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Water Engineering and Infrastructure

Broad view of water treatment options advised by consulting firm

15th October 2021 A broad view should be taken when considering the options for treating water, says consulting engineering firm SRK Consulting principal engineer Xanthe Adams. Complying with water quality limits set out in water use licences is imperative for mines, industrial organisations and other authorised... →

Sustaining water supply requires innovation

15th October 2021 Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu pleaded with water sector stakeholders to rally behind ensuring that water supply exceeds water demand during his keynote address at the fifth Water Research Commission Symposium held on September 20. The symposium was also attended by Kenyan High... →

A photo of Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu

SENZO MCHUNU Technologies that can use less water or no water at all are the future of our country, the continent, and the global community

Reservior awaits commissioning

By: Darren Parker 15th October 2021 A 25 Mℓ reservoir on Dann road in Glen Marais, Kempton Park, in Gauteng, has still not been commissioned, despite being completed in November 2018 at a cost of about R48-million. Almost three years after construction was completed, the reservoir remains empty and unused. →

A photo of a concrete reservoir under construction

UNDER CONSTRUCTION The City of Ekurhuleni is busy building several large reservoirs across the city as part of a long-term water security plan

New Grundfos impeller design delivers reliable pumps in high solids applications

15th October 2021 Increased levels of rags and fibrous solids in South Africa’s wastewater systems call for the innovative design and reliability of the new Grundfos SE/SL wastewater pumps. With their semi-open hydraulic design, these Grundfos submersible pumps can deal with today’s demands – even rags and organic... →

Digital platforms mitigate water processing risks

By: Darren Parker 15th October 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted significant risks to water processing operations across various sectors. All of these sectors depend on these operations being fully operational and for maintenance services to function properly, says water technology and services company Veolia Services... →

A photo of a man at a computer using the Hubgrade system

HUBGRADE Hubgrade is part of the quality improvement process continuously adopted by Veolia for clients

Desalination plant reaches key milestone

By: Darren Parker 15th October 2021 The Ndlambe seawater reverse osmosis plant in Port Alfred, in the Eastern Cape, reached the milestone of having pumped 100-million litres of potable quality water into the municipal reticulation system last month, providing relief for the drought-stricken region. “The desalination plant was... →

A photo of four people outside toasting one another with glasses of clean water at a water processing plant

CHEERS Stakeholders celebrate 100-million litres of potable quality water being pumped into the Ndlambe municipal reticulation system

Smart pumping solves infrastructure problems

By: Darren Parker 15th October 2021 Outdated water management infrastructure is threatening to “spiral out of control” as the global population grows, says digitalisation and automation technology company Schneider Electric South Africa product manager Jaque Mare, who claims that smart pumping technology is the solution. According... →

A photo of Schneider Electric South Africa product manager Jaque Mare

JAQUE MARE Smart pumping has the ability to safeguard water and wastewater expenditure and maintenance

Infrastructure development requires funding and skills

By: Nadine Ramdass 2nd July 2021 The state of South Africa’s water infrastructure varies across the country, with a range of institutions responsible for its management, says South African Institution of Civil Engineering (Saice) Water Engineering Division chairperson Abri Vermeulen. Most is still in a fair condition but it is... →

ABRI VERMEULEN All institutions and individuals have a role in proper water management

Climate uncertainty threatens water security

By: Nadine Ramdass 2nd July 2021 Apart from water infrastructure related challenges, the reliability of South African water supplies is threatened by increasing climate uncertainty. “For a country such as ours, water supply infrastructure developed organically over time, in step with population growth, reliable (if variable)... →

GISELA KAISER Root problems need to be fixed

PPPs can resuscitate infrastructure

By: Nadine Ramdass 2nd July 2021 Private-public partnerships (PPPs) can help improve South Africa’s water infrastructure and create opportunities for the introduction of technological advancements in the sector, says water solutions company Veolia South Africa GM Chris Braybrooke. The South African water infrastructure is in a... →

DURBAN WATER RECYCLING PROJECT DWR is a success model for PPPs

Technology can improve infrastructure

By: Nadine Ramdass 2nd July 2021 Embracing and implementing technological solutions can improve South Africa’s water infrastructure and systems, which are currently in a “state of disarray”, says water treatment solutions company Watericon process engineer Pako Khutsoane. The infrastructure is in “complete disorder”, owing to... →

TREATMENT IN THABAZIMBI Smaller plants can help improve water infrastructure

Reliable and sustainable water solution found in Karoo

16th October 2020 Groundwater specialists from engineering consultants SRK Consulting have assisted in ensuring Prince Albert local municipality in the Karoo is able to provide a reliable and sustainable supply of groundwater to local communities at Leeu Gamka in the Western Cape. Prince Albert local municipality... →

FULL FLOW Tapping water from the boreholes required a borehole pump design and installation, pipeline design to connect boreholes to existing infrastructure, as well as project and contractor management

