Water&Santiation Africa Jan/Feb 2015

The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa

Water & SanitationComplete water resource and wastewater management

Henk Smit speaks about Vovani Water Products’ one-stop-shop off erings providing convenience and customer satisfaction to the water treatment market. P16

T

JulyJanuary/February 2015 • ISSN 1990-8857 • Cover price R50.00 • Vol 10 No. 1

Promoting professional excellence in the water sector

IN THE HOT SEAT

EEOOTTAA

EE TTT AATTTTT

k Smerinwate

Henkoff ew

Going Modular and MobileNuWater

WATER TREATMENTAfrican water sector

delivers global solution

MINE WATERExploding the AMD myth:

it's not just water underground

AfricaAfrica

octa

rine

3866

Sustainable solutions that workKaytech will help you to implement sustainable solutions that work. Technological innovation is combined with a practical balance between engineering imperatives and cost-effectiveness to give you the greener answer to your ecological challenge.

From landfi lls to coastal erosion, from basic rural amenities to large scale water infrastructures, each project presents its

own unique challenges. Kaytech has an extensive range of environmentally sound and recycled products to ensure that you get exactly what you need for your specifi c project.

Backed by professional engineering support, Kaytech is always a better solution. For more information on how Kaytech can help you, contact us today.

Engineering a Greener Future

bidim R

Johannesburg 011 922 3300Port Elizabeth 041 453 0755East London 043 727 1055Cape Town 021 531 8110Durban 031 717 2300www.kaytech.co.za

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 1

ON THE COVER Technology and

solutions provider NuWater is in the

process of fi nalising its fi rst large-scale municipal contract using a completely

modular and mobile plant. P4

Volume 10. No.1

REGULARS

Editor’s comment 3

COVER STORY

Going modular and mobile in municipal water treatment 4

WISA

CEO’s comment 6President’s comment 8A rewarding year in water 11

REGIONAL PROJECT

More than just a drop to drink 13

HOT SEAT

Treatment technology all-rounder 16

INSIGHT

Missives from the void 18

WATER TREATMENT

Laboratories ‘gap’ continues 23

WATER METERING

Saving water through technology 27Smartening up metering 28

TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGIES

Tshwane rejuvenates its pipes 30

DAMS AND RESERVOIRS

Eastern Cape award winner shines 38

PANEL DISCUSSION

DesalinationQuality Filtration Systems 45Buckman 47Veolia 49

PUMPS, PIPE & VALVES

Botswana water scheme gets pumped 52

Regional Project

SCCOONNTTTENTS

13

Pipe jacking safeguards the environment30

End in sight for City of Saints‘ water woes38

Shrink minewater problems.. .

Nalco Africa helps you reuse, recycle, and conserve water...while reducing your environmental impact.

Nalco Technologies empower vigorous and effective mine water management. Throughout Africa, we are showing mine operators how to use less water, recycle more and return clean water to the environment. So you can run a more productive, more profi table and more sustainable mine.

Our on-site experts are ready to show you how Nalco innovations can deliver effective, affordable mine water management.

Contact Nalco Africa today. And let us start shrinking your mine water problems.

Nalco Africa Operations1 AMPÈRE ROAD, CHLOORKOP, EDENGLEN 1624 Tel: +27 (0)11 578 5000 Fax: +27 (0)11 393 [email protected]

www.nalco.com/sa

© 2015 Ecolab USA Inc. All rights reserved

into a smaller footprint.

PARTNERSHIP FOR PROFITABLE, SUSTAINABLE MINE MANAGEMENT


EDITOR’S COMMENTPublisher Elizabeth ShortenEditor Frances RingwoodHead of design Hayley MendelowDesigner Frédérick DantonChief sub-editor Tristan SnijdersSub-editor Beatrix KnopjesContributors Jo Burgess, Beatrix Knopjes, Shanna Nienaber, John Holmes, Blake WilkinsDigital specialist and marketing manager Esther LouwMarketing Philip RosenbergClient services & production manager Antois-Leigh BotmaProduction coordinator Jacqueline ModiseDistribution manager Nomsa MasinaDistribution coordinator Asha PursothamFinancial manager Andrew LobbanAdministration Tonya HebentonPrinters United Litho Johannesburg+27 (0)11 402 0571Advertising sales Avé Delport Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6224 • Cell: +27 (0)83 302 1342 Fax: 086 502 1216 • Email: [email protected]

MEDIA Physical address: No 4, 5th Avenue Rivonia 2056Postal address: PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117,South AfricaTel: +27 (0)11 233 2600Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5Email: [email protected]

ISSN: 1990 - 8857Annual subscription: R300 (SA rate)Email: [email protected] 2014. All rights reserved.All articles in Water&Sanitation Africa are copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publishers. The views of contributors do not necessarily refl ect those of the Water Institute of Southern Africa or the publishers.

WISA mission statementThe Water Institute of Southern Africa provides a forum for exchange of information and views to improve water resource management in Southern Africa.

Endorsed by

WISA CONTACTS:HEAD OFFICETel: +27 (0)11 805 3537 Fax: +27 (0)11 315 1258Physical address: 1st Floor, Building 5, Constantia Park, 546 16th Road, Randjiespark Ext 7, Midrand

BRANCHESEastern CapeChairman: Hennie Greeff Tel: +27(0)41 453 3102Secretary/Treasurer: Chris Dickson Tel: +27(0)41 507 8200

Free StateChairperson: D.R. TlhomelangTel: +27(0)51 403 0800Secretary/ Treasurer: Riana WesselsTel: +27(0)56-515-0375

KwaZulu-NatalChairman: Chris Fennemore Tel: +27 (0)31 311 8734Secretary/ Treasurer: Stephanie WalshTel: +27 (0)31 302-4077

Western CapeChairman: Gareth McConkeyTel: +27(0) 21 712 4260Secretary/ Treasurer: Eleonore BondesioTel: +27(0)21 872 0322

www.ewisa.co.za

Strained relations

JANU

m

COVER OPPORTUNITYIn each issue, Water&Sanitation Africa off ers companies the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or service on the front cover of the magazine. Buying this position will aff ord the advertiser the cover story and maximum exposure. For more information on cover bookings contact Avé Delport on +27 (0)83 302 1342 or email [email protected]

3

IT HAS LONG BEEN a fact that water and energy exist as a nexus: one being contingent on the other in the service delivery context. So when Eskom announced towards the end of 2014 that it would be implementing stage-three load-shedding, some senior Ward heads (notably from the opposition party) demonstrated concern

over what that would mean for water supply. Two of these have approached Water & Sanitation with their concerns in the last two months.Meanwhile, South Africa’s biggest municipality ‒ City of Johannesburg ‒ has already expe-

rienced supply disruptions in the last six months caused by copper cable theft, according to a statement by Rand Water. At the fi rst sign of further power disruptions, water board and municipal leaders were quick to point out that substations prioritised for maintaining dams and reservoirs are fi rst priority in a similar way to medical power supply. Many sources are indicating a national blackout might be imminent, an event that would

have serious consequences for dams, reservoirs and reticulation systems across the country. On 9 December last year, Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona denied these claims, calling them, “absolute nonsense.”

Tipping pointsThe South African water supply landscape has long been characterised by innovation. While new technology may at times be slow to be implemented due to a complicated and sometimes corrupted regulatory environment, the country’s technical capabilities continue to shine.For many years this has been the reason water sector professionals have scoff ed whenever

alarm bells were raised over one impending water crisis or other, as they are reported in the mainstream media. Local engineering talent, while leading the global curve, keeps getting thinner on the ground. As employment options in South Africa look less attractive and the global economic crunch continues to put pressure on everyone that talent pool is quietly draining away.It only takes a look just a few kilometres north of South Africa’s borders to see what hap-

pens when a country reaches its tipping point. In Zimbabwe’s capital city Harare, there is a real water crisis. Infrastructure is old and in need of repair. Citizens are relying on rain water harvesting and water bucket salesmen to supply their needs. Costs are staggering, quality is poor and corruption is rife.South Africa, with its proud water history, its brilliant engineers and

its stars in the public sector, cannot go the same way. Heartening to see in this month’s issue is government spending on

award-winning projects to increase supply through various interven-tions in the Eastern Cape ‒ South Africa’s poorest province.Less heartening is how many private companies appear to be

securing independent water supply. In 2015, how will the industry pull together to ensure South Africa’s energy diffi culties don’t aff ect the water sector (and the economy) irreparably?my)

Frances Ringwood

APOLOGY In the last issue of Water&Sanitation, Dr Piet Meyer's name was left off the Hot Seat strap. We apologise to Aquatan for the oversight.

4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 20154444444 JANJAJANJANJANAAJANUARUARUARARARUARARUA Y/FY/FY/FY/Y/FY/FY///// EBREBREBREBREBREBRRRRRRRRUARUARUARUARUARUAARY 2Y 2 2Y 2YY 2Y 2Y 20150150150150155004 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

COVER STORY

Going modular and mobile in Technology and solutions provider NuWater is in the process of fi nalising its fi rst large-scale municipal contract using a completely modular and mobile plant to provide additional water treatment capacity at an existing facility on a multi-year build, own and operate basis. By John Holmes*

NUWATER IS PROBABLY best known in South Africa for its modular and mobile water treatment

and desalination solutions provided to the mining sector. However, as municipal water treatment infra-structure comes under increasing strain following years of under-in-vestment, NuWater’s solutions are gaining signifi cant interest from municipalities due to their rapid deployment capability and technical and commercial fl exibility. NuWater has pioneered large-scale

modular and mobile water treatment and desalination plants and

the company has

proven the performance, reliability and cost-eff ectiveness of its plants over a number of years with de-manding customers in the mining sector. It has long been imminent that the rapidly deployable nature of NuWater’s plants, and the fl exibility they provide, would become increas-ingly attractive to the municipal water treatment sector. It was how-ever important that the company fi rst demonstrated the eff ectiveness of both the technology, as well as its build, own and operate service model, in the private sector, in order to provide the necessary assurances to more conservative and risk-averse public sector customers.

Flexibility advantageThe appeal of NuWater’s

modular and mobile solutions

is quite simply commercial fl exibil-ity. Although in some cases these solutions are used tactically while fi xed infrastructure is being put in place or expanded, the company is quickly getting past the view that its solutions are temporary in nature. NuWater has rather demonstrated that they are an elegant way of minimising the risks associated with infrastructure projects, and that they make short-term own and operate water treatment projects commer-cially viable. Instead of having to sign a ten- or twenty-year services contract or water purchase agree-ment, the company is able to off er its customers contract periods from as little as three years on the basis that the company can easily redeploy its plants to another customer at the end of the contract and therefore does not need to recover the full capital investment over the contract life. The onus is therefore on NuWater to demonstrate the performance and cost-eff ectiveness of its solutions in order to secure contract extensions, and the customer retains fl exibility should its water treatment require-ments change over time.The seemingly obvious argument

from competitors is that a series of short-term contracts will cost more over the long term. However when

construction time and asso-ciated risks of large

An ultrafi ltration module being delivered on a fl atbed truck to the Vereeniging plant


COVER STORY

5

municipal water treatmentand infl exible fi xed infrastructure are factored in, the fi rm believes its proposition is compelling, and it has major brand-name customers that can confi rm this. In many cases, NuWater’s customers can’t accept the long time periods required to plan and negotiate long-term contracts or accommodate extended construction periods when they have immediate and critical treatment capacity short-ages. Under such circumstances, the company’s ability to have a plant on the ground and commissioned within weeks rather than years and on a short-term, own and operate contract basis, becomes attractive.

Mining case studyAn example of a NuWater modular and mobile plant, which it owns and operates for Anglo American’s New Vaal Colliery in Vereeniging, shows how the plant technology and commercial model work. The plant treats up to 20 million litres of mine wastewater a day, with the high-quality treated and desalinated water being sent to the neighbouring Eskom Lethabo power station for pro-cess and cooling purposes. This both ensures that wastewater from the mine does not impact the surround-ing environment ‒ including the Vaal River itself ‒ as well as reducing the amount of water drawn from the Vaal River by the power station ‒ a great step towards environmental sustain-ability in the local area. The original project tender

documents issued by Anglo were for a fi xed plant. At the same time, the mine wanted the supplier to build, own and operate the plant but did not want to commit to more than a two-year initial contract period. This combination of requirements appeared to be impossible to reconcile. NuWater however saw it as an ideal opportunity to combine its suite of advanced technologies, including its compact, high-performance and patented 16″ reverse osmosis (RO) technology, into a completely modular and mobile plant that could be rapidly deployed and was completely scalable. The fact

that the plant could be relocated to another customer, at the end of what was considered to be a short contract period, made it possible for NuWater to off er commercial terms that were also attractive to Anglo. The plant itself

consists of ultrafi l-tration modules for suspended solids removal and RO for dissolved solids (dissolved salts) removal, or desalination. The control room and pumping station are also stand-alone modules. The beauty of NuWater’s modular solution is that capacity can be added and removed without impacting the ongoing production of the plant. This allowes engineers to get the fi rst modules on the ground and operational fast, and to then scale up production by adding additional modules over subsequent weeks, ticking an important box for Anglo. More recently, the fl exibility of the company’s modular design has also allowed it to reconfi gure the plant to handle deteriorating feed-water quality and higher produced water requirements from the Lethabo power station. This would have resulted in major disruption and cost for a fi xed plant, if it was possible to achieve at all.Following a number of short-term

contract extensions, NuWater’s performance at the mine has been re-warded by a further multi-year exten-sion. Anglo New Vaal’s management team has never really seen the plant as a temporary solution. They took a calculated risk on what at that time was NuWater’s untested modular and mobile solution, as no one else had demonstrated this concept at this sort of scale. The risk was however mitigated by the fact that NuWater was eff ectively taking the technical and commercial risk ‒ if it didn’t work, Anglo wouldn’t pay. What the mine’s

t +27 (0)21 531 0641www.nuwaterglobal.com

In each issue, Water&Sanitation Africa off ers advertisers the opportunity to promote their company’s products and services to an appropriate audience by booking the prime position of the front cover, which includes a feature article. The magazine off ers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Please call Avé Delport on +27 (0)11 467 6224/ +27 (0)83 302 1342 to secure your booking.

management team did recognise was the fl exibility of the solution to adjust to changing requirements over time. This allowed them to rather reassess and renew the contract on a periodic basis based on actual performance and changes to feedwater and treatment requirements, rather than trying to capture the eventuality in a long-term contract, which would have been the case for conventional fi xed infrastructure. NuWater is pleased to have been

able to repay Anglo management’s vision and trust in our ability and commitment to deliver a highly eff ective water treatment and desal-ination solution.

Public sector applicabilityNuWater is now succeeding in convincing municipalities that they would realise the same benefi ts seen at Anglo New Vaal Colliery. The company expects to have its fi rst large-scale municipal contract for a completely modular and mobile plant fi nalised in January 2015. NuWater will build, own and operate this plant.Owning and operating our plants

and providing water treatment as a service to our customers means we have plenty of ‘skin in the game’ and are therefore incentivised to keep costs as low as possible while maintaining the high performance levels specifi ed in the contract with our customer.

*John Holmes is the CEO of NuWater

The fact that the plant could be relocated to another customer, at the end of what was considered to be a short contract period, made it possible for NuWater to offer commercial terms that were also attractive to Anglo

NuWater’s modular and mobile plant, which it owns and operates for Anglo American’s New Vaal Colliery in Vereeniging, Gauteng

6 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

CEO’S COMMENT

One-on-one with WISA’s CEO

WISA’s new CEO Lester Goldman speaks to Frances Ringwood at WISA’s Midrand offi ces to discuss the institute’s big plans for future growth.

A NEW BROOM sweeps clean, as the old saying goes, and the Water Institute of Southern

Africa’s 2014-appointed CEO has some big plans for streamlining de-partments within the organisation, creating efficient media engage-ment platforms on a careful and considered basis and driving new membership growth.“It’s by being part of WISA that

people can make a difference. I think that’s part of the governance structure I’m looking for. We’re saying to patron members and anybody out there who wants to make a difference, that they must join WISA. If you are already a member of WISA, come and join a committee or come and make an offer to volunteer your services,” says Goldman. “I need that support. I regard it

as a strength that I don’t have any preconceived ideas or conceptions about what the sector needs to solve the challenges its members face. What I need is for stakeholders to come to us and communicate challenges and possible solutions,” he adds.WISA has an experienced board

of water sector professionals but according to Goldman, that board is continuously rotated and renewed. “So my request to the general mem-bership is that they be part of that change,” he says. It’s an exciting time for all members of the water

ABOVE Lester Goldman comes from a fi nance background and was appointed WISA’s new CEO early in 2014

industry since the development of so much new technology and poli-cies for implementing better water management at government level are coming into effect.

Institute vision“Ultimately I want to be a part of the effort to ensure a vision where kids that don’t have water in Southern Africa get access to clean, quality tap water. That’s the vision I aspire to. And yes, it might sound naive but I believe that if we take those naive ideas and we implement them successfully, I think we’re on the right track. Even implementing

risk mitigation strategies in that direction is the right direction for us to be going.“We’ve heard government say

often that it can’t do it alone. And as the CEO of WISA, I can’t do it alone. As a board, we can’t do it alone. That is why we need our members to step forward and communicate,” says Goldman.

