expertise, and more for real value, efficiency, and lasting performance. Let’s Solve Water is more than a slogan, it is our mission! Discover 360 Performance, the cornerstone for a sustainable water future. At its heart, Xylem optimyze™ is a condition monitoring module that harnesses the power of predictive maintenance analysis and advice for rotating and fixed assets - a 360 Performance game-changing feature that forecasts trends and maintenance needs, optimising efficiency and reducing downtime.

PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS CONDITIONING MONITORING SCALABLE

Find out how we can solve water together.

WATER SUPPLY & DEMAND

Of all the water on Earth, only 3% is fresh, with the majority of that tiny amount either unavailable or polluted. This means that the entire human race relies on 0.5% of the Earth’s water to survive. By Chetan Mistry

AFRICAN EXAMPLES OF

EFFICIENT WATER USE

ater is an unevenly distributed resource in Africa; Cameroon receives an average of 1 016 cm of rainfall yearly, while parts of Sudan get less than 2.5 mm. South Africa sits somewhere in the middle, yet even our uneven rainfall areas and dispersion zones make South Africa a water-stressed nation. Fortunately, there is a lot that can be done to improve water availability, while drawing on great examples from the rest of the continent. “Africa is a great place to study how we can manage water for the future. Just as with energy and technology, Africa's unique challenges also prompt us to leapfrog forward and create innovative solutions. African nations can look to each other to create better water conservation, and I believe that one day we will help the rest of the world do the same. Below are some examples showcasing how Africa is better managing water,” says Chetan Mistry, strategy and marketing manager: Xylem Africa.

Solar desalination

Desalination is the process of extracting fresh water from seawater. African nations are among the most prolific adopters of this technology. Egypt and Namibia are desalination leaders, especially when it comes to the use of solar desalination. Namibia introduced a containerised system in 2019 where every unit can produce 3 500 litres of water per hour from seawater without an external power source.

Drip and smart irrigation

Agriculture is the biggest consumer of water by sector, and many farmers rely on rainfall and spray irrigation to nourish their crops. These methods are very inefficient,

Chetan Mistry, strategy and marketing manager, Xylem Africa

prompting the growing use of drip irrigation. Namibian farmers are starting to use a combination of nuclear techniques and small-scale drip irrigation to water their fields. Drip irrigation is also becoming more common among farmers in Botswana and Egypt. Smart irrigation – the combination of irrigation technologies – is also gaining favour. Today, Namibia uses smart irrigation to grow blueberries, and Botswana’s green agriculture strategy leverages smart irrigation to reduce its farmers’ energy and water consumption.

Namibia is rolling out prepaid water meters to encourage better use and easier collection of utility fees. These are just four examples of how African nations with water shortages are preserving their most valuable resource. Working directly or through partners, Xylem Africa serves the African continent and helps nations select the best ways to ensure safe water for all.

Tourism

Water is essential to tourism, keeping visitors cool and refreshed, and sustaining the natural spots they want to experience. Botswana, in particular, appreciates this link and promotes it as state policy. Its largest wetland, the Okavango Delta, is an excellent example of this dynamic. But it can be seen across Botswana’s dams and wetlands. Egypt has also been aggressively cleaning the Nile River to help support tourism and create jobs.

Efficient metering

Modern civilisation is wasteful with water; even towns and cities’ metering and billing practices leave a lot of money on the table. Egypt has been getting some of that back as it pushes to modernise its water metering and wastewater systems. N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

WATER SUPPLY & DEMAND

NEVER WASTE A GOOD DISASTER Over the past few weeks, many celebratory videos and photos have been shared of overflowing supply dams for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM). Kirsten Kelly talks to Matthew Hills, an engineer at NMBM, about avoiding dry taps, the mitigation measures put in place from an engineering perspective, and – most importantly – the lessons learnt.

he local dams supplying water to the NMBM were last full in November 2015. While droughts are not new to the metro, NMBM has never experienced such a long, protracted drought like this one. There was a slight reprieve with good rains in September 2018 but from there, the dam levels continued to drop to levels below 10%. This put the metro on a knife’s edge with regard to balancing water demand and supply,” says Hills. While many parallels have been drawn between NMBM’s recent water crisis and that of Cape Town in 2017, the major differences are threefold. First, the duration of the hydrological drought was significantly longer (it’s been eight years since the dams lasts spilled). Second, NMBM has access to significant volumes of raw water from

Two barges were commissioned and deployed at the Impofu Dam, with a total combined maximum abstraction capacity of 60 Mℓ/day

NOV E MB E R /DEC EM BER 2023

Matthew Hills, engineer at NMBM

a surface water catchment not affected by the local drought – the Gariep Dam on the Orange River. And lastly, both NMBM and consumers at large failed to collectively reduce their consumption as dramatically as Cape Town managed to do.

How close were dry taps?

“The lowest combined dam capacity of 9.98% was reached on 21 July 2021, with only 3.43% of that water available when accounting for dead storage. I do not think anyone in NMBM’s Water and Sanitation Department slept much during that period. It was frightening. It was unprecedented. We had roughly 36 days left until complete failure of two of our major supply dams. We reached the lowest recorded dam levels in our history. But municipal officials, engineers, scientists, community members, and businesses pulled together, and several projects that were implemented to push back ‘Day Zero’ began to deliver results. Fortunately, after the recent rainfall within the local

dam catchment areas, four of our five dams are now overflowing,” states Hills.

Water restrictions and consumption

Despite the good rainfall, water restrictions remain in place, as the Impofu Dam – crucial in the NMBM water reticulation system – is below 45% full. “We are being cautious because weather predictions provided by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) moving forward indicate that El Niño (ENSO) conditions are predicted to arrive in early summer. This will mean below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures during this period, resulting in high levels of evaporation. We need to build a reliable and dependable water reserve. It is also important to note that none of the municipality’s local catchments fall within NMBM boundaries, and rainfall is needed in those catchment areas,” says Hills. NMBM has been heavily criticised for its failure to dramatically reduce consumption during the recent drought period. Before the drought, NMBM was consuming on average 340 Mℓ/day. After the implementation of a holistic water conservation and water demand management strategy, which included 15 separate work streams, this consumption was brought down to as low as 260 Mℓ/day. However, likely due to drought fatigue kicking in and political instability, consumption increased, and the metro has battled to sustain consumption to below the 280 Mℓ/day mark.

