Water & Sanitation Africa Sept/Oct 2022

Water & Sanitation Africa

Complete water resource and wastewater management

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

WATER IN THE DIGITAL

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Water supply in Southern Africa is unequally distributed, with 70% of water resources being shared between a number of different

Transboundary water management is crucial for development in the region. DBSA has a strategic partnership model to strengthen the implementation of various water and sanitation programmes.

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Editor Kirsten Kelly

kirsten.kelly@3smedia.co.za

Managing Editor Alastair Currie

Editorial Coordinator Ziyanda Majodina

Head of Design Beren Bauermeister

Designer Jaclyn Dollenberg

Chief Sub-editor Tristan Snijders

Contributors Ralf Christoph, Jessica Fell, George Gerber, Lester Goldman, Ednah Mamakoa, Gina Martin, Chetan Mistry, Dan Naidoo

Production & Client Liaison Manager Antois-Leigh Nepgen

Distribution Manager Nomsa Masina

Distribution Coordinator Asha Pursotham

Group Sales Manager Chilomia Van Wijk

Bookkeeper Tonya Hebenton

Advertising Sales Hanlie Fintelman

c +27 (0)67 756 3132

Hanlie.Fintelman@3smedia.co.za

Publisher Jacques Breytenbach

3S Media

Production Park, 83 Heidelberg Road, City Deep Johannesburg South, 2136 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117

Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600

www.3smedia.co.za

ISSN: 1990 - 8857

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Copyright 2022. All rights reserved. All material herein is copyright protected. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of WISA or the publishers.

WISA Contacts:

HEAD OFFICE

Tel: 086 111 9472(WISA)

Fax: +27 (0)11 315 1258

WISA’s Vision Inspiring passion for water

Physical address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand Website: www.wisa.org.za

BRANCHES

Central Branch

(Free State, Northern Cape, North West)

Chairperson: Dr Leana Esterhuizen

Company: Central University of Technology

Tel: +27 (0)51 507 3850

Email: lesterhu@cut.ac.za

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

Mpumalanga

Chairperson: Lihle Mbatha (Acting)

Company: Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency

Tel: +27 (0)13 753 9000

Email: mbathat@iucma.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

Namibia

Please contact the WISA Head Office at admin@wisa.org.za for more information

Sailing in

“We

must free ourselves of

high winds

the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.”

– Aristotle Onassis

In keeping with the WISA 2022 Biennial 2022 Conference’s nautical theme – #NavigatingTheCourse – the wise words from Greek shipping magnate Onassis, who amassed the world’s largest privately owned shipping fleet, are particularly fitting.

Over the past few years, the water and sanitation industry has only experienced high winds. Nearly every speech, press release and report starts with listing at least two of the four depressing facts:

• South Africa is the 30th driest country in the world, with a semiarid climate and average annual rainfall of about 465 mm – half the world average.

• South Africa is approaching physical water scarcity in 2025, with an expected water deficit of 17% by 2030.

• South Africans use more water than the global average –234 litres per person daily – which means the country’s per capita water consumption is higher than the global average of 173 litres.

• South Africa needs at least R1 trillion to recapitalise the water sector.

Adversity drives innovation

But its these high seas that have inspired innovation. South Africa has built a highly active research and innovation capacity in the water sector, which is spearheaded

by the Water Research Commission (WRC). As a result, South African scientists have been among the significant contributors to new knowledge creation in the water innovation domain, especially in water treatment technologies.

An early example of local water innovations is the Khoisan methods of detecting and harvesting water under the desert floor and using empty ostrich eggshells for storage for long journeys across the Kalahari. In addition to dam building for agricultural growth and interbasin transfers to enable mining and industrial development, South Africa has boasted world firsts such as reverse-osmosis membranes and dry-cooled electricity generation. Sanitation could now also become the nucleus of a new circular economy, comprising a cycle of technology design, water treatment, water distribution, water use and consumption, wastewater collection, recycling and water reclamation, and product recovery and residual waste use (page 24).

The Darvill Wastewater Treatment Plant’s upgrade is now completed (page 44), showcasing a number of innovations as well. It is, however, important to remember that these innovations bring their own challenges, such as underappreciated cybersecurity issues (page 26).

As Dan Naidoo, chairman of WISA, points out on page 9, none of these innovations would be possible without our committed water professionals. I look forward to meeting you all in person at the WISA conference.

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.Fintelman@3smedia.co.za.

You said it in WASA

The opinions and statements shared by thought leaders in the water industry to Water&Sanitation Africa.

“The water industry will never have the optimal amount of funding, number of water and wastewater treatment plants, nor people on the ground. This should motivate the entire country towards collaborating and working together to solve the water crisis. There needs to be less focus on the blame game and challenges, and more emphasis on the cooperation and integration of efforts. This cooperation does not need to happen within the water sector but within the value cycle of water.” Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA

PAGE

“We are now on the cusp of creating a new industry (the Tesla of sanitation) that can deliver safe sanitation solutions to communities and households in the form of a reinvented toilet. A reinvented toilet kills pathogens, requires no input water, and transforms human waste into a safe by-product, such as clean water and ash, and does not require a sewer or septic connection.” Dr Shannon Yee, lead on the G2RT programme supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

24 PAGE

“I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the water professionals that show up every day and do their jobs. They are our South African heroes. There are still a lot of experienced, talented people in key positions that are managing (against all odds) to keep services going. We desperately need more of these people, who speak truth to power, who are practical and honest.”

Dan Naidoo, chairman, WISA

PAGE

“To illustrate the importance of cyber training, there was a recent case in Saudi Arabia, where an oil company underwent a series of penetration tests. The company’s network and software managed to thwart all attempts. As a last resort, a person handed out USB sticks (that hosted a virus) to the company’s employees and managed to infect computers with malware. Within minutes, the company was penetrated.”

Johan Potgieter, cluster leader: Industrial Software, Schneider Electric 31 PAGE

“Reducing water consumption in a water-scarce country needs to be a business priority – not merely from a cost perspective, but for environmental, risk management and operational sustainability. By reusing water – especially water originally from rainwater catchment – businesses build resilience, reduce the risks posed by water interruptions and the impact on operations.” Chester Foster, GM, The SBS Group

33 PAGE

“Depending on its quality, groundwater is generally more affordable than water reuse or desalination. It is a ‘sleeping giant’ and has huge potential in improving the region’s water security. Groundwater flows a lot slower than surface water and can provide water when the surface water sources are stressed. Then, when rainfall levels improve, and the rivers start flowing again, the groundwater can be recharged, while the surface water sources again become the primary water source. Groundwater can buffer the impacts of drought.”

PAGE

Neville Paxton, chairman: Eastern Cape Branch, Ground Water Division

“Chlorine remains the most popular choice for treating water. It’s cheap, abundant and ruthlessly effective. Ozone and UV don’t necessarily compete with chlorine. Instead, they help reduce chlorine use, lessening risks and environmental impact, and offer alternatives where chlorine is impractical or dangerous.”

Chetan Mistry, strategy and marketing manager, Xylem Africa

“If water treatment facilities do not reduce the organic content of wastewater before it reaches natural waters, microbes in the receiving water will consume the organic matter. As a result, these microbes will also consume the oxygen in the receiving water as part of the breakdown of organic waste. This oxygen depletion, along with nutrient-rich conditions, is called eutrophication – a condition of natural water that can lead to the death of animal life.” Ralf Christoph, GM, Hanna Instruments

“In South Africa, there is a focus on the current cost of a product, without taking into account its life-cycle costs. Stainless steel is an optimal material in water system applications and, while it comes at a price, it is an investment in the country’s infrastructure. If the overall system is designed properly, the thickness of the steel can be reduced to withstand pressure. Drakenstein Municipality is a wonderful example of the savings that can be achieved when using stainless steel for bulk water reticulation.”

Anesh Prithilall, business unit manager: Valves, EMVAfrica

“Darvill is a flagship WWTW for Umgeni Water due to its size, the iconic egg-shaped digesters and, more importantly, its processes that embrace a circular economy. Bulk water is our core business, and we therefore focus on maintaining and improving the quality of water throughout the water cycle. Catchment management is extremely important. We therefore have to treat our wastewater properly so that, when it is discharged back into the catchment, we can use that water again.” Megan Schalkwyk, process engineer, Umgeni Water

“The risk posed by water hammer should be assessed at the conceptual design stage, prior to finalising the pipe material, diameter and wall thickness, as well as at the technical design stage, prior to detailing the mechanical and electrical plant to ensure maximum safety and economy of the pipeline project.”

George Gerber, CEO, Water

DIGITAL AGE Water in the

The water industry has undergone enormous changes in the past 20 years. It used to be the norm to have a large team of operations staff to carry out time-consuming tasks such as manual measurements. But today, W/WW treatment plants can be mostly operated remotely, increasing productivity, efficiency and accuracy.

Increasing populations, industrialisation and climate change intensify water scarcity. Communities across the world have an urgent requirement for safe, reliable and affordable W/WW services. W/WW is a non-cyclical industry: authorities will continue to invest in upgrades if populations increase and infrastructure ages. It is

therefore critical to leverage the right solutions at the right time to ensure these investments are effective in improving operations and justifying capital expenditure.

The W/WW industry should be focusing on the internet of things (IoT) and how it can improve operations. The IoT connects digital objects such as sensors and flow meters to the internet, turning them into ‘smart’ assets that can communicate with users and application systems. This allows for more efficient process control and optimised network management. General water monitoring operations that were previously manual and inefficient can now be automated, continuously reporting on their own status in real time.

Netilion Water Network Insights

Endress+Hauser understands the practical and quality needs that the water industry is demanding. That is why its primary goal is to create practical solutions to ensure everything works perfectly.

Netilion Water Network Insights optimises processes across the entire water cycle while collecting measuring variables and displaying the data in a customisable visualisation. This allows

Promag W 800 with battery power

a W/WW treatment plant to react quickly to incidents and save on operating and energy costs.

Promag W 800

Water’s journey is endless. It often travels long distances through huge pipelines in remote areas without any other infrastructure. To guarantee sufficient water quantity and quality, active management is needed.

This is exactly where the batterypowered Promag W 800 makes your life easier. It provides everything you need to maintain full compliance with legal requirements while increasing your operational efficiency.

Whether in urban or remote areas, a desert or the tropics, the accurate measuring and billing of drinking and process water consumption is becoming increasingly important. Endress+Hauser has developed the new Promag W 800 with battery power precisely for such applications. This electromagnetic flow meter allows for versatile and autonomous use even at locations without power supply:

• in areas with sea, river, spring or ground water

• in distribution networks and transfer stations

• in irrigation systems.

Water quality monitoring

Water quality monitoring is also an important aspect for water and wastewater plant managers. Online monitoring in the distribution network ensures that water quality is permanently measured. Real-time

ENDRESS+HAUSER SOUTH AFRICA

Established: 1984

Supported regions: Botswana, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Number of employees: 111

warning of pollution events is possible to ensure that they are quickly resolved, and downstream operations are not adversely affected.

Furthermore, online monitoring parameters are used as an input for network asset condition assessment –for example, pH and conductivity in wastewater pump stations. This can allow for improvement to network operations.

Water quality monitoring generally consists of several key parameters:

• pH

• turbidity

• free chlorine.

These parameters ensure that drinking water is safe or that treated wastewater meets environmental guidelines. They are either measured online by process instrumentation or manual grab sampling, which may examine a composite sample over a weekly period.

Transforming the network IoT IoT technology solutions like Netilion can provide enormous benefits that were not previously possible. Whether in densely populated or remote regions, Netilion Water Network Insights ensures full transparency in water networks around the clock. It can be used for the reliable monitoring of water quantity, pressure, temperature, level, or water quality.

Netilion Water Network Insights connects all levels of a water supply system and offers service providers and water associations tailor-made solutions from a single source. These include everything from field devices, components for data transfer, data recording and data archiving, to data evaluation as well as one-of-a-kind forecasting functions.

In these testing times of decreasing water security, IoT technology has been proven to boost operational efficiency and provide smart investment decisions. As utilities continue to make quantum leaps in their use of IoT technology,now is not the time to be left behind.

Rely on a partner that offers the best measuring devices and solutions,

Online monitoring in the distribution network ensures that water quality is permanently measured

assists you with technical support on-site, and has in-depth knowledge of the requirements in the W/WW industry. With Endress+Hauser, you get high-quality solutions capable of increasing your plant efficiency and optimising costs.

www.endress.com

info.za.sc@endress.com

BREAKING DOWN the Silos

As an economic enabler, water drives job creation and social upliftment; however, it is the one resource that is treated with a siloed approach from government.

From a local government perspective, water is siloed in the way it integrates with bulk suppliers and bulk users (like the agricultural sector). The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment does its own environmental planning regarding water conservation and climate change. The Department of Science and Innovation works on its own water technology innovations. The Department of Higher Education and Training – which is responsible for all of the industry-specific Sector Education Training Authorities (SETAs) – uses a siloed approach for capacity building and training for the water industry.

This silo mentality wastes resources and efficiencies where two departments often work on the same water issue but with two different approaches, and there is very little knowledge sharing.

Collaboration

Collaboration and the breaking down of silos will go a long way towards averting a water crisis. It does not require additional resources and infrastructure but a commitment from everyone to work together, integrate efforts and consolidate resources.

The water industry will never have the optimal amount of funding, number of water and wastewater treatment plants, nor people on the ground. This should motivate the entire country towards collaborating and working together to solve the water crisis. There needs to be less focus on the blame game and challenges, and more emphasis on cooperation and the the integration of efforts. This cooperation does not need to happen within the water sector but within the value cycle of water.

Our sector has been internally focused; stakeholders within the sector are working well together, but we must now look outwards. The challenge lies outside – with local government, CoGTA, the agricultural and mining sectors, as well as the industrial use of water. We need to integrate, so let’s welcome everyone into the water sector and offer assistance.

Due to the very nature of water, we simply cannot solve this crisis alone.

Creating straits

In keeping with the WISA 2022 Biennial Conference and Exhibition’s naval theme –

Every industry, every company and every single human being needs water. And yet, for the most part, water is not a shared responsibility. It is a responsibility the water industry typically bears alone.