Sector advocacyThere is an issue with advocacy in the water sector. It’s difficult for suppliers at the coalface to come forward and talk about it when they witness a management problem or corruption, because

whistle-blowers face losing business or other vital contacts if they speak up about what goes wrong.Goldman’s response to the prob-

lem is again to stress the impor-tance of coming to the institute for guidance and assistance, as to how to effectively communicate those issues. “Our strategy for this type of engagement heading into the new year is not changing substantially. I do get calls from the mainstream media for comment on water issues as they happen, and my general response is that engagement with those types of media is not really within our mandate. However,

we’ve got divisions that from a technical perspective may be able to comment on some of these issues independently. It is my

sincere aim that soon, we will be able to make those commentaries.“Importantly, we need to coordi-

nate this type of communication as a unified body. We need to create a structure where experts are able to comment, without fear. We are in the process of preparing the infrastructure to have experts address these technical questions from a professional perspective,” concludes Goldman.WISA also plans to increase its al-

ready-extensive membership base, in order to create greater industry cohesion, and ultimately work with all stakeholders within the sector, to improve delivery and impact.

ISAancscu

WWWWFFFraddis

“It’s by being part of WISA that people can make a

difference.”

8 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 20158 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

PRESIDENT ’S COMMENT

The importance of communications in science and engineering

It has been encouraging for all of us to see the mainstream media taking water issues seriously, such

as the News24 article entitled: ‘South Africa’s looming water disaster’.

WATER PROFESSION-ALS have identified problems with some of the statements be-

ing made about the root causes of some of the headline-hitting events, such as the recent water supply fail-ures across parts of Johannesburg. A great deal of email traffic inevi-tably ensued between actors in the water sector, with viewpoints being argued for and against, and a robust debate developing regarding the cause, to some extent, and the re-quired corrective action, to a much greater extent. This is fine ‒ this is healthy, and it often leads to cor-rective actions that are substantially peer-reviewed. However, the big-gest problem with the arguments being presented is that they have been in private: unless the water sector is willing to speak frequently and clearly to people outside of its own community, we cannot lay the blame for what we may perceive as poor public understanding of water issues and the water cycle at the feet of mainstream media. In a democratic society, the role of the media is to identify and highlight issues the public sees as important for debate at the appropriate public level. But as water professionals, it

ABOVE Jo Burgess, president of WISA

is our job to ensure that we have a well-informed national media.

Media engagementHow do we as sector professionals and specialists ensure that the right messages and awareness is given to the public, including chal-lenging incorrect and inconsistent media reports?We have to recognise that strate-

gic communication ‒ part of which is media engagement ‒ is not just a support function but an important and integral part of our business; knowledgeable water experts need to work with communication ex-perts to engage the media the right way. If we make resources available for developing and providing the media with facts, data sets, possi-ble story angles, arguments and different viewpoints, we can drive how they report on our issues. If we don’t, they will do it their way, often with a focus on bad rather than good news.

Where do we find the resources for this? Is it something WISA could do? Yes, but WISA cannot do it alone ‒ because you, the members, might have the water expertise but lack

the communication expertise that is needed, while WISA staff have com-munications channels but cannot be experts in every topic. If we, as the technical divisions and regional branches, empower WISA’s commu-nications staff and give them access to knowledgeable human resources, they will be able to start engaging better with the media, and we will be able to raise the voice of experi-ence into the noise.

If so, where would they get the resources? By leveraging the vast pool of knowledge in the WISA members; there are already excellent sector publications, but these are read by us, not the general public. Repurposing and repackaging the information that we already have for public consumption will make great strides in the understanding of water issues by the public. We can engage with the media by sending them the right information. We should think about providing data-driven, factual press releases which explain not only the ‘what’ and ‘why’ but also the background. Some media do pick this up and copy-paste what you write. And don’t forget the importance of

Itma

as twat

ABOABOVEVE

aw



timing! Journalists operate in a fast-paced environment ‒ if you take too long to act or react, it’s already not news any more.

Why bother?To answer this question, we will share an experience that highlights the power of communication through schools and children, which is one of the most effective means of transferring messages.Fifteen years ago, a cost recov-

ery system was implemented in Mankweng township (with a popu-lation of about 18 000) in Limpopo. The area hosted all levels of service and revenue management from billing meters, prepaid meters, fixed-rate tariffs, house connections, yard connections and roadside standpipes. Cost recovery before the project was as little as R2 000 per month. There was both a technical

component (new meters, billing equipment, meter readers, higher levels of service) and a social component, which included radio advertisements, community drama, and a school art competition. The school art competition focused on the seven secondary and primary schools in the area. Financial prizes were awarded for the best student artists (primary, secondary, top five, and the like) and a prize was offered to the winning school. The prizes started at R1 000 for the top students in primary and secondary, and R4 000 for the top schools. Each student was given an A5

flyer which described the water cycle (in pictures and a written story, and at a level that was comprehensible to all students). It described where water comes from, how and why it is treated, how and where it is distributed, the different levels of service available, water conservation, sustainability issues, why and how much we should be paying for water in terms of cost per kilolitre and fixed rate tariffs for whom it applies, and also where people should go to pay for water. Children were invited to create a piece of art, whether a drawing, a picture, a model ‒ anything artistic and made from any material (so

that the poorest household would not be disadvantaged if they had to use free natural resources) and the theme of the art piece had to embrace something that was written or described in the A5 flyer about the water cycle. Students would take their flyers home to their family, for them to read, advise and discuss ideas of what to produce whilst subconsciously or consciously reinforcing key messages pertaining to the water cycle, revenue manage-ment and the project that was being implemented. There was a massive response from all the students and schools, and following adjudication there was a spectacular prize-giv-ing with dancing, drama, singing and speeches, but a fun day for all the kids and their families, while re-emphasising the key messages around the water cycle, conserva-tion and payment of the service being provided. The school art competition

reached every household in the

community, the families were moti-vated to read the flyers, to learn and interpret the story provided and to create an art piece that they would be proud of and be recognised for within a competitive environ-ment, and in the hope of winning first prize. We are a competitive nation ‒ riding on this value can be effective! Now, here’s the thing: although

the technical component was delayed by two months, the social component continued as planned. In the first month after the social component was implemented, revenue increased from R2 000 per month to over R50 000 per month. This money was only from those customers who knew what they had to pay ‒ i.e. those on fixed-rate tar-iffs, or if they already had billing me-ters that were read, but which they had not paid for previously. People started paying because for the first time they had the knowledge of why they have to pay and how and

We have to recognise that strategic communication, part of which is ‘media

engagement’, is not just a support function but an important and integral part of our business


Replace all mechanical bulk water meters?

Now it’s possible with the WATERFLUX

from KROHNE.

WATERFLUX – the new electromagnetic water meter – is bringing technological change to the water industry. It measures precisely and maintenance-free very small and large flow rates – from night-time demands up to fire-fighting operations. Throughout its entire service life of 25 years over several custody transfer periods.

Its unique, RILSAN®-lined measuring tube is wear-free and without mobile measuring parts, eliminating the need for maintenance. This reduces follow-up costs for statutory recalibrations – as an overhaul or replacement of the water meter is no longer necessary.

Both the low initial costs and the significantly reduced operating costs pay off in daily operation. Employ the WATERFLUX instead of mechanical bulk water meters and create financial freedom for new projects – simply exchange new for old.

KROHNE – Water is our world.

Please see our website for more information

KROHNE South Africa 8 Bushbuck Close Corporate Park South Randtjiespark, Midrand Tel.: +27 113141391 Fax: +27 113141681 Cell: +27 825563934 John Alexander [email protected]

www.za.krohne.com

New for old

KROHNE WATERFLUX meets

SANS1529-1:2006 fit for trade metrology –

exceeds class D Specifications

where they have to do so. The power of school children, schools and competitions to get important messages over is truly potent and often underutilised.

Constant communication If you travel to Singapore, the education of the water and sanitation business, including water reuse and recycling, is transferred all the way through the children’s school career. It is integrated within the curricula, culminating in regular visits to water treatment and sewage treatment plants, ‘new’ water and water recy-cling factories, reservoirs, the barrage, and similar facilities. The children

c on t i nuou s l y take messages home to their families and leave school knowledgeable about the water and sanitation business, being proud of the in f rast ructure they are respon-sible for as a community and with no hang-ups around issues such as ‘sanitation’ or water recycling, which is unfortunately often the case in other countries, including South Africa. Sanitation is sometimes thought of as being a dirty word, and reuse of water is socially rejected, as it is deemed unacceptable to drink what others have already used; however, if positive messages are transferred through learners right at the grass roots, at the schools and through these wonderful ‘communication vehicles’ in the form of our greatest assets ‒ school children ‒ then we can eliminate misconceptions and create greater awareness of the water business through our nation, whilst maximising water conservation and revenue management, and encour-aging sustainability of our resources and infrastructure. There are many effective ways of transferring knowledge

to our people ‒ this is just one ‘good news’ story I wanted to share with you, in the hope that it may initiate further such interventions in future.

*With sincere gratitude to Mark Bannister of DWS, and Sören Bauer of

WaterComm, for kind permission to repeat their valuable insights and

experiences described in this article. Accuracy and credit belong to them;

any mistakes belong to me. Bannister can be contacted at his email

[email protected] or by phone on +27 (0)12 336 8841 for more

information on the Mankweng cost recovery project and Bauer can be

emailed at [email protected], if anyone wishes to find out more

about how to drive the reporting of media on water issues.

If positive messages are transferred through learners right at the grass roots, at the schools and through these wonderful ‘communication vehicles’ in the form of our greatest assets – school children – then we can eliminate misconceptions


JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 11 JANUARARY/FEBRUARRYY 2015 11

WISA NEWS | YOUNG WATER PROFESSIONALS

A rewarding year in waterSub-Saharan Africa has the fastest population growth (projected between now and 2050) and the highest youth population in the world. This reality makes the youth-bulge in the population bell-curve a pressing concern.

ALTHOUGH THE growth prospects of the continent are marginally positive with growth rate esti-

mates at 4.8% in 2013 and 5.3% in 2014, 40 million young people are estimated to be out of work and many more in poor employment. The African Economic Outlook estimates that 53 million of Africa’s 200 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are in unstable employment and 40 million young Africans are out of work. However, while 18 million of them are looking for a job, 22 million have already given up. For the lucky employed young

people in the South African water and sanitation sectors today, there is a lot to be thankful for ‒ these are luckier still because of sector contributions from employers and mentors. As a new year rolls in, it

bears reflecting on the highs and lows that were last year. This article is dedicated to those institutions and companies that have contrib-uted to the growth of the South African Young Water Professionals (YWP-ZA) programme, a division of the International Water Association (IWA) and the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA).

Strong scientifi c output For YWP-ZA, 2014 kicked off with the YWP Publications Workshop Series, held from 21 January to 6 February. The publication of articles in journals not only establishes a researcher’s expertise and reputation in a chosen fi eld, but is also a requirement for the training of all postgraduate students. By monitoring the paper acceptance rate associated with the last three YWP-ZA Conferences, it became apparent that YWPs are in

need of support in terms of under-standing journal editor’s require-ments and how to get their work published. Given this context, YWP-ZA decided to host a Publication Workshop Series.

The purpose of these events was to equip students with the skills need-ed to publish in leading international journals. Facilitated by Professor Gustaf Olsson (IWA Publishing Award holder and former editor-in-chief of Water Science and Technology) the workshops covered writing skills,

By monitoring the paper acceptance rate associated with the last three YWP-ZA conferences, it became apparent that YWPs are in need of support

Mpumalanga YWPs with the winners of the Crocodile Catchment Forum event


practical activities, review systems and extensive interrogation of partic-ipant papers.The main outcome of the

Publications Workshop Series was that it enabled students to complete and revise a manuscript that could be submitted for publication. A total

of 65 students were supported through this programme. The YWP

Programme is greatly indebted to its spon-sors for this event: the Department of Science and Technology, WISA, the University of J o h a n n e s b u r g and the University of Stellenbosch.

eThekwini Municipality YWP-ZA also participated in the eThekwini Municipality Student Water and Sanitation Conference held on 20 March last year. Dr Inga Jacobs was invited to be the motivational speaker at this con-ference and the YWP KZN chapter was called on to be the event’s adjudicators. Presided over by the Mayor of eThekwini, the Durban City Hall was packed with 2 000 school learners, 205 councilors, 408 user platform members and 80 focus group members. Schools from around the city

debated on how water should be managed and whether develop-ment should trump human rights. The event proved to be a success

particularly in encouraging school pupils to pursue a career in the water sector.

Crocodile Catchment ForumIn collaboration with the Crocodile Catchment Forum, the YWPs in Mpumalanga coordinated the science school project competition aimed at educating and creating water and sanitation awareness in schools, and in celebration of National Water Week 2014. The adju-dication event was held at Tshwane University of Technology on 15 March last year.Key partners and sponsors in-

cluded the Crocodile Catchment Forum, ICMA, Dormehl Technology, Young Water Professionals, SembCorp Silulumanzi, Sappi and the Department of Education. Eighteen teams from the schools around Ehlanzeni entered for the competition of constructing a water treatment model. The competition targeted Grade 10 and 11 students. Winning teams were aff orded the opportunity to present their models at the WISA Biennial Conference in Mbombela in May.

Entering the water sector In the Western Cape, YWPs organised a career development event on 27 March last year aimed at bridging the gap between YWPs and employers, entitled ‘Enter the Water Sector’. The event helped young professionals and students fi gure out how to po-sition themselves as newcomers to the water sector, what skills to build and how to market the skills they

may already have by allowing them to have face-to-face conversations with managers and directors from across the water sector. Sponsorships from the CSIR, the EWSETA, the Stellenbosch Water Institute, WISA, and the University of the Western Cape made this event possible along with all employers that sent staff to take part in this event.

Rising and shining in the Eastern CapeOn 2 August, the Eastern Cape branch of the YWP was launched. The event was held at Rhodes University with participation from up to 80 young water professionals who were eager to fi nd out more about the organisation. Professor Tally Palmer gave a thought-provok-ing keynote address about water, governance and complexity. She gave the audience a window into her own personal journey as a young water professional and fi nished with some advice on how to confi dently make a diff erence in the water sec-tor. Following this session, Prudence Mambo, from the Environmental Biotechnology Research Unit, pre-sented on the biological treatment of wastewater, which sparked a con-versation about technology uptake and implementation. The event could not have hap-

pened without the space aff orded by the Environmental Learning and Research Centre at Rhodes University and sponsorship from WISA. The EC-YWP committee will strive to create a foundation for future networking and events in the Eastern Cape.

Schools from around the city

debated on how water should be managed and whether development should trump human rights

WISA NEWS | YOUNG WATER PROFESSIONALS

REGIONAL PROJEC T

Access to reliable water and sanitation has

profound benefi ts for the development and integrity

of rural communities. Beatrix Knopjes speaks

to Amatola Water CEO Mzimkulu Msiwa about the

impact of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Presidential

Intervention (KSD PI).

AMATOLA WATER has been given the gargantuan task of implementing 20 water and sanitation projects ‒ worth

R2.73 billion and expected to be completed by 2017 ‒ in Mthatha as part of the KSD PI. Msiwa explains: “The president initiated an intervention programme to upgrade the in-frastructure at Mthatha, as it is an important commercial node within the district. This intervention will bring about diff erent types of infrastructure, from roads and transport to water and sanitation.”The town of Mthatha, part of the King

Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality, is surrounded by a number of rural villages where access to potable water is limited or non-existent. The KSD PI aims to rectify ser-vice-delivery shortfalls in the area, including the provision of water and sanitation services. This is where Amatola Water steps in.Amatola is a

s t a t e - own e d ,

non-profi t organisation based in East London. Operating with the ethos of ‘bringing water to life’, they will implement a series of water and wastewater infrastruc-ture upgrades, on behalf of the O.R. Tambo District Municipality, to address service backlogs and provide a reliable water supply to the area. Msiwa says, “The groundwater was not going to be suffi cient to support the economic and social development of Mthatha, especially in terms of new housing developments.” The project as a whole is evident of government’s commitment to improving the livelihood of the people living in the impoverished area, through providing a stable supply of water and signifi cantly im-

proving their standard of living.

Pipeline network The Mthatha Dam will feed into four corridors via the Thornhill and

Rosedale water treatment works (WTWs):• Rosedale to Nqadu• Rosedale to Libode and Ngqeleni• Thornhill to Mthatha Airport, Bedford Hospital, Mthatha Military Base and sur-rounding areas

• Thornhill to Mqanduli via Viedgesville.The initial intervention will focus on a radius of 30 km from the Mthatha Dam and will use the approved water-use licence of 150 million ℓ per day.