WATER SUPPLY & DEMAND

Dams supplying NMBM State-owned Dams

Capacity (Mℓ)

NMBM-owned Dams

Capacity (Mℓ)

Kouga (shared with agriculture)

125 910

Churchill

35 240

Impofu (dedicated to NMBM)

105 797

Groendal

11 640

Loerie (dedicated to NMBM)

3 026

Sand River

2 904

Scheepersvlakte (water from Gariep)

815

Bulk River

655

Van Stadens Gorge

322

Upper van Stadens

Uitenhage Springs

81%

Total storage capacity is 286 324 Mℓ, of which approximately 8% is dead storage Impofu Dam during the drought, with dam levels well below the intake tower

(barges) on which pumps and motors were placed to gain access to the dead storage volumes. Two barges were commissioned and deployed at the Impofu Dam, with a total combined maximum abstraction capacity of 60 Mℓ/day. These barges supplied raw water to the Elandsjagt WTW by means of pumping the raw water into the intake tower. At times, abstraction had to be halted when the water level underneath the barge pumps was too low. This was done to prevent damage to the barge pumps that could result from sucking up the riverbed. Occasionally, the barges could be moved further downstream from the intake tower to a deeper level where they could resume operations. At one point, a 6 km 800 mm diameter HDPE pipeline was installed to gain access to the deepest part of the dam next to the Impofu Dam wall.

Maximisation of the Nooitgedagt scheme

“Fortunately, on an engineering level, NMBM introduced several successful interventions to augment water supply and push back dry taps. The supply initiatives can be grouped into three major categories: accessing the dead storage in our local dams, maximisation of the Nooitgedagt scheme, and groundwater augmentation,” adds Hills.

most of the dam levels were already near to or below the intake towers, NMBM was struggling to deliver water to the WTWs. To remedy this, the metro built floating platforms

This work stream included Phase 3 of the Nooitgedagt/Coega Low Level Supply Scheme (NCLLS) to increase the supply of treated water (sourced from the Gariep Dam that was not affected by drought) to NMBM to a total of 210 Mℓ/day. The eastern part of NMBM receives water from the Gariep Dam via a complex system of rivers, canals, and dams over approximately 630 km. These interbasin schemes include the Orange/Fish Transfer Scheme and Lower Sundays River Water Scheme. Located in the Free State province, the Gariep Dam

Accessing dead storage in local dams

Simply put, dead storage is the volume of water that cannot be abstracted from a dam for treatment; it is typically the water below the intake tower. The intake tower captures water from the dam and conveys it via a pipeline to a water treatment works (WTW). Since

Combined storage capacity of dam levels over the years N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

WATER SUPPLY & DEMAND

your consumers, as this will just lead to your WTW overflowing/flooding. Key supporting projects to Phase 3 included upgrading the Motherwell and Stanford Road booster pump stations, building the new Kwanobuhle Supply Pump Station, installing new bulk pipelines such as the Bloemendal pipeline, and rezoning sections of the distribution system,” adds Hills.

Coegakop WTW is South Africa’s largest biofiltration plant and is designed with a capacity to treat up to 20 Mℓ/day

Groundwater

TABLE 1 Results from groundwater exploration work Location

Yield Low (Mℓ)

Yield Medium (Mℓ)

Yield High (Mℓ)

Coegakop

6.0

10.0

12.6

St Georges Park

1.4

2.1

3.6

Glendinning

1.6

2.3

2.9

For t Nottingham

0.8

1.0

1.8

Fair view

0.9

1.5

2.2

Bushy Park

7.0

10.2

13.3

Churchill

1.7

3.0

3.6

Total

19.4

30.1

40.6

has a capacity of 5 340 000 million litres. All NMBM dams together can fit into the Gariep nearly 20 times over. Phase 3 comprised a complete standalone 70 Mℓ/day treatment module at Nooitgedagt WTW, a 45 Mℓ balancing reservoir at Olifantskop, installation of cathodic protection systems on both the original Nooitgedagt to Motherwell high-level pipeline, and the low-level pipeline built under Phase 1. While Phase 3 was under construction, the raw water licensed volume was available but could not be utilised, so NMBM constructed a temporary WTW

by modifying the Grassridge reservoir, thereby converting it into the Grassridge WTW. Raw water from the Gariep Dam was pumped via the high-level pipeline, settled, disinfected, and then blended with treated water from the low-level pipeline. Now that Phase 3 is operational, this temporary WTW has been decommissioned and converted back into a reservoir. “An important aspect to consider with water supply schemes is that they are demand-driven. It’s no good producing more water at your WTW without being able to convey it to the taps of

TABLE 2 NMBM unrestricted licensed abstraction volumes permitted

Source

Volume (Mℓ/day)

Churchill and Impofu Dams

104.32

Kouga and Loerie Dams

63.01

Groendal

12.71

Springs

5.92

Older Dams

12.49

Nooitgedagt

209.73

Coegakop

10.02

Bushy Park

7.04

St Georges Park

2.07

Fair view, For t Nottingham and Glendinning

4.70

Current availability

432.02

NOV E MB E R /DEC EM BER 2023

“NMBM needed to diversify its existing surface-water-dependent water supply with other sources. When assessing and evaluating the possibilities of reuse, desalination, and groundwater utilisation, it was determined that groundwater was the most feasible option. Groundwater projects were found to offer the lowest cost per megalitre and the shortest completion times, presenting an opportunity to mitigate the impacts of the ongoing drought,” explains Hills. Groundwater is not new to NMBM, with extensive studies dating back to 2004; however, there was a need to accelerate the implementation of these projects. NMBM started by conducting groundwater investigations, drilling over 200 boreholes and exploring the potential of all available aquifers. It was found that seven sites located near existing bulk water infrastructure had high groundwater potential. One of the most favourable areas for developing a wellfield was within the Groot Winterhoek aquifer due the groundwater being artesian. A decision was therefore taken to develop the Coegakop Wellfield by drilling five production boreholes. While the groundwater from the wellfield is of good quality, it does contain elevated concentrations of dissolved iron and manganese. This necessitated the construction of Coegakop WTW to treat the borehole water to SANS 241 water quality standards. Coegakop WTW is South Africa’s largest biofiltration plant and is designed to treat up to 20 Mℓ/day.

Water resources now available

After the successful implementation of the water augmentation projects mentioned above, the unrestricted licensed abstraction volumes permitted by the Department of Water &

WATER SUPPLY & DEMAND

TABLE 3 Future capacity plans

All NMBM dams combined can fit into the Gariep Dam nearly 20 times over

Sanitation (DWS) amount to 432 Mℓ/day. Supporting this, NMBM has a total water treatment capacity of approximately 600 Mℓ/day, enabling future resilience of the water supply system.

Forward plans

Over the next five to ten years, the metro is focusing on building climate resilience and mitigating the impact of future droughts. This will centre around further groundwater expansion, water reuse projects, as well as desalination.