By Dr Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA

#NavigatingTheCourse – I want to encourage the water industry to build straits with other government entities and industries, as well as the public. A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water.

Let us use this conference to extend hands to entities that are outside the water sector. We simply cannot carry this heavy burden by ourselves. There needs to be collective responsibility and collective decision-making regarding water.

Our water professionals deserve applause

When describing South Africa, phrases such as ‘failed state’, ‘failed system’ and ‘infrastructure on the verge of total collapse’ are often used. And yet, our country miraculously keeps limping along. This can only mean that we still have some dedicated and competent people working on our infrastructure.

By Dan Naidoo, chairman,

Upon completion of the book Sabotage:The OnslaughtonESKOM by Kyle Cowan, I formed a newfound respect for Eskom employees, who turn up at work every day and (mostly) keep the lights on. I could not help but draw parallels to the water sector, where water professionals often work in trying conditions and manage to keep the industry from collapsing. These people are passionate about their jobs, their country and want to make a positive difference.

Hats off to our professionals I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the water professionals that show up every day and do their jobs. During the series of hard lockdowns, many of these people left their families to stay in quarantined

hotels so that they could operate water and wastewater plants and minimise the risk of infection.

They are our South African heroes. There are still a lot of experienced, talented people in key positions that are managing (against all odds) to keep services going. We desperately need more of these people, who speak truth to power, who are practical and honest. There are many people in our sector that are making a solid, positive difference. I am looking forward to greeting you all at the WISA Biennial Conference. After four long years, we can all meet face to face, discuss frustrations and solve technical issues over a cup of coffee and inspire each other to continue with the fight. While we should always strive to work at optimal levels of efficiency, the local water sector is faced with a myriad of complex problems and are compelled to find creative solutions with limited resources. Let us take comfort in the fact that if we can keep our basic services running in these difficult times and conditions, improving service delivery should be easy.

WISA will once again host the flagship event of the Southern African water sector, bringing together regional and international water professionals, companies, regulators and stakeholders.

For individual or group registration, scan the QR Code, or visit: wisa2022.co.za/registration

Is there a DAY ZERO ahead for Gauteng?

The WISA Gauteng Branch hosted the ‘Gauteng Water Security in 2022’ webinar that unpacked water security strategies in the Gauteng’s metropolitan municipalities.

By Gina Martin,

publications lead:

Gauteng Branch Committee, WISA

The three Gauteng metros –City of Johannesburg, City of Ekurhuleni and City of Tshwane – presented their respective current water security status, challenges associated with water security, and water security plans for 2022. This was followed by a presentation on the National Water Security Framework (NWSF) by an independent integrated water resources management specialist from the CSIR.

City of Johannesburg (CoJ)

According to Ondela Tywakadi, principal specialist: Water Services, Policy Development and Regulation at CoJ, the municipality has close to six million commercial, industrial and domestic customers. CoJ is also the largest consumer of Rand Water in the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS), has exceeded its abstraction licence limit, and is facing serious challenges in lowering water demand in the municipality.

Water pollution, loss of river catchments, ageing infrastructure, population and economic growth, as well as high non-revenue water (NRW) are all contributors to the municipality’s water demand problems.

In response, CoJ’s 2022 Water Security Strategy aims to align to the Joburg 2040 Growth and Development Strategy goals and outcomes, providing a long-term roadmap towards a more resilient, liveable and sustainable city. Some of the steps CoJ is taking to mitigate the water demand challenges in the metro include:

• Implementing a Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WC/ WDM) strategy, with programmes for active leak detection, infrastructure upgrade and renewal in Soweto, pipe replacements, new pressure-reducing valves, as well as public education and awareness.

• Inclusion of alternative water use in the review of the current Water Services Bylaw, specifically the use of groundwater,

rainwater harvesting (CoJ has developed a guideline), greywater use and effluent reuse. Groundwater exploration and the development of boreholes commenced in 2016, following a feasibility study. CoJ has drilled 26 boreholes thus far to supplement supply.

• Development of a drought management plan, as required by the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Disaster Management Plan. The objectives of this plan are to prevent and reduce water-related disaster risks, mitigate impacts by preparing effective responses to water-related disasters, minimise loss and property damage, and facilitate quick recoveries from the impacts of water disasters.

City of Ekurhuleni (CoE)

When explaining why water security within CoE was at risk, Aser Sekgoela, divisional head: Water Quality and Revenue Management at CoE, referenced: • Population growth – the population in

City of Johannesburg

CoE has doubled in two decades.

• Low rainfall – South Africa’s average of 464 mm/annum is substantially lower than the global average of 860 mm/annum.

• The water requirement of half of South Africa’s water management areas exceeds availability.

• The demand on the IVRS, which CoE is part of, exceeds supply, and Rand Water’s abstraction licence will not be increased until the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II is commissioned (expected to be in 2025/26). CoE is therefore implementing a resilience strategy to increase water storage from an average of 24 hours to 36 hours. CoE has also identified future water resources, aiming to have an 80:20 split between Rand Water and alternative supply such as rainwater and stormwater harvesting, treated effluent reuse, groundwater abstraction, and acid mine drainage treatment. Feasibility studies, pilot projects, borehole drilling and by-law revisions are currently under way to make alternate water supply and water resilience a reality. A WC/WDM strategy was developed, identifying 21 initiatives

earmarked to reduce NRW and water losses. The implementation of these projects and initiatives has resulted in the reduction of NRW from 40.3% in FY 2013/14 to 33.96% (as at August 2021), with the goal of 25% by 2025.

City of Tshwane (CoT)

Stephens Notoane, group head: Water and Sanitation Department at CoT, indicated that 72% of the municipality’s annual average demand is supplied by Rand Water. The remainder is acquired internally from CoT’s own fountains, springs, boreholes and water treatment plants, as well as from water treatment plants owned by Magalies Water.

Facing the same challenges as the other municipalities, CoT experiences water losses of around 32% on average. Gauteng is one of the few urban places in the world not built alongside a water source or river system.

Notoane highlighted that all the cities within Gauteng depend on transfers to meet their water requirements. The volume of water required by 2026 will not be met if additional storage infrastructure

is not built and investment into water security not prioritised. Gauteng is set to face a water deficit.

Changes in community/public behaviour are required, as the current water consumption per person in Gauteng exceeds the world average. New settlement and housing designs should take this into consideration by reducing water requirements and usage, as well as implementing water reuse systems and more efficient fittings.

The Vaal River Reconciliation Strategy concluded it is vital that WC/WDM strategies be implemented extensively, alongside large-scale water reuse. The CoT Water Resources Master Plan (2015) and Tshwane Vision 2055 (2013) aim to:

• investigate reuse as a possible additional water resource

• reduce demand on the IVRS (via Rand Water)

• take cognisance of water availability and requirements

• increase capacities and supply areas of water treatment plants.

Strategic plan alignment

Although South Africa has been at the forefront of water sector innovations and initiatives in the region and internationally, it has struggled to implement some of the policies it advocates. Ashwin Seetal, an integrated water resources management specialist with the CSIR, highlighted the need for a deliberate and concerted effort to

LET’S CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION

For continued updates and constructive engagement, the Gauteng Branch hopes to make this an annual event. Should you have any comments or ideas for events you would like to see, please contact Zoe Gebhardt (zoe.gebhardt@gmail.com). Watch your mailboxes for details of the next WISA Gauteng Branch event.

City of Ekurhuleni

address these challenges, to provide water security for South Africa’s current and future socio-economic development needs, and for the NWSF objectives to be realised. Seetal added that it was clear that this was starting to happen; however, buy-in from role players outside the water sector was needed to see these initiatives succeed.

The Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) was approached to develop a Water Security Perspective using specialist, expert and provincial inputs as well as a review panel. There are five programmatic areas for intervention, which are aligned to the points already raised by the metropolitan municipalities:

• reduce water demand

• manage variability to prepare for drought and/or water scarcity

• invest in alternative water sources and water conservation

• manage water quality to limit pollution and achieve environmental goals

• create effective institutions.

All water users depend on a common resource and set of infrastructure, and Gauteng’s excessive water usage must

be reduced, with smarter planning and management of urban growth. Its existing supply of water must be better managed, and the water supply mix must be diversified.

Wastewater management systems must be repaired, water quality improved and stormwater management enhanced. Ultimately, water security is a neverending challenge that requires effective institutions and collaboration. There is

sustainable & long term WATER STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Pressed Steel Sectional Water Tanks

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no single solution to fix Gauteng’s water security issues; rather, a combination of all of these aspects is required.

By paying attention to the NWSF Focus Areas, acknowledging the sector’s many strengths and capabilities, weeding out obstructions, upskilling youth as sector resources, and providing impactful implementation and operational leadership, the vision for the water sector can be realised.

The newly elected YWP National Committee members (2022-2024) will aim to empower young water professionals through a range of networking, training, thought leadership and empowerment opportunities.

By Jessica Fell,

national marketing lead, YWP

The new committee members will meet in person at the WISA 2022 Biennial Conference in Sandton, after which an annual strategic session will be held. Here are the committee members (2022-2024)

Anya Eilers (national lead)

A water resource scientist from Zutari, Anya has worked on a range of integrated water resources

Meet the new YWP National Committee members

management and climate change projects across sub-Saharan Africa. She spent two years with the Global Green Growth Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, working in the water sector under the Investment and Policy Solutions Division. She has an MSc in Geology from Stellenbosch University and has been part of YWP since 2017.

Ashton Mpofu (outgoing national lead)

Holding a masters’ degree in chemical engineering (cum laude), Ashton is currently completing his PhD. He is passionate about water in the green economy for inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development. Ashton works as a senior analyst at Green Cape and has 10 years of combined experience spanning teaching and training, mineral processing, research and development, consultancy, intellectual property and commercialisation, market intelligence, and business development.

Nsuku Nxumalo (national vice lead) Nsuku is a consultant in the

water practice Pegasys. With an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from the University of Oxford, Nsuku has experience in water and environmental management from her role as environmental officer at Anglo American (Thungela Mining). Nsuku is also a candidate natural scientist who is passionate about all things water.

Magray Owaes Hassan (national vice lead)

Magray is a highly reliable, dedicated and results-driven PhD candidate in environmental engineering specialising in nitrogen removal in wastewater via Anammox technology. He has over five years of experience conducting basic and applied research in the water and wastewater treatment sector.

Eugene Fotso Simo (national coordination lead)

Born in Cameroon, Eugene works as a water engineer at Zutari and holds an MSc in Water Quality Engineering from the University of Cape Town. He aims to leave a positive mark on the African continent by improving service delivery in the water sector.

Jessica Fell (national marketing lead)

A PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town with research focusing on evaluating blue-green infrastructure for sustainable cities, Jessica has four years of experience in the water sector in academia and the private sector, and her research interests include water-sensitive city transitions, planning, policy, and data and information visualisation.

Craig Tinashe Tanyanyiwa (national finance lead)

Craig is an earlycareer hydraulic engineer and a PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town. Growing up in a water-scarce city made him cognisant of the fragility of the water system and cultivated an interest in water resource management. As a result, he has dabbled in groundwater management, low-cost sanitation, water demand and pressure management, and stormwater management.

Mmakgomo Malatji (Limpopo lead)

Mmakgomo works for Lepelle Northern Water Board, has a postgraduate degree in public development and management from the University of the Witwatersrand, and is currently pursuing her LLB studies with the University of South Africa. She aims to transform and work on gender equality for female water and sanitation professionals, connect people, support their professional aspirations, and build up a support group of female water and sanitation professionals.

Lindiwe Nkabane (KwaZulu-Natal lead)

A graduate trainee at Umgeni Water under the Catchment Management Department, Lindiwe holds holds an MSc in Hydrology. Her work is highly driven by her rural upbringing, which was characterised by a lack of fresh water for drinking and domestic purposes, and poor sanitation services. She strives to improve life and bring about dignity through her work to impoverished communities with poor/no water and sanitation services in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Thapelo Mongala (North West lead)

Thapelo is a junior lecturer at the Centre for Water Science and Management at North-West University. His previous experience was at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment where he coordinated environmental management functions including capacity building, advocacy and facilitating schools, youth and community-based projects and programmes.

Penester Tjale (Gauteng lead)

Penester holds a BTech in Geology from Tshwane University of Technology and is currently an MSc Environmental Science student with the University of South Africa. She is passionate about young people and their role in the water sector.

Aluvuyo Bixa (Eastern Cape lead) Currently enrolled for a BSc (Hons) in Geography, Aluvuyo has recent work experience as a candidate scientist at the Department of Water and Sanitation in Gqeberha. She is passionate about water and sanitation preservation, and aims to find solutions as to how she can help with mitigation measures to preserve our water resources.

Mohamed Gulamhussein (Western Cape lead)

As a water and wastewater treatment engineer at Zutari, Mohamed has been involved in the process design and conditional assessments of multiple water treatment works. He is passionate about process design, treatment technology and project coordination.

The new committee is inspired by the passion, talent and potential of our young water professionals and looks forward to serving, learning and growing with them. Connect with us on Twitter @YWPZA.

Improving water and sanitation infrastructure through SADC Water Fund

Southern Africa’s water supply is unequally distributed, with 70% of water resources shared between different countries. Transboundary water management is crucial for regional development. WASA speaks to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) about its strategic partnership model to strengthen the implementation of various water and sanitation programmes within the SADC region.

What is the SADC Water Fund?

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Fund for Water Infrastructure and Basic Sanitation (SADC Water Fund) is the financing facility for the development and integration of the water and sanitation sector in the Southern African region. The SADC Water Fund finances infrastructure projects to improve the supply of drinking water and water for agricultural use for the poor.

SADC member countries established the SADC Water Fund mainly as a regional development financing facility, with the mandate

of strengthening the coordinating function of SADC by funding projects to improve regional water and sanitation infrastructure, as well as facilitate information and knowledge sharing.

What is the DBSA’s role within the SADC Water Fund?

The DBSA, together with the SADC secretariat and the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Development Bank, entered into a financing and project management agreement in December 2012. The DBSA is the mandated lead arranger that is responsible for managing its regional fund for water.

