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Water

Government considering ban on microbeads after Gauteng drinking water is found to be contaminated

By: News24Wire 10th August 2018 The government has set up a task team to look at imposing a total ban on microbeads – the tiny plastic beads used in cosmetics, toothpaste and sandblasting. This comes after a Water Research Commission study found microplastic pollution in tap water in Johannesburg and Tshwane, as well as in all... →

Irrigation system reduces water use in orchards by 70%

By: Erin Steenhoff-Snethlage 10th August 2018 Louirrigate’s micro drip irrigation system, Tree Hog, can reduce farmers’ water use by up to 70% in orchards, and save up to 70% of energy costs, claims Tree Hog designer and Louirrigate owner Louis Loubser, who is a wine and fruit farmer in Robertson, Western Cape. The Tree Hog system is... →

WATER CONSERVATION The Tree Hog can reduce water consumption by up to 70%

Omron focusing on aiding farmers

10th August 2018 Since early 2017, Japanese electronics company Omron has focused on providing solutions for the agricultural industry’s demand for technology and automation with the SX series of compact inverters, which is well suited for pumping applications, namely irrigation, that require smooth flow and... →

Clanwilliam dam wall raising resumes

By: Natasha Odendaal 6th August 2018 Construction on the raising of the Clanwilliam dam wall resumed on Monday after a lengthy delay. “This is very welcome news and we want to applaud and thank the Water and Sanitation Department under Minister Gugile Nkwinti for keeping to their commitments and starting to deliver on their mandate... →

Two Eastern Cape towns to start 'water shedding' as dam empties

By: News24Wire 6th August 2018 Water will be cut off in the towns of Hankey and Patensie in the Eastern Cape from Monday and only switched on again for short periods to stretch what little is left in the Kouga Dam, the municipality has announced. "We have been trying to delay the need for water shedding, but the situation is... →

Water Research Commission to investigate tow-an-iceberg proposal

By: News24Wire 1st August 2018 The Water Research Commission is to investigate the proposal to tow an iceberg to Cape Town to establish whether it is feasible as a new source of water. The commission has asked the brains behind the project, salvage expert Nick Sloane, to set up a seminar where they can get a more detailed... →

Impact of microplastics in Gauteng, North West water unknown – Rand Water

By: News24Wire 27th July 2018 The health impact of microplastics – bits of plastic less than 5mms in size – that were found in tap water in Johannesburg and Tshwane is at this stage unknown, Rand Water has said. This comes as a new study reported that substantial amounts of microplastics were found in the tap water supplied... →

Drinking water contaminated with micro plastic pollution in Gauteng

By: News24Wire 25th July 2018 Drinking water in Johannesburg and Tshwane is polluted with microplastics, a new study has found. Substantial amounts of microplastics – bits of plastics less that 5mm in size – were found in the tap water in both cities, as well as in rivers in Gauteng and in borehole water in the North West... →

USAID launches water project to benefit Southern African communities

By: Anine Kilian 25th July 2018 The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a five-year, $32.4-million project called Resilient Waters to address severe water challenges facing the Limpopo river basin and Okavango river basin communities. The project will work to provide access to safe drinking... →

Rwanda signs $300m in loan deals with China, India

By: Reuters 24th July 2018 Rwanda signed loan agreements worth more than $300-million with China and India to fund roads and irrigation, officials said, as leaders from the two Asian powers made their first visits to the East African nation. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Rwanda from Sunday to Monday and granted a... →

As crops dry, Malawi turns to solar irrigation

By: Reuters 23rd July 2018 As climate change brings longer droughts, farmers in eastern Malawi's already dry Lake Chilwa basin are seeing an ever-more-frequent disaster: maize wilting or drying completely, leaving families hungry. "In the past many farmers relied on rain-fed agriculture to grow their food," said Edwin... →

High-level meeting to be held to decide on easing of Cape Town water restrictions

By: News24Wire 20th July 2018 The Department of Water and Sanitation is expected to hold a high-level meeting on Friday to assess whether the severe water restrictions in Cape Town and surrounding areas can be relaxed. Regional head of the department Rashid Khan said on Thursday that there had been requests from users of the... →

Community project receives Saice honours

By: Donald Makhafola 20th July 2018 The eThekwini municipality’s Provision of Water and Sanitation to Informal Settlements project was awarded the 2018 South Africa Institute of Civil Engineering (Saice) Durban region award for the most outstanding civil engineering achievement in the category of community-based projects last... →

COMMUNITY PROJECT The Bosch Projects team worked closely with the eThekwini municipality to secure the supply of potable water and a basic sanitation service in KwaZulu-Natal

