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Peaceful use of nuclear tech underscores its value to Africa’s developmental needs

By: Simone Liedtke Updated 1 hour 18 minutes ago The development and peaceful use of nuclear technology could further underscore its value by helping to meet Africa’s developmental needs, says African Commission on Nuclear Energy (Afcone) executive secretary Messaoud Baaliouamer. He says the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technology has... →

Interim board for Umgeni water appointed

By: Creamer Media Reporter Updated 1 hour 27 minutes ago An 11-member interim board has been appointed to stabilise governance at Umgeni Water while Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu finalises the process to appoint a fully-fledged permanent board. The interim board comprises chairperson Magasela Mzobe and deputy... →

Smart-Farming initiative supports food security

7th August 2020 Engineering solutions company BMG’s Boer Slim and/or Smart-Farming agricultural team works closely with farmers throughout Southern Africa, assisting them with the selection, installation and operation of new electromechanical systems. These projects are designed to improve efficiencies, reduce... →

SMART-FARMING INITIATIVE BMG’s agricultural team works closely with farmers throughout Southern Africa, assisting them with the selection, installation and operation of new electromechanical systems

New interface’s mobile version coming soon

By: Tracy Hancock 7th August 2020 Data-driven agricultural solutions provider SupPlant has launched a new user interface for its decision support system (DSS), with a mobile version to follow, enabling farmers to keep an eye on their crops wherever they are. The Israeli company first entered the South African market when it... →

ADVANCING AGRICULTURE The new platform makes all the data from SupPlant’s sensors, such as the first continuous measurement fruit sensor on Macadamia fruit in South Africa, easily accessible and understood

Pump rentals effective contingency plan to ensure food security

By: Tracy Hancock 7th August 2020 When a pump used for agricultural applications fails, it poses a significant risk to the food production cycle, revenue generation and, ultimately, the food supply chain during a time when South Africa is facing food-security pressure. The local agriculture industry cannot afford to lose crops... →

MEETING MARKET DEMANDS Rand-Air offer diesel-driven pumps for when power is not available at the source that meet the needs of the undersupplied market for high-head pumps

Climate change must be considered when granting water use licences, says Water Tribunal

By: Simone Liedtke 5th August 2020 A landmark decision by the Water Tribunal confirms that water licensing authorities must consider the impacts of climate change when deciding whether or not to grant water use licences for new coal-fired power stations. In a decision handed down on July 21, the tribunal upheld an appeal to set... →

Increasing infrastructure investment would boost South Africa’s potential growth, OECD survey asserts

By: Terence Creamer 31st July 2020 Higher levels of infrastructure investment are needed to increase South Africa’s potential growth, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD’s) latest survey of South Africa asserts. Released on July 31, the report warns that the South African economy could contract by as... →

OECD says tourism sector has big jobs potential, but will need support until the middle of 2021

Xylem closes $1bn inaugural green bond

By: Natasha Odendaal 30th July 2020 Water technology company Xylem has successfully closed its inaugural green bond offering of $1-billion in senior unsecured notes. The bond, which received interest from the market, comprised $500-million in 1.95% senior notes due in January 2028 and $500-million in 2.25% senior notes due in... →

Vaal dam levels under stress

By: Natasha Odendaal 29th July 2020 The average water levels of the Integrated Vaal River System declined from 63.7% last week to 63.3% this week. This is a year-on-year decline from the 69.5% reported in the corresponding week last year. →

Approvals for Gazetted list of infrastructure projects valued at R360bn to be fast-tracked

By: Terence Creamer 27th July 2020 The Presidency’s Investment and Infrastructure Office head Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa reported on Monday that the publication of an initial list of 50 Strategic Integrated Projects and 12 Special Projects in the Government Gazette is motivated by a desire to ensure that the approval processes... →

Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa

SANEDI, defence dept partner on delivery of energy efficient water treatment works in Hoedspruit

By: Schalk Burger 27th July 2020 The South African National Energy and Development Institute (SANEDI) and the Department of Defence (DoD) on July 27 announced a partnership to develop an energy efficient water treatment works at the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Air Force Base, in Hoedspruit, in the Maruleng... →