As the project executing authority, the DBSA’s Infrastructure Delivery Division is responsible for the overall programme management and implementation of the Fund. This allows the Fund to leverage the bank’s institutional capacities and promote synergies with the DBSA’s other activities, such as receiving co-funding from the bank’s other product offerings.

What are some of the key objectives of the Fund?

The Fund’s development objectives are to:

• promote and support strategic transboundary and pro-poor water supply and sanitation infrastructure development in the SADC region

• promote climate resilience in the water supply and sanitation sector in the SADC region

• facilitate the application of integrated water resources management principles for infrastructure development.

How does the dedicated Fund Management Unit work?

The Fund identifies bankable projects and provides support through the entire value chain. The SADC Water Fund supports the following activities:

• identification and selection of bankable water and sanitation project proposals (quality feasibility studies must be available)

• provision of support to the applicants in finalising project documentation

• contract and procurement management under the Fund

• raising of additional funding from other development partners

• facilitation of cross-border coordination and agreements during project preparation and implementation

• post-implementation monitoring and evaluation.

Why is a Fund like this essential, especially for the SADC region?

More than a third of people in the SADC region do not have access to safe drinking water and over half of the region’s population do not have access to improved sanitation

FIGURE 1 How the SADC Water Fund works

SADC- Southern African Development Community

Objective:

To achieve development, peace & security, economic growth, to alleviate poverty, enhance the standard and quality of life of peoples of SADC, support the socially disadvantaged through regional integration.

SADC Regional Development Fund RDF

Receipts & expenditures of SADC relating to development of SADC region.

RDF shall be main SADC instrument for socio-economic development and integration of SADC region.

Water-Energy-Food NEXUS

X Border WASH

Improve water and sanitation transboundar y infrastructure along major trade corridors in the region key to promote regional integration and address rapid urbanization due to increased cross-border trade and traffic volumes

facilities. However, these urban statistics generally exclude the urban poor living in informal settlements.

That’s why there’s such a huge need for water and sanitation infrastructure in urban and rural areas in SADC. Infrastructure needs to be developed, rehabilitated, expanded and climateproofed to be resilient to floods and droughts. The recent Covid-19 pandemic is a strong reminder of the importance of access to WASH facilities, especially for the poor, to ensure community resilience to adverse events such as outbreaks or the effects of climate change.

Addressing such a huge need also presents a challenge and opportunity for innovation in infrastructure technological approaches, financing and implementation models.

The Fund’s sustainability and growth strategy is anchored on:

• a diversified portfolio of projects within the water and sanitation sector

• diversified and innovative funding instruments

• diversified international and local development partners. To achieve this, the Fund has developed a programmatic approach with three programmes that have a nexus approach. These are backed by an immediate financing pipeline of about €120 million (R2.1 billion).

SADC Regional Water Infrastructure and Basic Sanitation Fund

Key financing facility for development & integration of water sector in SADC region. SADC Water Fund’s long-term vision is to become a special “water sector window” of RDF.

Water Fund hosted in DBSA

Regional Water Innovation for Resilience

Investment in pilot projects (locally relevant innovative technology, financing and governance models) for resilient water sector in major cities in transboundar y catchments

What projects are currently being financed under the Fund?

As part of its programmatic approach, the Fund has the several ongoing activities:

• Cross-border infrastructure for water supply: By 2042, approximately 76 000 people living below the poverty line and without access to water will benefit from the Kazungula Water and Sanitation Project in Zambia, as well as the Lomahasha and Namaacha water supply projects in Mozambique and Eswatini.

• Innovation for climate resilience: The Ramotswa (in Botswana) Transboundary Aquifer – where in situ groundwater remediation typifies a conjunctive approach for improved water resource use and management – will boost water security for about 30 000 people in communities in Ramotswa. Through implementing innovative remediation and sanitation technology that combines in situ groundwater remediation with improved sanitation, thereby protecting this water resource, groundwater can be used as potable water after minimal treatment.

• Regional transboundary water information systems: The Climate Resilience Information Systems Project (part of the overall Regional Water Investment Programme) will support sustainable investments

Objectives:

•Strategic pro-poor WASH infrastructure development

• Climate resilience in WASH sector

•Application of IWRM to infrastructure development

Transboundar y Water Information System

Support to transboundar y hydrological and metrological data collection &, development of information for sustainable infrastructure, risk preparedness and climate adaptation.

for reliable climate information and early warning systems. This will encourage investments that promote water resilience.

Any final thoughts?

Achieving sustainable financing for investments in water supply, sanitation and for the development, protection and restoration of national and transboundary water resources is the core focus of the SADC Water Fund. Current institutional arrangements are often inadequate, and the financing of water investments is often unsustainable. Also worth noting is low public capacity to finance required investments in the development and management of water resources, including protection and restoration. Lack of investment in water infrastructure has led to significant, economic, social and environmental losses. For the SADC region to see improvement in the performance in the water sector, facilities such as the SADC Water Fund are important.

FIGURE 2 SADC Water Fund framework

New paradigm for Sanitary waste management

Emerging sanitation technologies promote a new paradigm for the collection and disposal of menstrual waste products that is both safe and sustainable.

By Ednah Mamakoa, technical officer, SASTEP

The disposal of used feminine hygiene products raises socioeconomic, cultural, religious and environmental concerns. Menstrual hygiene waste is usually thrown away with other solid wastes and ends up in landfills. In other cases, they are flushed into a toilet, resulting in sewage reticulation system blockage, or they are disposed of in pit latrines, contributing to rapid pit filling. Other than throwing menstrual waste in the garbage, there is currently no clear plan in place for the safe disposal of menstrual waste, particularly in communal and public spaces. Waste streams, both solid and sanitary, are anticipated to grow as urbanisation and access to disposable products increase. As a result, new sanitation technologies should be able to handle these wastes.

Regulation

In its ‘Policy on the Disposal of Sanitary Waste’, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) indicates that incineration is the recommended method of treatment for large volumes of sanitary waste. The incineration of sanitary waste is specifically stipulated in the draft Health Care Risk Waste Management Regulations (part of NEMWA [No. 59 of 2008]) drawn up by the Department of Environmental Affairs. The Occupational Health & Safety Act (No. 85 of 1993) states that commercial or

industrial volumes of sanitary waste may not enter the general municipal waste stream and commercial sanitary waste must therefore follow the requirements for healthcare risk waste. The regulations mean it is no longer practical to legally dispose of large volumes of sanitary waste in landfills.

The South African Bureau of Standards passed the first reusable sanitary standard, SANS 1812. This regulation is one of the first in Southern Africa for washable sanitary pads, and it is paving the road for other African countries to follow suit.

New technologies

The South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP) has shortlisted the SHE (Safe Hygiene for Everyone) device as part of the suite of technologies to be assessed for commercialisation in South Africa. The SHE sanitary pad disposal system is a fully automated, sterile sanitary pad disposal device designed to give dignity, privacy, waste reduction and safe hygiene.

With a batch processing time of under 30 minutes, SHE

thermally treats menstrual hygiene waste with reduced emissions and low particulate matter (PM2.5). It reduces menstrual hygiene waste to ash, keeping it out of landfills, toilets, pit latrines and water bodies. The technology is envisaged to be licensed from an international technology partner, Biomass Controls PCB, to a local partner for commercialisation and local manufacture.

The SHE device will introduce an innovative technology into the South African sanitation value chain that adds value in a sanitation subsegment that is largely overlooked. Providing women and girls with tools such as mandatory premenarchal training and access to adequate disposal facilities, to manage their menstrual cycles and dispose of the wastes safely can improve attendance in schools. This will contribute to the creation of a world in which no one is held back simply because they menstruate.

SUMMARY: The SDG 6 2022 report by the United Nations

This is an extract from The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, providing a global overview of progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, using the latest available data and estimates. AT CURRENT RATES, IN 2030

ECOSYSTEMS

OVER THE PAST 300 YEARS, OVER 85% OF THE PLANET’S WETLANDS HAVE BEEN LOST THE WORLD’S WATER-RELATED ARE BEING DEGRADED AT AN ALARMING RATE

MEETING DRINKING WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE TARGETS BY 2030 REQUIRES A 4X INCREASE IN THE PACE OF PROGRESS

FOR AT LEAST 3 BILLION PEOPLE, THE QUALITY OF THE WATER THEY DEPEND ON IS UNKNOWN DUE TO A LACK OF MONITORING

733+ MILLION PEOPLE

WILL LACK SAFELY MANAGED DRINKING WATER WILL LACK SAFELY MANAGED SANITATION WILL LACK BASIC HAND HYGIENE FACILITIES 1.6 BILLION PEOPLE 2.8 BILLION PEOPLE 1.9 BILLION PEOPLE

LIVE IN COUNTRIES WITH HIGH AND CRITICAL LEVELS OF WATER STRESS (2019) ONLY ONE QUARTER OF REPORTING COUNTRIES HAVE >90% OF THEIR TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS COVERED BY OPERATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS (2020)

DWS SDG 6 Working Group

The UN is excited by South Africa’s SDG 6 organisational structure, which increases collaboration with other government departments and agencies responsible for other SDGs. It is one of the best worldwide and has been made available as an example for other countries to emulate.

As our local custodian of water resources, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is the leading agent for SDG 6. All the planning, collecting of data and reporting completed for SDG 6 is the responsibility of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr Senzo Mchunu. Reporting is coordinated through Stats SA as the custodian of statistical information of our country.

SDG 6 contains eight targets, all focusing directly on water services (including sanitation) and water resource management.

“The DWS has developed the SDG 6 Working Group to coordinate activities related to the eight targets of SDG 6,

SDG 6 is divided into eight targets that reflect the water cycle:

6.1: Drinking water – achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

6.2: Sanitation hygiene – achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

6.3: Wastewater and water quality – improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

6.4: Water use and scarcity – substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

6.5: Water management – implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

6.6: Ecosystems – protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

SDG 6 has 11 indicators (black) that will be used to measure the progress made on each target. In addition to the 11 targets, South Africa has proposed additional targets (in blue)

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services

6.2.1 Proportion of population using safely managed sanitation services, including a hand-washing facility with soap and water

6.3.1 Proportion of wastewater safely treated

6.3.1 (DWS) Proportion of water containing waste lawfully discharged

6.3.2 Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

6.3.2 (DWS) Proportion of bodies of water complying to water quality objectives

6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time

6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

6.5.1 Degree of integrated water resources management implementation (0-100)

6.5.2 Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation

6.6.1 Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

6.6.1.1 (DWS) Change in the spatial extent of water-related ecosystems over time, including wetlands, reservoirs, lakes and estuaries as a percentage of total land area

6.6.1.2 (DWS) Number of lakes and dams affected by high trophic and turbidity states

6.6.1.3 (DWS) Change in the national discharge of rivers and estuaries over time

6.6.1.4 (DWS) Change in groundwater levels over time

6.6.1.5 (DWS) Change in the ecological condition of rivers, estuaries, lakes and wetlands

The targets have to be implemented through:

6a: International cooperation – expand international cooperation and capacity-building support

6b: Community participation – support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

6.a.1. Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan

6.b.1 Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

and the inclusion of the other 16 SDGs. It comprises 13 Task Teams (one for each target and five cross-cutting). This will improve the implementation of SDG 6, as well as offer support with the other 16 goals that have links to SDG 6,” explains Mark Bannister, chief engineer and SDG 6 coordinator at the DWS.

Key objectives

The Task Team’s key objectives are as follows:

• Interrogate and, where necessary, further develop or localise methodologies for reporting on the SDGs.

• Collect data and report on trends towards achieving the SDGs.

• Provide inputs to country reports and other SDG reports by researchers.

• Monitor the current status and quantify the target gaps towards achieving the 2030 goal.

• Identify potential interventions/ tangible projects for the sector to implement in order to close gaps.

• Ensure sector alignment between the

National Water and Sanitation Master Plan (NW&SMP) and SDG 6.

• Support water and sanitation needs of the other 16 SDGs.

According to Bannister, members of the Water and Sanitation Leadership Group (WSSLG) crosscutting Task Team (comprising broad representatives from the sector) should preach the key messages and mobilise others within their area of expertise to deliver projects on the ground aligned with the NW&SMP and the SDG 6 programme. “The WSSLG influences key sector role players to align themselves with the key instruments for change such as the NW&SMP. The themes in the NW&SMP align themselves to the SDG 6 targets accordingly.”

the synergy and tradeoffs between them, and translate these needs into projects that influence positive change through the NW&SMP.

The cross-cutting SDG 6 Interlinkage Task Team has developed a tool to gather the water and sanitation needs of each of the other 16 SDGs, identify

“When people ask me, 'Are we going to meet SDG 6 by 2030?’ I always say, ‘Yes, of course we are,’ but we all need to play our part. This is a ‘sector programme’ not a ‘DWS programme’. We either win together or lose together, and it is very much the department’s intention to win. While progress is not as quick as we need it to be, as a sector, we must prioritise our actions, accelerate the process, and align ourselves with SDG 6 and the NW&SMP – we still have eight years to achieve this goal, and it’s up to all of us whether we achieve it or not,” says Bannister.

ABOVE Mark Bannister, chief engineer and SDG 6 coordinator at the Department of Water and Sanitation

Water and the SDGs: a common denominator

The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have one ambitious target – to end extreme poverty and achieve sustainable development worldwide by 2030. Not only is achieving SDG 6 essential for the water and sanitation sector, but it also has a major positive impact on the other 16 SDGs.

1 NO POVERTY

With access to clean water, agriculture is improved, enabling communities to produce income from their crop’s yield. Improved agriculture produces nutritious, safe food that makes physically and mentally strong, healthy people that can work and get an income. In developing countries, 80% of sicknesses are due to drinking and washing with contaminated water. Waterborne illnesses cause preventable deaths. Proper handwashing effectively prevents viral illnesses and reduces the spread of viruses. When a family’s incomeprovider is sick or dies from unsafe water, it can plummet them into deeper poverty. The burden to collect water lands on women and children. The hourslong trek to provide water for families keeps women out of the workforce and girls out of school, diminishing their ability to gain the necessary skills to support themselves financially.

7 AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY

Water and energy are mutually dependent, with all energy forms requiring water to varying degrees. In turn, water management, including treatment and pumping, requires energy.