Project

Mℓ/day

Schoenmakerskop desalination plant

Recycled wastewater (Coega SEZ), nonpotable

Recycled wastewater (university, golf courses, schools), non-potable

3.5

Recycled wastewater direct reuse

Fur ther groundwater development

Future availability

150.5

“Even though some of the dams are full, the NMBM will continue to work to roll out campaigns to encourage the efficient use of water. Furthermore, roughly R1 billion has been allocated over the next three years for climate resilience. El Niño will continue to drive higher than average temperatures and lower than average rainfall and we simply cannot afford to lose momentum,” says Hills. Fortunately, NMBM has already made significant inroads towards mitigating any future drought impacts. “Before the

Half Page - Horizontal - 20231113 - 220 x158.5.pdf 1 11/14/2023 8:29:57 PM

drought, only 2% of NMBM’s water came from groundwater sources and 30% of our water came from the Nooitgedagt scheme. After our interventions, 65% of our water is from the Nooitgedagt scheme and 15% of our water supply is from groundwater. We have drastically reduced our dependence on local surface water sources. Therefore, as our dams begin to full up, NMBM will minimise how much water is drawn from them and use them as reserves for when there is another drought,” concludes Hills.

TRANSBOUNDARY WATER

By Clive Lipchin (adjunct professor: Environmental Studies, Tel Aviv University) & Richard Friend (senior lecturer: Human Geography, University of York) Water is a central element of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel controls several water pipelines entering Gaza. But water can also be a source of hope for an alternative future.*

COLLABORATIVE WATER MANAGEMENT: A PATH TO ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE

he Middle East is an arid region that is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. There is an essential need for solutions that offer equitable access to water and sanitation, and that protect Israel and the Palestinian territories’ shared water resources. A dry region with a growing population Israelis and Palestinians living in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank have a combined population of roughly 14 million. Both populations are growing at nearly 2% annually, compared with 0.4% per year for high-income countries. As the populations grow, so does demand for water.

NOV E MB E R /DEC EM BER 2023

The average yearly water supply for the region is less than 500 m3 per capita. According to the United Nations and other experts, this amount is at the upper threshold of absolute water scarcity – the level at which nations can’t meet all demand, especially the large amounts needed for agriculture, and have to restrict water use. For comparison, in 2015 the US used 1 207 m3 per capita of water. Israel and the Palestinian territories’ main freshwater resources are the Jordan River system and two groundwater aquifers – one along the Mediterranean coast and the other beneath the central Judean Mountains. Palestinians in the West Bank have access mainly to

the mountain aquifer system, and those in Gaza to the coastal aquifer. Israel uses both. The 1993 Oslo peace accords included provisions allocating water between Israelis and Palestinians, but ongoing conflict and continued disagreements have hindered updating these agreements to reflect rising water demand. Unequal access to water From the foundation of the state of Israel, access to water resources has been as central to the nation’s conflict with the Palestinian people as competing claims to land. Israel has partially decoupled itself from water scarcity by

TRANSBOUNDARY WATER

A desalination plant in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip

UN officials are warning that a lack of water and sanitation will precipitate an enormous health crisis that will particularly affect women and children

building desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast. In the West Bank, Israel’s continued occupation has impeded Palestinians’ ability to develop their own water network that could distribute water across the population. The situation in Gaza is even more dire. Even before the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza had a massive water deficit. Its main source is groundwater, which has been significantly overpumped, and now is so salty as to be undrinkable due to seawater intrusion into the aquifer. Before the war, most Gazans relied on private water vendors and a few small desalination plants for drinking water. Israel also piped about 10 million cubic metres of water each year into Gaza. But all told, the water supply is not large enough to meet the entire population’s needs. Now, because of the war, no fuel is entering Gaza to run the desalination plants, leaving them inoperable. Weaponising water Israel has turned off water and fuel shipments to Gaza in order to punish Hamas. This strategy has turned a disaster into a catastrophe that is only likely to get worse. It is unlikely that the lack of access to drinking water and sanitation will cause Hamas to lay down its arms. But it is already bringing additional misery to the civilians of Gaza and giving them further reason to hate Israel, and will add to international condemnation of Israel. The largest water desalination facility in the world at Hadera, Israel

A water generator installed by the Arava Institute in Gaza (Photo credit: Arava Institute)

UN officials are warning that a lack of water and sanitation will precipitate an enormous health crisis that will particularly affect women and children. It could lead to outbreaks of waterborne disease that will spread rapidly across Gaza’s crowded and besieged population. Gazan hospitals are already overwhelmed with casualties, and lack water and electricity. Collaborative water projects Studying approaches to managing water and other environmental resources, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is a nonprofit teaching and research centre in the south of Israel. At the institute, students and academics from Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan come together to learn from each other and work together, developing

Urban water tower of Mekorot national water company of Israel

The Jordan River – a water source for both Israel and Palestine – flowing into the Dead Sea

TRANSBOUNDARY WATER technologies and programmes that meet the region’s water needs. This working together creates understanding and friendships that defy the ongoing conflict. From 2019 until 2023, the Arava Institute has worked together with a Palestinian nonprofit group, an Israeli water tech company called Watergen, and the Friends of the Arava Institute – a US-based nonprofit – to install seven atmospheric water generators to Gaza. These devices, which pull humidity from the atmosphere and turn it into high-quality drinking water, run on solar power to ensure around-the-clock operation in the energy-poor Gaza Strip. The institute also installed the first generator in a small municipality in central Gaza, along the border with Israel, in 2019. The second, larger generator was installed in a major hospital in central Gaza in 2020. During May 2021 hostilities between Hamas and Israel, when water supplies were cut off to many communities, these generators were the only sources of drinking water for many people in the surrounding communities. In 2023, funds were raised to install five more water generators at medical facilities

throughout Gaza. According to David Lehrer, director of the Arava Institute’s Track II Environmental Forum, two generators in south Gaza are still working and are the only sources of clean drinking water in the region. The fate of the other units is unclear. In a separate project in 2020, Arava and its Palestinian partners installed a pilot mobile wastewater treatment plant in a Gazan village. The plant treats 100 m3 of wastewater per day, serving around 1 000 residents, and produces treated wastewater that is of sufficiently high quality to be used in agriculture. It is estimated that about 25 of these mobile treatment plants could cover all of the village’s needs. Many rural villages in Gaza have no centralised wastewater treatment system. Wastewater is collected in unsanitary cesspits in the middle of the road between houses. Raw sewage runs in open ditches from homes to the cesspits, which residents pump out around once a month. Sewage would then normally be transported to a wastewater facility to be treated. But now, because of the war,

without fuel for electricity, wastewater plants in Gaza are not working. Raw sewage is being dumped into ecologically important coastal wetlands, called wadis, and into the Mediterranean Sea. This environmental and public health catastrophe also affects Israel. The Israeli seawater desalination plant in Ashkelon is only a few kilometers north of Gaza and cannot operate if it risks pulling in polluted seawater. Over the years, a lack of adequate sewage treatment in Gaza has caused the plant to periodically halt operations. Working closely with Israeli and Palestinian partners is not easy. People from all sides have histories of trauma and grief, and – in most cases – very little experience of the other. But working together on shared water challenges can bring people together. An alternative future is possible – a future that is grounded in a sense of shared humanity and respect. Indeed, we believe it is the only future that is possible for the intertwined reality of Israelis and Palestinians.

