Green Economy Journal Issue 41

WATER
Effective water resources management is dependent on all water users
and water managers playing their part. Government alone cannot do it. It
is important that South Africans understand how the water cycle works,
and how their actions create impacts in this cycle. It is equally important to
understand the context of water resources in South Africa and the specific
challenges that we face as a country.
THE WATER CYCLE
Heat results in water evaporation from the land and water resources. As the
water vapour rises, it cools and condenses to form clouds. When conditions
are appropriate, the water in the clouds is released as precipitation (rain,
hail, snow or sleet). This precipitation evaporates back into the atmosphere,
infiltrates the ground to become soil moisture or groundwater or runs
off into surface water resources such as rivers, estuaries and wetlands.
Plants take up water from the soil and transpirate some of it into the air,
contributing to the return of moisture into the atmosphere, and back into
the cycle of evapotranspiration and precipitation.
Infrastructure, such as dams, enables the provision of a reliable supply
of water, and to increase the amount of water available for use, by
storing water that would otherwise run into the sea. Storage of water in
dams enables a reliable supply of water even during a drought. Other
technologies are also available for increasing water availability, such as
desalination. The challenge is that dams and general use of water for social
and economic purposes have negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems,
which provide important goods and services. The challenge is how to
balance the use of water with the protection of aquatic ecosystems.
Water hygiene has come to the forefront as
the coronavirus is expected to impact poorest
communities in Africa who have limited access to
water for basic sanitation, hygiene and health.
Vinesan Govender, engineering manager at Xylem Africa, explains that
decentralised, low-maintenance infrastructure is a keystone for Africa’s water
future. There is no longer a need for large and centralised infrastructure.
“Solar power is an example of how grids are being decentralised. Water
can operate in the same way, especially when managing wastewater. It has
become cost-effective to have more and smaller sites to manage water, and
it’s much more efficient because you can calibrate that infrastructure to
reflect the needs of the surrounding community. This improves performance
and the longevity of the equipment.”
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
Africa can benefit from vastly-improved water infrastructure designs and
management philosophies as well as water technologies which deliver much
more efficiency, control and cost-management. Govender claimed that
these solutions could be effective anywhere on the continent. “The water
management in Africa is extremely poor, and in most cases, non-existent.
We are not looking after our aquifers, which have become contaminated.”
He added that in Gauteng borehole water can contain heavy metals due
to mining activity and could be added to water recycling. “We can manage
those aquifers responsibly and even make them part of water recycling.
The same counts for other water resources, such as the great lakes. These
are renewable resources, but they are not infinite without the right water
management culture.”
3.6-million people die each year from waterrelated
diseases and 98% of water-related
deaths occur in the developing world.
Chemical-free disinfection of water is another pivotal solution that can
disrupt water in Africa. Govender explained that technologies such as UV
and ozone are not yet as cost-effective at large scales as chlorine. However,
it is a very different case for smaller applications, such as community water
supplies, water in tanks or water used for cleaning. He added that an
enormous amount of chemicals enter Africa’s water ecosystems. He further
explained that by applying chemical-free disinfection at strategic points can
massively improve quality of life, and fight infections such as cholera and
E. coli, without harming the same environment many subsist on.
Water hygiene has come to the forefront as the coronavirus is expected
to impact poorest communities in Africa who have limited access to water
for basic sanitation, hygiene and health. Mannie Ramos Jnr, COO of Abeco
Tanks, suppliers of hygienic water storage solutions, says that the pandemic
highlights the need to get water back on the health agenda. “Why is Water,
Sanitation and Health (WASH) only a priority in a crisis? This gap and the
lack of local investment in water infrastructure within South Africa, is now
glaringly obvious during Covid-19.” Globally, approximately US$260 billion
is lost each year to the effects of poor sanitation and unsafe water on many
aspects of the economy, but most significantly on healthcare.
“As a continent, it seems we have become used to reacting only when
it makes sense economically or when there is an emergency. We are
failing constitutionally regarding water infrastructure,” adds Ramos Jnr.
As schools return during Level 3, 2 and 1, the lack of WASH facilities will
be highlighted even further as 33% of schools in the country do not have
sufficient facilities, according to a 2018 Unicef report.
He believes that more investment in water infrastructure, proper
long-term planning and response readiness is critical to effective water
stewardship in the country. The reality is that less than half of South
Africans have access to piped water in their homes and one out of five
informal residents do not have consistent water access. “If we can get
WASH back on the health agenda, we won’t constantly be on the back
foot,” he says. “It will require a mind shift which may not be possible during
a crisis when one is dealing largely with an unknown situation.”
Ramos Jnr attests that short-term thinking is not the answer to the
systemic water problem in our communities. At the outset of the pandemic
in South Africa, the entire supply of plastic Jojo tanks in the country was
purchased, as the government rushed to provide informal settlements and
communities with water. However, he says 5000-litre plastic water tanks
are meant for individual home use, not for larger communities. “Small
tanks are an immediate solution for an immediate problem; long-term you
cannot have thousands of small tanks to serve communities. One has to
ensure the solution you put in place is fit for the number of people living in
the community, their average consumption and usage pattern.”
The water evolution can happen through new ways of thinking, with
technology to support them. “It is a pyramid effect, and smart technology
sits at the very top of the pyramid. If you do not have the base of the
pyramid in place, which is mindset, education and infrastructure, smart
technology is not going to add any value,” Govender concludes.
2018 Unicef Report / UN World Water Development Report
National Water Resource Strategy 2013, Department of Water Affairs
www.gov.za
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