Expansion set for completion

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 Multidisciplinary consulting firm Zimile Consulting Engineers has announced that the expansion of the R14-million bulk water supply project in Underberg, for the Harry Gwala district municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, will be completed and handed over by the end of this month. “The project addresses... →

UPHILL BATTLE One of the challenges faced during the project entailed an uphill installation which Zimile Consulting Engineers successfully completed without complications

Tech helps address nonrevenue water loss

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 According to a rough consensus derived from its end customers and partners, about 38% of South Africa’s produced water is non-revenue water, but water technology company Xylem Water Solutions South Africa says its key technologies assist in addressing this challenge. Non-revenue water is water... →

SMART DETECTIVE The Smart Ball water leak detection an assessment tool can be deployed without having to disrupt the flow within the system

Pump energy efficiency, maintenance critical to address water scarcity

By: Simone Liedtke 16th October 2020 Although not many realise it, South Africa is an arid country and there is a pressing need to address water scarcity, which is why pump manufacturer Grundfos places such emphasis on energy efficiency and addressing water leakages in pumping systems, says team leader Andrew Brunette. He laments... →

COMPLETE SOLUTION
The Grundfos PS.R complete pumping station with tanks, pumps and controls

Grundfos team leader Andrew Brunette discusses the company’s energy efficiency and maintenance offerings.

Proactive national water programme on the cards

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), in partnership with various government departments, is addressing the country’s water woes with the development of a proactive national water programme that aims to offer tangible solutions to municipalities, the relevant government departments and... →

FINANCIAL FILTER
The DBSA looks to offer a proactive infrastructure and financial based water reuse sub-programme as part of its national water programme

DBSA disruption specialist Johann Lübbe and infrastructure finance specialist Konstant Bruinette discuss the progress being made on a new national water programme that the DBSA is developing.

Data-driven approach for water approached

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 The time to apply a data-driven approach to optimise water distribution in South Africa is now, says consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV advisory group director Bongani Dladla. “This could be the country’s catalyst for digital transformation – the point when municipalities start using technology... →

TANK TRACING A data-driven approach will help optimise water use and its infrastructure suggest Royal HaskoningDHV

Easy-to-assemble water storage tanks launched

By: Halima Frost 16th October 2020 Steel products and related services company Structa Group recently launched the marketing drive for its new Circotank brand, which offers a range of rolled sectional steel tanks. Circotank is manufactured from galvanised steel sheet, cold rolled, with a stiffening profile. →

TANK TOP The Maxi range of tanks offers water storage capacity of up to 1.5Mℓ

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

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

Deputy Minister calls for greater collaboration

11th October 2019 Municipalities need to work with the Department of Water and Sanitation and water entities to ensure efficient government supply systems, said Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo at the inaugural Municipal Water Services Scientific Forum held at the Athlone Wastewater Treatment... →

QUALITY CATALYST
The Municipal Water Services Scientific Forum will serve as a platform for knowledge sharing in the management of water and effluent quality

Photo by Creamer Media
QUALITY CATALYST The Municipal Water Services Scientific Forum will serve as a platform for knowledge sharing in the management of water and effluent quality

More municipalities must undertake metering projects

By: Tracy Hancock 11th October 2019 Water loss, from a vital-asset and an income perspective, has plagued municipalities throughout South Africa for some years, says professional services engineering company SMEC South Africa management services function manager Jashmer Rajcoomar. “With drought affecting South Africa, it is... →

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER With drought affecting South Africa, it is important to know where and how much water is being used for planning purposes

New water-level station introduced

By: Tracy Hancock 11th October 2019 The HOBO MicroRX water-level station, which can monitor water levels in the harshest conditions, is the “perfect solution” to South Africa’s current economic and environmental challenges, says local technology integrator Euca Technologies. South Africa has fast become a water-conscious country,... →

INFORMED DECISION-MAKING The MicroRX water-level station can provide data to help businesses make more informed decisions on how best to action strategies that allow for better management

Innovation exists, but needs to be scaled up locally

By: Tracy Hancock 11th October 2019 South Africa’s infrastructure needs refurbishment to restore functionality, as well as a digital refit to enable a new cyber management regime as the local water industry enters the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), says national water knowledge hub Water Research Commission (WRC) CEO Dhesigen... →

WATER GOALS Innovation is the only way through which Africa will come close to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and achieve reasonable water security

Photo by Creamer Media
WATER GOALS Innovation is the only way through which Africa will come close to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and achieve reasonable water security

OCTOPUS ELECTRONICS

By: Creamer Media Reporter 8th October 2019 Octopus Electronics offers complete pipeline solutions and trenchless innovations. As a leader in its field, Octopus Electronics offers a number of services, including distribution, repair facilities and rental agents. The most reliable, cutting-edge, practical and technologically advanced... →

Calculator to estimate daily water use

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 5th July 2019 With South Africa classified as a water-stressed country, owing to its receiving an average of about 492 mm/y of rainfall, water utility Rand Water’s environmental brand Water Wise’s water calculator provides users with an estimate of how much water is used in daily activities. Water Wise... →