2 ZERO HUNGER

Within agriculture, adequate water is needed at the right time for seeds to germinate, crops to grow and produce vegetables, fruits, grains, fibres such as cotton, and oilseeds. Similarly, water is essential for livestock to be able to produce milk, meat and eggs. Poor water quality can also negatively affect fish stocks.

4 QUALITY EDUCATION

Boosting access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools can improve the health, attendance and welfare of students and teachers, and can therefore contribute to better educational outcomes. WASH in schools is particularly important for girls and young women, as is providing privacy for menstrual hygiene management. School pupils are well placed to start learning about safe water and sanitation through the school curriculum.

8 DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Water facilitates all types of economic activity – secure water of proper quality is essential for development.

3 GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene are fundamental to protecting health. Contaminated water that is consumed may result in waterborne diseases, including viral hepatitis, typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Water can also provide a habitat for mosquitoes and snails, which are intermediate hosts of parasites that cause diseases like malaria. Without adequate quantities of water for personal hygiene, infections and viruses can spread easily.

5 GENDER EQUALITY

Many women in poor households bear the burden of retrieving water from distant sources and often have little option but to use polluted wastewater for domestic purposes, exposing them to unsafe water. They are most affected by the lack of adequate sanitation facilities and/ or sufficient wastewater treatment. Water is heavy. Carrying it consumes time and valuable personal energy that can prevent girls from attending school. Bringing water sources closer to people reduces the time needed to collect water and makes more time available for educational activities, especially for females. Paths to water sources that are long and through remote areas put women and girls at risk of sexual and physical violence.

9 INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Industry is a significant and, at times, major consumer of water and needs to have appropriate water quantity and quality. Simultaneously, industry may have the potential to pollute water resources.

10 REDUCED INEQUALITIES

Access to basic services (like water and sanitation) will contribute towards reducing inequalities across lines of geography, gender, race and wealth.

11 SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

An adequate and sustainable supply of water and sanitation is a requirement for a sustainable city. Cities are also increasingly playing a role in the management of water-related ecosystems.

13 CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is often discussed in terms of carbon emissions, but people feel the impacts largely through water. The effects of climate change are altering the hydrological cycle, resulting in more frequent and severe extreme events and disasters, such as droughts and floods, damaging water supplies and sanitation services.

16 PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS

Improved water governance can reduce conflict, displacement and migration. Good water management can support socio-economic development, and bring peace and security to countries and across countries that share freshwater ecosystems, particularly those under threat.

14 LIFE BELOW WATER

Water-related ecosystems – including wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes –sustain a high level of biodiversity and life. They are vital for ensuring a range of benefits and services such as drinking water, water for food and energy, habitats for aquatic life, and natural solutions for water purification and climate resilience. However, water-related ecosystems are increasingly under threat, relying on sufficient water quantity and quality to main¬tain full functionality. These ecosystems are enduring effects from human activities such as pollution, infrastruc¬ture development and resource extraction. Increased access to safely managed sanitation services should enable the reduction of marine nutrient pollution. Reducing untreated wastewater will also protect aquatic ecosystems.

12 RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

Water is an integral part of consumption and production cycles of food, energy, goods and services. Managing these processes sustainably is important in protecting the quantity and quality of water resources, and using water more efficiently. For example, the safe reuse of wastewater can help create more circular, sustainable production and consumption patterns. Improved sanitation systems and treatment plants can generate fertiliser from human and animal waste that could be used in farming or turned into biofuels.

15 LIFE ON LAND

Water and land management are closely associated, with activities taking place on land using and potentially polluting water resources. Land-based ecosystems depend on freshwater resources in suffi¬cient quantity and quality. In turn, activities on land, including how land is used, influence water availability and quality for people, industry and ecosystems. Protecting forest catchments and encouraging sustain¬able land management practices, such as buffer strips along waterways and conservation agriculture, can re¬duce the impact on water quality.

17 PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

The pursuit of partnerships that aim to improve finance, capacity-building, data acquisition and monitoring, science, innovation and technology in the water sector are essential to achieving SDG 6.

BULK WATER STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Turning sanitation infrastructure into a BATHROOM APPLIANCE

The current industry gold standard of sanitation is the flush toilet connected to waterborne systems. The other extreme is the ventilated pit latrine, which conjours up images of bad odours and flies, and is the antithesis of aspirational. But we can imagine a new industry that takes the best of both worlds – a standalone toilet system giving you the convenience of the flush toilet.

A typical waterborne sanitation system uses flush toilets, kilometres of sewer piping, high-energy pump stations, and large wastewater treatment plants –requiring vast amounts of land, water and trillions of rand in infrastructure investment. The vision for G2RT is that it can essentially provide the same basic sanitation functions of those large, costly systems in a space no bigger than the toilet itself. This innovative self-contained system that can

SANITATION STATISTICS

treat human waste safely in a house provides empowerment and ownership for the household. This brings back dignity to sanitation and offers an alternative to sewered networks. Indigent communities with no sewer system will no longer have to use toilets that offer an undignified experience. They will have their own toilet, and a better sense of responsibility and ownership for that toilet.

This sense of ownership will shift the perception that government is 100% responsible for the provision of sanitation to a more shared responsibility between South Africa’s citizens, the government and the private sector.

At a municipal level, engineers will be able to offer an alternative solution to developers and investors interested in growing new economic zones and creating jobs. But the biggest opportunity will be for businesses and investors seeking the transformative ‘Sanicorn’ opportunity as toilets such as these will revolutionise sanitation in the future.

• 4.5 billion people worldwide lack access to improved sanitation (nearly half of the world’s population)

• Close to 2 billion people lack even the most basic sanitation, such as toilets or latrines

• About 673 million people still defecate in the open, often in rivers where people fetch their drinking water

• In 2016, inadequate sanitation and hygiene are estimated to have caused more than 500 000 deaths from diarrhoea alone

• Preventable diarrhoeal diseases are the second-leading cause of death in children under age five

• The UN estimates that between now and 2050, the world’s population will grow by 2 billion people. More than 90% of that growth will be concentrated in cities and in developing countries – places that are least likely to have good sanitation

Generation 2 Reinvented Toilet (G2RT) builds on the exceptional innovations developed during the original Reinvent the Toilet Challenge programme. Without inlet water or output sewer lines, G2RT is designed to be a new, affordable toilet. Could this be the solution to the world’s sanitation problems?

There has been strong level of South African engagement from partners such as the Department of Science and Innovation, the Water Research Commission, eThekwini Municipality, Khanyisa Projects and the UKZN WASH Centre

The back end of the G2RT that sits outside the home

REINVENT THE TOILET CHALLENGE: A BRIEF HISTORY

• In 2011, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiated the Reinvent the Toilet challenge

• The aim was to spur the creation of new toilet technologies that safely and effectively manage human waste

• The foundation awarded grants to 16 researchers around the world to develop reinvented toilet technologies based on innovative approaches and engineering processes

• In 2012, a two-day Reinvent the Toilet Fair was held in Seattle, USA, where representatives from communities were encouraged to ultimately adopt these innovative approaches to sanitation

• In 2013, a Reinvent the Toilet Challenge was launched in India and China

• In 2014, the Water Research Commission (WRC), Department of Science and Innovation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation entered into a partnership to test reinvented toilets on its South African Sanitation Technology Evaluation Programme

• In 2018, there was a Reinvented Toilet Expo in Beijing, China, where there were product announcements and funding commitments aimed at accelerating the adoption of innovative, non-sewered sanitation technologies in developing regions around the world

• In 2019, the WRC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation relaunched the first reinvented commercial demonstration platform to pilot reinvented toilet models in various settlement types such as schools, rural, informal and urban environments and transition commercial partners into viable manufacturers and suppliers of reinvented toilet technologies

The prototype G2RT is the result of a global collaboration led out of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in the US. “We have gathered the best concepts from around the world and used expert engineering to integrate them into a single, standalone system,” explains Dr Shannon Yee, associate professor at Georgia Tech and lead on the G2RT programme supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

According to Yee, finding the right collaborators and then wrangling them to make decisions collectively as a global team was the hardest part of this programme. “But without this type of collaboration, solving such a complex problem would have been impossible.”

There has been a strong level of South African engagement from partners such as the Department of Science and Innovation, the Water Research Commission, eThekwini Municipality, Khanyisa Projects and the UKZN WASH Centre. Students that are part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s WASH Centre travelled to Georgia Tech to assist in the development of G2RT and are spearheading prototype testing in Durban.

The concept of G2RT is based on the premise of creating a wastewater treatment plant in a box, which safely treats faeces and recycles the water. The G2RT prototype has two parts: a front end, which looks like a typical flush toilet, and a back end, where the waste and water are processed.

When the toilet is flushed (with a small amount of water), the urine and faeces are separated.

The urine and flush water go through a multistep liquid filtration process that produces clean water. This water is then recirculated to flush the toilet.

Here, the faeces will get pasteurised, killing off all pathogens and eliminating odours before being pressed into cakes, which are then dried. These faeces cakes then fall into a receptacle that users can dispose of in the trash or compost. The waste itself is odourless and pathogen free.

Challenges

One of the challenges facing G2RT is the high cost, but the team has set an aspirational affordability target that will make it economical for all communities – indigent, low- and high-income areas. A key goal is to continue to simplify the

The concept of G2RT is based on the premise of creating a wastewater treatment plant in a box

TOP Dr Shannon Yee, associate professor at Georgia Tech and lead on the G2RT programme

ABOVE G2RT builds on the exceptional innovations developed during the original Reinvent the Toilet Challenge programme

system and pursue economies of scale to eventually lower the cost. “Together with research and development partners, we want to work alongside large manufacturing corporations to evolve the reinvented toilet design to make it less expensive, highly reliable, and adaptable to the diverse markets around the world,” Yee adds.

The G2RT prototype is remarkable, as it shows what is possible when a clear vision is set and global collaborative partnerships work towards solving the world’s sanitation challenges; however, it requires a few enablers, such as a visionary business with associated investors who transform the industry through mass production and supply models. But for this to become a reality, demand must be created and this is where national and local government is encouraged to become early customers, and to put policies in place to accelerate local manufacturing and adoption.

So, what is the goal behind the new toilet challenge? “To build an industry and create a thriving market that delivers life-changing sanitation innovations to the billions of people who need them. To transform sanitation from an unreliable and unequal system that endangers the health and livelihoods of billions, into a valuable enterprise,” concludes Yee.

YOU’VE BEEN HACKED! WATER SECTOR

This would be terrifying. A cyberattack on water infrastructure could lead to widespread panic and potentially significant illness and loss of life, with substantial effects on other critical services such as firefighting and hospitals. It could shut down our economy. It begs the question: is the water industry taking cybersecurity seriously?

By Kirsten Kelly

South Africa has the third highest number of victims of cybercrime in the world, costing us R2.2 billion a year, according to the Accenture State of Cyber Security Report 2021. Here are some more red flags:

• The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development recovered from a debilitating ransomware attack that unfolded in September last year, affecting all its electronic systems.

• Transnet was the target of a cyberattack that affected crucial systems and caused our ports to shut down. The attackers encrypted files on Transnet’s computer systems, thereby preventing the company from accessing their own information while leaving instructions on how to start ransom negotiations. The ransomware used in the attack likely originated from Russia or Eastern Europe.

• The National School of Government was targeted in a ransomware attack costing around R2 million.

• Private hospital group Life Healthcare was also targeted last year in an attack

that affected their admissions systems and email server.

These incidents paint a worrying picture of how vulnerable South Africa is to cybercriminals and even cyberwarfare. While digitalisation is reshaping the water sector for the better, it also increases cybersecurity vulnerabilities. A 2019 paper, titled ‘A Review of Cybersecurity Incidents in the Water Sector’, highlights an increase in the frequency, diversity and complexity of cyberthreats to the water sector.

Water utilities typically face the following cybersecurity threats:

• Criminals access water systems and flow operations, manipulating water flow and chemical dosages in water treatment works.

• Cyberattackers can gain access to customer data through water companies’ online payment systems.

• Attackers can also gain administrator credentials and work their way laterally through the water network.

Why is the water sector vulnerable?

“Unlike its critical infrastructure counterparts, the water sector is in the

hands of a vast array of organisations, many of which are small and underresourced. There is some level of data sharing and integration between these organisations and networks. When there is a cyberattack, it is dealt with in isolation; there is no sectorwide communication and sharing of the incident. This prevents the water industry from being proactive and learning from each other,” says Professor Annlizé Marnewick at the University of Johannesburg.

“Furthermore, the water sector relies on a variety of physical infrastructure and operational technology systems (sensors, actuators, logging devices, meters, pumps) that are connected to the internet to gather remote data

ON AN AVERAGE DAY

• Every 24 seconds a host accesses a malicious website

• Every 1 minute a bot communicates with its commandand-control centre

• Every 34 seconds an unknown malware is downloaded

• Every 5 minutes a high-risk application is downloaded

• Every 6 minutes a known malware is downloaded

• Every 36 minutes sensitive data is sent out of the organisation (Source: SecurePalm)

to support activities like metering and billing, or predictive equipment maintenance. There are many entry points for cybersecurity attacks within our sector,” explains Dr Jeremiah Mutamba, senior manager: Strategic Programmes, Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority.

Sunitha Venugopal, director at SecurePalm, adds that an organisation must close hundreds of hypothetical doors (entry points) to avoid a cyberattack, where a hacker only needs to find one open door to conduct a cyberattack. “The odds are stacked against all organisations, but the water industry is extremely vulnerable. Typically, this sector operates a lot of legacy-based operational technology with well-known vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can easily exploit. People are opposed to updating or changing these systems because they are expensive and still in working

HACKERS AND HOODIES: THE CHANGING NATURE OF WARFARE

Russia has attacked Ukraine by land, sea, air and cyberspace. In the hours before Russian troops invaded, Ukraine was hit by never-before-seen malware designed to wipe data. Russian cyberattacks have undermined the distribution of medicines, food and relief supplies. Their impact has ranged from preventing access to basic services to data theft and disinformation. Many of these cyberattacks have been designed to disrupt the provision of emergency services in the immediate aftermath of airstrikes.

