Western Cape Business 2017 edition

OVERVIEW
quality water, as do agri-processing
concerns. Programmes
include upgrading wastewater
treatment plants, clearing
alien vegetation and
regular monitoring of water
quality. The scheme encompasses
the Olifants-Doorn and
Breede rivers.
The Western Cape
Department of Agriculture has
launched a climate action plan
called Smart Agri, which includes
doing studies on conservation
agriculture. The plan draws on
the expertise of academics and
companies in the private sector.
One of the possible plans
to add to the supply of the
Western Cape Water Supply
System is the Berg River–Voëlvlei
Augmentation Scheme. This
would entail pumping water
out of the Berg River in winter,
having first allowed for enough
water to cover the ecological water
requirements of the river and
the estuary.
The last time a severe drought
affected the province, many of
the towns along the Garden
Route installed desalination and
recycling plants. More than one
of these facilities had to close
because not enough care had
been taken in choosing the site,
so environmental issues and silting
stymied the plans.
However, Mossel Bay has a
functioning plant and Lamberts
Bay on the West Coast will soon
have a 1 700m³ per day plant. This
will be the sixth such plant installed
by French company Veolia
Water Solutions & Technologies.
Other sites include Saldanha,
Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
A water stewardship programme has been introduced in the Breede
River catchment area. WWF-South Africa, Woolworths and Marks and
Spencer are collaborating on a scheme encouraging stone fruit farmers
to put in place systems that reduce risk to water supply and quality.
WWF-SA also has a Water Balance Programme that works to increase
the amount of clean water coming into the environment. Woolworths’
contribution to this plan involves getting rid of alien vegetation on the
farm where it sources its wines (Paul Cluver Wines) and in the Leeu
River catchment area.
Improving quality
The introduction by the National Department of Water and Sanitation
(DWS) and the Water Institute of South Africa (WISA) of the Blue and
Green Drop Awards has been very successful. The nation’s municipalities
receive scores reflecting how well they are doing in terms of
providing clean water.
In order to win a Drop Award (Blue for water quality, Green for waste
treatment), water systems have to score 95% or higher. The DWS has allocated
R4.3-billion to helping municipalities deliver water. The Interim
Water Supply Programme will concentrate on 23 district municipalities.
The awards are run by WISA with the help of consulting engineering
group Aecom SA. Aecom assists municipalities in preparing for the
audit and has a wide range of capabilities within the water-treatment
sector, including bulk and reticulation water and sewage pipelines.
The City of Cape Town won a C40 Cities Award in 2015 for its programme
to conserve and manage demand for water.
The Water Institute of South Africa has 1 800 members. It does
research, keeps its members up-to-date and runs conferences. As in
most areas of life in South Africa, environmental standards are set and
maintained by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).
The University of Cape Town’s Engineering and Built Environment
Faculty has won a Water Research Commission prize for its work on
the treatment of acid mine drainage.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Breede-Overberg Catchment Management Agency:
www.breedegouritzcma.co.za
National Department of Water and Sanitation: www.dws.gov.za
South African Water Research Commission: www.wrc.org.za
Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority: www.tcta.co.za
Water Institute of Southern Africa: www.wisa.org.za
Water Resources Group: www.2030wrg.org
97 WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2017