Durable pipes for a 50 km radius of supply Ultimately, the supply area of Mthatha Dam will be extended to a 50 km radius and will signifi cantly improve service-delivery stand-ards and the quality of life in the region, as the people in the surrounding rural areas will, for the fi rst time in their history, receive

More than just a drop to drink

ABOVE Reservoir built to provide water to Libode town and surroundsBELOW Offl oading of steel pipes for Mqanduli corridor



REGIONAL PROJEC T

quality purifi ed water for consumption. Msiwa says, “Because we are dealing with long distances and pressure, we are using more durable steel pipelines.”The steel pipes, ranging in diameter from

500 mm to 600 mm, will be used in the construction of a 34 km pipeline that will run through the Mqanduli via Viedgesville corridor. The glass-fi bre-reinforced polyes-ter pipes, which range from a diameter of 200 mm to 400 mm, are earmarked for the Mthatha Airport corridor.The Mthatha Military Base, the Mthatha

Airport and an area in Zamukulungisa are being used as storage sites for the pipes. Delivery of the pipes has been one of the

many accomplishments Amatola Water has achieved since their appointment to assist O.R. Tambo District Municipality in October 2012.

Solving problemsThe Mthatha River has suff ered from pollu-tion and the environment has been degrad-ed due to poor maintenance and spillages from pump stations and the Wellington Prison WWTW. These pump stations will be eliminated with the wastewater up-grades and the environmental integrity will improve overall. Speaking of the challenges encountered

thus far, Msiwa explains, “There are naturally

challenges in a project of this nature. The timelines for environmental authorisation were competing with the funding. Some of the infrastructure aff ected local com-munities and there had to be negotiations with them about the service upgrades, and occasionally relocating homes where pipe-lines needed to be laid. It is an intensive and ongoing process.”

Social benefi tsThe project encompasses a 30 km radius around the Mthatha Dam, which is 8 km from the town of Mthatha. It will integrate the existing stand-alone schemes and so increase the reliability of a Blue Drop quality water supply to some 100 000 households in the area. The project has been designed to allow for yard connections for households that can aff ord it, and this will also go a long way to bettering people’s livelihoods in rural areas. Despite being the largest dam in the

Eastern Cape, with a capacity of 254 mil-lion m3, Mthatha Dam has been underuti-lised and residents in the area have relied on groundwater for their drinking water. Msiwa explains the reason for this: “The Department of Water Aff airs, now the Department of Water and Sanitation, had a policy about special-purpose dams; Mthatha Dam was predominantly built for hydropow-er. There were limitations on what could be used for water supply and the quality was insuffi cient.” Frequent failures of boreholes have led to

the collapse of the existing water schemes. By linking into these dysfunctional schemes, operational and maintenance costs will be reduced.So far, 628 local jobs have been created

and R23 million has been paid in wages. This goes a long way in boosting the local econ-omy, especially as 12 out of the 41 water and sanitation projects, amounting to R443 million, currently in construction, have been awarded to local contractors.The local municipalities linked to this

water and sanitation project will benefi t by enjoying improved fi nancial viability. The reliability of the upgraded water supply will

TABLE 1 The KSD PI has received funding from the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) and the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG)LEFT Stripping of clarifi er shuttering at Thornhill WTW in Mthatha

Amatola Water interim CEO Mzimkulu Msiwa (left) discusses the progress of King Sabata Dalindyebo Presidential Intervention with President Zuma

FUNDER ACTUAL EXPENDITURE 2013/14

EXPENDITURE 2014/15 TO DATE

MIG R126.4 million R2.51 million

RBIG R151.25 million R100.55 million

Totals R277.65 million R103.06 million

“This project will be setting the standard of water supply. We have never had a water supply system that is adequate

for an environment that combines towns and villages.” Mzimkulu Msiwa, CEO, Amatola Water

15

WorleyParsons has a strong track record in delivering innovative solutions utilising pipelines, groundwater and membrane technologies and sustainability modelling for cost-effective water solutions.

- Over 30 years’ experience- Deep local knowledge- Global expertise- BBBEE Level 2

www.worleyparsons.com

37,50043 166 peoplecountries offices

WATER

Water Supply | Water Treatment | Industrial Water Management Minesite Water Management | Water Reuse & Recycling Chemistry and Geochemistry | Numerical Modelling

Water management

for sustainable business

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

provide an enhanced level of assurance, which will directly ben-efi t the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital pilot National Health Insurance centre, as the hospital needs a constant water supply to operate and provide health-care services to the community. Elaborating on the social benefi ts of the KSD PI, Msiwa says:

“The communities will be provided with water that meets Blue Drop standards. This will lead to a huge enhancement in terms of public health to the people who are within the radius of that infrastructure. It will go a long way to relieving the burden for schoolgoing children from fetching water. It increases the oppor-tunity of revenue generation. Naturally, there are also economic benefi ts, including cultural tourism.” Msiwa puts forward that rural life will be improved by the pro-

vision of water and sanitation to what are predominantly rural villages surrounding Mthatha. “I envisage that it is going to be a liveable area that supports a fully rural life, because the quality of water we are providing to the households is not only for drinking, but also for small-scale vegetable gardens, small-scale poultry and pig farming, and so on.” On a light note, he adds: “It is also water for traditional uses,

which we normally don’t plan for. When the boys come back from the initiation schools there is a lot of beer brewing that happens and it requires a lot of water.”

Project status The whole intervention is anticipated to be completed in 2017, provided all the funding requirements are met on time. To date, the following has been completed:• of the 100 km of steel pipes and GRP procured in the 2013/2014 fi nancial year, 8% have been laid

• the Libode corridor is 81% complete with 29 km out of the 36 km pipelines installed

• raw water projects are 68% complete with 3 km of 4.4 km of raw water steel pipelines already installed from the Mthatha Dam to the Thornhill WTW

• the upgrade of Thornhill WTW from 60 Mℓ to 80 Mℓ per day is 85% complete

• the main DN1200 northern outfall bulk sewers are 15% complete• the upgrade of Mthatha WWTW from 12 Mℓ to 18 Mℓ per day is 90% complete.

“This project will set the standard of water supply. We have never had a water supply system that is adequate for an environment that combines towns and villages. We have always treated towns separately from rural villages and we can now start fi nding a middle ground. People who move to town do so because there is water. When you are able to provide a balanced system between rural areas and towns, town migration happens because there is a real opportunity for work. That choice must not be driven by a lack of services in rural areas,” concludes Msiwa.

REGIONAL PROJEC T

ABOUT AMATOLA WATER Amatola Water, a state-owned, non-profi t business enterprise accountable to the Min-ister of Water and Environmental Aff airs, was created jointly by na onal, provincial and local community stakeholders to serve as a mul -service, bulk water services provider. It aims to assist local government in the eff ec ve development and sustainable opera on and maintenance of a safe, reliable water supply and wastewater services. Amatola Water is commi ed to improving the quality of people´s lives and recognises the challenges all levels of government in the water sector face. The eradica on of water and sanita on backlogs is central to the suppor ve role that Amatola Water plays in this regard.


Treatment technology all-rounder

Henk Smit, Sales Director of Vovani Water Products, speaks to Water&Sanitation Africa about his company’s one-stop-shop offerings providing convenience and customer satisfaction to the water treatment market.

HOW DOES your company’s products and services off er a

convenient, cost eff ective, sustainable solution? HS Vovani Water Products (VWP) supplies products which complement each other and can be used together in the manufacturing of a water treatment plant, making it convenient for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to buy all these elements

of their water solution from one company instead of various service providers. As OEM companies can obtain

several of the essential elements of their water treatment plant from VWP, it makes it more cost eff ective for them as we provide our clients with unique off erings when they obtain combina-tions of our products for their treatment plants. We carry stock in South Africa

of some of our fast-moving commodity products, and as

HOT SEAT


our suppliers also have stock available at their manufacturing facilities, we are able to deliver orders to clients with effi cient lead times. Currently, we are also increasing our stock capability in order to service our clients even more eff ectively. VWP will be stocking a wider range of fi bre-glass reinforced (FRP) pressure vessels, fl exible couplings and ul-trafi ltration membrane modules.

TECHNOLOGY What key technologies does your company off er? Two of our product off erings can be seen as our key technologies ‒ the IMT ultrafi ltration membranes and the Fedco centrifugal pumps and energy recovery devices.VWP represents IMT polyeth-

ersulfone (PES) ultrafi ltration membranes, which are multi-bore ultrafi ltration membranes for inside-out fi ltration. More commonly known as the trademarked SevenBore UF membranes, they are 20 times stronger than other single bore membranes, and the unique development from IMT has increased the affi nity to water of these PES UF membranes, which has assisted in reducing fouling tendencies and in-creasing the lifetime of the IMT UF membranes.Our wide range of Fedco mul-

ti- and single stage centrifugal pumps, and the energy recov-ery devices called the Hydraulic Pressure Booster, are specifi cally focused on RO and NF applica-tions. VWP and Fedco can give clients their next project the ideal pumping solution for their RO or NF treatment plant, as well as the best energy recovery option when required.

PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENTWhat specifi c products and components does your company manufacture/provide and what are the quality indicators that your clients must know about? VWP supplies FRP pressure

vessels from ROPV, Micro- and ultrafi ltration membranes from IMT, fl exible couplings from PASS, centrifugal pumps and energy recovery devices from Fedco, low-fl ow ultrafi ltration systems from Aqua Solutions, which uses no electricity to produce treated water, and Phileas disinfection fogging systems from Devea.All the products we represent

and supply are used across the world, and have international certifi cations from various coun-tries and certifi cation institutions, which demonstrate the quality of the products and the quality con-trol these products are subjected to. This ensures clients receive the highest quality products for their processes or application.

How do these products fi t within the SANS specifi cations? All the products we supply have international certifi cations such as ASME,

ISO, CE and NSF61. They are widely accepted internationally and by all our clients, and thus acceptable by South African standards.

What partnerships has your company established that amplify your product off ering? The close relationships VWP has with its

suppliers are a huge advantage, as clients are able to tap into our suppliers’ technical and experiential knowledge base when they are working with VWP on a project. This access that our clients have to the manufacturers of the products we represent gives them peace of mind about the quality of the products and the service that is off ered to them.

SERVICES What services does your company off er and how does your customer engagement deliver client assurance? We off er our clients training on all the products we represent, so they are familiar with our products and the use of them. We support all our clients using our products as part of their water treatment solution, to ensure implementation on-site is done correctly and eff ectively. That means our

clients can feel assured that we work with them to supply the correct solution and not only a product.In addition, we off er main-

tenance and service on all the pumping systems we supply to clients, in order to supply spare parts and maintain pumps and energy recovery devices provided.

What specialised services do you offer? We are able to assist clients in the design of their RO rack systems, as well as the UF rack systems and we make use of the IMT UF design tool to work with clients to make the best use of the UF membranes for their application. VWP also assists with

installations of our AquaSentry and UF Pro low-flow UF systems.

CASE STUDIESCan you provide some examples where your products or services were used in the field where the client was particularly impressed? VWP supplied FRP pressure vessels, flexible couplings and multistage centrifugal pumps for a wastewater treatment application at ArcelorMittal in Vanderbijlpark in 2012. The delivery time of the products and services from VWP exceeded the expectations from the OEM involved. We installed our UF Pro-

300 system in 2013 at the Mandela School of Science and Technology in Mvezo, Eastern Cape, that was built as part of the legacy of Nelson Mandela. The water treatment unit is supplying potable drinking water to the pupils and staff of the entire school and commu-nity in Mvezo.

VISIONWhat is the guiding philosophy that has made your company the success it is today? To offer our clients the highest quality products at very competitive prices, accompanied by excellent service and after-sales support.

www.vovani.co.za

ISO CE and NSF61 They are clients can feel assured that we

daefr

3MTCtTswtn

VWpyitc

PRODUCTSVovani Water Products (VWP) supplies:• FRP pressure vessels to house nanofiltration (NF) and

reverse osmosis (RO) membranes• Micro- and ultrafiltration membrane (MF/UF) modules, in

single bore and multi bore membrane fibres• Flexible couplings for low and high pressure applications

to connect pipework to FRP pressure vessels and MF/UF membrane modules

• Single- and multi-stage centrifugal pumps for NF and RO applications

• Energy recovery devices for RO high pressure applications• Low-flow ultrafiltration systems for smaller applications

using low or no electricity to produce potable drinking water from sur face or borehole water.

The products from international companies that VWP represents and supplies to the Southern African market, are specifically focused on the micro-, ultra-, nano- and RO filtration applications that exist for treating various types of water: sur face, industrial waste, community, borehole, seawater and effluent.

HOT SEAT


MINE WATER

It's NOT just water undergroundHighly regarded scientist and water specialist Dr Anthony Turton speaks to Frances Ringwood about the looming crisis facing mine water mitigation in South Africa and begins the conversation about how the country can avoid disaster.

EXPLODING THE AMD MYTH

THE INTERNET and other unofficial sources have been bandying about the colossal number of 6 000

mines that are abandoned in South Africa and now require massive funding for rehabilitation. Some newspaper reports have gone as far as saying that toxic water will be flowing freely in Johannesburg’s streets within the next five years. But are these shock statistics? If they aren’t, what is government doing to solve the problem?Renowned South African scientist

Dr Anthony Turton weighs in on these and other hard questions

created only underground. If you do a mathematical extrapolation of the surface area of reactive spaces, it becomes evident that by far the biggest surface area for these reactions to take place is actually in tailings dams. By contrast, a much smaller surface area for reactions is left underground. In that space, decant rapidly oxidises the exposed faces, which creates a buff er zone where the bacteria responsible for some of those reactions can no longer function.”Turton’s current work has been

released to the scientifi c community for independent verifi cation and it is being tested in a number of uni-versities around the world, including Strathclyde in Scotland; the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium; the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and North West University in Potchefstroom.He hypothesises the existence

of four diff erent fl ow pathways, dependent on diff erent biophysical and chemical conditions. The fl ow pathways are described as follows:

Flow pathway A: On the dumpAs just one example of a mining site in the goldfi elds subject to acid rain, Mogale Gold’s rain has a recorded pH value of 3. That rainfall lands on the fl at top of a dump. Dumps consist of billions of tiny round particles of quartzite that are coated ‒ ‘Smartie-like’ ‒ in a layer of hydroxide. The hydroxide comes from the gold reduction process requiring a very high pH. Barren

that South Africans need to answer fast.

New perspectiveTurton’s perspective on the prob-lems, based on systems thinking, sheds a diff erent perspective on how the harms of AMD are distributed.“What happens in coal and pre-

dominantly in gold mining, is that rock is brought to the surface and ground into a fi ne powder. This pro-cess creates a larger surface area for chemical and biophysical reactions to take place and, in the process, pyrite present in the substrate is oxidised. The myth is that AMD is

The Mintails Mogale Gold site already treats AMD using its own proprietary technology. But Mintails is not the only concern operating at Tweelopies in Krugerdorp


MINE WATER

particles are deposited on the dump at a high pH of about 10.5. After that happens, these tailings particles are exposed to harsh conditions of the dump. This causes the hydroxide coating ‒ the sweet part of these ‘Smarties’ ‒ to crack under stress. Acid rain penetrates these small cracks and starts oxidising the pyrite. That means the genesis of acidifi cation is on the dump and not actually underground. What’s radical about Turton’s work is that the acidifi cation has never been thought of in this way be-fore, where the dump is actually the main culprit for AMD.

Flow pathway B: Wind and rainAcidic conditions on the dump arising from this rainfall then mobilise uranium. Over time, a crust forms on the dump. Concentrated uranium in the crust is sub-ject to desiccation over time when subject to constant precipitation and evaporation cycles. A wind storm then blows over that crust removing millions of tonnes of con-centrated uranium dust. The dust is then dispersed over a vast footprint.

Flow pathway C: Surface waterSimilarly, this pathway is dependent on chemical and biophysical conditions where weather and geographical conditions cause a series of pulses dispersing uranif-erous material over a given landscape. The most common deposit site for this mate-rial is wetlands. Over time, wetlands start concentrating uranium. The Council for Geosciences has done testing for uranium on wetlands located in the goldfi elds itself. But limited research has been done on wetlands outside the goldfi elds footprint. A better understanding of the importance of wetlands in mitigating the eff ects of AMD could assist in better AMD management. Already, ecological engineers are working on creating more of these natural features to minimise fl oodwater impacts.

Flow pathway D: The underground fl ow pathwayFinally, there is the subsurface pathway, where there are multiple ingress points into the void, typically as leachate from the mine dump, which permeates grad-ually or where fl ow pathway C intersects a geological structure such as a fault, dike or similar. This results in a preferential pathway leading underground. There are many examples of such situations, includ-ing Kyle’s Dam in Germiston, which is built on a fault. Studies have been done on the dam in the past where it was found that

chloride-rich water, not arising from AMD, is entering the mine void through a fault.

AMD and the law: Last in last out? “Government’s policy has not had the chance yet to account for new research fi ndings. As a result of this lack of un-derstanding, the approach we have to fi xing the problem right now is reactive. Unfortunately, this activity has been driven by environmental activists and these voic-es from within society have focused too much on blame. Blame-seeking behaviours have been driving government to make decisions perhaps before scientists have had the time necessary to map the best response. A further negative side eff ect has been to drive mining conglomerates behind a wall of lawyers, stymying debate and making genuine exchange to promote good problem-solving practices very diffi -cult,” says Turton.These conditions need to be viewed in

light of a confi dential report released by Old Mutual Gold Fund in 2014, quoted in Turton’s academic paper ‘Untying the Gordian Knot’, which conjectures that South Africa’s last gold skip will come out of the ground in 2019. This is surprising because South Africa’s gold mines still

have many more years of life left in them, but mining houses do not want to invest in what they perceive as a high-risk envi-ronment where those which are the last to disinvest might be left picking up the bill for decades of environmental damage by multiple players. Turton’s thesis on ‘untying the knot’ refers to the opportunity this presents to make the South African legislative environment more conducive to rehabilitation of mine-impacted eco-systems by incentivising investment into brownfi eld sites.