Given that the USA and EU have banded together in support of Ukraine, the scope of a cyberwar could be broad. While all eyes have been on the RussiaUkraine war, the water sector in the USA has been preparing for an onslaught of cyberattacks from Russia that could lead to drinking water contamination, service disruptions and ransom demands.

As tensions between Russia and the USA rise, the threat of cyberattacks against water and wastewater infrastructure from all directions increases. The Biden administration has unveiled a 100-day action plan – a voluntary strategy – to increase the protection of water systems from attacks.

SMART WATER

SOME GLOBAL CYBERATTACKS ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

• A water treatment plant in Florida, USA, was attacked. In that incident, a hacker broke into the IT system of a water treatment plant and remotely accessed the computer system. The plant operator observed the mouse moving around on his screen and access various systems that control the water being treated. The hacker tried poisoning the supply, by adjusting sodium hydroxide levels from 100 parts per million to 11 100. Because the plant operator observed what was going on, the attack was thwarted in time.

• A wastewater treatment plant in Maroochy, Australia, was attacked by a person whose application for employment was rejected. This caused the plant’s pumps to stop working, where wastewater was discharged into the sea.

• A waterboard in Michigan, USA, had a ransomware attack where $25 000 was paid to cybercriminals in order to resume operations.

• Pumping stations and treatment facilities in Israel were attacked by cybercriminals suspected of being affiliated with the Iranian regime. They attempted to increase the level of chlorine in some of the water supply systems. The government quickly countered, prompting all the water and energy infrastructures in the country to change the passwords to all their Scada systems to guard against any further intrusions.

• Volue, a Norwegian company that equips several water treatment facilities with applications and software, fell victim to the Ryuk ransomware. The ransomware spread to the information systems of 200 public water suppliers in the country. Several customer front-end platforms were impacted.

order. These legacy systems often have a default configuration where you cannot change the username and password of the switch dashboard. Furthermore, updating operational technology with cybersecurity can be slow going, as services must run 24/7.”

Effective implementation factors of a cybersecurity system

The main purpose of cybersecurity is to protect all organisational assets from both external and internal threats, as well as disruptions caused due to natural disasters. The following factors need to be considered when implementing a cybersecurity system.

• Strategy: This will assist the water industry to reduce risk and promote resilience (quick recovery after an attack).

• Standards and protocol: To successfully implement cybersecurity, water institutions need to identify and comply with all mandatory cybersecurity requirements and controls.

• Culture: A cybersecurity culture needs to be embedded in the overall water industry culture. This is done

Attack

Removable media (USBs)

Spear phishing

Ransomware

Remote technicians

Software vulnerabilities

Virus and BOT

Missing boundary

by generating an awareness and knowledge of imminent threats. Globally, most data breaches in the water industry are the result of a human factor, and employees in the water sector must see cybersecurity policies as rules and not just guidelines.

• Program: A cybersecurity program is informed by strategy. Programs will allow multiple, timely and full backups of critical systems and data as well as program maintenance. One needs to practise the restoration of the system from backups. There should also be a business continuity plan in the event of a cyberattack.

• Insurance: Recovering from a cybersecurity attack could be expensive for organisations in the water industry. Cybersecurity insurance is an important risk management tool considering the sensitive nature of the data being generated in the water sector. This insurance will serve as an effective part of a resilience toolkit, to enable expert emergency support.

• Intelligence: Cyber intelligence is the knowledge, skills and experiencebased information concerning

SECURING AGAINST ATTACKS

Solution

End-point data protection

Threat emulation and extraction technologies

Anti-ransomware

Secure VPN connectivity and two-factor authentication

IDS/IPS

Anti-virus and anti-BOT

Firewall and segmentation

BEST PRACTICE FOR PASSWORDS

• Choose a lengthy password (more than 10 characters) – password length is more important than complexity

• Do not enforce regular password resets

• Screen all passwords against commonly used and compromised passwords

• Allow the pasting of passwords

• Enable ‘show password’ while typing

• Limit the number of failed password attempts before account lockout

• Implement two-factor authentication

cyberattacks and threats. It will help the water sector make faster, informed security decisions and change behaviour from reactive to proactive when combatting attacks.

Cyber intelligence tools allow the sector to leverage IT, joining other stakeholders (universities, CSIR, WRC) to create an environment for the research and review of challenges and

causes – ensuring a more proactive security position. “Like many other nations, South Africa has an overarching national cybersecurity strategy. National policy suggests that the water sector sets up a computer security incident response team (CSIRT) that shares any cybersecurity incidents with all water industry

bodies, as well as at a national level,” adds Marnewick.

• Worksheet: A cybersecurity worksheet will be used to keep a list of the highest cybersecurity risks, with details on how these will be addressed. The cybersecurity worksheet normally contains three sections: - cybersecurity actions - description notes - date of completion.

From the documentation process, institutions can draw valuable lessons to improve future cybersecurity management and share this information with each other.

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CUSTOMISED IoT pressure management solutions

Efficient processes are at the heart of digitalisation. With close to five decades of recording and processing measurement data, Keller offers a range of solutions from pressure sensors to the finished web app.

The path towards digitalisation begins with recording data, mostly with sensors. In addition to other values, pressure sensors can record the levels of lakes, rivers and groundwater. This data is mainly transmitted wirelessly via radio transmission, using technologies such as LoRaWAN or mobile communications (NB-IoT, LTE-M) and then saved to the cloud. From there, it can be retrieved on all possible end devices such as computers, tablets or mobile phones.

IoT service package

The internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects with sensors that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the internet or other communications networks. Keller offers a comprehensive IoT measuring system

that allows the user to take an immediate step towards digitalisation, without much effort and at a low cost, where:

• no software solutions or hardware needs to be created

• a working and tested measurement data recording system can be accessed

• no separate, technically advanced training is necessary.

Keller’s measuring system is designed so that each part of the measuring chain has a specific interface. The user can incorporate the measurement data processing system into their own information system due to an open cloud application programming interface (API). All individual interfaces are available, so that users have free choice, in terms of implementation, as to whether they would like to set up the entire system or only parts of it.

Step by step approach to digitalisation

1 2 3

Specify data recording points/ measuring points.

Define a suitable pressure transmitter based on requirements such as accuracy, compatibility of media. Select transmission technology by assessing available network coverage at measuring point. The measuring points selected should be as close as possible to the person responsible for the system so the discrepancy can be found and remedied in the event of a fault on-site. Verification of the measured values recorded should also be performed during operation at the measuring location.

4

5 6 7

Operate measuring points with the help of a graphical representation in the cloud for a few weeks and monitor closely.

Expand the measuring system (POC) with additional, possibly technically critical, measuring points and close monitoring of any discrepancies.

UptoStep5,theIoTKellermeasuring systemisusedwithlittleinvestment. Itmustnowbeassessedwhetherthe systemistobekeptasitis,orwhether adeeperintegrationofthesysteminto thecompany’ssoftwareisdesired.

Automatic data synchronisation between the measuring system and the company’s own cloud. Many service providers do not know the process of generating IoT measurement data. Keller can assist in establishing clear and concrete functional requirements for the measurement data it records in an external system.

Complete vertical integration.

The sensor that records the data is one of the most important parts of the IoT system because decisions are made and actions taken based on its measurements

Individual integration levels from the pressure sensor series 9L up to the Kolibri Cloud web app

Keller comprehensive IoT service package

CYBERSECURITY Start now with

With the water industry embracing new technologies, cybersecurity threats are an unfortunate reality. WASA talks to Johan Potgieter, cluster leader: Industrial Software, Schneider Electric, about securing water operations.

How can the water industry protect itself against cybersecurity threats?

JP Your first line of protection consists of the people working for/contracted to water services authorities (WSAs), companies and municipalities. Are they aware of cybersecurity threats? Have they received cybersecurity training?

To illustrate the importance of cyber training, there was a recent case in Saudi Arabia, where an oil company underwent a series of penetration tests. The company’s network and software managed to thwart all attempts. As a last resort, a person handed out USB sticks (that hosted a virus) to the company’s employees

and managed to infect computers with malware. Within minutes, the company was penetrated.

The next line of protection entails processes, such as the way in which the network is maintained, how backups take place, types of vendors used and password management. Lastly, technology (such as firewalls and software) is used as a line of protection.

When should an entity start implementing cybersecurity measures?

Immediately. Data is a valuable asset for any company, so whether your company is entirely paperless or still stores data on paper, that data must be protected. It is important to consider what technology a company plans to adopt in their digitalisation plans going forward – but it is even more important to secure a company in its current situation. Cybersecurity will adjust as a company reaches digital maturity. It is far more cost-effective to adopt cybersecurity measures in the early phases of a business.

What is Schneider Electric’s approach to cybersecurity?

Schneider Electric works on three

levels, starting at the bottom layer and working up to the cloud:

1) Connected products (hardware that connects to a Scada system or the cloud): Here, cybersecurity measures would be implemented to prevent unauthorised people from controlling the drive.

2) Edge control (data storage, Scada system): Routers, switchers, software, user security enablement and two-factor authentication can be implemented.

3) Apps and analytics (cloud platforms): Gateways, and protocol secure connect can be installed. With our systems, as soon as raw data is uploaded to the cloud or is on the dashboard, it cannot be altered or changed. Businesses use data to make decisions and as soon data is skewed, there is a risk that incorrect decisions are made. Data protection and how it is managed is very important.

Before proposing a cybersecurity solution, we always start with an assessment to understand a client’s needs. Cybersecurity can be daunting due to the vast number of available products. We evaluate a client’s network, system architecture, policies and procedures, industry compliance,

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risk assessment, security assurance level and a gap analysis.

The next step is the design phase, where a small cybersecurity programme is developed and we list projects that need to be implemented, their cost and duration.

Step three is the implementation phase that covers an entity’s procurement, staging, system, commissioning, end-user training, hardware and software, backups and data loss prevention. From there, Schneider Electric will continue to partner with the company, monitoring the cybersecurity policies and programmes in place, as well as making sure that all systems are up to date and tested regularly and employees are regularly trained.

What misconceptions do companies have regarding cybersecurity?

The first misconception is that an entity is too small to implement cybersecurity measures. Small-sized entities are prone to data loss, business disruption and intellectual theft.

The next misconception is that only IT should have cybersecurity. The water industry is increasingly relying on operational technology (OT) like sensors, PLCs and Scada systems, and OT is being connected to IT. OT assets have a long life cycle of several years or more, and their underlying operating systems tend to be more dated compared to IT assets, which are routinely updated and replaced. This makes them particularly vulnerable to attacks that arise from IT issues, as the OT system could contain software loopholes that have not been patched.

How does Schneider Electric stay up to date with evolving cybersecurity threats?

We have developed strong partnerships with various companies such as Fortinet. Schneider Electric also has a dedicated Cybersecurity business unit that constantly updates all software and tests for potential threats. There are 3 700 engineers and cybersecurity specialists worldwide that constantly monitor and test our own and our clients’ systems against cybersecurity threats.

Chester Foster, GM, The SBS Group Johan Potgieter

BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY IN TRYING TIMES

South African businesses continue to show resilience despite the many challenges faced in the past several years –Day Zero water risks, loadshedding, the Covid-19 pandemic, July 2021 riots and KwaZulu-Natal flooding.

The SBS Group has not been immune to the impact of these challenges, but we continue to stand firm in our commitment to assist businesses. Lack of access to quality water can threaten economic growth,” says Chester Foster, GM, The SBS Group.

In a water-scarce country, conserving water while ensuring that businesses have enough water to operate is a key priority. Businesses must evaluate their water needs and the impact water scarcity,

interruption or the discontinuation of supply will have on their operations.

“SBS Tanks, a division of The SBS Group, has an established legacy of over 24 years supplying water and liquid storage solutions that can assist business owners with the installation of rainwater harvesting, backup water storage or wastewater remediation solutions, as well as calculate their return on investment,” explains Foster.

He adds that SBS Tanks uses its in-house engineering team to design solutions for a business’s existing and growth needs, which can be expanded should budgetary constraints exist. “Our SBS Tanks are modular and can utilise vertical space where footprint is limited, and be increased by the addition of further panels and rings where water requirements

SBS Tanks is a proud member of #SurplusWater2025. By reusing water, businesses build resilience, as well as reduce the risks posed by water interruptions and the impact on operations. While installing water storage tanks plays a key role in improving water security, SBS greatly values water education. The company believes in empowering business owners, employees, community members and school learners to take ownership of their water consumption. SBS Tanks works with all stakeholders to find solutions to maximise resources and to understand the importance of waste-to-value with respect to rainwater harvesting, as well as effective and safe water storage and recycling.

increase. They can also be retrofitted in existing business premises, even in parking garages if necessary, and require no heavyduty equipment for installation.”

Reducing water consumption in a water-scarce country needs to be a business priority – not merely from a cost perspective, but for environmental, risk management and operational sustainability. By reusing water – especially water originally from rainwater catchment – businesses build resilience, reduce the risks posed by water interruptions and the impact on operations.

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Chester Foster, GM, The SBS Group

SBS TANKS

Cutting water losses = GROWING REVENUES

A case study conducted by the Vuthela iLembe Local Economic Development (LED) Programme on the causes of technical and non-technical water losses in municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal details the concomitant loss of revenue.

This case study, as part of the Vuthela programme’s Municipal Infrastructure component, has demonstrated how iLembe District Municipality (IDM) could improve revenue generation and curtail nonphysical water losses. Non-physical water losses refer to municipal water supplies that are ‘lost’ through nonpayment and do not include water lost through leaks or burst pipes.

Sundumbili area

Water metering and billing were assessed within a pilot area of

being collected. The world average for non-revenue water is 36.6%. According to Stats SA, the Sundumbili area had 10 858 households and 32 629 residents. This represented about 5.7% of the total number of households (191 370) in the IDM.

This area was selected to conduct the pilot study to determine commercial losses, as it was typical of many areas where meter reading inaccuracy, data transfer errors and unauthorised connections had led to a loss in revenue.

The project focused on the process of meter reading, meter data management, transfer of the data to the billing system, and the billing process. The study also evaluated the actual billing and sales volumes against the volume of metered water supplied by the municipality.

