Water - March 2024

SAFEGUARDING OUR FUTURE

, group marketing director, Interwaste (Pty) Ltd, discusses the role of wastewater management in protecting our water resources

South Africa struggles with water scarcity, and many believe that the country will face a major water crisis in the coming decade. With seven of the thirteen major water systems in South Africa predicted to be in deficit by 2040 and the demand for water expected to exceed available supply by 2030, we need to find solutions.

Part of these solutions include the need within industry to identify waste management strategies that look at the full value chain of waste and ensure that the growing waste generated by the communities and businesses we serve, can be best managed and disposed of. This means looking towards operational processes and how changes can be made, identifying production areas that can reduce and – critically important –reuse waste to create circularity within the waste sector and environment.

As a waste sector, driving understanding and encouraging investment in circular economy models is still relatively challenging due to the tough economic environment and because businesses prioritise spend in other critical areas. As a result, we need to ensure that we not only innovate but do so in areas that can address multiple business challenges, including cost pressures, environmental, social and governance targets and environmental compliance and creating new revenue streams through waste opportunities where possible.

For some, a starting point may not be waste management, however, its impact on supporting sustainable water supply cannot be understated. Without correct waste management solutions, we will not gain access to a far greater diverse water mix, and we will not meet our water availability needs in the future.

Proper waste management ensures that we can not only reuse and repurpose the growing volumes of waste, but also makes certain that, where waste cannot be repurposed or recycled, it can, as a last resort, be disposed of safely to a compliant landfill.

WASTE TO WATER

Take for example, the latest effluent treatment plant (ETP) recently developed by Interwaste. This plant is designed to treat leachate, which in simple terms is contaminated liquid generated from water penetrating through a landfill site, and other hazardous liquid waste streams. The speciality of this niche plant is that it takes leachate and hazardous liquids and converts them into two streams, namely, clean water and a very concentrated saline brine stream. Approximately 80 per cent of what is fed through the ETP ends up as clean water for reuse while any leftover hazardous compounds are bonded into a sold form to ensure it cannot leach into the environment again.

So, we can see that waste and wastewater, can be reused effectively and nearly all effluent

can be recycled. As a result, a large bank of water that previously may not have been considered “safe” for the environment or community could become available and be used for redistribution into the environment, for example, irrigation and dust suppression and replenishing the rivers and catchments in our water infrastructure networks. Water is a limited resource, yet so many of us simply take it for granted, especially in a semi-arid country such as South Africa. Given the unpredictable nature of climate change and the increasing demands on limited water resources, the potential for water scarcity to become a severe crisis in South Africa, unfortunately, remains.

Contents

5 OFF THE GRID

The V&A Waterfront is focused on several sustainability projects to reduce its dependency on the electricity and water grid and make it a top destination choice for international tourists. We look at its desalination project and the expansion of its solar power provisions.

10 AGRICULTURE

South Africa needs to improve its water productivity and reduce the nonbeneficial use of water urgently, particularly in the irrigated agriculture and forestry sectors, say researchers from the CSIR.

WATER

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6 ACCESS

The recent Blue Drop Report reveals that more than 60 municipalities countrywide struggle with water treatment and delivery for various reasons, leaving residents dissatisfied, disappointed and reliant on external services for access.

8 MANAGEMENT

Engineering advancements, particularly digitisation, play a vital role in ensuring modernised, clean and efficient water provision; higher education institutions have a responsibility to help ensure water and environmental sustainability; plus an update on water service delivery issues and roles.

12 BECOMING WATER-WISE

Provinces around the country should take note of and adopt the lessons learnt from the Western and Northern Province’s 2017/2018 “day-zero” scenario and study the City of Cape Town’s water strategy; plus tips on how to save water at home.

From a sanitation perspective, there are 380 schools in South Africa with no running water. Read how pit latrines are still prevalent within South African schools on page 24.

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GOING OFF THE GRID

Not only is the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town one of the country’s top tourist attractions, but it is also going above and beyond to be more sustainable, writes

The V&A Waterfront plans to get off the city’s water grid completely by commissioning a R184-million water desalination plant, which it hopes will be up and running by September. Executive manager Andre Theys says it is one of several projects focused on sustainability at the famous waterfront precinct.