Reinventing the wheelThroughout most public debates on who pays for the cost of AMD, government has largely stood behind the ‘polluter pays’ principle based on the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA, No. 107 of 1998). However, prior legislation exists when it comes to mine pollution, specifi cally aimed at maintaining foreign direct investment in South Africa’s mines.“In 1975, the National Party government

was in severe economic distress so it

“The myth is that AMD is created only underground. If you do a mathematical

extrapolation of the surface area of reactive spaces it becomes evident that by far the

biggest surface area for these reactions to take place is actually in tailings dams.”

Dr Anthony Turton, South African scientist

Turton shows Water&Sanitation Africa one of the site’s tailings dams. Tailings dams are one of the fl ow paths Turton has identifi ed as being a major pollution source

20

maximised revenues to the state by nationalising mine pollu-tion liability under the Fanie Botha Accord. This has led to a policy environment in which inadequate fi nancial provision was made for post-mining rehabilitation,” says Turton. “In eff ect, the state is now trying to accumulate capital for reha-bilitation after the majority of the mineral resource has been extracted, thereby destroying the business case for investment into brownfi eld sites. You cannot expect to fund 100% of the li-ability from 20% of the remaining resource-base, which means that such sites remain un-investable.

Call for Codesa“The City of Johannesburg is surrounded by mine dumps that contain a staggering 600 kilotonnes (kt) of uranium. In the Wonderfontein Spruit alone there is 430 000 tonnes of urani-um. The shape of mine dumps is also not conducive to keeping pollution contained post closure. Because when mine dumps close, the berms that keep the structural integrity of dumps are eroded away, causing the dump to collapse under natural con-ditions. Logically, when the last skip comes out of the ground in the next fi ve years, then the 600 kt of uranium is no longer going to be contained as the dumps succumb to chemistry and physics. This is a slow-onset disaster,” warns Turton.“I’m nearing retirement. I’ve done my work with integrity and

to the best of my ability. And that is why I’m speaking frankly now when I say Johannesburg is the most uranium-con-taminated city in the world. It’s an inconvenient truth and government policy is not suffi cient at this stage to deal with the fallout.”Turton says South Africa has fi ve years to turn the situation

around. He says it’s time to call for a Codesa, of the sort called to secure South Africa’s burgeoning democracy in the mid-90s. “I fully agree with economist Clem Sunter who has called for a Codesa to talk about the state of South Africa’s economy. I think that as a subset of that Codesa, we need a policy debate on mining, specifi cally to look at the social licence to mine. That will be a session where hard empirical research needs to be unpacked and brought into policy-making decisions if we are to attract investment and sustain livelihoods.” Evidence-based policy reform is needed urgently in the next

fi ve years. But whether it will actually happen, well, that’s an-other thing.

Scientist Dr Anthony Turton standing on top of what was once an open pit rehabilitated at the Mogale Gold mine


JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 21 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 21

From plant to site

ALL AROUND diff erent parts of the world and, on a smaller scale, the country, diff erent water hardness’s cause water to react

to detergents diff erently and leave varying amounts of scale deposits,” explains Robert Bollea, managing director of Hach South Africa. “Chemical adjustments need to be made for potable usage, not just to calcium and magnesium ions, which determine water hardness or softness, but to a wide array of chemical and physical character-istics of raw and stored water before it can be consumed.”

Total solutions advantage A subsidiary of the Fortune-500-ranked US Danaher Corporation, Hach South Africa is supported by seven laboratory distributors and two process distributors, and provides total solutions, from industrial to domestic water users.“Local government entities of all sizes, from

big metros such as Johannesburg Water to the small rural municipalities, use Hach’s ser-vices and equipment. We also supply water boards, power stations, medical laboratories, factories, even private users,” says Bollea.Over the last 70 years, Hach’s service of-

fering has grown to cover what Bollea calls “the full-testing spectrum from A (ammonia) to Z (zinc).” Diff erent divisions within the company’s family of brands, include but are not limited to:• Hach: Lab, process and fi eld-water-quality monitoring equipment.

WATER TREATMENT

Hach is a global company established in 1947 in Iowa, fi rst known for founders Clifford and Kitty Hach’s groundbreaking work in developing methodologies for determining water hardness.

• Biotector: A product for determining total organic carbon (TOC) in water ‒ a critical parameter which may soon be regulated in South Africa.• Dr Lange: German testing products mainly sold in Europe.• Environmental test strips: Standard test strips for measuring standard parameters including pH, ammonia, nitrates and ni-trates among others.• Evita: Used to detect dissolved oxygen content in natural water bodies and plants.• Hach-GLI: Range of analogue process in-strumentation with excellent pH electrodes that boast a superior lifespan.• Homeland security technologies: Providing forewarning in the event of water supply tampering by terrorists, for example. • Hydrolab: Single-parameter, submersible probe used for monitoring boreholes or lakes.• Lachat Instruments: Laboratory equipment for high-throughput analysis.• OPS Systems: Software for driving other instrumentation such as the Homeland security technologies.• ORBISPHERE: Used as a quality-measuring system for ascertaining how much oxygen the fermentation process in a brewery (for example) has generated. • OTT hydrometry: Hach works closely with the Department of Water and Sanitation using this technology to test borehole lev-els throughout the country. The instrumen-tation is also capable of detecting potential fl oods, using sensors able to trigger a relay

signal to a telemetry hut, which feeds into a larger system.• Hach-Polymetron: Products for power sta-tions to ensure elements such as sodium, chloride and silica do not corrode turbines.• Radiometer, analytical: Used in a variety of sectors, from petrochemical, food and beverage and water treatment to monitor moisture levels. • Satlantic: Similar to Hydrolab except that it’s a bigger piece of instrumentation used for monitoring the quality of seawater and estuaries.• Sea-Bird Electronics: Oceanography testing equipment.• Sigma: A live sampling range capable of conducting hourly composite analyses in most water bodies.

“All these brands fall under the Hach um-brella, which specialises in water testing but also plays a leading role in other portfolios such as its electrochemistry range. Hach also boasts an extensive range of calorimetry and spectrum chromatography equipment,” says Bollea.

Environment prioritised“Hach’s products are environmentally friend-ly because they are ‘green chemistries’, meaning they comprise components de-signed not to harm the environment when discarded. The company also takes precau-tions in the disposal of its testing products containing mercury, sulfuric acid and other toxic substances that can be returned to Hach for the responsible handling of haz-ardous waste,” explains Bollea. A reputable waste management company is contracted for this purpose.Protection of the environment is core to

Hach’s global business. Since laboratory and fi eld testing is necessary for main-taining good environmental health, the company’s products adhere to the highest environmental standards in order to support Hach’s overarching vision, promoting ‘faster, simpler, greener and more informative’ water testing.

Hach South Africa’s head offi ce in Northriding, Gauteng

FULL-SPECTRUM ANALYSES

22 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 201522 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

Futuristic wastewater technology arrives in SAThe patented Gas Energy Mixing (GEM) System, positioned as the next generation in advanced fl oatation technology, was launched in South Africa in October this year by Quality Filtration Systems (QFS). By Blake Wilkins

THE GEM SYSTEM combines cen-trifugal separation with the high-est output of nanobubbles for the eff ective removal of contaminants

from many diff erent types of wastewater so that it can be reused. Rob Holmes, QFS technical director, told

a group of invited guests at the launch in Stellenbosch that the GEM System has signifi cant benefi ts over tradi-tional primary treatment systems like dissolved air fl otation (DAF) systems or clarifi ers common in South Africa.

How it works“The major diff erence between the GEM System and conventional fl o-tation technology is the method of forming air bubbles and attracting particles to the chemicals. By sub-jecting 100% of the waste stream to entrained air and appropriate chem-istry, in the patented hydrocyclones, the GEM System is able to attract the highest level of contaminants result-ing in extremely clean effl uent within a very small footprint. “The size of the GEM System is not

impacted by increased contaminant loading. This means that clients can treat concentrations of 1 000 mg/l total suspended solids (TSS) or 15 000 mg/l TSS in the same system. This also allows a retrofit of existing flotation systems (DAFs or others) to increase capacity in terms of flow rate, increase contaminant loading, getting better results or saving on chemicals and operational costs without increasing footprint or investing in an expensive new system. The development of the GEM technology has required that

WATER TREATMENT

a paradigm shift takes place regarding both the chemistries used for solid-liquid separation as well as the application of those chemistries. The chemicals used in the GEM system have been supplied by Buckman, a privately held, global specialty chemical company with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, and a South African

base in Hammarsdale, KZN. Buckman are working exclusively with QFS to ensure optimal performance of the GEM technology through the application of customised chemistries.

Buckman’s many years of experience in numerous industries, including food and beverage, paper mills, steel mills, mines and refi neries, has allowed for a sound understanding of the key issues that need to be addressed, and Buckman has been able to fi nd the best-fi t chemical solutions to complement the GEM technology and optimise performance.

Global credentials“The GEM System has been used all over the world in all kinds of applications, from food processing, paper mills and steel mills. It per-forms well on all kinds of effl uents, however the more contaminated the waste stream or the higher the loading of solids, fats, oils

and grease, the more its benefi ts show.” Holmes said at the launch. The core GEM technology is

a series of hydrocyclones “in which the mixing speed and mixing energy are controlled to provide the highest level of contaminant removal. By the time the solids and liquids leave the hydrocyclones and enter the tank, they are already separated.“This allows the mixing of

air or chemicals (or air and chemicals) at any given time and makes it easier to accom-modate variable fl ow rates or a variable contaminant loading. This feature allows the GEM System to be applied to a vari-ety of treatment plant sizes and industries,” said Holmes.The GEM System unveiled at

the launch in Stellenbosch was imported from Clean Water Technology, Inc., located in Los Angeles, California, to undertake demonstrations and trials of the technology on a nation-

wide tour. QFS plans to manufacture GEM Systems locally, apart from the proprietary core GEM technology. The company is currently installing a com-

mercial GEM System in Rustenburg.

f

“The major difference between GEM and conventional fl otation

technology is the method of forming the air bubbles and

contacting the chemicals.” Rob

Holmes (left), technical director, QFS


WATER TREATMENT

Laboratories ‘gap’ continuesThree years on from the launch of the Water Research Council’s (WRC) ‘Gap Analysis of Water Testing Laboratories in South Africa’ and industry experts say the problem persists, writes Frances Ringwood.

CANVASSING WATER experts from the chemicals and equipment supply side, the consensus is clear: the biggest problem in South

African laboratories is there are simply too few facilities. Thereafter, technicians’ skills are a concern.Interviewees approached on this topic

did not reveal their identities as it could undermine their businesses in an already tough economy.One respondent confi rmed that the sit-

uation as far as South African laboratories is concerned is much the same as it was in 2011, when Faye Balfour of Jeff ares & Green, Hanlie Badenhorst of the National Laboratory Association and Debbie Trollip of Umgeni Water released their fi ndings in the ‘Gap Analysis of Water Testing Laboratories in South Africa’.

Too few labsThe motivation behind undertaking the orig-inal report was, much as is the case now, the startlingly widespread knowledge within the laboratories space that there are simply too few laboratories and that those in operation are under-capacitated.A reason put forward for this state of aff airs

in the report was, “The process and cost of ISO 17025 accreditation with the South African National Accreditation System.”As a result, the then Department of Water

Aff airs and Sanitation planned to implement “a laboratory strategy for ensuring the credibility of results from drinking water

quality laboratories, based on a pared-down version of ISO 17025, and focusing on technical competency.”

No progress yetThe reasons why adhering to world-leading standards for laboratories and testing is sim-ple: to ensure that drinking water is of the correct potable quality, guaranteeing the safety of those who drink it. However, after data mining the DWS’s website for informa-tion on whether changes to ISO 17025 had been made, search results were inconclusive. In addition, a review of papers presented at the National Laboratory Association’s Test and Measurement 2014 Conference shows

at least three papers either calling for or predicting a necessary change in ISO 17025.Those results are not damning as legis-

lation changes do take time. In addition, since ISO 17025 is an acceptable interim standard, used around the world as a global measurement for all kinds of laboratories, from medical, to mining, it isn’t insuffi cient. Furthermore, those South African laborato-ries that do not comply with ISO 17025 are ISO 9001 compliant, according to papers presented at Test and Measurement 2014. However, in spite of legislation for labo-ratories being adequate, the fact remains: three years from the original report, and the

country’s laboratories remain in a poor state.The reason for this is that clearly limited

budgets and bureaucratic red tape are stymying change. Although advances have been slow, there is one surprising area that the gaps report did identify as providing a fruitful avenue to eff ect lasting change: tertiary education.

Laboratories challenges are general challengesIn the paper’s discussion section, it was pointed out: “Capacity and capability were

known from the outset as priority gaps in the indus-try, but what was unexpect-ed was that on the surface, the staff qualifi cations (high percentage of tertiary graduates) would suggest a

well-trained, capable workforce. From this, one can surmise that the capacity gap lies in the inability to apply the theory learnt in training or study courses.”In an article published by African Economic

Outlook last year, skills mismatches between tertiary education institutions and the working world were identifi ed as being even more relevant for eff ective job and perfor-mance outcomes than skills shortages. One possible solution to the problem, proposed by Test and Measurement 2014 speaker Mpho Phaloane, could be a move back to apprenticeship to provide more hands-on training for better quality control.

The gap in water testing continues with no end in sight

The motivation behind undertaking the original report was that there are simply too few laboratories and that those in operation are under-capacitated

Water Purification Plant & Equipment

Swan’s Water TreatmentProp. Swansa (Pty) LimitedReg. No. 80/11814/07Plot 91, Honingklip, MuldersdriftP O Box 777 Muldersdrift 1747Tel: 010 594 9999 Fax: 086 609 1595

P Swan

INTRODUCTIONSWANSA (PTY) LTD trading as SWAN’S WATER TREATMENT is a privately owned South African company specializing in the design and manufacture of the full spectrum of water puri cation equipment.

Cost effective innovations are incorporated in our process and equipment designs with the plant being customised for each installation.

Our extensive in-house expertise, ensures that out advanced technology is applied to the clients best advantage.

PRODUCT RANGE• Water lters• Moore Airlift Rapid Gravity lters• Steel pressure lters• Steel rapid gravity lters

Liquid/Solid Separation• Sludge Blanket Vertical Up ow Clari ers• Diminishing Intensity Floc Conditioners• Incline Sheet Clari ers• Upgrading of Horizontal Flow Clari ers Chemical Dosing • Helical screw feeders• Rotary disc dry feeders• Water operated dry feeders• Gravity solution feeders• Metering pumps• Gas Chlorinators

Ef uent Treatment• Bio lter rotary distributors• Aerators• Clari ers

Miscellaneous• Package plants• Ammoniators• Sulphonators• Pilot operated diaphragm valves• Laboratory oc testers• Automatic pH control• Comparators• Domestic and industrial cartridge lters


What is blue-green algae and why is it so dangerous?

Cyanobacteria (formerly known as blue-green algae) produce cyanotoxins that have harmful eff ects on humans and animals. The toxins accumulate and intoxicate liver cells, causing damage to cellular functions and ultimately death. Cyanobacteria usually occur as green scum on surface waters, especially the ones overloaded with nutrients from various human activities. Cyanobacteria are a worldwide problem especially in regions with high temperatures. Intoxication of animals and humans has been reported in warm climates across the world, including southern parts of Africa, Australia, South America, as well as the US and occasionally in Europe during the warm periods.

What originally got you interested in developing the biosensor? My interest in this research was initiated by the fact that Botswana is a water-scarce country, and for the country to meet water demand challenges

it has embarked on building dams to supply drinking water to the public. This means the country will shift from underground-based to surface water supply. The country was not up to the challenge of cyanotoxin contamination and hence the idea to develop a simple and rapid method to help deal with situation should it occur.The research idea

was conceived from the initial discussions with my PhD supervisors. We decided to develop a detection method along the capacitive biosensor concept, which was already being studied here at Lund University. Lund University has good programmes to study biotechnology, especially biosensor development. It also has good collaborations with companies mostly from the science park close to the university.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your biosensor?

The biosensor I studied for the detection of microcystins was based on an electrochemical (capacitance) way of selective sensing of microcystins when they come in contact with the sensing area made by attaching specifi c antibodies to one of the electrodes (working)

of the electrochemical cell. The specifi c attachment of the toxins to the antibodies produces an electrochemical change that is translated into a measurable signal, which is then proportionally related to the concentration of the toxins present in the water.My work was based on an ongoing development of the capacitive detection system by the bioanalysis group in the department. However,

African water sector delivers global solutionThe United Nations’ theme for this year’s International Water Week is sustainable development, so Frances Ringwood catches up with Dr Lesedi Lebogang (pictured right), a Botswanan biotechnology expert, to fi nd out how Southern Africa is leading international research in maintaining water quality.