It was found that Sundumbili was a formal area with good potential for metering, reading, billing and cost recovery. Most properties were metered, but meter maintenance, reading, billing and cost recovery were deficient, resulting in excessive water use and loss of income.

Findings

About 25 000 prepaid meters were not

and revert to conventional meters. Approximately 60% of the water connections were considered illegal and often resulted in leakages.

The billed consumption was found to be 44% higher than the actual metered consumption, suggesting that the metered consumption estimated for billing purposes was inflated and customers were not billed based on their actual consumption. However, the average rate per kilolitre was in line with the average domestic rate of the municipality.

Analysis of the prepaid water purchases between January and March 2019 indicated the average user purchased R236 of water, which was about 13 kℓ /month. It was also noted that some users had spent more than R1 000 per month on prepaid water purchases.

Metering and billing had become critical political issues in the area. Consumers who did not pay were disconnected, but this was difficult to enforce.

It emerged that there were over 3 000 stands in the area that were being supplied with water but were not included in the IDM database. This area, known as Manda Farm, is an urban development but has not yet been

housing standards in this area indicate that users should be able to afford payment for water services, but they are not being billed due to the informal, unmetered connections.

Meter readings

A detailed investigation of the meter reading process in other parts of the municipality revealed that the water meters in the municipality were read manually and the recorded data was transferred to the electronic billing system. The transfer process was found to be accurate, with few errors.

However, an analysis of the meter reading dates revealed that most of the meters had not been read in the past six months. In these cases, the municipality billed according to estimates. But estimates would not reflect the actual water used if household demographics changed due to improved facilities or occupant numbers.

Only 46% of the meters in Sundumbili were last read in 2019, and the bulk of the Mandeni prepaid meters were last read in 2016. This presented a potential loss of significant income to the municipality. About R7 million in additional income could be generated every month if all conventional meters

were read and billed on a regular basis.

The study recommended that all consumers with individual water connections be metered. Accounts should be opened for consumers who have conventional and prepaid meters. The IDM should consider alternative billing options for unmetered consumers, such as a flat rate instead of block tariffs.

There should be a routine analysis of water consumption to identify consumers with low or high consumption patterns, or where meters may have malfunctioned, to ensure the correct water volumes were recorded and billed.

Unauthorised connections and theft of water – where consumers deliberately tamper with their metered connection to reduce or eliminate flow or connect illegally to existing municipal water services – should be located with an advanced programme to detect unauthorised consumption.

Full implementation of the smart metering system was recommended to ensure up-to-date electronic data was available for billing.

It was suggested that an automatic meter reading telemetry system be installed and maintained at reservoir sites to limit lengthy daily trips

to monitor the status of the bulk distribution system and to ensure accurate reporting for drafting the monthly water balance. This would allow for more effective planning as the volume of water that is available to the municipality at any given time will be known.

The municipality should allocate days for meter reading and repairs by the meter readers. Meter readers should be provided with the correct materials and tools to undertake meter maintenance. Meter readers have undergone training in performing basic plumbing, but refresher courses should be provided annually.

A proper metering strategy requires that connections are metered, that all meters are properly installed and in working condition, and that the average meter error is within economic limits and in line with legislation. It was recommended that domestic meters should be considered for replacement before they have been in use for 10 years and bulk meters before 5 years.

Water utilities should therefore replace 8% to 12% of consumer meters every year to avoid possible meter replacement backlogs, resulting in the need to replace all meters at

VUTHELA ILEMBE LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (LED) PROGRAMME

• This is a joint initiative of the State Secretariat of Economic Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, iLembe District Municipality, and KwaDukuza and Mandeni Municipalities.

• It is a five-year comprehensive LED programme in the iLembe District to promote sustainable inclusive economic growth and job creation through initiatives to improve municipal finances as well as municipal infrastructure planning and delivery, support private sector development through business environment reforms and SMME development, support sector initiatives promoting inclusive growth, and drive partnerships and coordination.

• The LED programme aims to improve the economic future of residents in the iLembe District through sustainable economic growth of the local economy and the creation of more inclusive employment and incomegenerating opportunities.

• The efficient management of water demand and supply is central to this aim, as water is essential for survival, health and safety, economic activities, social development, social equity, environmental protection and political stability.

once. Consumer meters should be repaired, replaced and maintained on an ongoing and regular basis. Regular meter testing should be undertaken to assess meter accuracy.

All meters should be read every one to four months, depending on budget and staff availability. Customers should be allowed to submit their own readings to limit interim estimates and promote awareness of their water consumption.

The municipality’s finance department should perform a data integrity check to validate the correctness of data entered, such

as meter reading dates. The meter readings should inform actual billed consumption volumes.

Recommendations

The study concluded that ensuring improved metering, meter reading, record management and analysis would lead to more accurate consumer billing and water balances. Accurate records will also ensure more accurate reporting and better planning.

In the long term, it will improve the consumer’s trust in the water services provider and ensure the sustainability of

water services. The study also recommended that all prepaid meter devices that were installed on to conventional meters should be removed. This initiative should be accompanied by a communication strategy to inform consumers of the change and implications of being put on the municipal billing system, so that they can receive accurate monthly water bills.

An upgrade of the information management system was also recommended. It was suggested that the asset register and prepaid meter information be consolidated to create a single database for meter reading, billing and revenue management.

The case study and its recommendations have been presented to the senior management of the IDM, who are now considering implementation plans.

The case study and its methodology can be applied to any municipality that is keen to effect water saving and generate revenue more efficiently, thus addressing two of the most urgent obstacles to efficient service delivery and local economic development.

Union Tiles and JoJo and Corporate Citizenship.

BIG BUSINESS USING JoJo at Scale

As handmade terrazzo tiles enjoy a global surge in popularity, Union Tiles – one of the largest independent tile distributors and manufacturers in South Africa – decided to install an on-site water recycling system at its Bedfordview factory.

“The manufacture of terrazzo tiles is a water-intensive process. They are pressed, cured, then polished through a diamond polishing procedure. Most of the water used in curing and polishing the tiles with diamond abrasives. After pressing, the tiles have a cement finish and are sent through a linear diamond polisher, which polishes the face of the tile and exposes the marble stone within it. Water is used in the process to polish the tiles up to a high shine and gloss,” explains Warren Calvey,

production manager, Union Tiles. A dam on the property provides water for the manufacturing process. Water is pumped from the dam to the factory and is stored in JoJo Tanks, each holding 5 000 litres. After the polishing process, the water is then gathered at the bottom of the machine in sumps or water pits, and pumped back to the dam. From the dam, on a separate pumping system, water is pumped back to the factory and stored in the JoJo tanks.

The JoJo Tanks play a key role in ensuring that the tiles are cost-effective and environmentally friendly. “The terrazzo tile is a completely natural product, with a green footprint.

“Without this recycling system, the tiles would not be cost-effective to manufacture nor environmentally

friendly, due to the large volumes of water used in their manufacture. We use thirty 5 000 litre JoJo Tanks that are operational in the factory alone, which are drawn to their daily capacity. It is an effective, cost-efficient system,” says Calvey.

Union Tiles has nearly fifty 5 000 litre JoJo tanks on-site that serve a dual purpose: to store water and recycle it to the manufacturing plant, as well as for rainwater harvesting to service the office buildings and other water points. This translates into an important water cost saving for Union Tiles.

Incorporating the iconic JoJo Tanks into their recycling system will ensure this long-established business continues to produce classic terrazzo tiles in a manner that is cost-effective, efficient and environmentally friendly.

SCAN HERE CONTACT

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WISA2022BIENNIAL CONFERENCEANDEXHIBITION

WHY PARTICIPATE THROUGH SPONSORSHIP?

Increase your pre-conference exposure through marketing coverage (website/social media/mailers)

Raise your profile above your competitors

Increase recognition and drive traffic to your exhibition stand/website

Marketing platform through branding and acknowledgement

Contribute to and be actively involved in the development and growth of the industry and those that work in the water sector

Deliver a greater ROI. Sponsoring an event can often be cheaper and have a higher return on investment than a TV commercial or other advertising methods

Contribute to the upliftment of science and technology

Increase your company’s perceived image – sponsoring such a big, professional and reputable event will provide the impression that your company is a reputable one

Gain the respect and creditability of your target audience

WISA will once again host the flagship event of the Southern African water sector, bringing together regional and international water professionals, companies, regulators and stakeholders.

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Groundwater has the muscle to push back Day Zero – but are we protecting it?

Groundwater is being used in the fight against the worst drought in Nelson Mandela Bay’s recorded history. To stop the taps from running dry, businesses, citizens and NGOs are drilling boreholes in Gqeberha. But, among the panic and desperation, is enough care being taken to protect this precious resource?

By Kirsten Kelly

Covering 1 959 km 2 , Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) is a major seaport and automotive manufacturing centre. With below-average rainfall being experienced in catchment areas, dam levels have continued to decline rapidly. The combined storage levels have not been above 25% since February 2020. As dam levels continue to decline, it is groundwater that is augmenting water supply in the region.

“Depending on its quality, groundwater is generally more affordable than water reuse or desalination. It is a ‘sleeping giant’ and has huge potential in improving the region’s water security. Groundwater flows a lot slower than surface water and can provide water when the surface water sources are stressed.

Then, when rainfall levels improve, and the rivers start flowing again, the groundwater can be recharged, while the surface water sources again become the primary water source.

Groundwater can buffer the impacts of drought,” says Neville Paxton, chairman: Eastern Cape Branch, Ground Water Division (GWD).

NMB has a complex, favourable geology for good-quality groundwater with relatively high yield. It mostly comprises sedimentary rocks that have undergone tectonic stress, resulting in the mountainous landscapes and large faults that are subsequently overlain with aeolian and alluvial material. There have been highly successful groundwater development projects in and around the city for the municipal, industrial and private sectors. When the big water users become completely, or

partially, dependent on groundwater, that volume is freed up for other end-users.

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) conducted groundwater investigations during the 2010/11 Eastern Cape drought, and it was found that some properties owned by NMBM had a high groundwater potential. Subsequently, over 200 boreholes were drilled to locate suitable sites.

Two boreholes at the Coegakop Wellfied of 88 ℓ/s and 24 ℓ/s artesian flow rates respectively (Photo credit: Dr Ricky Murray, Groundwater Africa)

Neville Paxton, chairman: Eastern Cape Branch, Ground Water Division

These potential sites were identified:

NMBM then developed a plan where it is anticipated that a sustainable yield of around 35 Mℓ/day can be abstracted through groundwater sources. The plan entails:

Coegakop Wellfield and Water Treatment Works (WTW): The drilling of five production boreholes is finished and the WTW should reach completion in the next few months. It is estimated that an additional 12.5 Mℓ/day should be available at the end of the project.

St. George’s Park Wellfield: Highpotential groundwater sites were identified at St. George’s Park, which also falls along the Moregrove Fault. To date, nine boreholes have been drilled – four of which were identified for production purposes. The four production boreholes have been drilled with an estimated yield of 2.1 to 3.6 Mℓ/day. Water from the boreholes will be filtered, disinfected and blended into the existing water supply system. The contract is currently under construction with an estimated completion date in August.

Moregrove Fault Wellfield: These wellfields are completed and comprise boreholes at:

• Fort Nottingham – three production boreholes with an estimated yield of 1 Mℓ/day.

• Glendenning – three production boreholes with an estimated yield of 2.2 Mℓ/day.

• Fairview – four production boreholes with an estimated yield of 0.96 Mℓ/day.

Bushy Park Wellfield: To date, 18 boreholes have been drilled, of which 10 are marked for production.

Groundwater from these boreholes will be disinfected and blended into the Churchill pipeline situated near the wellfield and will supplement the water supply to the western side of NMB, which will reduce the severe pressure of the water demand required from the sources through the western water supply system. It is estimated that an additional 10.5 to 13.7 M ℓ /day should be available on completion of this scheme. The contract is currently under construction with an estimated completion date in August 2022.

Churchill Wellfield (Future) : 73 boreholes were drilled on municipal property around Churchill Dam, 19 of which were identified for production purposes. Groundwater from these boreholes will augment the raw water supply from Churchill Dam and water will be treated at the existing WTW. Conceptual designs have been completed and commencement is dependent on the provision of funding. It is estimated that an additional 3 to 4.3 Mℓ /day should be available on completion of this scheme. An additional 26 boreholes could see an increase of between 5.6 and 8.9 Mℓ /day.

Non-potable groundwater use at municipal facilities: NMBM has drilled 27 boreholes at selected municipal pools, parks, stadiums and sports fields. Of these, seven provided suitable water quality and sufficient sustainable yield to take the respective facilities off-grid. All seven boreholes were equipped in June 2019 and have cumulatively saved NMBM 19 000 k ℓ of potable water to date.

Word of caution

Paxton cautions all potential users against choosing the cheapest groundwater solution. “Groundwater development can be a costly investment. However, the worst approach is to take the cheapest route. Currently, there is a lot of panic and a rush to drill boreholes in NMB and people are choosing inexperienced and unqualified people to do the job. From the start, get a registered professional scientist who is a member of the GWD to guide you –from locating the best position to drill, sourcing reputable drillers, managing the drill process, yield and quality testing to helping you find the correct pumps and registering or licensing the borehole.” Each rock type has different characteristics and in NMB, there is a lot of sand and loose particles, hard rock and clay, as well as rock layers that yield highly saline groundwater. A hydrogeologist therefore needs to work with drillers to design a

borehole. By doing this, one can avoid disappointment and needless expenditure in the long run.

“I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to get a qualified hydrogeologist to manage the whole groundwater development process.

South Africa has some of the best fractured aquifer hydrogeologists in the world. Do your due diligence. There has been an influx of ‘one stop shops’ and self-proclaimed ‘hydrogeologists’ with zero quality control. And because groundwater is shrouded in folklore and mystery, they find it easy to evade responsibility when something goes wrong,” he continues.

A common misconception is that groundwater does not require maintenance; however, if a hydrogeologist is working with a suitable driller, the borehole will be designed appropriately for the geology, and the required maintenance will be less frequent. Huge maintenance costs will arise when untested groundwater that contains certain mineral elements is connected to an irrigation or plumbing system, causing damage to pipes and pumps over time. This can be averted or mitigated at the very beginning. Regularly inspecting the pump and borehole integrity will also improve the longevity of both.