* This story was first published in The Conversation: www.theconversation.com/africa

SANITATION

NEARLY 3 000 SANITATION UNITS FOR ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY Precast manufacturer Rocla is in the process of supplying 2 866 Twin Eco Leach Pit sanitation units to eThekwini Municipality.

ROCLA’S

SANITATION SUCCESS

2016 The Rocla Thuthukisa Sanitation Initiative (TSI) launched. Thuthukisa means ‘to share’, and it is with this philosophy in mind that Rocla developed the ‘Community Cast’ toilet unit that can be simply manufactured by local community entrepreneurs or SMMEs and can be ready for use within two weeks. The resulting waste material can be recycled into practical items for everyday use.

2018 Rocla Sanitation is honoured with the Concrete Manufacturers Association’s ‘Awards for Excellence’ in the prestigious Engineering Category of ‘Product Innovation 100kg+’

2019 South African technical assessment agency Agrément SA awarded Rocla a certificate of recognition for its lightweight concrete toilet top structure

2021 Rocla and Izandla Ziyagezana took second place in the IMESA/ CESA Awards for community upliftment and job creation

ocla’s precast concrete toilet unit, which was selected on merit, following the eThekwini Municipality’s pilot project phase, is an eco-friendly, easy-to-install and cost-effective solution to the massive sanitation needs not only in eThekwini but across all of South Africa’s high-density urban and rural communities. There is no reason for anyone not to have proper smell free sanitation facility. It is called human dignity,” says Andre Labuschagne, product development manager, Rocla. The stand-alone unit can be used as a sustainable twin leach pit configuration, but also remains upgradable to a full waterborne system should this become an option in the future. Safe, hygienic, and fully functional, the Twin Eco Leach Pit sanitation units can replace dangerous pit toilet installations. They also function off the grid and use greywater for flushing. The unit is supplied complete with an Agrément-approved, high-quality polymer pivot door and Rocla’s proprietary 40 ℓ greywater cistern. To ensure the reuse of water as a scarce commodity, the Rocla proprietary 40 ℓ greywater cistern is fitted with a practical mini-basin and an Agrément-approved 10 ℓ clean water handwashing apparatus. This allows the wastewater to drain into the 40 ℓ Rocla cistern for flushing use. Additionally, the toilet structure comes standard with a Rocla rainwater harvesting system that further adds to keeping the 40 ℓ cistern filled. Labuschagne adds that the leach pits themselves are also available as polymer options for difficult terrain or can be manufactured from concrete to create the maximum employment opportunities. They are supplied together with the toilet unit. “The Twin Eco Leach Pit sanitation units are in line with the Water Research Commission’s findings for a cost-effective and viable on-site water borne system.” N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

SANITATION

WILL RESIDENTS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS PAY FOR SANITATION SERVICES? The answer is yes, some will pay – provided it is a reliable, quality service. This has been proven through an unprecedented pilot project at four informal settlements in Durban, KwaZuluNatal, where there are currently over 100 paying households.

fter a feasibility study, a toilet hire service was rolled out by Loowatt and Khanyisa Projects and funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and Unilever’s Transform programme as a pilot project. Kalula is the trading name for Loowatt in South Africa. Right from the outset, a key aim for the pilot project was commercialisation. Many projects within the sanitation sector fail once grant funding is no longer available. In an effort to build a commercially viable business in South Africa, Loowatt is in advanced talks to locally manufacture/assemble toilets, which will be critically important when scaling the business. Another aim of the pilot project was to investigate the social and political acceptability, financial viability (servicing and delivery costs), as well as the willingness and ability of people to pay for a sanitation service in informal settlements. “The results so far have taken the local sanitation industry by surprise. It is a completely new approach, showing a willingness of households in informal settlements to pay up to R350 per month for toilet rental and servicing, even in parallel to free, governmentprovided basic communal services,” explains Nick Alcock, managing member, Khanyisa Projects.

Nick Alcock, managing member, Khanyisa Projects

Need for household toilets

Residents in informal settlements typically suffer from a lack of sanitation service delivery, with little space for toilets and waste management facilities. When provided, toilets are communal and are often placed on the periphery of a settlement, causing residents to walk long distances. Users of these toilets can be exposed to danger and violent crimes on their way to or at the actual toilets themselves. Furthermore, these toilets are often locked at night, meaning people often use buckets to store their waste, which they then need to get rid of in the morning. “Rapid urbanisation and the high cost of providing and maintaining these sanitation services place further pressure on municipalities. People residing in informal settlements generally lack the ability to choose the sanitation services they receive. Due to the lack of space and infrastructure, their options are limited,” adds Alcock. There is a strong demand for household sanitation in informal settlements for reasons of accessibility, convenience, safety, privacy, and dignity.

Loowatt toilet

The Loowatt toilet technology was chosen for the project. Designed for low-income, urban settings where electricity and water are scarce, the Loowatt toilet uses a waterless flushing system to seal faeces, urine, N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

SANITATION

and toilet paper inside a polymer film. It prevents users from seeing or smelling the stored waste and is a good technical solution for informal settlements. After an initial feasibility study to test user acceptance of the Loowatt, it was found that the technology compared favourably to flush toilets. “As a container-based system, the Loowatt is a toilet that is placed outside a person’s house. Although there has been little interest in placing the toilet inside people’s houses, primarily because of the small size of the houses, the project does plan to test this option,” states Alcock. Work is being done to reduce the cost of the toilet and the top structure, while still manufacturing a product that is durable, light, and easy to transport.

Servicing and commercial viability

The toilets are serviced weekly and all the pilot users are happy to have the toilet installed on a permanent basis, as long as the servicing is reliable. Different service delivery models are being trialled, partnering with local

NOV E MB E R /DEC EM BER 2023

service providers that are either large sanitation companies or SMMEs. “We have found that all of these businesses work within a businessto-business environment where they typically receive a large contract from a municipality to service a large number of toilets at an informal settlement. It is now important to provide capacity-building in business-to-customer (B2C) operations where there are many contracts with different households. The shift to a B2Cbased business is a significant one, and highlights the importance of a project of this nature that derisks the entry for service providers into a new area of sanitation business,” maintains Alcock. He adds that community dynamics necessitate hiring staff from every community that Kalula is operating in; however, this is inefficient and costly. “Toilet servicing costs are dependent on the level of customer densification and terrain.” Regarding servicing, the waste is taken to a small processing plant that is set up on municipal land. The polymer film is

SANITATION

KEY DATA Sales to date

115

Active users

105

Deactivated users

Average payment collection rate

95%+

Female contract signatories Average household size

62% 7 people

Electricity ser vices present

99%

Smar tphone owners

56%

Waste collections

1 700

Jobs created

separated from the organic waste and can be used for recycling once there are sufficient quantities. Furthermore, because the organics stream is not contaminated with chemicals, cover material, or heavily diluted with water, it can be fed directly into wastewater treatment works or anaerobically digested for the production of biogas and fertiliser.