Theys, who is responsible for the precinct’s maintenance, says the threat of drought was a motivator for wanting to become more sustainable.

“Everybody was concerned about how we continue business, and they kept looking to us

as the landlord. Because of our location to the water’s edge desalination made sense.”

Theys says they estimate that for the desalination plant to produce 3.3 million litres of water, 2 million kilowatt hours of energy per annum would also be needed.

To offset the expected energy need, the precinct has also expanded its solar panel rooftop project. “We’ve spent the better part of the last five years in a phased approach, replacing the shopping centre roof with a lightweight metal construction, and also checked that the additional framing can take the weight of the solar panels.

“THE WATER GOES THROUGH PRE-FILTRATION, POST-FILTRATION, A REVERSE OSMOSIS PROCESS, AND THEN REMINERALISATION BEFORE BEING PUT BACK INTO THE SYSTEM.” – ANDRE THEYS

“We’re pulling in water through a pumping station from the bay,” explains Theys. “The water goes through pre-filtration, post-filtration, a reverse osmosis process, and then remineralisation before being put back into the system.”

The process underwent extensive environmental impact assessments before being approved. “Because the desalination process strips everything out of the water, making it highly corrosive, we have to put the minerals back in,” says Theys.

“We do it because we want to be authentic and our guests are quite sophisticated.” He adds that international tourists are already used to environments that are efficient and frugal.

“It gives us a license to operate, and I think people don’t mind coming and investing and spending their time in a precinct where they know we, the custodians, are being responsible about resource management.”

AN APPLAUDABLE INITIATIVE

Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, applauds the initiative.

“A great place to visit firstly has to be a great place to live. For it to be a great place to live, it needs to be sustainable. It is about taking responsibility for the place we live in. The tourism industry needs to play a big part in that.”

Duminy stresses that sustainability is an important factor in tourists’ decisions where to visit. “That has become the norm now globally. I think this allows us to do good and then benefit, not only for now, but also for future generations. This has always been at the core of responsible tourism in Cape Town.”

Duminy adds that desalination plants were initially considered when the Western Cape was threatened by drought in 2018. “Going off the grid takes the pressure off an already very fragile system. We give kudos to them. But we also must ensure that some negative consequences, such as brine (water with high sodium chlorine levels) discharge, which is often deposited in the ocean during desalination, are reduced. However, with advanced technology, the negative impact of desalination is much better mitigated these days than ten years ago.

“This is definitely an opportunity for tourism to become a beacon and show that if we can do it, anybody else can,” he concludes.

WATER REALLY IS PRECIOUS

The experts share that the crisis we face in the water sector in South Africa is bigger than that of the Eskom power crisis and is not always due to the threat of drought. By MATTHEW HIRSCH

Eskom is one entity that can be fixed, says Prof Anthony Turton of the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of Free State. “Water is managed through about 1 000 treatment plants for potable water, and about the same for sewage. Each of these is owned and managed by one of the hundreds of municipalities. All are in distress, with about 60 per cent in critical condition.”

Prof Turton maintains that the collapsing infrastructure is not only affecting access to water, but also jobs. “It’s only a question of time before factories are unable to produce goods because of disruptions to water services. Then layoffs begin, followed by shortages in the retail sector. The water crisis is ultimately an existential threat to the viability of our national economy.”

Several municipalities struggle to supply running water. Water supply and treatment is in a “critical state” in more than 60 municipalities, according to the latest Blue Drop Report

KNYSNA WATER CRISIS

Several suburbs in the popular tourist town of Knysna in the Western Cape’s Garden Route went without water for weeks during December and January.

Mario Ferreira, a Gift of the Givers co-ordinator in the area, says the organisation intervened in December at the request of the municipality. The aid organisation supplied three water tankers, which provided about 100 000L of clean water daily for two weeks.

“One of the reservoirs had to be cleaned out due to the discovery of a body. This aggravated the water shortage in the Khayalethu area, but was not the reason why the other areas within the Knysna municipality were without water. Residents of these areas voiced their extreme disappointment about the way the current Knysna municipal management operates.

“Water is an essential item for all households and should be handled and seen as one of the first priorities when it comes to municipal service delivery. The Knysna municipal water crisis is not due to a lack of water availability, but bad service delivery,” explains Ferreira.