Water-crisis conditions hold serious implications and challenges

5th July 2019 Integrated infrastructure delivery company AECOM senior engineer Hanine van Deventer stresses that, when a severe multiyear drought, coupled with difficult water-management parameters, is experienced, such as was the case in the Western Cape from 2015 to 2018, water-crisis conditions hold serious... →

HANINE VAN DEVENTER Private-sector companies are seldom knowledgeable or equipped to deal with water-crisis interventions on a regular basis

R341-million set aside to overhaul infrastructure

5th July 2019 The Department of Water and Sanitation has set aside R341-million to completely overhaul wastewater treatment infrastructure in the Vaal Triangle, says pump manufacturer and supplier Werner Pumps MD Sebastian Werner. The Vaal river is polluted with untreated sewage flowing into it from three... →

PUMP IT UP The truck-mounted jetting units built by Werner South Africa Pumps and Equipment will assist ERWAT to save the Vaal River

Infrastructure backlog provides growth opportunities for company

By: Cameron Mackay 5th July 2019 There is a backlog of sufficient planned new bulk water infrastructure projects in South Africa which could potentially provide increased opportunities for engineering consultants, such as AECOM, to become involved in more infrastructure development, says AECOM water business line director Werner... →

WERNER COMRIE Collaboration between the public and private sectors is long overdue. We have to use our collective knowledge to solve the challenges going forward

South Africa water supply not keeping up with developments

5th July 2019 There are potential mining zones – in coal, platinum and chrome, for instance – in the northern parts of provinces like Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga. In many of these, growth has in fact already taken place – but water supply is not keeping up, says consulting firm SRK Consulting partner... →

Globalisation an export opportunity for local valves manufacturer

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 5th July 2019 Amid the lack of infrastructure spending locally, valves manufacturer Aveng dynamic fluid control (DFC) welcomes globalisation as an opportunity to export its valves products to countries such as Brazil, Australia, Finland and the US. “Everyone sees globalisation as an opportunity to have access... →

GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS South Africans should be proud that locally manufactured products can compete in the global market

Two water tanks installed at water treatment plant

5th July 2019 Water storage tank and solutions company Prestank recently installed two water tanks at the Ritchie water treatment plant in Northern Cape, says Prestank estimator and project coordinator Werner Hugo. This follows the expansion that has been taking place at the plant for the past few years, he adds. →

R&D provides solutions for water management problems

By: Donald Makhafola 12th October 2018 Constant research and development (R&D) has been key to the growth and success of 34-year-old industrial agitator and specialised mixing-equipment for water and wastewater treatment company, Mixtec, says the company’s sales and project manager Rudi Swanepoel. The Mixtec global group of... →

HIGH-QUALITY Mixtec is known for producing mixers to the latest international standards and quality controls

Energy efficient pumps solve water challenges

12th October 2018 Power-saving water-pump solutions company Grundfos presents municipalities with improved energy efficient pumps that allow them to lower their demand on the national power grid, says sub-Saharan Africa regional head Henning Sandager. “Water, waste water removal and electricity are the main... →

OPTIMISATION Grundfos energy efficient pumps can save up to 50% of energy

Engineering firm acquires valve test bench

By: Donald Makhafola 12th October 2018 Mpumalanga-based wholly black-owned mechanical engineering company Brimis Engineering will procure a pressure relief valve test bench by the end of this month to test more than 90% of all installed safety valves currently in use in South Africa. Global valve test and repair equipment supplier... →

MOEKETSI MPOTU Brimis Engineering has the technical capability to repair, test and certify critical application safety valves in line with the Pressure Equipment Regulations

Lesotho Metolong dam achieves full capacity

12th October 2018 The new $100-million Metolong dam in Lesotho has achieved a significant project success this year, with the dam spilling for the first time since its completion in 2016. Spilling occurs when the dam is at full capacity, and the dam’s spillway – meant to direct excess water downstream during flood... →

MILESTONE Metolong dam in Lesotho reaches spilling stage for the first time since its completion in 2016

New coupling provides easy pipe joining solution

By: Donald Makhafola 12th October 2018 Ongoing water shortages relating to insufficient and aging infrastructure and lack of proper maintenance in South Africa and Africa, make mechanical pipe-joining systems manufacturer Victaulic’s safe, efficient and cost-effective pipe joining solution, which eliminates hazardous welding and... →

JOINING SOLUTION Victaulic's plain end solutions pipe couplings, fittings and connectors technology are easy to install

Editorial Insight

Urgent solution needed

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Dean Thompson

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DUSTBIN OF HISTORY

South Africa simply cannot afford a repeat of 2021 this year. Further delays in dealing with the country’s big problems of load-shedding, economic and social crime, vaccine hesitancy and, most worryingly, a growth rate that is too low to make a dent into chronic unemployment will set the scene for the type of deadly instability that gripped the country in July last year. Decisive policymaking and diligent implementation are the only ways to confine 2021 to the dustbin of history.

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