DWS being restructured to improve water management

By: Schalk Burger 23rd July 2020 Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on July 23 outlined work done over the past year to improve the work of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The DWS is undergoing a restructuring to stabilise the department, achieve good governance and ensure it is fit for... →

Rosatom introduces mobile water treatment units in South Africa

By: Natasha Odendaal 22nd July 2020 Russian State nuclear corporation Rosatom has introduced a new mobile water treatment and desalination solution into the water scarce South African market to help promote access to clean water. The fully containerised UMKWA units, designed and produced in Russia by Rosatom subsidiary JSC Science... →

Vaal water levels continue to drop

By: Natasha Odendaal 22nd July 2020 The average water levels of the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) has continued to decrease, with levels this week dropping to 63.7% from 64.2% last week and 69.9% during the same time in the preceding year. The levels of the Vaal dam, one of the 14 dams in the IVRS, persist to plunge downwards... →

Covid-19 infrastructure response should focus on water and sanitation

By: Natasha Odendaal 21st July 2020 Water and sanitation infrastructure should be a top priority as South Africa recovers from the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic-guided restrictions. A new Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) policy brief proposes an infrastructure and job creation response based on improving the... →

TIPS Paper: A case for water and sanitation in South Africa’s post-lockdown economic recovery stimulus package

By: Creamer Media Reporter 17th July 2020 In this working paper, research organisation Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies discusses the need for South Africa to deal with the country's water and sanitation challenges while stimulating the economy. As South Africa responds to Covid-19 and aims to stimulate the economy and job creation... →

WRC highlights progress in surveillance of Covid-19 in wastewater

By: Schalk Burger 16th July 2020 The Water Research Commission (WRC) says an information sharing and progress meeting among water sector practitioners, universities and laboratories on July 8 on the use of wastewater surveillance to track the spread of Covid-19 means a nationwide programme is imminent. Initiatives being... →

Ethiopia starts filling Grand Renaissance dam, minister says

By: Reuters 15th July 2020 Ethiopia has started filling the Grand Renaissance dam, a giant hydroelectric project it is building on the Blue Nile, its water minister said on Wednesday, a day after talks with Sudan and Egypt on the issue became deadlocked. "The construction of the dam and the filling of the water go hand in... →

Minerals Council develops mining-focused water conservation tool

By: Natasha Odendaal 15th July 2020 The Minerals Council South Africa has developed a user-friendly water conservation and water demand management (WC/WDM) tool for the mining sector. The water conservation and water demand management self-assessment reporting tool (WSART) can be used by the mining industry to conduct a... →

Talks over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam remain deadlocked

By: African News Agency 10th July 2020 Negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the filling and operation of the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have produced no results after seven straight days of talks, reported Daily News Egypt. According to the report, Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and... →

Covid-19 wastewater virus-risk forensic service team announced

By: Schalk Burger 10th July 2020 A team comprising academics from the University of the Free State (UFS) and private sector laboratory specialists can provide a virus-risk forensic service using sewage samples to monitor Covid-19 hotspots, UFS said in a July 9 statement. Netherlands research agency KWR first demonstrated the... →

South Africa facing R33bn water-security funding gap

By: Schalk Burger 10th July 2020 South Africa's water security is threatened. About 56% of the more than 1 150 municipal wastewater treatment works and about 44% of the 962 water treatment works are in a poor or critical condition and need urgent rehabilitation and skilled operators, while about 11% of this infrastructure is... →

New spillway increases dam capacity

3rd July 2020 The installation of a newly developed spillway on the Garden Route dam in George, Western Cape, has successfully increased the potential capacity of the dam to 12.5-million cubic metres, says consulting engineering company Aurecon dam engineer Frank Denys. The company was tasked to raise the... →

LONG WAY The newly developed elongated spillway, aptly named the duckbill allows for 25% more capacity on the Garden Route Dam

Tech solution enhances water security in S Africa

By: Halima Frost 3rd July 2020 The self-automated scour gate is a technology which has been developed and refined by local water engineering contractors Amanziflow Projects to promote water security. Amanziflow Projects MD Peter Townshend says many projects have been conducted by the company in the Southern African Development... →

WATER GATE The scour gate developed by Amanziflow allows for the effective flushing of sediment from a dam increasing its storage capacity