Payment and social acceptance

Reasons for deactivation: • Customer’s tenants moved • Death • Cannot afford ser vice (customer requested deactivation) • Repeated non-payment (Kalula initiated deactivation)

Before any marketing or roll-out of the toilets occurred, significant engagement took place with the municipality, as well as with community leaders and organisations. There has been immediate consumer uptake of the paid, privatised service in the initial period after the launch of the service, at R350/month for toilet rental and servicing. Payment is made up front, on a monthly basis, and prepaid vouchers can be bought at the local spaza shops and other more established retailers like Pep and Shoprite.

A grace period is given if there is nonpayment; reasons for non-payment are recorded and if non-payment continues, the toilet is removed. Uptake levels vary dramatically between communities: 16 customers signed up for the paid service within a month of the service launch in their communities, while there were no customers after four months of marketing in another community. These differences may be due to space constraints, steep slopes, the condition of alternative sanitation options, and community dynamics. The sensitivity of sanitation issues in South Africa means that uptake rate is not based solely on customer demand, but relies on having the support of local community leadership first. There have been significant challenges in obtaining the necessary buy-in to launch the service in various communities. In one community, the local leadership rejected the idea; however, once Loowatt toilets were placed in surrounding areas, the community then pressured leadership

to allow the Kalula toilet service in their area.

Next steps

It has been found that the Kalula toilet service is commercially viable at R350/ month, provided it is implemented at scale. The idea is to test the user-paid concept with 500 households to provide sufficient confidence to roll out such services at a commercially viable scale, without grant funding. Work is being done with the Water Research Commission to duplicate this project in other municipalities with a particular focus on marketing and roll-out. “This project has initiated a new way of looking at service delivery within South Africa, which includes a recognition that not everybody in the informal settlement space is indigent. We have demonstrated that a user-paid model can work in informal settlement contexts in South Africa, opening the door to a significant shift in the way that services can be delivered. In the bigger picture, the project may encourage movement from tax-based repayment for large infrastructure projects to a servicebased revenue collection model. The project also opens up circular economy opportunities by establishing a reliable supply of trash-free, fresh faecal sludge for beneficial reuse. We just need scale. With more numbers and density, user-paid sanitation services at informal settlements are possible,” concludes Alcock. N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

SANITATION

CONFRONTING THE

PIT LATRINE CRISIS From portable toilet hire to septic tank servicing and package wastewater treatments plants, Sanitech is South Africa’s largest sanitation company and operates across the entire sanitation value chain. Kirsten Kelly speaks to Robert Erasmus, managing director of Sanitech, about the company’s latest on-site sanitation innovation.

ur business is less about products and more about servicing. While most companies focus on either providing a sanitation solution or servicing and maintaining on-site toilets, Sanitech does both. We understand the complexities in the provision, installation, and maintenance of sanitation products,” explains Erasmus. Servicing pit latrines When requested by municipalities, Sanitech services ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines. The dry consistency of sludge and the high rubbish content that is found in many pits can present obstacles to vacuum removal. While pit latrines are estimated to last between eight and ten years, they are often the only discharge point for a household and are therefore filling up within two to three years. According to Erasmus, emptying pit latrines is a lengthy, difficult process that requires two to three steps to try to remove household rubbish and then return the sludge to a liquid form. “Very often, municipalities opt to close the pit and dig a new one, and that has serious health and environmental implications.” Another issue is that the excavation of the actual pit can be difficult due to unstable soil conditions, underground utilities, and limited space. Being part of the Waco International group, Sanitech accesses the latest innovative technologies and designs from

SANITATION

around the world. With a mission to make pit latrines more serviceable, the company has engineered a cost-sensitive solution that tackles the containment of waste and the safety issues around open pits. Khusela Dry Sanitation Tank (DST) After years of refinement, Sanitech has engineered a suitable solution specifically for South Africa’s challenging conditions. The Khusela DST unit ensures children’s safety and prevents them from falling into open pits. It also provides a dignified experience for residents by eliminating the smell and sight of waste. Furthermore, there is no need to excavate a pit with the Khusela DST. The solution consists of internals (a pedestal, a rotating bowl, and a replaceable bladder) and externals (the structure containing the internals). “The rotating bowl uses non-stick nanotechnology and prevents children from falling into the pit. Furthermore, large, bulky foreign objects can no longer be placed into the pit. The rubber seal around the rotating bowl significantly reduces the presence of flies and bad odours, as well as the sight of waste. The pedestal has a broad footprint to house a replaceable bladder that contains the waste, making it easier to be serviced by Sanitech or another contractor. Additionally, the self-contained waste bladder protects groundwater from contamination, which is an important consideration in our water-scarce country,” says Erasmus. Sanitech has now refined the external structure of the Khusela DST. It is essentially a visibly appealing concrete structure with a door made from injectionmoulded plastic. The elliptical shape of the unit optimises space utilisation and bladder capacity. The roof of the Khusela DST is made of a fluorescent compound that glows at night, using the sun to charge during the day, negating the need for lights. VIPs are often locked and cannot be serviced unless someone is present to unlock the toilet. Fortunately, the Khusela DST has a secure service hatch that allows

the toilet to be serviced from the outside. The hatch can only be opened by service teams to ensure zero exposure to waste by users and the community. The Khusela DST is a feasible, costeffective improvement to the current VIP latrines. “Sanitech has used its vast experience in the sanitation space to develop a tailored, practical solution that addresses factors such as theft and vandalism. The Khusela DST is a substantial improvement to VIP without incurring exorbitant expenses, while meeting the necessary criteria for safety, serviceability, and dignity. It is simple to install (local community members can be used) due to its modular design and can be retrofitted to current VIP latrines,” explains Erasmus.

WATER SAVINGS According to Erasmus, there are four million pit latrines in South Africa. “We simply do not have the water resources to convert all of these pit latrines into a flushable toilet. We would need an additional billion litres of water a day. South Africa does not have the water or the infrastructure.”