BLUE-GREEN algae (cyanotoxins), is a water pollutant neg-atively aff ecting the quality of drinking water around the world, as a result of over-fertilisation and global warming. Early detection could save lives and make eff orts to clean

up drinking water sources easier and more effi cient. The technique uses a portable, aff ordable and quick-to-use device developed

by Southern African PhD graduate Lesedi Lebogang. Lebogang is originally from Botswana and has been studying for her PhD in the Department of Biotechnology, Lund University in Sweden. Her research fi eld has been environmental biotechnology and the main objective was to develop biosensor-based methods for detection of cyanotoxins called microsystems.

I initiated and worked on its implementation on the detection of cyanotoxins and the idea of using the specifi c antibodies that target only these types of toxins as well as the surface chemistry involved in the attachment of the antibodies to the sensing area

(working electrode).

What are some of the other potential applications for this technology?

This electrochemical biosensor can be applied for other contaminants since the measuring principle is the same, only the sensing area can be tailored for the specifi c attachment of those particular contaminants of interest.Lebogang’s method is also

being investigated by the research team for its utility in early HIV/Aids detection, something that the FDA in the United States is evaluating.

f th l t h i l ll Thi l

Cyanobacterial scum results from increased anthropogenic pollution and threatens supply sustainability

WATER TREATMENT

27

WATER METERING

Saving water through technologyHoused in Provisus building, Pretoria, is South Africa's (and the world’s) only black-owned water meter manufacturer and seller, Lesira-Teq. The company was founded in 2003.

LESIRA-TEQ is a proudly South African company that manufactures and sells the only water meter that gives water consumption readings

in rands. The company’s MD, Edwin Sibiya, notes this as the meter’s best feature: “It gives data that is relevant and useful for the consumer; after all what does 6 000 kℓ mean to you?”Also distinct to the Lesira-Teq meter is the

four-in-one settings that its meters feature. “Our meter does not restrict municipalities to prepaid mode or conventional mode only. Municipalities can decide which setting works best for their locations and jurisdiction,” says Sibiya. For the municipal-ity’s convenience, Lesira-Teq sells a meter

m a n a g e m e n t system. This man-agement program is a user-friendly Windows-based system that allows

for the municipality to monitor all meters within the management area. This system makes water demand management eas-ier for municipalities and also allows for diff erent reports to be generated as and when the municipality needs. “Our com-pany has been at the forefront of saving water and reducing wastage in both nat-ural and monetary resources,” says Sibiya.

Case studyPrior to Lesira-Teq meters being installed in Soweto, Johannesburg had an average loss of R 21 million per month, house-hold water consumption was 66 kℓ per month and the average cost to serve per household was R149. Once Lesira-Teq was commissioned to install domestic water meters within the Soweto area; water consumption per household was reduced to 12 kℓ per month, cost to serve de-creased to R42.05, and the municipality has made an average saving of R250 mil-lion per year.Recently the company has added bulk water meters to the existing product

line, making Lesira-Teq a merchant for Isoil magfl ow meters and Fuji ultrasonic meters. These types of meters are particularly helpful in that they are extremely accurate and have built-in intelligence. The meter communicates via a GSM network, allowing for data that is accurate and frequent.These meters are able to give an

accurate indication of how much wa-ter is being used and they can give a better warning of water scarcity. The technology employed here assists in water conservation as it allows for meters to detect water leakages. Once the leakage has been detected a message is sent to the relevant technical personnel so that it can be fi xed. Lesira-Teq has leveraged technolo-

gy to reduce billing estimates by mu-nicipalities, make revenue collection much easier, and provide to make for

easier asset management.


“Lesira-Teq's meter products

give data that is relevant and useful for the consumer; after all what does 6 000 kℓ mean to you?” Edwin Sibiya, MD, Lesira-Teq

Isoil magfl ow meter

wal

amnac

actebeteinfoOa tebe

gynimu

easie

e. es e h d l-er t

n-m y d

ws

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Domestic meters


Smartening up meteringMaking the move from industry-standard metering (whether domestic or bulk) would have a massive impact when it comes time for citizens to pay their water bills. Smart meter reading, referred to in the industry as automated meter reading (AMR), would have signifi cant benefi ts for municipalities and property owners. Is advanced meter reading infrastructure feasible in Southern Africa?

BASIL BOLD, a now-retired me-tering expert, believes that smart meters are the next big thing in metering, with one big caveat:

municipalities need to get their houses in order before implementing these systems.What smart metering entails is automat-

ed messages measuring exact water use in real time to a municipal billing system and users. A system such as this could be revolutionary in that timely information could assist water-saving and man-agement initiatives, fostering greater user-side trust in their metering results, which could i n turn enhance revenues.“There is a progression from

standard meter reading to AMR. In my experience over many years, municipal officials believe that there remains some way to go from manual

WATER METERING

to AMR. The consultant who really under-stands how water management relates to these sophisticated technologies knows municipalities need to function well before they can be used effectively. “An AMR system cannot be implemented

where a database is in chaos. For any smart grid system to work, correctly trained, skilled people need to be in place

“The consultant who really understands how water

management relates to these sophisticated technologies

knows municipalities need to function well before they can be used effectively. An AMR

system cannot be implemented where a database is in chaos.”

Basil Bold, retired metering professional

and, from there, a well-run municipality is essential,”says Bold.

THIS IS WHERE THE NAME ON THE MACHINE MATTERS MOST. Whether you’re facing cross-country installations or long crossing, Vermeer and our global dealer network will be right beside you. We know the conditions you face are demanding — that’s why we make sure our equipment is up to the task. From heavy-duty trenchers to maxi-sized horizontal directional drills, wherever the jobsite, we’ll be ready. So when it’s tough going out there, look to Vermeer — the trusted name for proven equipment and reliable support.

Vermeer, the Vermeer logo and Equipped to Do More. are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 2014 Vermeer Corporation and Equipment Suppliers (Pty) Ltd. Southern Africa. All Rights Reserved.

VERMEER.CO.ZA | +27 (0)11 608 0893

NO. 1 BRETT PARK, 11 JERSEY DRIVE, LONG MEADOW BUSINESS PARK EASTJOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU TO OUR

NEW, PURPOSE-BUILT PREMISES EARLY 2015!

VERMEER HELPS MEET YOUR TOUGHEST PIPELINE CHALLENGES.


Tshwane rejuvenates

its pipes A City of Tshwane bulk water pipeline had fallen into disrepair and disuse. Civil and structural consulting engineers Nyeleti Consulting, along with a team

of engineering and construction professionals, stepped in to assist the municipality in giving the Gezina pipeline a new lease on life.

INFRASTRUCTURE INSTALLED when metropolitan areas began to develop is now reaching the end of its service life. A typical example of

this is the 500 ND bulk water pipeline that traverses the suburbs of Arcadia, Gezina and Wonderboom South, crossing several major traffi c routes into the CBD, a railway line, two streams and an environmentally sensitive area to link the Klapperkop and Magalies reservoirs. This 45-year-old pipeline reached the end of its service life around 2005 when its condition started to deteriorate so rapidly that the line had to be taken out of commission and alternative pipelines in the City of Tshwane’s bulk water network had to be used to supply the Magalies reservoir. Replacement of the Gezina bulk water pipeline was therefore unavoidable despite the obvious diffi culties that the project would pose.Construction of the Gezina bulk water

pipeline was necessary to ensure reliable water supply to the Magalies and Hospital reservoirs. These reservoirs in turn served the community by providing reliable water supply to the Tshwane District Hospital, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and more than 6 000 households.

Route selectionLocating a feasible route for large services through a built-up area with unreliable in-

formation about the position of existing services was one of the major challenges

Mossel Bay: pipe in position to be installed below the reservoir



Our range of services include:

• Pipe Bursting

• Horizontal Directional Drilling

• Pipe Rehabilitation

• Slip Lining

• Pipe Ramming

• CCTV Inspection

• Dewatering

• Industrial Pipe Cleaning

• HDPE Welding

• Deep Excavation and Shoring

• Underground Service Detection

• Close-fi t lining: COMPACT PIPE

For more information you can contact us: +27 (0)21 761 3474 F +27 (0)21 797 1151 E [email protected] www.tt-innovations.co.za

Trenchless Technology Specialist

the design team had to overcome. In de-termining the fi nal pipeline route, Nyeleti Consulting had to go through an iterative process to determine the optimal route. The Water and Sanitation Division of CoT, as the client, had to be involved in the fi rst instance in all options, but great sensitivity towards other aff ected parties such as the Roads and Stormwater Division, residents along the route and the environment was also required.

Project descriptionThe contract was awarded to a joint ven-ture of three civil engineering contractors, namely Phambili, L&R Civils and Qubekela Projects. Construction of the Gezina bulk pipeline kicked off with Phase 1 of the project on 30 November 2009, before the December construction recess, to allow the contractor to order pipes (which required a 12-week delivery lead time) and valves (which required a 24-week delivery lead time). As Phase 1 was drawing to a close, it became evident that due to the eff ective manner in which the construction work and project budget was managed, a substantial saving on the budget would be achieved. This led to the decision by the client to increase the scope of work and Phase 2 was added to the project. In determining the scope of works to be

added as Phase 2, care was taken to address operational challenges the client was fac-ing. Numerous discussions between Nyeleti Consulting and the City of Tshwane led to the inclusion of fi ve concrete-valve cham-bers that would increase the operational

possibilities around the City’s Wonderboom and Magalies reservoirs. These chambers containing water meters, pressure-reducing valves, non-return valves and isolating valves now pro-vides Tshwane’s Bulk Water Operational Division with various alternatives to supply the Magalies, Wonderboom and Hospital reservoirs.The pipe specifi cations for

this project were determined through close cooperation with City of Tshwane engineers. A specialist cathodic protection subconsultant was brought on board to design a cathodic protection system that would also assist in maximising the service life of the project and reduce life-cycle cost.Nyeleti Consulting rendered the complete

scope of professional services, including design, documentation, procurement and construction monitoring in order to build the following:• an 8.3 km of ND500 steel pipeline with a 25 bar pressure rating

• 2 concrete-valve chambers with various specifi c functions

• fi ve scour-valve chambers and numerous air-valve chambers.

Project complexitiesWhat set the Gezina bulk water pipeline apart was the complexity of having to construct the pipeline in the Pretoria CBD and other large urban areas. The past 50

years have seen a number of municipal and communication services installed on the sidewalks and in the road reserves along the route, making it near impossible to fi nd room for the 500 mm diameter pipeline on the sidewalk. About 95% of pipeline was therefore constructed underneath the road surface, which required valve boxes to be designed for traffi c loads. Laying the pipe underneath the road surface meant that a road lane was taken out of use for the duration of laying the pipe in that section. During working times, a further additional lane was generally also needed for construction vehicles. The pipe trench also interfered with accesses of houses and offi ce blocks.Furthermore, the proposed and adopted

route crossed 10 large east-west arterial roads and 15 lesser urban roads. Six of the largest arterials were crossed using

Du Noon: these pipe lengths are limited to 12 m, to enable transport via road freight


HammerHead® piercing, bursting and ramming products are used by contractors around the world to install or replace fibre, communication, water, sewer and gas lines with minimal disruption to above-ground landscapes, structures and traffic flow.

The rugged range of Ditch Witch Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) equipment gives you the punch

you need to drill through some of the toughest landscapes. And with a wide choice of attachments,

Ditch Witch lets you triumph over those tough jobs – everytime!

HammerHead® Pipe RammingHammerHead® Pneumatic Piercing Tool

ELB HEAD OFFICE: 14 Atlas Road Anderbolt Boksburg (011) 306-0700 • e-mail: [email protected] • www.elbequipment.com

DEALERS & BRANCHES - RSA AND EAST AFRICA: BRITS: (012) 250-1565 • CAPE TOWN: (021) 933-2383 • DURBAN: (031) 464-6522 • EAST LONDON: (043) 748-1469 GEORGE: (044) 878-0874 • KIMBERLEY: (053) 841-0040 • MIDDELBURG: (013) 246-2312 • NELSPRUIT: (013) 755-1003 • NAIROBI: (00254) 20 807 0728 POLOKWANE (015) 293-1978 • PORT ELIZABETH: (041) 451-0232 • WOLMARANSSTAD: (018) 596-3032

DEALERS - SOUTHERN AFRICA: BOTSWANA: (00267) 240-4320 • LESOTHO: (00266) 2831 3926 • MOZAMBIQUE: (00258) 219-00469 • NAMIBIA: (00264) 61-234-052 SWAZILAND: (00268) 518-5348 • ZAMBIA: (00260) 212-210-642 • ZIMBABWE: (00263) 4 485 771/2/3/4

pipe-jacking technology. (Pipe jacking is a trenchless construction methodology whereby a concrete sleeve larger than the product pipe is tunnelled underneath the road surface after which the product pipe can be inserted.) Although pipe jacking is an eff ective construction technique to reduce traffi c disruption, it is also an expensive technique. The merit for using this technique for each crossing had to be weighed up versus the cost of implement-ing this technique.Interference with parallel and cross traffi c

compelled the consultant to conduct de-tailed traffi c-accommodation assessments and more than one viable traffi c-accom-modation alternative was presented for each crossing to the Roads and Stormwater Division for approval. A further complication was that services

were frequently not found to be where indicated by as-built drawings and once the contractor started to expose services, many more were encountered. The locations and prevalence of these existing services com-bined with the very fl at gradients on many sections of the route required redesigning

of almost the entire long section of the pipeline during the construction phase by the site-monitoring team. There were even some instances where the services or con-ditions encountered on-site required the pipeline to be rerouted.Additional challenges to overcome were

working in close proximity of three schools, the high water table in low-lying locations, two stream crossings and working in the environmentally sensitive Magaliesberg Natural Protected Area (MNPA). This necessitated the route being slightly lengthened, minimising the amount of construction that had to be done within the MNPA. In the same manner, the route was adapted to cross the streams where existing bridge structures existed to which the pipe could be fastened with brackets. Environmental impact was further mitigat-ed by careful rehabilitation of all natural areas and open spaces where construction activities occurred.The complexity of the pipeline system

and its functionality alternatives necessi-tated four tie-ins to operational pipelines. Each of these tie-ins required liaison with

aff ected parties, thorough planning and sound method statements as the tie-ins all had to be conducted in limited time spans. One of these tie-ins aff ected the Steve Biko Academic and Tshwane District Hospitals.

Objectives achieved Completing the Gezina pipeline combined the disciplines of civil, structural and traffi c engineering to develop an outstanding solution to improve water supply to many of Tshwane’s suburbs. The outstanding teamwork and regular communication be-tween the client, consultant and contractor was the recipe to successfully complete this project and overcome challenges.

+27 (0)86 006 [email protected]


PROFESSIONAL TEAM• Client: City of Tshwane: Water and

Sanita on Division• Civil and structural consultant:

Nyele Consul ng • Cathodic protec on sub consultant:

Corrosion & Technology Consultants• Main contractor: L&R Civils /

Phambili / Qubekela Projects JV



Pipes jacked up for water pipelineNo one can survive without potable water, making the management of water crucial to responsible management of local government.

MAINTAINING AND upgrading water-related pipelines and related technical equipment is therefore of paramount im-

portance to ensure that community health, hygiene and safety are secured.To this end, precast concrete products

manufacturer Rocla, part of the IS Group, has been contracted to supply a part of the 1 100 m of jacking pipe for two of the 19 sec-tions (1 x 90 m and 1 x 288 m sections) for underground construction to the upgrades for the Palmiet pumping station to Signal Hill reservoir project being constructed for Rand Water. Two contractors, Wepex and Esor, both

sought products from Rocla, as a result of

the company’s off ering and availability. Luke Woodhams, contracts manager: Pipe Jacking Division for Wepex, comments, “The Palmiet/Signal Hill project is an 18-month project with hard rock, alongside residential and national roads, needing to be blasted. The Rocla 100D jacking pipe has a nominal diameter of 2 500 mm and outside diameter of 3 000 mm and a proof load of 250 kN per metre. It is a perfect pipe for this project, and will be able to carry water supplies for human consumption as well as to withstand the immense pressure of vehicle weight.”Steel pipes will be inserted into the jacking

pipe for extra support and for their anti-corrosion properties.


Self-compacting concreteThe Rocla 100D jacking pipe is made from self-compacting concrete and classifi ed to SANS 677 specifi cations. Manufactured through a vertical cast process, self-com-pacting concrete renders a better surface fi nish, while the benefi t of the vertical cast (VC) process instead of the traditional roller-suspended (RS) process is that a more consistent thickness throughout the width of the product is achieved compared to the RS operator-related eff ort of compaction.The VC process gives an improved

compaction around the reinforcement, improving its bond and off ering greater ease when it comes to fi lling extremely thin walled sections.In addition, self-compacting concrete can

increase safety on the job by eliminating the need for consolidation; it off ers improved pumpability and labour effi ciencies; shorter construction time making it a cost-eff ective option; can be placed at a faster rate with no automated vibration and thereby requir-ing less screeding and enables a quicker concrete vehicle turnaround time assisting contractors in the quicker servicing of a site.Woodhams adds, “Rocla had the right pipe

with good availability. The product is of an excellent quality and comes at a good price. We are very pleased with the service from Rocla and would defi nitely use Rocla again when we can.”

