MechChem Africa September-October 2021

Is SA doing enough to avert a water crisis?

In response to the Eastern Cape facing the prospect of taps running dry, Raymond Obermeyer, Managing Director at SEW-EURODRIVE suggests South Africa urgently

and proactively address the water crisis. A s South Africa battles the third wave of COVID-19 vaccinations, and amidst the chaos, destruction and looting that has taken place in parts of South Africa recently, it’s easy to forget another looming catastrophe: a water crisis with potentially devastating consequences. In the Eastern Cape dam levels are peril- ously low after a multi-year drought, with dams servicingNelsonMandelaBay at record lows. The province’s main water supplier, Koegadam, is currently at less than4%capac- ity and, of that, only 1.5% is usablewater. The second largest dam in the province is Impofu Dam, which is at 16.64% capacity. Severe water restrictions have been imposed in the province to delay a potential Day Zero. While the Eastern Cape’s water short- ages are primarily the result of a six-year long drought, the situation has been exacerbated by poormanagement of water infrastructure. “Awell maintained and sustainablewater and sanitation system is essential for any func- tioning economy,” says Raymond Obermeyer of SEW-EURODRIVE. “Water scarcity has a profoundly negative influence, impacting economic productivity, livelihoods, safety and security.” Managingourwater resources sustainably and responsibly, he adds, is evenmore impor- tant given the fact that South Africa – classi- fied as the 30 th driest country in theworld – is a water scarce country. “The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry estimates that South Africa will have insufficient water sup - plies by 2025 unless we manage our water resources more efficiently.” South Africa’s water infrastructure is in a woeful state after decades of mismanage-

finally started to acknowledge the scale of the loomingwater crisiswith the accelerated establishment of aNationalWater Resources Infrastructure Agency and the prioritisation of 11water and sanitation related infrastruc- ture projects valued at R106-billion. Four of these projects, valued at approximately R68-billion, are ready for investment with construction expected to commence in the next two years. For several years there have been calls for the establishment of a National Water Regulator, based on the theory that the Department of Water and Sanitation cannot be both a player and a referee in this space. Obermeyer explains that a regulator would ensure that regulatory oversight is sepa- rated fromwater resource management and water services provision. “Encouragingly, it appears that we are moving closer to the establishment of awater regulator with both National Treasury approving the idea and the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission Council formally proposing its establishment.” Obermeyer questions why it has taken so long for government to start acting more pro- actively. “Thereality isthatSouthAfrica’swater challengesarenotgoingtobesolvedovernight. Ittakesmanyyearstobuildwater infrastructure and isexpensive to fund.Giventheconstrained state of government’s finance there is the very real riskthat fundingchallengeswilldelaythese projects. As a result it may very well be public- private partnerships that will fund, implement andmanage thesewater projects.” In addition to public-private partnerships, Obermeyer says South Africa needs to imple- ment 4IR technologies to better monitor and controlwaterdistributionnetworks. “Inawater constrainedcountrysuchasSouthAfrica,water mustbetreatedastheverypreciousresourceit is.Wecannotaffordwastethroughwater leaks, for example.” “Weneedmeasurableactionwhen it comes to managing water. A key element of this is to better manage our scarce water resources sustainably with infrastructure that is fit for purpose. Should we fail, the Eastern Cape will notbetheonlyprovincecontemplatingaday in thenottoodistantfuturewhenthetapsrundry.” www.sew-eurodrive.co.za

ment and inadequate maintenance. “The Department of Water and Sanitation is well aware of the extent of the crisis and has ad- mitted that 56%of its 1150 treatment plants are in a poor and critical condition with 265 in a state of decay,” says Obermeyer, pointing out that Iris dashboard data confirms this, revealing that 75% of wastewater treatment plants run by municipalities achieved less than 50% compliance to minimum effluent standards in 2020. “In addition to poorly managed water infrastructure, the country has also allowed many of its rivers and dams including theVaal River and the Vaal and Hartbeespoort dams to become polluted in recent years,” he adds. Earlier this year, the SouthAfricanHuman Rights Commission argued that govern- ment’s continued failure to address the issue of pollution in the Vaal River and Vaal Dam has become a human rights issue and that responsible government officials should face criminal charges. The deteriorating state of South Africa’s water infrastructure assets has been well documented, says Obermeyer. “In 2006, the South African Institute of Civil Engineering started publishing an Infrastructure Report Card which detailed the views of its mem- bers on the condition of a range of public infrastructure, includingwater infrastructure assets. The inaugural report was followed by subsequent report cards in 2011 and 2017. The most recent report classified the coun - try’s bulk water resources infrastructure and water supply for non-urban areas as at risk of failure and blamed the deterioration on insufficient maintenance and neglect, funding shortfalls and a depletion of skills at senior levels.” It appears that government has

“We need to better manage our scarce water resources sustainably with infrastructure that is fit for purpose,” says Obermeyer.

16 ¦ MechChem Africa • September-October 2021