Knysna municipal manager Ombali Sebola says the municipality is committed to ensuring the provision of potable water as a fundamental right.

DID YOU KNOW?

South Africa loses a lot of water through evaporation.

Prof Anthony Turton of the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of Free State says we can learn a lot from Australia, which has started storing water in underground aquifers instead of dams.

“The Vaal Dam is critical for the entire Gauteng economy. Evaporation off the dam exceeds natural inflow for eleven months of the year,” he says. “If the Vaal Dam was not supplemented by other sources, such as the Tugela and Lesotho Highlands, it would be unable to sustain Gauteng, just because of evaporation. Only eight units out of one hundred units of rain falling across the entire South African footprint end up in the river. The rest (92 units) is lost through a combination of evaporation and transpiration.”

“Although some areas may experience intermittent water outages due to pipe bursts, maintenance or repair activities, our communication department strives to keep affected areas informed. Water trucks are also dispatched to assist residents during such outages.”

The municipality acknowledges infrastructure challenges, including ageing facilities and increased demand due to demographic growth and urbanisation.

“We currently have two water trucks, and if the need arises, we are prepared to outsource additional services from local providers in Knysna. We remain committed to improving our water infrastructure to better serve the community,” adds Sebola.

GOOD LEADERSHIP IS NEEDED

Prof Turton says good leadership is crucial for solving South Africa’s water woes.

“We now see many examples of inappropriate solutions being applied to misdiagnosed problems. Good leadership would recognise that success over time is all about appropriate, lowest-cost solutions that are capable of delivering what society needs to prosper and flourish.”

“WATER IS AN ESSENTIAL ITEM FOR ALL HOUSEHOLDS AND SHOULD BE HANDLED AND SEEN AS ONE OF THE FIRST PRIORITIES WHEN IT COMES TO MUNICIPAL SERVICE DELIVERY.” – MARIO FERREIRA

How engineering advancement is changing the way we manage water

JOHAN POTGIETER, cluster industrial software lead at Schneider Electric, shares that today, continuous engineering advancements play an irrefutable role in the establishment of modernised, clean, and ef cient water provision

American engineer and educator James Kip Finch rightly said: “The engineer has been, and is, a maker of history.” No doubt, engineering advancement will continue to influence the water and wastewater (WWW) segment, developing systems that mitigate water losses while establishing sustainable supply for the future.

At the forefront of this engineering advancement is digitisation. Water utilities worldwide are digitising operations by combining telemetry, industrial internet of things technologies and cloud-based analytics. As a result, system managers can now monitor real-time operations and faster identify where water losses occur and how to address them.

These water-conservation monitoring efforts can positively impact the environment and utilities’ bottom lines. Italian utility Padania Acque partnered

with Schneider Electric to digitise its operations and prevent water losses. Today, the utility’s water losses are less than 50 per cent of the national average, and its revenue is up by 22 per cent.

MAXIMISING OPERATIONS

Various solutions are available to enable WWW providers to maximise their operations.

• Water management software that provides end-to-end water cycle intelligence and predictive analytics for:

• optimised water quality;

• reduced nonrevenue water (NRW);

• enhanced real-time analysis of water resources protection; and

• minimised water discharge.

• Big data platforms that manage the water-loss cycle, allowing water utilities to detect leaks and reduce overall costs.

ALL HANDS ON DECK

• Hydraulic modelling tools that simulate the flow and pressure in water distribution and transmission networks, using real-time data derived from SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems to analyse and track the current state of the water network. These decision-making tools help with instant and identified operational benefits and bottom-line advantages.

• Geo SCADA solutions that manage critical remote operations infrastructure. Alarms and historical data are collected over long distances with access for local and remote users via integrated client and external data management applications.

• Smart remote terminal units (RTUs) designed for process automation, device management, data concentration and data log-in in geographically dispersed, remote environments. These RTUs perform potable water analytics at the edge to help optimise chemical injections, identify predictive maintenance opportunities and perform zone pressure management.

