International integrated energy and chemicals company Sasol reports that its water use in South Africa decreased to 148-million cubic metres in 2012, from 151-million cubic metres in 2011.

“Sasol takes environmental issues – particularly those relating to water management – seriously, which is why we have launched the Sasol Water Sense initiative that will align our water stewardship practices at our operations globally,” said Sasol executive director Nolitha Fakude at the company’s Water Sense conference last month at Emerald Resort & Casino, in Vanderbijlpark.

She also highlighted that Sasol recycled about 143-million cubic metres of water in 2012 compared with 128-million cubic metres in 2011.

“Sasol is aiming for significant intensity improvements by 2015 from a 2010 baseline,” asserted Fakude, who added that the company’s commitment to water stewardship was both local and international, as Sasol operates in 38 countries.

Water Sense is Sasol’s international platform from which water-related actions are coordinated and responded to, whether they relate to water security, regulatory risks associated with being a large industrial water user, or to assisting the communities in which Sasol operates, using their water management practices.

She added that the Sasol Water Sense Initiative (SWSI) formed part of the company’s commitment to United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate, which was launched by the UN secretary-general in July 2007.

The mandate is a public–private initiative designed to assist companies in developing, implementing and disclosing water sustainability policies and practices.

“Responding to these water challenges is a business imperative that Sasol is determined to meet, since it will benefit the company as well as our stakeholders,” said Fakude, adding that by partnering with others mutually beneficial results can be acheived.

She pointed out that the SWSI covered the CEO Water Mandate’s six elements – direct operations, supply chain and watershed management, collective action, public policy, community engagement and transparency.

Sasol has implemented site-specific efficiency targets for its operations in Sasol-burg, in the Free State, and in Secunda, Mpumalanga, and at the company’s other operations, stated Fakude.

Sasol Synfuels, in Secunda, has a 5% water use intensity improvement (m3/t of product) target while Sasol Infrachem, in Sasolburg, has a 15% intensity improvement target, according to the company’s website.

Sasol

participates in various water-related initiatives, such as the joint public- and private-sector Strategic Water Partners Network initiative and the Department of Water Affairs’ (DWA’s) convened Water Sector Leadership Group, which focuses on numerous challenges, including legal and regulatory reform, water conservation, demand and resource management.

“Our flagship collective project with the Emfuleni local muncipality, in Gauteng, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has [delivered] impressive results,” said Fakude.

To date, the collective project has saved about one-million cubic metres of water, while employing plumbers and learner technicians from the local municipality, as well as about 80 ‘water conservation warriors’. These warriors act as community liaison officers and use awareness material developed for the project.

Fakude pointed out that Sasol also engaged with the resource planners of the DWA and had a keen interest in the overall functioning of the catchments from which Sasol sourced its water, especially the Vaal river catchment area.

“Responding to water security and risks beyond the factory fence is a more meaningful response to address some of these concerns. Hence, we encourage and support these partnerships,” she said.

Project Busa Metsi

Sasol has partnered with the Department of Basic Education to establish Project Busa Metsi, which aims to reduce water losses at schools in the Metsimaholo municipal area, in the Free State.

Fakude explained that the project entailed the fixing of water leaks at schools, mainly in the Zamdela township and certain areas in the Metsimaholo municipal area, ultimately reducing water losses from the Vaal river system.

“The schools were identified in collaboration with the Department of Education and leaks have already been fixed at 16 schools,” explained Fakude, who added that several school representatives had reported marked improvements in water bills.

The Metsimaholo municipality receives its water from the Vaal river system, along with about 60% of all South Africans.

“Through this partnership, we can decrease unnecessary water losses by schools in the Metsimaholo municipal system and, thus, the Vaal, thereby contributing to the improvement of water security and availability to all users,” said Fakude.

She noted that Sasol regarded the stakeholders in the Metsimaholo municipal area as its business partners and had joined hands on several previous occasions and projects to grow and develop the district together.

Government and the DWA were acutely aware of the demand to balance the need for clean, potable water with an increasingly constrained water supply, said Fakude.

“Extensive studies conducted by the DWA have shown that the current water use from our water supply system is not sustainable. “To address this growing demand, the DWA has set a target for municipalities located in the Vaal river catchment to save 15% water on average by 2015,” she pointed out.

Fakude highlighted that, while many municipal stakeholders had enthusiastically embraced this challenge, not all of them had the resources or the know-how to deal with the challenge.

Another aspect of Sasol’s multi- faceted water strategy is education.

Sasol is conducting a comprehensive water education and awareness campaign at schools by rolling out the DWA 2020 Vision for Water Education, in conjunction with the DWA and Gauteng water utility company Rand Water, through the distribution of curriculum support material.

“Water security is not just about projects that save water. Too many South Africans – both rich and poor – take water for granted. “We need to create a culture where water is valued and seen as the precious natural resource that it is. Sasol’s Water Sense drive, of which Project Busa Metsi is a part, is premised on collective action – internal and external – to make this a reality,” emphasised Fakude.

She urged all South African to think carefully about how they use water at home, or at work because all water-saving actions would cumulatively make a significant difference in ensuring the security of South Africa’s water resources “for ourselves and for future generations”.