Private sector “The only challenge that remains is addressing how to get this solution out to where it’s most needed, given all the hurdles currently slowing government down in its efforts to eradicate pit latrines. If we’re to move with any kind of urgency, we must sidestep the cumbersome public sector processes as much as possible. This is where the private sector and corporate entities can play an instrumental role. Collaborative initiatives through corporate social investment (CSI) projects offer a speedier route to progress. Interest has been expressed, and we are gaining traction from the agriculture sector for its permanent field workers, as well as the mining industry for CSI projects in surrounding communities,” states Erasmus. By partnering with a reputable sanitation expert, corporates can ensure effective project execution that meets expectations, as well as a collaborative CSI approach. “Investing in sanitation is not only impactful with its vital role in safeguarding communities’ health and safety but most particularly for the safety and wellness of children in schools. While sanitation projects may not possess the same immediate appeal as other initiatives, directing CSI resources toward this fundamental need will ultimately yield significant and lasting positive results, going a long way toward restoring the health and dignity of affected communities. Sanitation has a direct link to water quality,” Erasmus notes. “I have some sympathy for municipalities, as they are often sold the incorrect sanitation solution. They are understandably weary of adopting any new solution. However, Sanitech is the largest sanitation company in the country – we are here to stay and have the capacity to back up our solutions,” he concludes. N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

Discharges into rivers and dams need be to tracked closely so that authorities can identify the source of pollution without delay

BACK TO BASICS WITH WATER QUALITY MONITORING Regular and detailed water quality monitoring is a critical aspect of responsible water management decisionmaking; to begin improving the steadily decreasing quality of South Africa’s water resources, the responsible authorities will need to increase the number of monitoring points to track and control pollution.

he growth of industries and population is placing a greater strain on the country’s water resources. Discharges into rivers and dams must be more closely tracked so that authorities can identify the source of pollution without delay,

and respond with the necessary action,” says Manda Hinsch, partner and principal scientist at SRK Consulting. Currently, resource monitoring points are often so far away from discharge points that the authorities can only scrutinise the quality of water being

Manda Hinsch, partner and principal scientist at SRK Consulting Dylan Harrison, data scientist at SRK Consulting

NOV E MB E R /DEC EM BER 2023

discharged. This also provides a challenge to the dischargers, who need to be able to isolate their own impact on the resource, especially if there is more than one discharger at the same stretch – but on opposite sides – of the river. The readily available data on the number of monitoring points reflects the period between 1971 to 2011; later data is not so easily accessible. “The statistics on the number of monitoring points that are reported in the public domain seem to suggest a decrease over recent decades,” adds Hinsch. According to publicly available figures, the number of monitoring points from all stations at dams and lakes countrywide peaked at 243 in 1987. By the time the National Water Act was passed in 1998, this number had dropped to 216. By 2011, it was just 133. A similar trend appears to apply to the number of monitoring points in the country’s rivers, she explains, although the number climbed steadily until 1998 to 872. In little over 12 years from that date, this number had halved to 441.

WATER QUALIT Y MONITORING

“The lack of water quality data also makes it difficult for industry to check that their water management is effective,” she explains. “In a recent project, for instance, we were investigating the possible ingress of river water into an aquifer directly adjacent to the Vaal River – but there is not enough information available on the recent water quality of the river to investigate without doing isotope tests.” Sampling points It is important that the sampling points are close enough up- and downstream of discharge zones for scientists to draw conclusions about where any identified contamination has originated. In the case of large water users like mines, who operate in compliance with a water use licence (WUL), they are required to monitor the nearby rivers to pick up possible impacts from diffuse sources. “In urban areas, small industrial businesses sometimes discharge into sewers; it is assumed that the water services authorities receive their effluent where the wastewater treatment works may not necessarily be equipped to treat

that type of effluent,” she maintains. “There should be sufficient sampling points for stakeholders to accurately confirm that their discharges are not adversely affecting water quality in rivers.” Dylan Harrison, data scientist at SRK Consulting, notes that the monitoring of water quality produces reams of data that can provide a range of valuable insights. “With the analytical information technology available to us, and the skills of data scientists, there is so much more that can be derived from data to assist with decision-making.” Another crucial reason for reliable and current water quality data relates to the directions contained in WULs, as the requirements of each licence are matched with the quality of water that the user must maintain. “What is critically important about consistent and comparable water monitoring is that it generates a trend,” he says. “This allows scientists, engineers, clients, regulators, and other stakeholders to understand changes in water quality over time – to inform the necessary responses.”

The extensive data available today can help derive many more valuable insights for decision-makers

Hinsch points out that single or sporadic samples have limited usefulness, as these could reflect just the result of an infrequent discharge or may be inaccurate for some other reason. Regular samples from the same point allow for the accuracy of readings to be confirmed and highlight changes in quality that require investigation. To give value and purpose to the monitoring activity, it is also vital that the sampling results and analysis find their way into a responsive water management strategy. As important as monitoring is, it is really only the beginning of a broader and more demanding process. “The reason for the monitoring is so that experts can analyse the results of the sampling and take necessary action if water quality is found to be falling short of regulated standards,” Hinsch says. “The monitoring is only useful if it leads to a programme or strategy that improves water quality.”

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The generator that was installed at the Helderberg College Water Pump Station in Somerset West

Babalwa Ndlovu and Shamiel Arnold from the Water and Sanitation Directorate inspecting a generator and its functionality

Loadsheddingresilient water and sanitation operations

ver the current financial year, the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will spend R87 million on generators and uninterrupted power supply (UPS) installations for sewer and water pump stations, as well as bulk water and wastewater treatment plants. This investment will increase to R216 million over the next three years. The following facilities will benefit: • eight sewer pump stations at Dalebrook, Racecourse, Century City Main, Narcissus, Lagoon 1, Sanddrift East, 11th Avenue in Melkbostrand, and Bloemkombos • 16 water pump stations in Helderberg College, Smuts, Louis Botha, Bakkerskloof, Everite, Burgundy, Strand Reservoir,

Eksteen, De Novo, Nassau, Wingerd, Welgedacht, Dido Lower, Clovelly, Silwer Boom, and Mountainside Reservoir (Lower) • 11 bulk water treatment plants in Faure, Steenbras, Helderberg, Monterey, Plattekloof, Glen Garry, Tygerberg, Newlands (x2), Paarden Island, and Molteno • six wastewater treatment works in Borcherds Quarry (5) and Klipheuwel. “The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has been implementing a multipronged approach of ongoing measures to help reduce the impact of loadshedding on its infrastructure so that water and sanitation services continue as optimally as possible when the lights go off during high, prolonged stages of loadshedding. These efforts include the roll-out of

generators and UPS installations based on priority, maintenance staff being on standby, and using contingency measures such as mobile pumps and sewer suction tankers to help reduce overflows where possible. The City has also invested R16 million to upgrade all sewer pump stations with telemetry to help monitor the sump levels at the facilities,” says Councillor Zahid Badroodien, MMC for Water and Sanitation. “While these measures may help us mitigate the impact of loadshedding, it is not a silver bullet, as sewer overflows and water supply disruptions may still occur. Residents are also reminded that our tap water remains safe to drink and use, even during loadshedding,” he adds.