As an unseen and often forgotten resource, Paxton feels that there is a dire need for education around groundwater. “I often see water cycle diagrams that do not include groundwater. Everyone needs to be aware of its value and potential.”

Policy and regulation

While South Africa has topnotch groundwater policies, the implementation of these policies is the challenge. However, the goal of all policies and regulation is to protect groundwater for the use of all South Africans.

It is mandatory to register a borehole with NMBM. “Unfortunately, the current

application process for registering and or licensing boreholes is tedious, unnecessarily rigid with a box-ticking approach that is often non-site-specific. This dissuades end-users from even starting the process. Regulatory bodies need to create an enabling environment rather than take a punitive role. But this is a challenge, as they are understaffed,” adds Paxton.

Registering boreholes creates invaluable data for the municipality, where the levels of groundwater abstraction from the aquifer can be understood and accurate water supply strategies can be formulated.

He suggests that there is a need for groundwater user associations (similar to water user associations) where private stakeholders manage their own groundwater in a sustainable manner together with guidance from government. “Monitoring groundwater use with a flow meter and levels with a sensor will ensure that a borehole is used

sustainably and is a legal requirement by the Department of Water and Sanitation. It protects the end-user with surety of supply but also helps immensely in the licensing process. As a user of a borehole, it is important to understand how an aquifer is reacting to groundwater abstraction.”

Advice for municipalities

While groundwater should not be a standalone solution in pushing back Day Zero, it is an integral part of the solution. “All municipalities should make use of groundwater now, even if there is a good rain season and no threat of drought. Do not wait for a crisis. Furthermore, make use of experienced and qualified hydrogeologists to manage groundwater. When projects are put together to go out for tender, they need to be designed and implemented by hydrogeologists – not drillers or NGOs. This will promote quality control and long-term supply,” concludes Paxton.

A successful water strike; groundwater rises to the surface under its own pressure (Photo credit: Stefanutti Stocks)

Covering 1 959 km2, Nelson Mandela Bay is a major seaport and automotive manufacturing centre

The Ozone and UV REVOLUTION

The world is yet again undergoing a revolution in water treatment, this time led by ultraviolet (UV) light and ozone technologies. By Chetan Mistry

The chemical treatment of water is very effective but it also has drawbacks. Other than the environmental concerns, it’s not always practical to use chemicals such as chlorine on a smaller scale or for specific applications. Treatment facilities are also keen to reduce the amount of chemicals they have to stockpile and manage. Ozone and UV have become popular, as either alternatives or complementary additions to chlorine systems.

UV and ozone are very potent nonchemical ways to destroy many types of water contaminants, including bacteria, parasites and viruses (even SARS-CoV-2), as well as the removal of some metals. Both UV and ozone are naturally occurring cleansing agents. UV’s power was discovered 140 years ago when scientists worked out that sunlight kills some types of pathogens.

The UV light triggers chemical reactions inside microorganisms that essentially destroy their genetic structures and make it much harder for them to reproduce. Ozone is far more aggressive, attacking the cell walls and coatings of viruses, cysts, pathogens and bacteria, killing all on contact. Ozone also reacts with colour,

taste and odour compounds, leaving a clear, tasteless sparkling water behind.

UV and ozone often complement chlorine treatment systems to create safe drinking water from heavily polluted water sources, allowing for the safe reuse of wastewaters back to potable standards.

Many wastewater facilities want to reduce their chlorine use for safety or environmental reasons. They retrofit selfcontained UV and ozone systems to their lines, which drastically reduces chemical usage and manual oversight hours.

Both technologies also stand on their own. They are commonly used to clean fruits and vegetables of bacteria and fungi – the South African citrus industry is a world leader in using ozone to clean its produce. Hospitals routinely sterilise rooms with ozone – it’s faster and doesn’t leave a chemical residue. Recently, scientists from Japan’s Fujita Health University proved that low-level ozone gas could neutralise coronavirus particles without causing harm to humans.

Ozone systems are also becoming popular for treating swimming pool water and washing vehicles without using corrosive chemicals. Temporary or remote locations, such as construction sites and mines, use ozone and UV to recycle water.

A better world with UV and ozone? Chlorine remains the most popular choice for treating water. It’s cheap, abundant and ruthlessly effective. Ozone and UV don’t necessarily compete with chlorine. Instead, they help reduce chlorine use, lessening risks and environmental impact, and offer alternatives where chlorine is impractical or dangerous.

Ozone and UV systems today are compact and self-contained. The best products require little to no maintenance. They are either highly portable or simple to add to existing infrastructure. All a company typically needs is access to reliable electricity; then they can run an ozone generator and UV contacting systems.

The technologies do have drawbacks, ozone does not last long, breaking back down to oxygen after just a short period. UV is safe but has limited intensity and all contaminants need to be exposed to the UV light for a short period for it to be effective. Nonetheless, UV is still very effective when used for lowerdemand cleansing or with other hygiene methods. Ozone is a heavyweight –one of the best disinfectant agents known to humanity.

Chetan Mistry, strategy and marketing manager, Xylem Africa

A guide to chemical oxygen demand (COD) testing

PART 1

COD is the amount of oxygen needed to oxidise the organic matter in water. COD testing therefore can be used to easily quantify the amount of organics in water.

COD and BOD

COD contrasts with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), which relies on the use of microorganisms to break down the organic material in the sample by aerobic respiration over the course of a set incubation period (typically five days).

BOD and COD correlate with one another in virtually all samples, but BOD is always lower than COD, as the biochemical breakdown of organics is often not as complete as the chemical method. Since a BOD test takes five days to complete, and a COD test takes only a

few hours, the COD test is preferred. If BOD were always used, treated wastewater would need to be held, and problems with the treatment process would not be detected until five days later.

of organic waste before discharging into receiving waters.

If water treatment facilities do not reduce the organic content of wastewater before it reaches natural waters, microbes in the receiving water will consume the

organic matter. As a result, these microbes will also consume the oxygen in the receiving water as part of the breakdown of organic waste. This oxygen depletion, along with nutrient-rich conditions, is called eutrophication – a condition of natural water that can lead to the death of animal life.

Wastewater facilities reduce COD and BOD by using these same microbes under controlled conditions. These facilities aerate chambers injected with specialised bacteria that can break down the organic matter in an environment that does not harm natural waters. A reduction in BOD is used in these facilities as a benchmark for treatment effectiveness.

How to measure COD

COD measures organic matter by using a chemical oxidant. It is critical that a strong

COD is a critical waste treatment measurement in everything from municipal systems to food manufacturing waste streams. It determines wastewater treatment effectiveness and diagnoses problems in treatment.

By Ralf Christoph, GM, Hanna Instruments

South Africa

organic matter in a wide variety of waste samples.

Currently, most COD tests use potassium dichromate, which is a bright orange hexavalent chromium salt, as the oxidant. Between 95% and 100% of organic material can be oxidised by dichromate. Once dichromate oxidises a substance, it is converted to a trivalent form of chromium, which is a dull green colour.

Digestion is performed on the samples with a set amount of the oxidant, sulfuric acid and heat (150°C). Metal salts

are usually included to suppress any interferences and to catalyse the digestion. This takes two hours to perform.

During the digestion, it is necessary to have excess oxidant; this ensures complete oxidation of the sample. Therefore, it is important to determine the quantity of excess oxidant, with the two most common methods for this being titration and colorimetry.

If wastewater with high levels of COD is discharged into rivers and dams, it will result in oxygen depletion along with nutrient-rich conditions called eutrophication

COD vials

HI932 – titrators

HI83399 multiparameter photometer

Constructed in the mid1960s as a pump station, with the addition of biofilters in the 1970s and biological processes in the 1990s, the Darvill Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) has always been an engineering feat. The fourth upgrade is nearly complete, having continued the tradition of embracing innovation.

By Kirsten Kelly

UMGENI WATER flagship project nears completion

The Darvill WWTW is owned and operated by Umgeni Water and serves Msunduzi Municipality, receiving and treating both domestic and industrial wastewater from the city of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal. Its original design capacity was 65 M ℓ /day, which has been upgraded to 100 M ℓ /day, with plans for a further 20 M ℓ /day extension in future.

Steady increases in the hydraulic load, a 33% spike in the organic load in recent years, a population of around half a million, and a reduction to the plant’s discharge limits prompted the current upgrade. “Currently, different industries are supplying wastewater to Darvill. The upgrade has therefore given us the opportunity to install robust processes that can deal with the effluent and different contaminants from these industries,” adds Lindelani Sibiya, project manager, Umgeni Water.

Sustainability

Furthermore, the Darvill WWTW

has been upgraded to include two sustainability projects:

• Methane generated by the anaerobic digesters (currently as boiler fuel) may be directed to a gas-to-electricity cogeneration plant. The project is at feasibility stage.

• A 2 Mℓ/day direct reuse plant is in the final stages of commission.

“This is a flagship WWTW for Umgeni Water due to its size, the iconic eggshaped digesters and, more importantly, its processes that embrace a circular economy. Bulk water is our core business, and we therefore focus on maintaining and improving the quality of water throughout the water cycle. Catchment management is extremely important. We have to treat our wastewater properly so that, when it is discharged back into the catchment, we can use that water again,” explains Megan Schalkwyk, process engineer, Umgeni Water.

Umgeni Water is focused on reducing waste, keeping resources in use for longer, and limit4ing the use of additional natural resources.

Sludge disposal

Currently, sludge generated by the anaerobic digesters is directed to an external commercial enterprise for turf grass manufacture. This is a sustainable option for the solid waste generated at the plant.

Umgeni Water is investigating the feasibility of installing an electricity cogeneration process (combined heat and power). The most unusual structures on the project are the

Megan Schalkwyk, process engineer, Umgeni Water

Lindelani Sibiya, project manager, Umgeni Water

egg-shaped digesters. The upgrade includes the construction of two additional 36 m high, 18 m diameter egg-shaped digesters. These ‘concrete eggs’ are the third and fourth of their kind in South Africa – their predecessors being the existing two built in 1975.

Approximately 25 000 kg/day of sludge is fed into these digesters, with methane-rich gas emitted during the digestion process. This gas shall be used to generate electricity (for Darvill WWTW) through a process referred to as cogeneration, yielding 800-1 000 kW of electricity per day.

Water reuse demonstration plant

Additionally, a new 2 M ℓ /day water reuse demonstration plant was designed, which will treat the final effluent to potable standards. The plant incorporates several advanced technologies – such as advanced oxidation and biologically activated filters and ultrafiltration membranes –thereby providing multiple barriers against contaminants of emerging concern such as nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals and endocrinedisruptor breakthrough.

Initially, it will be used as process water and provide opportunities for further research into complexity, efficiency, life-cycle costs and adaptability of water reuse in the South African context. It will be a valuable example of reclamation in practice to stakeholders.

Bubble diffused aeration system

The biological treatment system has been changed from a modified Johannesburg system to a three-stage Phoredox biological nutrient removal system. This treatment process has been optimised by adding a bubble diffused aeration system that is more energy efficient than surface aerators. The fine-bubble diffused aeration system supplies oxygen to the metabolising microorganisms.

“The 7 m deep aerobic reactor is used (owing to space constraints), which has resulted in an increase in the oxygen transfer efficiency for the treatment process. This system allows for smaller air bubbles to be introduced into the reactor, creating a larger surface area for the mass transfer of oxygen into liquid. This reduces power use while increasing efficiency,” says Schalkwyk.

Challenges

One of the main challenges with this upgrade was the phasing in and out of unit processes and deciding what to decommission first. The plant was already under strain due to capacity issues, so this meant reduced capacity over that period.

“At times, we had to make decisions to forgo compliance for a while, in order to allow the contractor to shut down existing infrastructure, while at the same time the inherent challenges of operating Darvill continued, such as trade effluent illegal discharges

• Primary treatment

- An additional 40 m diameter primary settling tank with a surface area of 1 250 m 2

• Biological treatment

- Conversion of existing modified Johannesburg process to a three-stage Phoredox BNR system

- Construction of new reinforced concrete aerobic reactor (40 150 m 3)

• Air for biological treatment

- Blower house to provide air supply for a fine bubble diffused air aeration system

- 4 x 645 kW blowers each with a rated delivery of 7 m 3/sec @ 90 kPa

- Air header mains

- 14 256 diffusers in four aeration lanes

• Secondary treatment

- 2 x 35 m diameter secondary settling tanks

- New chlorine house and scrubber system

• Advanced treatment

- Conventional water treatment works

- Ultrafiltration and advanced oxidation system

SUMMARY OF UPGRADES TO THE DARVILL WWTW

At Darvill WWTW, Umgeni Water is gradually implementing projects to make a circular economy more achievable

and unreliable power supply,” says Mulalo Murigwathoho, systems manager, Umgeni Water. The rainy season was worse, as it meant delays on construction, guaranteed process failures, and complaints from the canoeing community. A number of directives were issued during the course of the upgrade, because of some of these failures.

Later on, the main contractor abandoned the contract and work stopped for approximately two years, while processes to appoint another contractor were in progress. That caused the employer to take on the operation and maintenance of incomplete processes and operations, and remaining with infrastructure no longer under warranty and guarantee. Some of this equipment had never been operational and Umgeni Water had to take on the risk to rehabilitate later on. The project suffered a significant setback when the main contractor filed for business rescue.

“In order to ensure work continuity, Umgeni Water applied for consent

from National Treasury to negotiate with subcontractors on the project to complete the remaining works. Consent was granted and later partially implemented in favour of competitive bidders to control costs for the new main contractor. The new main contractor resumed construction work in August 2020 and is expected to complete it by end October 2022,” states Sibiya.

Covid-19 was another challenge that caused delays and financially impacted smaller subcontractors, making it difficult for them to complete work.

