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THE ANSWER TO SOUTH AFRICA’S WATER CRISIS South Africa is currently facing the perfect storm of a failing water supply: outdated infrastructure, poor maintenance, prolonged droughts, increasing population, lack of investment, and a skills shortage have led to contaminated drinking water,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
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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