New zero-discharge chemical production facility opens in Pomona

By: Schalk Burger 20th July 2018 The new 6 600 m2 chemical production facility of multinational Veolia Water Technologies South Africa, in Pomona, Kempton Park is the main blending facility for the company’s local operations, and is also set to export to Veolia’s clients throughout Africa, owing to its competitive costs of... →

MOBILE WATER TREATMENT PLANT The 4x4 mobile water treatment plant purifies water from any available source for remote communities

Growthpoint takes first Cape Town commercial property off the water grid

By: Natasha Odendaal 19th July 2018 The District building, in Woodstock, has become the first of Growthpoint Properties’ commercial properties in Cape Town to shift off the municipal water grid and become water net-positive. The property giant on Thursday said the 1 750 people using the multitenant office and retail building... →

Revolutionary solar-power desalination plant could provide cheaper option, but it needs space

By: News24Wire 18th July 2018 The new solar-powered desalination plant under construction at Witsand on the southern Cape coast will produce water at a cost of only R7 to R8 a kilolitre. This is less than a quarter of the cost of water from Cape Town's temporary desalination plant at Strandfontein. Water from the... →

Life After Coal campaign demands IRP take water costs into account

By: Marleny Arnoldi 16th July 2018 A report from the Life After Coal campaign calls for uncounted costs to South Africa’s water resources to be accounted for in the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). Mining coal and burning it in power stations uses large amounts of water and pollutes water as well, imposing massive but uncounted... →

Multimillion-rand French funding deal for drought-stricken Western Cape still needs environmental approval

By: News24Wire 16th July 2018 A nearly R9-million joint desalination project between the Western Cape government and the French government still needs the required environmental approval for operation in November. The solar-powered desalination plant, the first of its kind, will be located in the coastal town of Witsand on... →

Ministers reiterate commitment to implementation of LHWP Phase 2

By: Simone Liedtke 16th July 2018 South African Water and Sanitation Minister Gugile Nkwinti, Lesotho Water Minister Samonyane Ntsekele and the Lesotho High Commissioner Sello Moloto have reaffirmed their commitment to the successful implementation of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) Phase 2. Poised to secure a... →

Company to expand channel blowers range

By: Halima Frost 13th July 2018 Sandton-based side-channel blower supplier CR Elec plans to expand on its offerings, which will complement its existing Sirocco brand. A side-channel blower can generate significantly higher pressures than industrial fans, and is also known as a vacuum pump or vacuum compressor. The side-channel... →

BLOWING AWAY COMPETITION Side-channel blowers across the range will maximise offerings

Western Cape edges closer to an end to the drought as dam levels continue to rise

By: News24Wire 12th July 2018 Good news for the drought-stricken Western Cape came in the form of a dramatic increase in the province's dam levels. According to the Department of Water Affairs, dam levels increased from 45% to 51.7% in seven days, thanks to recent torrential rains in large parts of the province. And that's... →

Nkwinti off to see Lesotho Highlands Water Project progress

By: African News Agency 12th July 2018 Water and Sanitation Minister Gugile Nkwinti will on Thursday undertake a two-day Ministerial visit to Lesotho to see the developments around the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. "Minister Nkwinti will also have discussions with his counterpart from the government of Lesotho, Minister of Water,... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Water and Sanitation Minister Gugile Nkwinti

Lucky Star operations in Western Cape get two desalination plants

By: Schalk Burger 11th July 2018 Wednesday marked the official launch of two desalination plants that were designed, installed and commissioned by JSE-listed AECI water and process subsidiary ImproChem at fish products company Lucky Star’s cannery and fishmeal operations on the West Coast. The desalination plants at Lucky Star’s... →

ImproChem engineered solutions executive director Sepadi Mohlabeng, ImproChem MD Graham Sanders, Oceana chairperson Mustaq Brey and Saldanha Bay acting mayor Elize Steyn

DWS notes concerns about War on Leaks programme

By: Marleny Arnoldi 10th July 2018 The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is worried about the War on Leaks (WoL) programme, since not all Phase 1 trainees have been placed within the projected timelines. →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Water and Sanitation Minister Gugile Nkwinti

Climate change not the only reason for water shortages – Muller

By: Natasha Odendaal 9th July 2018 While recent rainfall has brought some reprieve to the drought-plagued City of Cape Town, the region remains vulnerable, and people, politics and poor planning are predominantly to blame for most urban water shortages, water expert Professor Mike Muller has said. In an opinion piece published in... →

