Green Economy Journal Issue 41

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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 22 greeneconomy.media
ENERGY <strong>Green</strong> Recovery BY SAWEA Wind power’s role in SA’s economic recovery post-Covid-19 pandemic The South African Wind Energy Association is pushing for a green economic recovery plan, which should consider renewable energy as one of the main components of the government economic stimulus package post-Covid-19. The pandemic has brought a severe strain on the economy of South Africa resulting in disruption of capital flows, increased unemployment rates, and growing debt burdens. In his address on 21 April, the President stated that “Central to the economic recovery strategy will be the measures we will embark on to stimulate demand and supply through interventions such as substantial infrastructure build programmes…” To achieve a sustainable and lasting economic recovery, these actions should focus on long-term impacts, as well as the short-term need to generate growth and jobs. It is expected that the energy demand will start ramping up as the country eases lockdown conditions in line with published lockdown levels, and additional energy capacity will be required. Therefore, the government should take measures to stimulate demand by moving decisively to electrify the economy. Renewable energy is well-positioned to play an important role in the country’s economic recovery post-Covid-19 since it is infrastructure investment that the government does not have to put capital investment into. SAWEA has joined the major wind industry corporates and associations across the world, in support of the Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC) drive to secure wind power’s role in the global economic recovery, Ramping up installed wind capacity by 1.6GW per annum as allocated in the IRP 2019, would create additional annual investments of about R40 billion each year in South Africa. following the Covid-19 crisis, which lays out key policy actions that must be put into motion to realise a sustainable economic recovery. “Our industry views the first step in this recovery plan is to fast-track the Ministerial Determination concurrence process by NERSA, which should give effect to the IRP 2019 thus enabling the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to proceed with the plans to procure new generation capacity,” says SAWEA CEO, Ntombifuthi Ntuli. Whilst the wind energy allocation in the 2019 IRP promises to reduce the cost of energy, improve the country’s competitiveness and help deliver the additional power needed to kick-start the economy, the industry is of the view that the procurement of new capacity should be fast-tracked to deliver energy to the grid by 2022 in line with the IRP 2019 stipulations. We view wind energy as a key building block for economic recovery as it can deliver new electricity infrastructure with private investments, and help South Africa achieve sustainable economic recovery. Furthermore, the sector has been a source of substantial capital investment in the South African economy, a total of R80 billion has been invested since 2012. Ramping up installed wind capacity by 1.6GW per annum as allocated in the IRP 2019, would create additional annual investments of about R40 billion each year in South Africa, which will help to deliver jobs, clean and affordable power and energy security needed for a sustainable economic recovery. “SAWEA would like to call on the government, intergovernmental bodies, as well as lending institutions, to put clean energy investments at the centre of their economic recovery and economic stimulus packages by implementing regulations that are fit for purpose, including market designs that provide long-term price visibility and streamlined permitting that enables rapid ramp-up of the deployment of renewables,” concluded SAWEA CEO, Ntuli. This can also be achieved by enabling end-consumer 100% renewable energy demand to allow corporates to ramp up and meet their sustainability objectives; and removal of regulatory barriers where these exist to enable the private sector to freely purchase renewable energy. greeneconomy.media 23
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Page 5 and 6: YOU SEE USED BOTTLES. COLLECTORS SE
Page 7 and 8: News & Snippets SUSTAINABLE DEVELOP
Page 9 and 10: SPECIAL REPORT Georgina Smit Head o
Page 11 and 12: SPECIAL REPORT Yovka Raytcheva-Scha
Page 13: INFRASTRUCTURE GBCSA and the Green
Page 16 and 17: GROWTH REFORMS Government plans to
Page 18 and 19: ENERGY Bringing all your resources
Page 20 and 21: PROFILE Continuity of essential ser
Page 22 and 23: WATER WASH on, WASH off The provisi
Page 26 and 27: MINING Lessons learned Creating an
Page 28 and 29: PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ORGANISATIO
Page 30 and 31: AIR REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS NOW NMI
Page 32 and 33: ENERGY Load-shedding sheds light on
Page 34: SECURE SAVE SUSTAIN STYLE environme

Green Economy Journal Issue 41

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