Phase BCivil engineering and construction group Esor is involved in the Phase B section of the Palmiet/Signal Hill project. Anton Naude, director of the company’s Pipe Jacking

Division com-ments, “The Rocla product is compet-itive: jacking pipes

need to be able to last the lifespan of the project, which they will easily do due to the quality of the pipes. These are huge jacking pipes that have a mass per metre of about 5 680 kg/m and a mass of 8 518 kg/pipe.“The upgrades are running under the road

from Alberton to Germiston, and it was essential that we had the right product and the right technology in place to eliminate traffi c disruption,” says Naude.“One of the challenges facing the contrac-

tors on this Rand Water upgrade project is that the old pipes are running parallel to newly positioned jacking pipes, and it is imperative that the old piping is not dam-aged while the installation of the new Rocla replacement jacking pipe is underway ‒ we are confi dent all will be well,” he concludes.

The Rocla jacking pipe on-site at the Roodepoort factory



Tel: 011 670 7600 | www.rocla.co.za

Rocla is a subsidiary of ISG, a leading supplier of innovative infrastructure products to the construction and mining markets in Southern Africa.

SABS mark on applicable products

The Lightweight Concrete Sanitation Unit from ROCLA Is an all concrete structure that can be erected in under 15 minutes. With hard-wearing hardware

and able to be installed almost anywhere in variable conditions, the Sanitation Unit has developed skills and created jobs across communities in South Africa.

ROCLA is Southern Africa’s leading manufacturer of pre-cast concrete products for infrastructure, including pipes, culverts, manholes, roadside furniture, retaining walls, stock troughs, poles and other related products.

Sanitation

A strong foundation for infrastructure success

AMERICAN MANAGING director Andrew Seidel, of trenchless technology (TT) company Underground Solutions, speaking at the Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (Sappma) conference

last year, addressed the method of thermal fusing to increase adoption of TT methods.“Using PVC in a fused format has led the way for a number of

projects because, over a long distance, where there might be a bridge for example, fusion times are cheaper and faster than with ductile iron. These are as strong as the pipe barrel itself, allowing pipes to withstand signifi cant stresses,” says Seidel.

American market“The use of thermoplastic pipe in a fused or monolithic manner for trenchless installations suits the United States market for a number of reasons. First, America’s piping issues are not ‒ gen-erally ‒ extending pipelines into new areas. A typical problem in the US, particularly in the last fi ve years, is rehabilitation,” says Seidel. While South Africa and its neighbours still have ground to cover, maintenance is a universal issue.“In the US, the American Society of Civil Engineers calculates

that the repair backlog amounts to about $1 trillion. The sheer size of the market created an opportunity for my company to make its mark in the trenchless technology and trenchless re-habilitation sector. We’re seeing an increasing amount of fused pipe (as opposed to bell-and-spigot) being used in open-cut or open-trench installations. “90% of the market in the US is tradi-tional dig and replace, which is disruptive and expensive. This is what the trenchless movement aims to displace. The most prominent method used is horizontal directional drilling (HDD), frequently used for bridging a river or avoiding other expensive infrastructure. Slip-lining and pipe-bursting are also popular,” says Seidel.

Fusion advances crest in the US

Underground Solutions owns a number of patents in thermoplastic

fusion technology, used predominantly in HDD, slip-lining and

pipe-bursting operations


World Toilet Day is an

international event

celebrated to raise

awareness of sanitation as

a basic human right. Frances

Ringwood gets the UN’s take.

NOVEMBER 19 WAS World Toilet Day, an important global event used

as a platform by major child-health and aid organisations around the world to raise awareness about the human rights and dignity issues surrounding proper sanitation.According to UN Water, World Toilet Day

is a day to take action and raise awareness about all people who do not have access to a toilet ‒ despite the human right to water and sanitation.It’s also one of the most important issues

concerned citizens can get behind to make a difference in the lives of others, as the statistics show. Worldwide, 2.5 billion people do not have access to decent sani-tation ‒ that’s over a quarter of the world’s

SANITATION

p o p u -lation. One billion are still

forced to defecate in the open. Young women risk rape because they either have to walk long distances in the open to find toilets with privacy or are forced to stay home from school during their menses. This situation is unacceptable, which is

why the UN General Assembly last year designated 19 November as World Toilet Day. It had previously been marked by international and civil society organi-sations with the UN playing more of a generally supportive role. World Toilet Day is coordinated by UN Water in col-laboration with governments and other relevant stakeholders.

The issues the day raises are of particular importance in developing countries, with Asia and Africa being the continents with the highest numbers of people without access to dig-nified sanitation.For example, in South Africa there

are 24 000 public schools with less than 8 000 with flushing toilets. Some schools with over 1 000 learners have no working toilets.Children’s right to sanitation is one of the

key developmental concerns raised by the day. UN Water’s figures show that every year 760 000 children around the world under the age of five die from diarrhoea ‒ a disease that can be drastically minimised through access to good hygiene.

Make World Toilet Day count

NEWS ARTICLES TECHNICAL PAPERS COMPANY NEWS ORGANISATIONS MULITMEDIA EVENTS

www.infrastructurene.ws unites communities from three magazines – Water&Sanitation Africa, IMIESA and ReSource. It is a leading hub with breaking news, in-depth articles, videos and podcasts, and an events calendar.

Sharing knowledge and skills for industry growthwww.3smedia.co.za+27 (0)11 233 2600

The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA)

All you need to know about the water industry

Hourly

Follow the news or

join the conversation:

find and follow us on

Facebook and Twitter.

Daily

Visit the website; fresh

stories are posted

daily. You are in good

company as this site

receives more than

31 000 page views

per month.

Weekly

Subscribe to the FREE

weekly newsletter and

enjoy news from the

convenience of your

own inbox.

Bimonthly

Subscribe to the print

or digital magazine for

in-depth articles and

expert analysis from

industry experts and

thought leaders.

CONNECT NOWInfrastructure News

@infrastructure4

Infrastructure News

www.infrastructurene.ws

www.infrastructurene.ws

T

CO

The official magazi

ne of the Water Ins

titute of Southern A

frica

Water & SanitationAfrica

Complete water res

ource and wastewat

er management

The best way to promot

e sound water resources

management

principles is through wo

rking and sharing lesson

s with other

organisations. Phakamani Buthe

lezi, CEO of BGCMA P14

MEDIA

OPINION

Managing groundwater

through technology sha

ring

ODOUR CONTROL

Managing plant odour

Promoting professional excellence

in the water sector

IN THE HOT SEAT

Partnering change in

Africa

WASTEWATER

Quality and sustainabilit

y

in service delivery

RAND WATER

STAY INFORMED


THE EASTERN CAPE academic hub of Grahamstown has been severely stricken by persistent droughts. Residents have been suff ering from

intermittent water supply for at least six years. Queuing for water from a truck or trekking to communal taps has become the norm for residents in the communities.The James Kleynhans bulk water supply

project is an essential undertaking of the Makana Local Municipality, which administers the town and its surrounds. The project will provide assured supply during droughts of bulk potable water to about 90 100 people. Water supply will also be more reliable during downtime and maintenance at the Waainek WTW.Construction consists of a 6 600 kℓ

concrete reservoir, 450 mm diameter rising main, valve chambers, bulk meter and interconnecting pipework.

EASTERN CAPE award winner shinesTowards the end of last year, a project with far-reaching economic implications for the Eastern Cape was awarded the IMESA-CESA Engineering Excellence Award in the category of water and wastewater. The following article is excerpted from consulting engineer Bosch Stemele’s award entry submission.

DAMS & RESER VOIRS

Newtown, Fingo Village and Vukani Village) experience water outages due to the low-lying areas getting preference, due to the higher pressure, as inadequate water balance measures were in place during peak demand periods.Due to the abnormal drought conditions,

which peaked in August 2010, Makana Municipality requested that Bosch Stemele investigate and provide options to increase the supply from the James Kleynhans WTW to Botha’s Hill reservoir due to the dams supplying Waainek WTW running dry.It was confirmed in November 2010 that

the recommendations from the investiga-tions were accepted at a council meeting.

The project comprised the installation of the following infrastructure:• Phase 1 Construction of a 6 600 kℓ concrete res-ervoir, 450 mm diameter pipeline and the augmen-tation of the mechanical and electrical installations at James Kleynhanspower pump station

• Phase 2 Augmentation of the James Kleynhans WTW: 20 Mℓ/d ‒ still to be undertaken.

Design and constructionConstruction started in July 2012, imme-diately upon environmental authorisation and the project being awarded. The contract specified that all unskilled labour would be sourced from the communities around the site. In addition, contract speci-fications allowed for on-the-job training of unskilled people.The reinforced concrete 6 600 kℓ res-

ervoir was designed to be rectangular, allowing for future extensions. The existing and new reservoir has interconnecting pipework on the inlet and outlet to ensure that maintenance on either reservoir can be performed without disrupting supply. The 6 600 kℓ reservoir has the following

design parameters: size: 24.6 m wide x 48.6 m long; depth: 6.15 m; storage: 48 hours; columns: 350 mm x 350 mm square columns; joints: 150 mm wide Sikadur Combiflex; pump control: auto-matic telemetry cut-in and cut-out level control at the pumps.The reinforced-concrete reservoir was built

using conventional and labour-intensive construction methods. Foundations were excavated by machine. Steel fi xing, batching

BackgroundGrahamstown lies in a broad valley at the head of the Bloukrans River catchment; the elevation varies from about 500 m above sea level within the valley, to over 640 m at the higher lying areas.The area receives summer rainfall with an

mean annual rainfall of 660 mm. Winters are cold and dry, with summer being hot.Grahamstown’s bulk water supply system

is complex due to the high elevation differ-ence of the bulk supply and Grahamstown.Bosch Stemele was appointed on 20

November 2006 by Makana Municipality to investigate the duplication of the bulk water pumping main between James Kleynhans water treatment works and Botha’s Hill bulk supply reservoir, as Grahamstown was experiencing water shortages during peak conditions. The high-lying, low-income areas (Joza,

6 600 kℓ reservoir roof slab casting


and mixing of concrete on-site, placing of concrete with mechanical equipment and wheelbarrows, compaction and fi nishing was all done using local skilled and unskilled labour resources. The new 450 mm diameter rising main is

generally installed parallel to the existing

350 mm diameter rising main and connects to the existing pipework at the James Kleynhans pump station and at the Botha’s Hill command reservoir by means of pre-fabricated interconnecting steel specials. Potable water is pumped 500 m high from the James Kleynhans pump station at the water treatment works (10 Mℓ/day capac-

ity) to the Botha’s Hill reservoirs (7 Mℓ and 6.6 Mℓ), some 9 km away.

Challenges and solutionsThe contractor

experienced a delay with respect to the manufacture and delivery of steel pipes for in-corporation in the works. The delay was due to suppli-ers’ commitments on other contracts and the unavailabil-ity of raw material. The contractor con-centrated on the construction of the 6 600 kℓ reservoir until the steel pipe was delivered.Due to limited

space within the pipeline servitude, the contractor e n c r o a c h e d beyond the allow-able servitude area for pipe storage. Hilly terrain and

steep gradients necessitated construction of an access road along a farm lane, also outside the servitude area. Rehabilitation of the areas aff ected by the contractor was completed on the removal of the pipes and once delivery of the pipes to site was achieved.In addition, the terrain posed a problem

with the delivery of pipes to the high-er-lying areas. The contractor modified an all-terrain dump truck to overcome the transport of pipes to these areas.The contractor was also delayed with the

water tightness testing for the newly con-structed reservoir due to the lack of water supply from Makana Municipality. This was due to the Waainek WTW being out of com-mission. Once the new 450 mm diameter pipeline was commissioned, suffi cient water was accessible for tests to be conducted.

Project detailsThe fi nal contract value is in the order of R65.2 million. Due to savings on the project, a pump and motor for the James Kleynhans pump station was procured to alleviate the problems Makana Municipality was experi-encing in potable water supply.Construction was monitored by a full

time, on-site environmental site officer and part-time environmental control officer, to ensure compliance with the environmental management plan. In addition, construction of the James

Kleynhans bulk water supply augmen-tation project created employment and training opportunities. About 75 tempo-rary local jobs were created.

DAMS & RESER VOIRS

PROJECT CHALLENGES• severely restricted servitude• exis ng services in servitude• limited access due to

inaccessible terrain• steep gradients• hard rock with prohibited blas ng• access control to game farms.

PROJECT TEAMClient: Makana MunicipalityConsul ng engineers: Bosch Stemele Sub-consultants: Toscalab – geotechnical engineers, Terratest – environmental prac oners, Shreqmanagers – health and safety prac oners, Pipe fi ngs & Inspec on Services – quality control, Surplan – Surveyor Main contractors: WK Construc on Subcontractors: Paradigm Projects – cathodic protec on Broadstroke – pipe weldingBinyamen Contrac ng Services – steel fi xers

6 600 kℓ reservoir fl oor, columns and wall


MEYERTON

Fax: 016 362 3608

[email protected]

0861STRUCT (787828)

www.structa.co.za

Specialists

in the

manufacturing

of domestic

and industrial

water storage

WaterStorage

41

MEYERTON-BASED Structa Technology, a member of the Structa Group of Companies, recently provided much-needed water storage to mining companies throughout

South Africa, according to Structa Technology director for Prestank, Rodney Cory.“Our 40-year-old Prestank brand has over the years proven

itself as a hygienically safe, cost-effective and reliable way to store water for communities, commercial sectors, private sectors and even for personalised storage. Structa is one of the preferred suppliers of water storage tanks to municipal authorities and mines because it is known as a supplier that strives to deliver its water tanks on time, within budget, ad-hering to the best quality standards,” says Cory.Recent mine sites where Prestanks were fabricated and in-

stalled by Structa include: Venetia mine, Kriel Colliery, Sishen iron ore mine, Impala Platinum and Anglo American.Prestanks may be used for various water storage applica-

tions: temporary or permanent installations at mines, power stations, building sites, hospitals, water affairs, municipali-ties, rural communities and agriculture. The Structa Prestanks are fully customisable, high-quality

water storage solutions that are manufactured according to SANS guidelines and meet South African hot-dipped galva-nising requirements.

Specialised water infrastructure supports mines

DAMS & RESERVOIRS

Specially designed L-shape Prestank

sited in Hopetown, Northern Cape

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 43 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 43

LAST YEAR on 30 November, SBS, which designs, manufactures and installs the proudly South African SBS Tank, was awarded

the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s prestigious title of Exporter of the Year in the small (exporter) category. The event took place at a gala dinner held at the Durban International Convention Centre, where award winners for the me-dium and large business categories were also announced.“We’re very proud of having even been

nominated for this award; the announce-ment that we had won was a very special moment for us as a company, especially given the short amount of time that we have been active in the global marketplace outside of the African continent. In fact, SBS’s fi rst export order only went into its container near the end of 2013. That means this achievement has taken the company just one year.“SBS’s modular design (a 3.3 Mℓ tank fi ts

into one 40 foot shipping container) storage tank, which boasts rapid on-site erection times, our proven record of exceptional service that provides product and technical

Liquid storage solutions for Africa and beyondSBS Water Systems’ sales and marketing manager, Brian Wilson, tells Frances Ringwood about the most recent successes of the company’s durable and modular designed SBS Tanks’ Zincalume liquid storage solution, which is gaining momentum both in South Africa and globally.

support from quote to installation and beyond, along with our enviable SABS ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems certifi cation made us a front runner for this award,” says Wilson.Orders for the company’s durable, reliable

prefabricated modular tanks have been increasing rapidly over the last few years, to the extent that the company now has distrib-utors in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, New Caledonia and New Zealand. “And we’re look-ing to expand further in 2015,” adds Wilson.

Mining promiseSBS tanks are suitable for storing potable and process water and even leachate for a range of applications including municipal, mining, fi re protection, food and beverage and water conservation. While the company has already attained a number of new con-tracts this year, Wilson chose to discuss two contracts with mining houses to illustrate the rapid installation and safety aspects achieved during the erection of these tanks. “One project we are very excited to be

working right now is an order for two of our fl agship 3.3 Mℓ tanks for potable and process

water storage at a platinum mine in South Africa’s North West province. ”The 3.3 Mℓ tanks

have been delivered to site and erection, which is scheduled to start mid-January, will take only 35 to 40 days to complete.“Another mine-related

project we are about the start is also a platinum mine, which is located in Mpumalanga. Our

customer there required potable water to supply a nearby local farming community. With our many advantages and experience in the industry, SBS was the obvious choice and this 1.2 Mℓ storage tank will be up and running by early March.”

Safety fi rstA common thread in these two projects is the requirement for strict compliance with the health and safety policies of the mining industry. SBS’s proprietary jacking system provides a solution to one key issue: working at heights by keeping the company’s teams of certifi ed specialist installers’ feet planted fi rmly on the ground, thus keeping work performed above 1.8 metres to a minimum. “This unique system not only aids in rapid on-site erection but is also considered one of the safest methods for tank erection and has been accepted by many major mining operations worldwide,” concludes Wilson.With such an innovative, durable and

high-quality product, along with excellent before- and after-sales service, it’s no won-der SBS Tanks have grown to become a local South African product that’s taking the world by storm.