Ethiopia needs $7.5bn to finish megaprojects – PM

By: Reuters 6th July 2018 Ethiopia needs $7.5-billion to finish infrastructure projects such as a massive dam and roads that the government hopes will drive industrialisation, the new prime minister said on Friday. Speaking to parliament before its vote on the 2018/19 budget, Abiy Ahmed said the government needed to be... →

Installation of water metering system complete

By: Donald Makhafola 6th July 2018 Utility management company Bosch Munitech in March completed the design and installation of a metering and monitoring system to manage water consumption for the Lower Berg River Irrigation Board, in the Western Cape. The company was appointed last year in November to install the Krohne Waterflux... →

COMPLIANT The Krohne Waterflux electromagnetic flow meter is a low maintenance water meter which meets stringent potable water standards designed for bidirectional flow measurement

Cheap valve imports taking over the local market

By: Donald Makhafola 6th July 2018 Amid ageing water infrastructure, the South African Valve and Actuator Manufacturers Association (Savama) laments the substantially cheaper and poor-quality Chinese valves and associated products that find their way onto the local market. “In the current market, we find that price supersedes... →

Technology provides digital water solution for Africa

6th July 2018 The water industry has been focused on ushering in a new era of water management, with an emphasis on automation, the Internet of Things (IoT) and sophisticated data management and analysis software that enables the water end-user or plant operator to have valuable, actionable information, says... →

GOING DIGITAL Siemens shows how digitalisation of water management processes is creating impressive new possibilities to increase efficiency and reduce costs

New tech, investments can reduce water crisis

By: Donald Makhafola 6th July 2018 New technologies for water and wastewater treatment plants, as well as investments in ecological infrastructure, could reduce the risks of water pollution and failure of critical water supply infrastructure in the country, says global engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Aurecon South... →

Photo by Bloomberg
COLLABORATIVE MANAGEMENT South Africa is depending on a complex and technically challenging bulk-water supply which requires a high level of expertise and coordination

Low maintenance treatment plants supplied to hospital

6th July 2018 Global optimised resource management company Veolia Water Technologies South Africa recently designed, manufactured and commissioned two containerised, plug-and-play solutions for State-owned Bambisana Hospital in Goqwana township, Eastern Cape. The two packaged low-footprint and low maintenance... →

WATER SOLUTION Veolia's packaged water treatment plants provide potable water to Bambisana Hospital and treats its sewage water

S Africa wastewater facilities in disrepair

By: Donald Makhafola 6th July 2018 Half of South Africa’s water infrastructure is in disrepair and it will take significant financial investment, and political will, to restore it, according to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). “Our research indicates that what is needed is investment in basic infrastructure such as fixing... →

WASTEWATER South Africa can increase the amount of wastewater treated, to boost water supply

Repairing of ageing water infrastructure can increase supply

By: Donald Makhafola 6th July 2018 Amid ageing water infrastructure in most developed areas in South Africa, engineering advisory firm WSP technical director water, transport and infrastructure Africa Arnaud Malan says there is a need to adopt more sustainable approaches to managing available water through smarter water governance... →

WATER SCARCE South Africa needs to adopt more sustainable approaches to managing available water through smarter water governance stewardship

Phase 1 of Madibeng water plant set for 2019 completion

By: Simone Liedtke 4th July 2018 The first phase of the Madibeng water purification plant, in North West, is projected to be completed by March 31, 2019, provided that an additional R100-million is made available in the current financial year for electrical and mechanical works of the plant, Water and Sanitation Minister Gugile... →

National dam levels rise higher than 2017 – water department

By: News24Wire 4th July 2018 Dams across the country have collectively reached nearly 80% capacity – rising above levels recorded this time last year, the Department of Water and Sanitation said on Wednesday. "Nationally, figures show that the country's dams, with a total capacity of 32 322.6m3, are standing at 79.3%... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Vaal Dam

Cape dams half full, but too early to call for easing restrictions

By: News24Wire 4th July 2018 Cape Town's dam levels rose to 50.3% on Tuesday as streams and rivers swollen with rain from the weekend's intense cold front, flowed into the storage dams. There is now double the amount of water in the city's supply dams than there was at this time last year, when the level stood at 25.1%. The... →

Fears of a dry future for Cape Town as water conference kicks off

By: News24Wire 2nd July 2018 A scarce supply of water may become Cape Town's defining feature, and the city has already been touted as one of the first major cities in the world that could run out of water. This was the warning from City of Cape Town Deputy Mayor Ian Nielson, who spoke on Sunday at the WISA 2018 Conference,... →

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