Public-led, private-backed water infrastructure roll-out signalled

By: Schalk Burger 3rd July 2020 Public and private organisations in the water sector and financiers are ready to build water infrastructure projects and deal with demand, as well as water loss and delivery barriers, to improve water management and long-term security. These projects include bulk water supply infrastructure, and... →

Long-term solutions overlooked – Sappma

By: Halima Frost 3rd July 2020 Government’s present efforts to address the lack of potable water in remote areas are resulting in industries that could offer long-term solutions being overlooked, says Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (Sappma). “Understandably, the need to supply to areas that are without... →

IN THE PIPELINE The laying of permanent pipelines using high-quality, plastic water pipes can offer a guaranteed water supply as opposed to current quick-fixes

Blue Drop trailer launched to monitor water quality in the Free State

By: Natasha Odendaal 1st July 2020 The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has launched a mobile trailer to monitor water quality in different municipalities in the Free State. The Blue Drop trailer boasts a mini water testing laboratory comprising three panels that can monitor operational parameters such as PH, turbidity,... →

Mpumalanga province reprioritises funding for Covid-19 fight

By: Yvonne Silaule 29th June 2020 The Mpumalanga province has approved the reprioritisation of R287-million in funding towards the fight against Covid-19 Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tshipane says R32-million has been allocated to the provincial Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs to provide... →

Pretoria High Court rules against sale of water rights

By: Natasha Odendaal 29th June 2020 Agri SA is considering its next steps after the Pretoria High Court ruled against the sale or trading of water rights. Following three separate matters argued in October, a full bench of the court ruled that it is no longer permissible for the holder of a water use entitlement to trade or sell... →

More than 90% of issues in Nile dam negotiations resolved, AU chief says

By: Reuters 29th June 2020 More than 90% of issues in the tripartite negotiations on the giant Nile dam between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have been resolved, the African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a statement on Saturday. The African Union has two weeks to help broker a deal to end a decade-long... →

Revenue under severe strain, but no tariff increases for Ekurhuleni

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 26th June 2020 The City of Ekurhuleni will not be increasing municipal tariffs that are within the control of the city, despite a considerable strain on revenue collection exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, Finance and Economic Development MMC Nkosindiphile Xhakaza said on June 26 during a webinar discussing... →

Covid-19 brings about a wider scope of opportunity for energy, water, waste sectors

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th June 2020 While Covid-19 has resulted in delays in investment in South Africa, it has also given rise to some new opportunities in the green economy space, across sectors including energy, water, agriculture and waste management, says nonprofit green economy organisation GreenCape. Since publishing its... →

Dam levels continue to drop in South Africa

By: African News Agency 25th June 2020 The Department of Water and Sanitation has revealed that South Africa's dam levels continue to decline as the country’s dry winter takes its toll on scarce water resources. In a statement released on Thursday, it said dam levels were dropping, except for those in the Western Cape province.... →

Pandemic underscores need for greater collaboration, investment in water, sanitation

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 24th June 2020 South Africa faces serious challenges in terms of ensuring water security and equitable distribution of water, sanitation and public housing, and this has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic also presents an opportunity to improve on these areas and ramp up... →

DWS promises 90-day water-use licensing process

By: Natasha Odendaal 19th June 2020 The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has revised the regulations governing the procedural requirements for water-use license applications and appeals to finalise water-use license applications within a 90-day period. “The business processes of water-use licensing has been revised and... →

Tussle for control of the Nile escalates as megadam talks falter

By: Bloomberg 18th June 2020 A last ditch attempt to resolve a decade-long dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia over a huge new hydropower dam on the Nile has failed, raising the stakes in what - for all the public focus on technical issues - is a tussle for control over the region’s most important water source. The talks... →

Sedibeng Water progress projects in Maluti-a-Phofung

By: Natasha Odendaal 18th June 2020 Sedibeng Water is successfully progressing its implementation of the Drought Relief and Covid-19 Intervention Projects in the Maluti-a-Phofung local municipality since its appointment in February. The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) mandated Sedibeng Water to fix the water crisis in... →

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Africa Industrial Paper Sanitation Water Construction Resources Consulting Engineering Flow Installation PROJECT Safety Storage System Design Projects SECURITY Technology Aggregate Cement Coal Consulting Engineers Efficiency Energy Environment Housing Innovation Mining Power ... more

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