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MINE WATER

MINE WATER MANAGEMENT: A REGULATORY OVERVIEW Mining is regulated by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) in terms of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Act. However, the DWS has a particular interest in mining’s negative impact on water, as well as the vast quantities of water used in power stations. mining and beneficiation processes. These coal fields By Raquel Nosie Mazwi, director: are responsible Mine and Industrial Water Quality for the production of mine-influenced Regulation, Department of water with a high Water and Sanitation sodium signature. The (DWS) mines in the west and east

ining activity has been and continues to be key to South Africa’s economic growth; however, it has also resulted in significant water quality challenges: • The Mpumalanga province is plagued by mine-impacted water polluting the streams. This could be attributed to ownerless mines. Additionally, pollution control works meant to manage mine-impacted waters are in a state of decay due to vandalism. • The Gauteng province is faced with heavily polluted mine water due to pyrite that is associated with gold mining. The province is also faced with rising levels of mine-impacted water leading to decants. • In the KwaZulu-Natal region, there are a lot of coal mines that are abandoned and left to decant. • In Limpopo, especially in the Lephalale area, coal mining is prevalent mainly due to the production of electricity via coal-fired

of Limpopo impact the Olifants river catchment, which is a tributary of the Limpopo River basin. Due to the large number of abandoned and ownerless mines in the South Africa, the DWS is faced with a legal and financial responsibility to address water related impacts. Recently approved Mine Water Policy Environmental law has evolved over the past years to give effect to the concept of sustainability, and South African laws have been hailed as some of the most progressive in the world. Recently approved by Cabinet, the Mine Water Policy sets out the policy principles that strive to strengthen the protection of the water resources from

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS WORKING CLOSELY TO REGULATE MINING AND ITS IMPACTS • Department of Mineral Resources • Department of Environmental Affairs • Department of Water and Sanitation

mine water contamination for the short and long term. It will strengthen the existing legislation, streamline environmental processes, and encourage sustainability. The purpose of this policy is to provide a coherent and integrated approach towards sustainable mine water management. The objective of the policy is to provide relevant and integrated legislative remedies in order to strengthen a proactive mine water management approach within the whole mining life cycle. POLICY PRINCIPLE 1: Integrated approach to mine water POLICY PRINCIPLE 2: Apportionment of liabilities Abandoned mines and unmanaged decants pose a huge environmental N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

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MINE WATER challenge. While the new mine closure strategy is not yet finalised, the DWS has taken the time to strengthen policy positions on mine closure. There is alignment between national departments with the One Environmental Permitting System. But there is no clarification on the exact roles and responsibilities of the DWS and DMRE about mine closures. We are therefore working closely with the DMRE to deal with issues of misalignment.

DWS ENABLING LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK

POLICY PRINCIPLE 3: Optimum use of appropriate and cost-effective technologies Technologies can be used to treat mine water so that it can be reused as well as water products like sludge. The GN704 is being revised to enforce the treatment of mine-impacted water.

• The National Water Act aims to protect, use, develop, conserve, manage, and control water resources as a whole. - Section 19 allows for a directive to be issued, and for remedial work to be done by the DWS at cost of the water user. - Chapter 3 allows for protection of the resource. - Section 53 allows for a directive to be issued for remedial work to be done by the DWS at cost of the water user and to seek appropriate relief from a competent court. - Section 151 stipulates the extent of an offence and premise for a sentence of not more than five years or a fine (first offence).

POLICY PRINCIPLE 4: Classification and differentiation of mines POLICY PRINCIPLE 5: Promotion of sustainable mining development Some mines have a lower environmental impact than other types of mines, and therefore authorisations should differ according to the mine classification. Some government departments have clashing mandates, and we are working on resolving that through intergovernmental committees. There is also the delineation of strategic water source areas. The DWS is also exploring modelling to predict the future environmental impacts of mines.

• The Water Services Act aims to provide for the rights of access to basic water supply and basic sanitation; to provide for the setting of national standards and of norms and standards for tariffs; to provide for water services development plans. POLICY PRINCIPLE 6: Environmental vigilance and continuous improvement This will be achieved through: • the prohibition of mining activity in water-sensitive areas in-line with NWA • adherence to Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act (No. 43 of 1983 [CARA]). Fortunately, minimum information

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK • National Water Act (No. 36 of 1998 [NWA]) • Hazardous Substances Act (No. 15 of 1989) • Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (No. 28 of 2002 [MPRDA]) • National Environmental Management Act (No. 107 of 1998 [NEMA]) • National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (No. 39 of 2004 [NEM: AQA]) • National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (No. 10 of 2004 [NEM:BA]) • National Environmental Management: Protection Areas Act (No. 57 of 2003 [NEM:PA]) • National Environmental Management: Waste Act (No. 59 of 2008 [NEM:WA])

requirements for authorisations, catchment forums, and stakeholder engagements are aligned. POLICY PRINCIPLE 7: Reuse of treated mine water, including acid mine drainage (AMD) POLICY PRINCIPLE 8: Use commitment to mine residue deposits Mining companies should see acid mine drainage and other mine water pollutants as shared risk and opportunity. An appropriate mechanism, such as a public-private partnership, should be adopted for sustainable mine water management, including AMD operations for continued dual benefits of potable water provision and pollution minimisation. Furthermore, the DWS is now evaluating mine residue deposits for safety risks. POLICY PRINCIPLE 9: Government accountability of mine water management including AMD The DWS is consulting with the DMRE is terms of accessing the financial provisioning provided by mines for mineimpacted waters upon their closure. N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

WATER BOARDS

As the North West province’s sole water board, Magalies Water is relentless in its endeavour to respond to the current bulk water challenges. By Kirsten Kelly Vaalkop Water Treatment Plant (270 Mℓ/day)

ounded in 1969, Magalies Water has evolved from an entity that exclusively ensured water security for the mining industry in the platinum belt region of Rustenburg and Thabazimbi, to extending its services to the communities surrounding those mines. “Today, our end-customer base lies around 25% mines and 75% communities,” states Sandile Psychology Mkhize, CEO, Magalies Water. As a bulk water supplier, Magalies Water does not provide water directly to those communities, but rather to the municipalities that supply them.

Expansion

In July 2022, Sedibeng Water was disestablished, and its operations incorporated into Bloem Water and Magalies Water. While Bloem Water (now

Sandile Mkhize, CEO, Magalies Water

NOV E MB E R /DEC EM BER 2023

THE EVOLUTION OF MAGALIES WATER called Vaal Central Water) took over the operations in the Northern Cape and Free State, Magalies Water took over Sedibeng Water’s assets, operations, staff, and liabilities in the North West province. “This was a huge undertaking. First, water utilities are graded according to their size: from grade A (a huge bulk water supplier scheme) to grade D (small water entity). Sedibeng Water had a grade B2 rating (a Hay points score of 1 372) while Magalies Water at that time had a grade C1 (1 192 Hay points). This grading determines different salary levels, so upon the merge, we had employees performing the same job functions earning different salaries. Second, we absorbed close to 400 employees from Sedibeng Water, with an almost non-existent water production asset base. To put this into perspective, Magalies Water at the time had 320 employees and a R4.5 billion asset base,” explains Mkhize.