There were additional challenges faced by the project due to complexities on the designs, integration of the old and new units, adverse climatic conditions and their implications on the ground, to mention but a few. “Despite these challenges, Umgeni Water is extremely proud of this project. It is proof of our commitment to our environmental sustainability policy that aligns with circular economy principles. This project also affirmed Umgeni Water’s strength and resiliency in bulk water infrastructure development. It changed

AGRULINE

PROJECT STATISTICS

• Over 800 kW electricity will be generated from the plant’s methane gas by-product

• Two new digesters were installed, doubling capacity

many lives for the better. Small, medium and micro enterprises were also contracted to perform on the project. The contractors tried to use as much local labour as possible and empowered them with new skills and experience. A number of graduates were trained through this project as well,” Sibiya concludes.

PE 100-RC piping system for outstanding crack resistance

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THREE DECADES of stainless steel and valves

Multi Alloys, a leading stockholder and supplier of special alloys in South Africa, has merged with EMVAfrica to become a focused division. EMVAfrica has been a small shareholder in Multi Alloys and the two businesses have worked in close association since 1997. The merged businesses give EMVAfrica a widened and enhanced range of products. EMVAfrica has also expanded its footprint and set up additional offices in Cape Town.

Stainless steel for the water sector

The water sector uses stainless steel due to its durability, corrosion resistance and ability to withstand high pressures. Stainless steel is also a good health and hygiene option. Stainless steel pipes are also used at reverse osmosis filtering stations where they also withstand high pressures.

“Many of our products are used in decentralised plants that treat industrial effluent for pollution control, as well as for the treatment of acid mine drainage. This can be a very corrosive

An importer and supplier of industrial stainless steel and valve solutions, EMVAfrica is a privately owned company that has recently been rebranded and restructured. Having recently celebrated its 30th birthday, EMVAfrica has extensive experience in its area of expertise.

While the material may be an obvious choice, less-expensive materials are often used. “In South Africa, there is a focus on the current cost of a product, without taking into account its life-cycle costs. Stainless steel is an optimal material in water system applications and, while it comes at a price, it is an investment in the country’s infrastructure. If the overall system is designed properly, the thickness of the steel can be reduced to withstand pressure. Drakenstein Municipality is a wonderful example of the savings that can be achieved when using stainless steel for bulk water reticulation,” explains Prithilall.

He states that stainless steel is not one material; there are hundreds of grades of stainless steel. “This can create confusion for purchasing managers, as different steel grades have different prices and features and are used for different applications.”

Energy valves

Most valves stocked by EMVAfrica comprise different stainless steel grades. “Duplex stainless steel valves are most commonly used in purification plants due to their longevity, chemical resistance and ability to withstand high pressures,” says Prithilall.

The company has a wide range and extensive stockholding of valves for corrosive and challenging industrial applications

A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE SUCCESS

ROCLA is South Africa’s leading manufacturer of pre-cast concrete products.

Surpassing 100 years of product excellence.

• Pipes

• Culverts Manholes

our nationwide branches

TYPES OF VALVES IN THE WATER INDUSTRY

• Gate valves (typically epoxy coated) that can turn the flow of water on and off

• Butterfly valves (typically cast-iron, stainlesssteel internals, epoxy coated) used to isolate or regulate the flow of water

• Ball valves that can withstand high pressure, temperature and velocity flows, making them useful in piping systems, filtering stations and sampling points

(in various steel grades), as well as an experienced team with the technical knowledge to help customers specify the best-suited valves.

The majority of valves imported by EMVAfrica comply with US standards, with a few valves complying with British standards. “We have added actuators to many of the valves supplied to the water industry that can be operating automatically as well as complementary products like piping and flanges,” maintains Prithilall.

As an ISO 9001 certified, Level 4 BBBEE Contributor, with plans to grow its footprint in Africa over time, EMVAfrica is well positioned for future growth from its branches in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

Anesh Prithilall, business unit manager: Valves, EMVAfrica

Pipeline design with water hammer in mind

Water hammer can cause significant damage to pumps, valves and instruments, failure of gasketed joints and expansion joints, the deterioration of pipe walls and welded joints, and damage to pipe fittings – which all results in water leaks. But what is water hammer, and how can it be minimised when designing pipeline systems?

By George Gerber, CEO, Water Sanitation Engineering*

Water, sanitation and process industries usually transport liquids or gases from one location to another through a pipeline system. Pipeline systems typically comprise a combination of storage tanks, pumps, valves, pressure vessels, transmission pipelines and distribution or collection networks.

The design of these systems is normally based on expected or specified steadystate flows and pressures. Pipeline systems cannot, however, be permanently operated in a steady-state condition because occasional events, such as power failures, or recurring events, such as pump starts, will change the velocity of the flow.

This leads to an interchange between the kinetic energy of the flow and the strain energy in the fluid and pipe wall, altering the fluid pressure and the stress inside the pipe wall. This energy is ultimately

dissipated through frictional losses in the fluid and in the pipe wall. Sometimes, the pressure changes are dramatic, representing hammer-like blows to the piping system. Hence the names ‘water hammer’, ‘surge’ or ‘transient’ are given to this phenomenon when it is observed in the field.

Consequences

Water hammer events create unwanted health and safety, environmental, legal and financial consequences that range from mildly inconvenient to disastrous. These consequences are often unforeseen during the front-end design and do not become apparent until long after the event. They depend on the magnitude of the pressure changes, the duration for which system components are exposed to them, and the speed with which they occur.

Examples of the hazardous conditions caused by water hammer include:

The principal causes of hazardous conditions due to water hammer are the magnitude of the pressure changes, the duration for which system components are exposed to them, and the speed with which they occur

• Excessive pressures, leading to permanent deformation or rupture of the pipeline; damage to pumps, valves, joints, seals, and anchor blocks; and leakages out of the pipeline causing wastage, environmental contamination, or fire hazards in the case of oil and gas pipelines.

• Insufficient pressures, leading to collapse of the pipeline; disintegration of cement linings; creation of damaging pressure spikes when the water columns on opposite sides of a collapsing vapour cavity reconnect; contamination of the transported liquid by drawing in groundwater or air through joints and

seals; or the creation of fire hazards when air is sucked into oil and gas pipelines.

• Insufficient velocity, leading to settlement and line blockage of entrained solids, as well as increased pumping energy and maintenance costs.

• Reverse flow, causing damage to pump seals and motors, draining of storage tanks and reservoirs, as well as increasing the magnitude of velocity and pressure changes in the case of slow-closing nonreturn valves.

• Pipeline movement and vibration, causing overstressing and failure of supports, leading to pipeline failure and damage to adjacent equipment and structures.

Risk assessment

No two pipeline systems are the same and there is no universally applicable solution to water hammer problems. Every pipeline must be assessed individually, and a suitable surge control strategy selected accordingly.

The risk posed by water hammer should be assessed at the conceptual design stage, prior to finalising the pipe material, diameter and wall thickness, as well as at the technical design stage, prior to detailing the mechanical and electrical plant to ensure maximum safety and

Vertical air vessels comprise a closed vessel partly filled with gas and connected to the pipeline. During a surge event, liquid is allowed to enter the vessel, which compresses the gas and gradually brings the liquid to rest (Photo credit: Charlatte Reservoirs)

economy of the pipeline project. The first step in a risk assessment exercise is to define the system and its safe operating limits. This is followed by a brainstorming exercise, supported by a checklist, to identify the potential hazards and threats, to and from a pipeline, arising from water hammer.

The following ‘what if’ questions could serve as an aid in identifying potential hazards and threats:

• What if the power fails to the motors driving the pumps?

• What if a pump is restarted shortly after being tripped?

• What if a control or emergency shutdown valve is rapidly closed?

• What if an operator opens any of the valves too quickly?

• What if the pipeline route is changed or portions are isolated for maintenance?

• What if the demand on the system is increased?

Surge control

Once all the potential threats have been identified, they should be reviewed to determine those that represent the critical design case. A surge control strategy should then be devised to protect the pipeline system against the critical threats. Such a strategy will likely also cover the other threats.

The control strategy may include one or more of the following:

• Stronger pipes, which increase the pressure rating of the pipeline, may be

Pressure-relief valves will open when the pressure exceeds a set pressure and allow the fluid to escape from the pipeline

the only option in some instances. For example, where complete containment of hazardous fluids is of paramount importance.

• Re-routing can reduce or even eliminate some hazards, such as rising mains that follow a lower route to avoid sub-atmospheric pressures following a power failure.

• Changing valve movements, such as increasing valve closure times, can lead to a reduction in the magnitude of pressure changes. Regular inspection and maintenance of flow control valves is also essential to prevent the risk of hunting either by interacting with other similar components or slackness due to worn parts.

• Irregular spacing of pipe supports on long stretches of pipe can prevent resonance hazards by ensuring that natural vibration frequencies of adjoining sections do not coincide.

• Relief valves will open when the pressure exceeds a set pressure, allowing the fluid to escape from the pipeline.

• Air valves will open and admit air into the pipeline when the pressure inside the pipeline drops below atmospheric, avoiding the formation of hazardous vapour cavities.

• Check valves will prevent reverse flow and the rotation of pumps, and can

isolate sections of a pipeline from large pressure rises following the collapse of vapour cavities.

• Feed tanks can reduce negative pressures when air admission is unacceptable.

• Surge shafts can be used to reroute flow if a sudden change in pressure is likely.

• Air vessels can be used when the required height of a surge shaft becomes impractical. Liquid is allowed to enter a closed vessel partly filled with gas, while the incoming liquid compresses the gas and gradually brings the liquid to rest.

• By-passes can be fitted around a pump to admit water from the sump when the pump trips on a pipeline that has a low static head.

• Accumulators or flexible hoses can be used in small systems to eliminate resonance hazards by damping flow pulsations.

The following questions could serve as a

BELOW Sixteen vertical air vessels installed on the discharge side of a water transmission pumping station (Image credit: Google Earth)

BOTTOM Vertical air vessels installed on the suction and discharge sides of a water transmission pumping station (Image credit: Google Earth

guide to identify the most appropriate surge control strategy:

• Where is the water hammer event initiated? At the upstream end, downstream end, or at an intermediate location? To be most effective, the selected surge protection device should be located at or as near as possible to the location where the water hammer event is initiated.

• Does the pressure rise or drop initially?

• Can a bypass device help?

• Could secondary devices (e.g. air valves) elsewhere in the system be of benefit?

Design considerations

Determination of the required thickness of the pipe wall for a new installation requires special consideration of the pipe material, diameter and internal working and surge pressures.

For instance, the American Water Works Association’s design guide for steel pipes recommends that different allowable design stresses be used for working and surge/test pressures when determining the wall thickness. The PVC and PE design guides recommend that the pipe pressure class be derated when determining the pipe wall thickness if the sustained operating temperature exceeds 23°C. They also recommend that recurring and occasional surge pressures be considered separately, since these pipes may eventually fatigue if exposed to continuous cyclic surging of a sufficiently high frequency and stress amplitude. Special consideration should also be given to the wave propagation speed, as it has a direct bearing on the magnitude of the surge pressure and can vary considerably, according to the physical properties of the liquid and the pipe, as well as the amount of entrained air or other gases in the liquid. For example, water without entrained air in plastic pipes

Pipeline systems typically comprise a combination of storage tanks, pumps, valves, pressure vessels, transmission pipelines and reticulation networks for the distribution or collection of liquids or gases

generally has a wave speed of 500 m/s, while the wave speed can exceed 1 000 m/s for steel pipes.

Furthermore, water hammer calculations must be based on the maximum flow of the pipeline system, rather than on the design flow. When determining the maximum flow, it should be remembered that new pipes have lower frictional losses than old ones and that a pump may deliver more flow against a given head than indicated by the manufacturer’s characteristics.

Importance of testing

Conducting a field survey upon completion of an installation in a new construction should be considered an

The check valves with yellow counterweights will prevent reverse flow and rotation of pumps. Check valves can also isolate sections of a pipeline from large pressure rises (Photo credit: AVK Valves)

essential part of the normal commissioning procedure. Such a survey can be done also at an existing location and serve the following purposes:

• It allows a comparison to be made with the theoretical predictions. Significant differences between the measurements and predictions may suggest that the input data used is unreliable or that an assumption is invalid.

• It provides more reliable data for future water hammer assessments if, for example, the capacity or configuration of the system will have to be changed in future.

A field survey can consist of pressure-time recordings at one or more points along the pipeline. Complete recording systems can be bought or hired, but careful consideration should be given to:

• pressure range being considered

• ability to record both steady and rapidly varying pressures

• availability of a suitable power supply

• ability to operate satisfactorily under prevailing field conditions – e.g. pressure,

temperature, vibration and chemical attack

• suitability for attachment to the pipe at the point of measurement – the pressure transducer should be mounted on the side of the pipe, to avoid the accumulation of air at the top of the pipe or sediment at the bottom

• the number of identical channels, if more than one location is to be measured simultaneously

• a convenient triggering system for recording events.

Steps to minimise water hammer

Though it is a fact that no universally applicable solution exists to solve water hammer problems, fortunately, the following steps can be followed to minimise the

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Regular inspection and maintenance of flow control valves is vital to prevent the risk of hunting either by interacting with other similar components, or slackness due to worn parts

impact of water hammer on a pipeline system, often at little or no added cost:

• A risk assessment should be performed during the conceptual design stage to identify the critical hazards and threats posed to a pipeline system.

• A suitable surge control strategy using one or more control techniques should be devised to protect the system against these critical threats, prior to finalising the pipe material, diameter and wall thickness, and prior to detailing the mechanical and electrical plant to ensure maximum safety and economy of the pipeline project.

• Field surveys should be conducted during the commissioning stage to verify the effectiveness of the surge control strategy before putting the pipeline system into operation.

GeorgeGerber, PrEng, PhD, is the CEO of Water Sanitation Engineering, a consulting engineering firm that provides pipeline engineering services to the water, sanitation and process industries.

PVC is the most effective and long term solution

PVC pressure piping production started in about 1935 and since then it has been through plenty of technical advancements which lead to PVC-O (Oriented Polyvinyl Chloride). Since the creation of PVC-O, it too has been through 5 improve ments over the last 40 years. Blue PVC-U (Unplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride), PVC-M (Modified Polyvinyl Chloride) and PVC-O (Oriented Polyvinyl Chloride) pressure pipes lead the potable (drinkable) water supply and reticulation market.