Two 3.3M SBS ST31/9 tanks awaiting dispatch

DAMS & RESERVOIRS

FOR A LOCAL water company to reach four decades is a mammoth achievement given the vicissi-tudes and changes the sector has

undergone during that stretch of time. Prentec celebrated this milestone in providing life-giving water at a cel-ebration held last year at its business premises in Kempton Park, Gauteng. The who’s who of the water industry were in attendance.Prentec founder John

Buchanan, now retired, fl ew in from Midrid to talk about Prentec’s achievements. “When I started the company in 1974, the objective I had in mind was to establish a local compa-ny with the capabilities to provide a process design for a sewage plant. Prentec in fact takes its name from the phrase, process engineering technology.“Process engineering technology was

what the company specialised in from the beginning. My goal at that time was to

Celebrating 40 years

South African provider of water, sewage and industrial effl uent treatment technology Prentec recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, writes Frances Ringwood.

COMPANY NEWS

have a water and wastewater treatment company where all designs could be done in-house;from the process, mechanical, elec-trical, process control, preassembly, delivery, erection and operation. I believed if I could

do that, I would have done something good for the country.”“I want everyone who knows the company

to recognise it for doing everything in-house. By 1980, I realised that we’d need to have our own manufacturing facility. It was in 1981 that I bought 9 000 m2 of land in Chloorkop, Kempton Park, and we started to build this complex. In 1985, we started build-ing the offi ce block and factory, which was offi cially opened in 1989. This was followed

by the second bay in 1992 and the third bay in 2009,” says Buchanan, who it happens was also the fi rst editor of a water-sector trade magazine in South Africa.

MilestonesManaging director of Prentec Stewart Buchanan remembers his fi rst working expe-rience at the family company. “My father told

the director Glen Ford on my fi rst day that if I didn’t pull my weight, he could fi re me,” he says, laughing and remembering

one among many moments over the years coloured by both levity and hard work.One of the fi rst clients in Prentec’s business

was Eskom, under Prentec Contract No. 002. The company built a water-softening plant for one of Eskom’s power stations in Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal. Forty years later, Eskom continues to be a client. Stewart Buchanan attributes much of the company’s success to longstanding relationships such as these.

Innovation visionSpeaking at the event, process director, Adrian Viljoen emphasised the company’s growth and skills development, as well as its focus on constant innovation. “We can con-fi gure custom solutions, which is crucially important in today’s ever-changing environ-ment. We are continuously developing to meet these needs.”Commenting on some of the company’s

latest innovations, Viljoen says, “We are on the brink of commercialising our freeze desalination technology. This promises to address many of the brine problems associated with desalination inland.” Many who have worked with

the company will already know of its impres-sive seawater desalination and brine-water reclamation achievements.“Prentec, through strong partnerships,

good skills development programmes and solid leadership appointments, has fulfi lled that initial vision of becoming a leading South African company in the provision of world-class process engineering solu-tions. Here’s to the next 40 years,” concludes Stewart Buchanan.

“Prentec, through strong partnerships, good skills development programmes and solid leadership appointments, has fulfi lled that initial vision of becoming a leading South

African company in the provision of world-class process engineering solutions.”

Stewart Buchanan, MD, Prentec

Prentec’s MD Stewart Buchanan and his father John Buchanan, founder of Prentec in 1974

PHO

TOG

RAPH

: DEB

BIE

BESS

ELIN

G


FEATURE


PANEL DISCUSSION

How does your company’s

machinery and services offer a convenient, cost-effective, sustainable solution? HS Our designs or pre-engineered skid technology are localised for cost saving and suitability. Developed by Evoqua Water Technologies, the technology has been implemented worldwide and allows QFS to tap into valuable experience and knowledge from our international partners. In conjunction with these technology benefits the QFS local manufacturing, commissioning and service team provides the benefit to our clients of local support.

What key technologies does your company offer?• screening down to 40 microns

• floatation technology• ultra filtration• reverse osmosis (RO).

What are the benefits of your company’s specific technologies? Any desalination requires good quality screening. QFS make use of new polymer screening technology to ensure removal of the particulate matter.QFS also makes use of the

next-generation floatation

technology for the removal of macro-

organisms like algae. A saving of 60% to 70% on the footprint and more stable floc formation make GEM technology an attractive alternative to dissolved air filtration.QFS has been

representing Memcor Ultrafi ltration technology from 1999. Memcor Ultrafi ltration makes use of a polyvinylidene fl uoride hollow fi bre membrane with fi ltration from outside to in.The Memcor membrane

system provides exceptional final water quality through an integrity testable process. This is essential for the protection of the RO membranes from suspended solids. QFS provides the RO skids

based on pre-engineered designs with benefit to the client by manufacturing in South Africa and making use of equipment available in South Africa. This sustainable concept ensures service and spares available.

What specialised services do you offer? Maintaining membrane-based equipment with support with the operational and cleaning conditions of the specific membranes.

QFS Herman SmitManaging Director

specific membranes.

QFS’s desalination technology uses South African labour and parts wherever possible

In Africa: Hammarsdale Tel: +27 (0) 31 736 8800 • email: [email protected] • buckman.com

© 2014 Buckman Laboratories International, Inc. All rights reserved.

We believe customers deserve access to world-class resources, exceptional service, and a commitment to

continuous improve ment and innovation. Buckman offers an optimal solution for treatment of utility and process

water—an extensive portfolio of specialty chemicals, unmatched technical expertise and service, and a network of

experienced associates who quickly identify, prevent, and solve problems.

Find out how we can help with your water treatment needs.

Commitment makes the best chemistry.


Stephanus RouxAccount ManagerBUCKMAN

How does your company’s machinery and

services off er a convenient, cost-eff ective, sustainable solution? SS Innovation has always been part of the Buckman culture and through working in the South African water industry, Buckman has built up a reputation for innovative application of technology and dosing chemical support programmes. Buckman has cut its teeth in

the water industry by getting involved in the unconventional water treatment sector of the petrochemical, utilities and metal industries and has had spectacular successes in supporting these industries. Reverse osmosis (RO) applications for desalination, water recovery or pollution control have been a focus area for Buckman’s products and expertise. Innovation remains key as

fi nancial market fl uctuations, new process development and environmental legislation continues to drive new demands for improved products and services and many customers have already benefi ted from the cost-eff ective membrane-related products and services off ered by Buckman.Buckman’s chemical

programmes impact on all facets of treatment technology including improved equipment performance, less downtime for cleaning and repair actions and reduced cleaning in place (CIP) costs.With an eye on the

future, Buckman maintains close relationships with academia, both locally and abroad, supporting the development of both water treatment professionals and cutting-edge technology.The future of the water

industry may include:

• energy generation from saline streams and membrane technology

• combined chemistry and membrane applications

• biological augmentation technologies

• solar or wind-driven desalination technology

• nano-chemistry for disinfection or contaminant degradation.

What key technologies does you company offer? Buckman provides key technologies for water treatment in association with its technology partners. This not only includes speciality chemistries, but also Micro filtration, ultrafiltration and

RO technology. Buckman also developed monitoring and control systems for chemical dosing applications for RO systems. This is the proprietary Buckman Eze-Monitor: a multi purpose tool that combines various input signals and provide immediate dosing control or automated CIP initiation.

What are the benefi ts of your company’s specifi c technologies? Buckman’s cloud-based information management system, the trademarked On-Site combines available information in report format. This includes operational information and can be made available to the client in real time.

What specifi c products and components does your company manufacture/provide and what are the quality indicators that your clients must know about? Buckman’s core business remains the supply of biocides,

anti-scalants, coagulants and fl occulants for drinking water and RO pre-treatment, CIP chemicals for RO facilities, defoamers, corrosion inhibitors, organic and inorganic dispersants. Buckman has had excellent results with the application of its proprietary Oxamine biocide for controlling fungi, algae and bacteria on

both polyamide and cellulose acetate membrane systems.

What specialised services do you off er? Buckman’s technical services with regard to RO technology include membrane autopsies, on-site analytical techniques for quick response to operational challenges and the application of the ‘Green Toolbox’, software that demonstrates both operational as well as energy savings.The advantages of Buckman’s

products lie in the accurate application of each product and its close relationships with customer’s requirements. This not only ensures customer satisfaction but also cost-eff ective pricing as dosing regimens are determined by stringent laboratory testing, computer modelling, case studies and experience.

How does your customer engagement deliver client assurance? Buckman’s commitment to technical training of its own and its customer’s personnel increases its total value to the client.

Since the technology is so advanced, what in-house quality assurances does your company off er and how do you ensure these are transferred to the eventual operator? High-level problem-solving capability is a high priority for Buckman, and the ‘Tech Hub’, a team of industry specialists, is always available to the customer to engage in problem solving and/or value-adding projects to benefi t the customer’s business.Buckman’s wide range of

chemicals is strictly quality controlled at the Hammarsdale facility and customers are encouraged to be involved with this programme.

PANEL DISCUSSION

“Innovation remains key as fi nancial market fl uctuations, new process development and environmental

legislation continues to drive new demands for improved products

and services.”


Abrie WesselsWestern Cape Regional GM

VEOLIA WATER TECHNOLOGIES SOUTH AFRICA

How does your company’s machinery

and services offer a convenient, cost-effective, sustainable solution? AW With our international focus on innovation, we have a solid range of technologies available for the water treatment market. I put the spotlight on the following three innovative building technologies:• Actiflo Our Actiflo Turbo’s patented super-high-rate water clarifier uses microsand to ballast and weigh down the flocs in the water to achieve a typical drinking water clarification rate of 80 m/h. The general advantage is the reduction in footprint and

associated cost as well as shorter construction period.

• Spidflow Our Spidflow dissolved air flotation system has been proven in efficiency to remove particles and especially algae in pre-treatment of desalination and also conventional drinking water plants. The general advantage is in effective coagulation

and flocculation to achieve a typical rise rate of 30 m/h.

• Hydrotech Our patented Hydrotech disc filters bring the advantage of robust fine filters with low

capital cost together with minimal energy losses and are used successfully on final or tertiary filtration

at wastewater treatment works on the out flow from

the secondary clarifiers.

TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGEWhat are your key differentiators? Actiflo

conventional clarifiers are, as standard, designed for around 1 m/h rise rate and when lamella separation plates are added the clarification velocity is increased to 8 m/h to 10 m/h. This is however still many metres away

from the typical 80 m/h for the Actiflo Turbo, providing a guarantee of less than three Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) in the clarified water. The effectiveness of the technology is demonstrated at more than 800 Actiflo installation sites around the world over the past 20 years.Spidflow has proven itself

in the efficient removal of algae generally measured with chlorophyll-a levels remaining in the treated water and typically achieves in excess of 99% removal.The Hydrotech disc filter's

differentiation is in the minimal energy loss (typical 100 mm water head) together with minimal water loss for backwashing. In addition, the technology boasts 8 000 references internationally.

SERVICES ADVANTAGEWhat services does your company offer and how does your customer engagement deliver client assurance? Our Veolia corporate structure is streamlined to focus on customer service combining our experience and technology with regional offices well distributed throughout

South Africa. Secondly, we have

a division structure that focuses on customer needs grouped together in five divisions:1. design and construction of

big water plants2. design and construction of

small water plants 3. operation and maintenance

of water plants 4. chemicals for water

treatment5. servicing and consumables

for water plants.

ASSURANCE ADVANTAGEWhat in-house quality assurances does your company offer and how are you able to ensure these are transferred to the eventual operator? We are an ISO 9001:2008 accredited company with an established quality management system. Training combined with clear and comprehensive operating and maintenance manuals are essential components of the success of new water plant.

OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGEWhat systems does your company offer to allow for better monitoring and testing of the quality of products and by-products? Well-equipped site laboratories together with trained process controllers and laboratory technicians enable operational monitoring of water plants and facilitate plant supervisors and plant engineers to optimise plant performance, and identify plant upsets early for prevention. Veolia also offers our Veolink remote monitor, trending and control software for web-based operational support, and there are various modules available depending the requirements of the client.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Spidfl ow

Actifl o

Hydrotech


Dynamic team puts Dynamic Fluid Control (DFC) says that, by being in the water game, its core company philosophy encompasses maintaining water quality to keep South Africans healthy. Frances Ringwood meets the DFC team to fi nd out more.

DFC MANUFACTURES valves for the water sector. It is a subsidiary of Aveng Manufacturing,

part of the Avenge Group. Brenton Long, managing director, says the company is not just in the business of supplying its customers with high-quality valves and pumps, but is also really in the business of keep-ing people healthy and protecting the environment.

“You’ll have seen the UN es-timates that the average person needs at least 20 to 50 litres of water per day to maintain good health. ‘In vino veritas’ (in wine is the truth), but ‘in aqua sanitas’ (in water is sanity); imagine if your home’s water has been off for two days. Water is vital to life and here at DFC we see ourselves as being in the busi-ness of keeping people healthy,” says Long.

Company structureDFC has two divisions for sup-plying its prod-ucts, the fi rst

being Water and Effl uent and the second being Mineral Processing. “While our Water and Effl uent Division centres on taking care of people’s good health, our Mineral Processing Division contributes towards taking care of the environ-ment,” says Long.“In 1886, gold was discovered

in Johannesburg and three years later a man by the name of James Thompson started a business, supply-ing construction and infrastructure solutions to this new mining town. That business grew, with some ad-ditions, into the Aveng Group over the next 125 years. Aveng employs 35 000 people worldwide, it is listed in the top 30 companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and it’s a proudly South African company with a BBBEE shareholding of 90%,” says Long.DFC executive director Mark

Hedtrich adds: “Aveng is a business that’s dedicated to building infra-structure and DFC is part of the vision to create good infrastructure for growth and prosperity.”In order to provide high-quality

products for a wide range of appli-cations, Aveng sought to partner with a South African company with a similarly impressive history as well as original equipment manufacturing (OEM) capabilities. “Four years ago, Aveng was looking

to acquire an entity to enter into supporting water infrastructure. DFC and its precursors had been in exist-ence for 65 years at that point and had a well-established reputation,” says Long.

Service offering DFC started out as a dedicated wedge gate valve manufacturer. Over the years, the demand for var-ious applications changed and so the company responded by broad-ening its range, introducing butter-fly valves, diaphragm valves, knife-gate valves, pinch valves, check and float valves, air release and vacuum break valves, and similar.These valves are, as the company

name suggests, dynamic, covering the full range of water sector appli-cations from mines and factories to water treatment plants and reser-voirs. “We are an OEM for all water applications, particularly in the medium-pressure range of 40 bar. However, if there are requirements in a more high-pressure application, for example 120 bar, we have the

“Imagine if your home’s water

has been off for two days. Water is vital to life and here at DFC we see ourselves as being in the

business of keeping people healthy.” Brenton Long, MD, DFC

“Aveng is a business that’s dedicated

to building infrastructure and DFC is part of the vision to create

good infrastructure for growth and

prosperity.” Mark Hedtrich, executive

director, DFC

INDUSTRY NEWSPIPES, PUMPS & VALVES


people fi rstcapacity to service that market too,” says Hedtrich.“We have also been servicing

the water distribution needs for the power and energy sectors. Coal-fired power stations also require water to be moved around for steam generation, cooling and other sections of these power plants,” adds Pat Stander, DFC executive director.

Partnership advantageThe Aveng Group’s Aveng Water Division focuses on high precipita-tion reverse osmosis, which works to mitigate acid mine drainage, desalination and pipelines. Aveng Manufacturing DFC and Aveng Water, being a part of the same group, allow leverage off the exper-tise of the other.

Localisation“When it comes to DFC’s local manufacturing capability, all sub-components are locally sourced by as much as 100%. The minerals-processing side of the business exports to many parts of the world, each with their own localisation requirements. For us to be competitive we need to move high volumes of product, thus we focus on Southern African specifica-tions, mostly for South Africa. SADC countries are part of that focus only from time to time, when the company supplies imported parts which are assembled at its factory in South Africa, Finland or the US and then exported to the correct quality standard for its destination in that region. However, when it comes to the water and effluent part of the business, everything can be locally manufactured to satisfy the new legislation in South Africa requiring a minimum of 70% local content,” says Long.In addition, DFC adheres to strict

health and safety procedures in line with the parent company’s ethos.

“The Aveng safety motto spells ‘home without harm, everyone, every day’. It is the company’s priority to look after our people,” adds Hedtrich.

Achievements“We’ve already achieved many of our goals as a company through having such a wide service offering and meeting our BBBEE targets and localisation goals. There is still more we want to do. At the moment, we see these advantages as barriers to our competitors. Another differentiator we see is our ability to comply with local content, which means international competitors need to rethink their approach of just dumping product in South Africa. DFC, as a South African company, is committed to creating jobs and opportunities for South Africa and its people,” says Hedtrich. With operations in America,

Finland and Australia, DFC is in the enviable position of already having a vast global footprint in Africa, and beyond.

“We have also been servicing the water distribution needs for the power and energy sectors. Coal-fi red power

stations also require water to be moved around for steam

generation, cooling and other sections of these power plants.”

Pat Stander, executive

director, DFC

Aerial view of the DFC premises in Benoni, Gauteng

PIPES, PUMPS & VALVES


Botswana water scheme

Pump sets being supplied to Botswana’s Water

Affairs Department for the North-South Carrier Water Transfer Scheme’s Phase II have surpassed all quoted

efficiency requirements during factory testing.