This meant that Magalies Water’s revenue-producing assets must now sustain over 700 employees. Considering that the water tariffs are low and were already pre-approved by Parliament for implementation effective from 1 July 2022, Magalies Water had little room to move. This is compounded by the fact that Magalies Water’s debt book moved from R300 million to over R2.4 billion after absorbing operations from Sedibeng Water. “As a result, we have started working on the bulk water and sanitation masterplan for the newly acquired area. We will also be approaching National Treasury for funding of the non-economic component of the infrastructure development, and development funding institutions for the loan funding of the economic component of this infrastructure development,” says Mkhize. In addition to challenges resulting from the merge, Magalies Water is also

WATER BOARDS

MAGALIES WATER With an ever-expanding footprint of households, serviced municipalities, industries, and retail operations relying on Magalies Water, the company now owns and operates a total of four water treatment plants alongside its original, and largest, Vaalkop facility, producing 270 Mℓ/day. These include Cullinan, Klipdrift, and Wallmannsthal, with a combined potable water treatment capacity of 340 Mℓ/day. In addition to owned water infrastructure, Magalies Water also operates and maintains an array of water and wastewater infrastructure on behalf of customers with whom it has service level agreements. contending with problems experienced by other water utilities like limited water resources or constrained infrastructure capabilities and population growth. Rapid urbanisation is affecting the service delivery of water and sanitation. Most of the water infrastructure is operating beyond its design capacity. Instead of decreasing, the number of informal settlements is increasing. “These newer informal settlements are seldom part of a municipality’s spatial planning, and it can take months, if not years, for the promulgation of a township establishment. This leaves informal settlements without basic services, often resulting in illegal water connections, which are dangerous due to operating bulk water pressures and result in a huge amount of water losses,” explains Mkhize. Wallmannsthal Water Treatment Plant

Cullinan Water Treatment Plant

He adds that vandalism and theft of infrastructure like solar panels and water level sensors also plague sites. “We are then unable to monitor the level of reservoirs and either spend a lot of time and money travelling to manually take water levels, or the reservoirs can overflow, resulting in water wastage.” Water utilities like Magalies Water also experience a ripple effect when municipalities struggle with revenue collection. Many consumers, due to deteriorating economic circumstances, no longer pay for water.

Service delivery

“Despite these challenges, we are working hard to lift the standards of service delivery in the areas where Sedibeng Water operated. We have already seen some success with Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality. I believe that part of the successes of Magalies Water has been due to the support received from the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, who has appointed competent board members that understand the sector. Good governance has been a key reason why Magalies Water is succeeding, despite its many challenges. We are managing the little funds we do have in a responsible manner. Importantly, Magalies Water only employs and retains the best possible human resources with the requisite experience and qualifications,” states Mkhize. There is a shareholder compact between the minister and each water

board, with distinct performance indicators monitored by the shareholder on quarterly bases. Magalies Water has consistently been a top performer, achieving above 90% performance against the shareholder compact commitments, which has been topped up with the achievement of clean audits over three consecutive years. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has an expanded mandate to determine that water boards get involved in the whole water value chain. Mkhize adds that there are currently two national entities that oversee water and sanitation service delivery: the DWS and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. “This tends to create some challenges in the way that water is managed. I believe that one ministry needs to manage water from the source to the tap. There are several role players that are responsible for the delivery of water and sanitation; however, they are not accountable to the same ministry. The Blue and Green Drop reports show that many municipalities that sit at the coalface of water and sanitation service delivery are struggling, while the entities supplying bulk water services are achieving or are close to achieving Blue and Green Drop statuses. I truly believe that if bulk water supply and reticulation have one mandate, we would go a long way to ensuring that all South African citizens have a sustainable supply of good-quality water services,” concludes Mkhize. N OV E M BE R/ DE C E M B E R 2023

WATER BOARDS

AA+ RATING FOR

RAND WATER

Global credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings has given Rand Water an AA+(zaf). This denotes expectations of a very low default risk, with a very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments that is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

n a standalone basis, Fitch expects larger capex increases than historically, especially starting from 2025. This would in turn gradually shift the company's financial position to net debt starting from 2026, from net cash. Fitch could change the outlook to negative if significant water losses (within municipal water distribution networks) contribute to lower profitability and increasing municipal arrears. In addition, further delays of infrastructure investments would constrain water supply and remain a key risk without proactive

mitigating measures by management and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). "We appreciate Fitch Ratings’ recognition of our vital role in the South African water sector and our strong financial position. Our ongoing investment in water infrastructure, including pipelines and purification plants, as well as alternative energy plants, is not just a promise but a celebration of our dedication to sustainable water supply. We understand the importance of these projects in meeting the growing demands for water in our region,” says Sipho Mosai, CEO, Rand Water.

Sipho Mosai, CEO, Rand Water

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Water&Sanitation Africa November/December 2023

Articles inside

AA+ RATING FOR RAND WATER

THE EVOLUTION OF MAGALIES WATER

WE PROVIDE GIW ® SLURRY PUMP SOLUTIONS

MINE WATER MANAGEMENT: A REGULATORY OVERVIEW

Loadsheddingresilient water and sanitation operations

BACK TO BASICS WITH WATER QUALITY MONITORING

CONFRONTING THE PIT LATRINE CRISIS

WILL RESIDENTS IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS PAY FOR SANITATION SERVICES?

ROCLA’S SANITATION SUCCESS

COLLABORATIVE WATER MANAGEMENT: A PATH TO ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE

NEVER WASTE A GOOD DISASTER

AFRICAN EXAMPLES OF EFFICIENT WATER USE

WATER STORAGE: FROM 5 000 TO 4.5 MILLION LITRES

PRECAST CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY TO FAST-TRACK WATER SERVICE DELIVERY

Water storage for rural communities

DECENTRALISED SOLUTIONS: THE ANSWER TO SOUTH AFRICA’S WATER CRISIS

SOLVING THE SEWAGE DILEMMA: a closer look at on-site treatment

BRIDGING THE ACADEMIA-INDUSTRY GAP IN THE WASH SECTOR

WE NEED

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A DECADE’S OF ADVOCATING FOR WATER REUSE

OUTSTANDING BLUE DROP RESULTS

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Water & Sanitation Africa

EFFICIENT AND CLEAN SOLUTIONS FOR THE COMPLETE WATER CYCLE.