IN AN ENERGY-scarce country such as Botswana, the im-provement over and above the already tightly specified

efficiency of the pump sets is im-pressive and should translate into higher efficiencies of the scheme and lower energy input require-ments over the life of the project.Manufactured in Germany by

KSB Pumps and Valves’ Halle works, the three large axially split

secured from the main contractor CWJV (a joint venture between CCC and WBHO) for the mechanical works for the new Moralane pump station (including pump sets, pipe work, valves, HVAC and overhead crane) and was based on the Water Affairs Department’s carefully for-mulated requirements.“We were awarded the contract

based on a number of technical considerations relating to the

volute-casing pump sets are being installed and commissioned by KSB South Africa’s Fluid Systems department to pump water from comparatively high rainfall areas in the north of the Southern African country, to the drier south and capital city Gaborone.

Pumps fit for purposeAccording to KSB Fluid Systems manager Dale Croker, the order was

TOP Outside KSB’s Halle factory in GermanyABOVE RIGHT KSB axially split volute casing pumps for the Botswana Water Affairs Department



gets pumpeddesign and manufacture of our pumps, as well as a requirement for efficiency and the ability to main-tain a low-suction capability. “Given the comparative scarcity

of electricity in the area and re-sulting high cost of energy, the design required variable-speed drive-controlled 2300 Kw pumps capable of producing a flow rate of 839 litres per second to a generated head of 211.9 metres. Apart from the high efficiency of the pump unit at the design duty, the use of variable-speed drives also allows

for the efficient use of the big pumps across the operating range from current to future water de-mand levels as the population and demand grow.

Surpassing the grade“Our pumps’ ability to operate at low reservoir water levels due to low net positive suction head re-quirements specifically engineered for this project was also a consid-eration as it negated the need for series pumping and as a result considerably reduces the size and complexity of the pump station and saves on civil costs,” says Croker .He confirms that performance

tests of KSB’s proprietary RDLO horizontal split casing pumps were conducted at the factory’s modern test facility in the presence of the client and the engineer’s represent-ative and that the figures returned exceeded KSB’s quoted efficiency of 88.8%. The tests actually revealed peak efficiencies of 90.36%, 90.04% and 89.68% across the three pump sets, which will translate to signifi-cant power savings in future.“These results underscore the

value of high-quality engineered

TOP Work underway at the Moralane Pump Station ABOVE Pump station prepared for arrival of KSB pumps

products such as those pro-duced by KSB Pumps. We al-ready quoted for high efficiency and when the pumps were manufactured and tested we exceeded expectations by a considerable margin. That’s an excellent achievement in any-one’s book,” says Croker.

Hardware and supportKSB axially split volute casing pumps are designed to be pow-erful, reliable and durable in the most diverse applications in

order to ensure uninterrupted water supply wherever they are installed. For water authorities, the

pumps represent a practical and economical means to move water over distances without fail.The additional expertise and consulting offered by KSB Fluid Systems provides an all-encom-passing and seamless solution to customers in Southern Africa and further afield across the continent.For this reason, the Fluid Systems

department is often called upon to undertake turnkey projects, designs and implementation of full solutions for mechanical and electrical equip-ment related to pumping plants. Project teams are furthermore able to assist with pump selection for any operating range and are able to calculate and design pumping solutions according to exact re-quirements. They will also work with consulting engineers to find the right and complete solution for any water or fluid transfer project.

Pumping in the heart of AfricaKSB has a long record of supplying pumping solutions throughout

In an energy-scarce region such as Botswana, the improvement over and above the already tightly specifi ed effi ciency of the pump sets is impressive

Africa. In Botswana its pumps are used extensively throughout the region and are also in operation on the first phase of the North-South Carrier.Most recently, the company

supplied similar pump sets for the Dikgathlong project for the Botswana Water Affairs Department, which is a feeder station to the North-South Carrier; here again, high efficiencies were achieved. Similar water projects in South Africa have also been undertaken for the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation, and Rand Water as well as other water authorities.“Governments need to make use

of reliable pumps that are not a drain on its other resources such as power or manpower. For this reason, KSB is often a preferred supplier wherever water delivery is a top priority,” concludes Croker.



EMERSON Industrial Automation (EIA) likes to classify itself as being a leader and trendsetter in varia-ble-speed drive (VSD) technology

from the point of view that it off ers a good product at a competitive price, ensuring reliability for our customers,” says Singh.Emerson Electrics is a global

company started in America with several key divisions, of which EIA is the division of the business servicing the water, wastewater and effl u-ent market. Other divisions include Emerson Process Management, Emerson Network Power and Emerson Climate Technologies. EIA supplies products such as VSDs, electric motors and gearboxes, and other automation solutions.

Driven by innovationEIA has a wide range of VSDs suit-able for any water sector appli-cation. These can include water, wastewater, raw water treatment plants, preparation water treat-ment plants and effl uent. The company is capable of proving anything from the smallest to the big-gest drive with an impressive stock-holding capacity, meaning that when clients need an immediate solution, they get it.“Just as an idea of our capability, we have

a product called Unidrive M launched early FY2014 in South Africa. We have diff erent ranges within the Unidrive M family of products and we have the capability within the range to deal with process projects, also called process vertical. Within that family of products we have a power drive called the F300 and that is a drive which features dedicated pump control and proportional integral derivative (PID). The PID is an effi cient way of controlling set

Driving reliable treatmentSanjith Singh, sales director for motors and drives at Emerson Industrial, shares with Frances Ringwood more detail about some of the company’s most impressive market offerings.

INNOVATIVE, OPTIMISED SOLUTIONS

points on fl ows within the water industry,” says Singh.Market demand for such products has

risen sharply as a result of increasing demands for energy effi ciency as well as the need to attain dif-

ferent fl ow rates. Product development for this solution was driven directly by the needs of engineers working in the fi eld. In addition, EIA’s drives conform to the highest European standards including the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Full automation solutions“The company boasts phenomenal break-throughs in product development and that goes not only for its VSDs but also Emerson Industrial Automation’s AC motors. For example, we have proprietary class-lead-ing AC motors called the Dyneo. These

technologies guarantee superior energy effi ciency to the market,” says Singh.“The company’s AC motors are rated IE4

on the global premium effi ciency stand-ards, meaning that they are market-leading

technology. In addition, when it comes to VSDs, the company has been proactive in terms of releasing new technology to the market. In fact, if you look at the onset of the drives business, which is managed through EIA’s Control Techniques brand since the inception of the business many years ago, we’ve always been fi rst to release most VSD technology as it’s developed,” adds Signh.

Value proposition“EIA sees South Africa as a key market to growing its business. The parent company in the US made the

decision to enter the market here back in 1981 under the banner of the Control Techniques brand, and the company

has grown from strength to strength since then. “Another market diff erentiator for EIA is

it off ers a standard warranty of two years, which can be extended to fi ve years, demonstrating EIA’s commitment to cus-tomer service,” says Singh.EIA has a wide range of customers includ-

ing end users, original equipment manu-facturers, distributors, resellers and system integrators. “We have many reasons why we consider EIA a market leader but perhaps one of the main reasons is our after-sales service. EIAs engineers are hired based on their dedication and we can guarantee that if a mine in Guinea, for example, has a problem with its pumps on Boxing Day, our people are prepared to fl y out there and solve the problem,” concludes Singh.

The Unidrive M F300 is an energy-effi cient VSD, capable of controlling fl ow set points



Making a splash in The aeration process at the Stellenbosch municipal water treatment plant in the Western Cape has been dramatically improved after 10 world-class modular compact (MC) industrial gear (IG) units supplied by leading drive specialist SEW-EURODRIVE were installed by Inenzo Water.

ONE OF THE initial and most critical stages of water treatment is to aerate large volumes of

water in treatment plants. Aeration is the process whereby water is enriched with oxygen through a continuous rotation and churning process. This enables the release of harmful gases and kills certain bac-teria in the water. It also hastens the breakdown of organic matter.Aeration is usually achieved by

rotating a large propeller through the water volume, mixing air into the water. This propeller is exposed to huge radial and axial forces and if the drive gear is incorrectly

installed, it can lead to failure and damage to the propeller and the gearbox driving it.

Technology advantageSEW-EURODRIVE Cape Town branch manager Byron Griffi ths notes that the company’s extended bearing dis-tance (EBD) confi guration and drywell bearing housing is ideally suited for the aeration process. “It allows for much higher radial and axial forces to be absorbed by the gearbox, while the drywell bearing housing ensures no oil can leak into the sensitive water treatment process.”Inenzo Water projects manager

Chris Erasmus adds: “In our industry,

we must ensure that we offer clients top solutions at competitive prices. Over the years, we have found that the pricing, quality and service offered by SEW-EURODRIVE played a decisive role in our procurement for this project.” Griffiths indicates that SEW-

EURODRIVE has extensive appli-cation knowledge with regards to gearboxes driving aeration equip-ment. “By listening to the client’s requirement and understanding the unique problems faced on this pro-ject, the company is able to marry its own extensive product range and knowledge with the expectations of the client.”

SEW-EURODRIVE

assembly plants and branches

in 46 countries are staffed by the specialists and experts of

each respective country


the Western Cape


Guaranteed qualitySEW-EURODRIVE strives to ensure that every application requirement is fully understood and that each product delivered meets with the high standard of service and quality that its clients have come to expect over the decades. Griffiths reveals that the SEW-EURODRIVE compact range of IG units is becoming in-creasingly popular in South Africa as well.“These units have excellent con-

figuration options, such as the EBD and drywell bearing housing used on this project. These compact units are also relatively small for the torque that they can handle. What’s more, full service, maintenance and condition monitoring is offered on a

24/7/365 basis by SEW-EURODRIVE’s highly trained technical and engi-neering staff,” he continues.One of the key advantages in

selecting the MC series of IG units is that they are manufactured by SEW-EURODRIVE in Nelspruit. Griffiths points out that local assembly cuts down on international shipping costs, which results in savings for the client. “The units can be

produced faster, which reduces project lead times. Availability of spares and turna-round time on repairs is also minimised

“The company’s extended bearing distance (EBD)

confi guration and drywell bearing housing are

ideally suited for the aeration process.”

Byron Griffi ths, Cape Town branch

manager, SEW-EURODRIVE

to further ensure high levels of availability. Due to SEW-EURODRIVE having the resources and expertise to assemble these units in South Africa, some degree of customising and order fl exibility can also be off ered to the client,” he concludes.


THE CURRENT ownership of Fiberpipe comprises an 82% shareholding by Fiberpipe Holdings, with the remaining 18% held by nine of the senior personnel in the com-pany, where each person is allocated 2%. The shares of

Fiberpipe Holdings are held 51% by an investment company and 49% by the new BBBEE company.On discussing the recent changes, Momberg says, “I wanted

to build a business that will be here for many years to come. To achieve this, one needs to expand and in order to have a sustain-able business, a strong management team is essential. Nizaam Hendricks and Vanessa Khathwane, as the shareholders of the BBBEE company, have been appointed as directors alongside two of Fiberpipe’s most senior personnel, Anton Joos and Hein Pieters.

Empowerment deal for pipe manufacturerSub-Saharan GRP pipe manufacturer Fiberpipe recently announced changes in the management of the company through a BBBEE transaction. Hein Momberg, managing director of Fiberpipe, gives an overview of what these changes mean for the business.

As a result of the BBBEE deal, both Fiberpipe and Fiberpipe Holdings now have a team of five directors. In addition to this, Fiberpipe has appointed two non-executive directors, being Lawrence Saville and Peet van der Westhuizen. While the BBBEE deal has been underway for some time, the actual directorship changes were effective from 1 September last year.”

Shareholders in actionIn making the decision to have a BBBEE partner, Momberg explains: “We chose not to go the route of a BEE invest-

ment company that just provides us with points. It was important to have shareholders that contrib-ute to the growth of the business. Both Hendricks and Khathwane work in developing Fiberpipe’s new business, where they are responsible for iden-tifying new opportunities and for interacting with government and munici-palities. Where we previ-ously focused our eff orts on targeting the consult-ing engineers exclusively, this is a relatively new fi eld for us in terms of our development. We realise that the market is chang-ing and so are the deci-sion-makers.” In addition, Hendricks and his team are responsible for Fibrepipe’s legacy programme. “As a manufacturer operating within this space, we believe

that we can leverage on our experience within the sector to create accelerated skills development programmes that will make an impact on the employability of the youth and, there-by, allow them to be absorbed into the sector as part of the skilled workforce to address the sector’s challenges in relation to skill demand,” concludes Momberg.

“We now have a much more effective means of doing business with government departments, such as the Department of Water and Sanitation, municipalities and water boards.” Hein

Momberg, MD, Fiberpipe




TWO COUNTRIES in the world reg-istering some of the highest Gini coefficients (gaps between the richest and poorest members of

the population) are India and South Africa. These countries share many other

similarities characteristic of developing countries because of their similar histories being former colonies. The upshot of this for the water sector is that numerous inno-vations translate well from one context to the other in terms of technological appli-cability and cost. Use of solar power for ru-ral water delivery is one such technology.The Press Trust of India recently report-

ed delivery of 122 solar pumps being installed in the town of Koraput in the mainly rural Odisha district in South West India. Koraput engineer Monoranjan Mali

Pumping development solar advantage


commented on the conditions which led to the municipality’s decision to use this technology: “With tribal towns sparsely populated, installing connections so dis-tant from one another became difficult. So we installed solar-energy-based piped water systems in areas with a population of 300 or less.”Translating this model to South Africa

and other African countries would be relatively straightforward and is already in process for at least one local supplier with an international presence. Grundfos’ Indian managing director, NK Ranganath, has been quoted in the press saying the company is aggressively promoting so-lar-energy-driven pumps.South Africa and India contribute a total

of about 30% of the group’s business.

Texas, California and Australia make up the remainer of the Solar Division’s market share.Further similarities between the South

African and Indian solar-powered pumps market include local sourcing of materials, localisation of labour and a focus on relia-bility optimisation.

Solar-powered pumps are ideal for rural applications, particularly agriculture


PRODUC T NEWS

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Abeco Tanks 39

APE Pumps 59

Aquaplan Water Treatment Engineering 20

Aquatan 57

Aveng DFC 50

Buckman Laboratories 46

ELB Equipment 32

Fiberpipe 58

Hach 21

Kaytech 2

Krohne 10

KSB Pumps & Valves 54

Lesira-Teq 26

Letratek Water Technology 7

Mather & Platt 12

Nalco IFC

NuWater OFC

Quality Filtration Systems 45

Rainbow Reservoirs 40

Rocla 35

SBS Water Systems 42

Structa Group 41

SEW-EURODRIVE IBC

Swan's Water Treatment 24

Trenchless Technologies 33

TT Innovations 31

Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies 48

Vovani Water Products 16

Vermeer Equipment Suppliers 29

Water & Sanitation Services South Africa OBC

WorleyParsons 15

Worldskills TVET mechatronic competition kicks off

WORLDSKILLS IS the largest vocational education and skills excellence competition in the world. From regional

competitions across the many disciplines, winning teams progress to the Worldskills national competition in January 2015. National winners get the chance to

represent South Africa in the global Worldskills event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, next year. Speaking at the opening of the event

was Horst Weinert, a former South African Worldskills expert for mobile robotics and manager for Festo Didactic, a global spon-sor of the competition. “Mechatronics, the combination of me-

chanical and electrical engineering, is the way of the future. It is has been recognised as a scarce skill by Merseta, and mechatron-ic technicians and engineers are well-paid people. You will be running the factories of the future,” Weinert said to the competitors.

Silent revolution“The silent revolution of mechatronics can be seen in our everyday lives. Modern cars, for example, require not only a spanner but also a laptop to service it. Qualifi ed mechatronic technicians are a real need in industry and are key to the future success of South African industry, and for the world,” Weinert explains.Addressing the coaches who mentored

and accompanied the students to the competition, Weinert reminded them that they are providing the skills for these young people to run our factories of the future.“In this, the ‘Decade of the Artisan’, we

can only be proud to have the oppor-tunity to participate in Worldskills, and put our local talent on the global stage,” Weinert concludes.The winning team took home equipment

they need to compete in the Worldskills national competition, to be hosted in Cape Town. Winners of the worldwide national competitions, in their respective countries, will take part in the international competi-tion in Brazil later this year.

Teams of young mechatronic students gathered at the pneumatic and electronic automation company Festo’s offi ces in Johannesburg towards the end of last year, for the start of the Worldskills competition in mechatronics.

The winning team from Wordskills, Victor Hlaise and Tressure Mokgohloa from Tshwane North College

SEW-EURODRIVE offers a complete overhaul and repair service for the SEW-EURODRIVEServo Motors? Save downtime and costs by contacting our electronics and servo motorservice centre on +27 21 552 9820.

SEW-EURODRIVE - Driving the world.

DID YOU KNOW...

Tel: +27 21 552 9820Web: www.sew.co.za

We drive service

Geared Motors \ Drive Electronics \ Drive Automation \ Industrial Gears \ Services

1TH

REA

D_4

325_

MO

T

Water and Sanitation Services South Africa (Pty) Ltd (WSSA) is a specialised provider of sustainable water services in Southern Africa

Water & Sanitation Services SA.indd 1 2014/03/26 11:52:53 AM

Water&Santiation Africa Jan/Feb 2015

Documents

Transcript of Water&Santiation Africa Jan/Feb 2015