LOUISE WISEMAN, managing director at The Independent Institute of Education’s Varsity College, IIE MSA and Vega, shares that while environmental and water sustainability are among the most pressing challenges of our time, higher education institutions have a vital role and duty in ensuring environmental and water sustainability

Access to quality water in South Africa has reached critical levels, with the recently published Blue Drop Report finding that almost half of the water in our drinking water systems is not safe for human consumption. The No Drop Report had similar findings, with approximately 47 per cent of municipal water classified as nonrevenue water. While government must act decisively to turn around this state of affairs, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must harness all available resources to address this dire situation.

The impacts of climate change, pollution, overexploitation and degradation of natural

resources threaten the wellbeing of current and future generations. We need technological innovations and social and cultural transformations to address these issues and foster a more sustainable and equitable world.

WHAT HEIs NEED TO DO

HEIs have a vital role to play in solving real-world problems. We must encourage HEIs to:

• develop and implement sustainability policies and practices that reduce their environmental footprint and enhance their social responsibility;

• integrate sustainability education into their curricula, pedagogies and assessment methods to help students develop the

competencies, attitudes and values that enable them to understand and address complex and inter-related sustainability challenges;

• conduct and support research and innovation that advance the scientific and technological solutions for environmental and water sustainability; and

• foster a culture of sustainability among staff, students and alumni, including raising awareness, providing incentives, organising events and campaigns and facilitating dialogue and action on sustainability issues. In 2024, we need to understand that it’s an all-hands-on-deck scenario to ensure a sustainable water future in South Africa.

GOVERNMENT SERVICE DELIVERY UPDATE

Anationally co-ordinated task team comprising the Departments of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) is being set up to initiate and co-ordinate Municipal Systems Act Section 78 processes in certain municipalities.

This is one of the resolutions adopted during the recent summit hosted by DWS with the 144 municipalities that are water services authorities (WSAs).

The purpose is to review service delivery mechanisms for water and sanitation services and address the decline of these services as outlined in the Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop reports recently released by DWS. The department carries out the drop assessments as the regulator of the water services sector in terms of the Water Services Act. The regulator has a legal obligation to monitor the adherence of WSAs to national norms and standards, inform the public of the results and take action where norms and standards are not met. The task team will focus on the 105 municipalities in the critical and poor-performing categories of the two drop reports.

PERFORMANCE DECLINE

These reports indicated a general decline in performance. For example, the Blue Drop Report found that the percentage of water supply systems with poor or bad microbiological water quality compliance (water that is unsafe to drink) increased from 5 per cent in 2014 to 46 per cent in 2023. The Green Drop Report found that the percentage of municipal wastewater systems in a critical state of performance (that is, discharging partially treated or untreated sewage into rivers) increased from 30 per cent in 2013 to 39 per cent in 2022. The No Drop Report found that the national average for municipal nonrevenue water increased from 37 per cent in 2014 to 47 per cent in 2023. The DWS, CoGTA, Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency, Department of Human Settlements and National Treasury are providing extensive support to assist WSAs to provide water and sanitation services. This includes:

• providing water and sanitation infrastructure grants worth more than R20-billion per annum;

• providing technical and engineering support and assistance;

• capacity building and training; and

• financial management advice and support. However, despite this support, the drop reports indicate that municipal water services have declined sharply, indicating that there are limitations to national government’s ability to solve the problems and that more fundamental reforms are required. For example, routine maintenance and operations must be funded by revenue from the sale of water by municipalities to customers, and municipal councils must prioritise budgets for this.

The primary role of municipalities as WSAs, according to the Constitution, is to ensure the delivery of water services, not necessarily to deliver the services themselves. The Water Services Act with the Municipal Systems Act (MSA) requires a WSA to either deliver water services itself or approve another water services provider (WSP) to provide the service.

The Water Services Act states that the WSA can approve any legal entity (the municipality itself, a municipal entity, another municipality, a community-based or nongovernmental organisation, another organ of state, a private company or a water board) to function as a WSP in the municipality. Section 76–78 of the MSA requires a municipality to engage in defined feasibility studies and public consultation processes before deciding to change the mechanism of service delivery.

Almost all WSAs in South Africa are currently both WSA and WSP, meaning they have approved themselves as sole WSP, apart from water boards for bulk services. The WSA and WSP functions must be managed and accounted for separately by municipalities, but this is not happening generally. The Water Service Act states that the key role of the WSA is to ensure that the WSP provides services that meet minimum norms and standards – again, this is not happening generally.

Other key decisions taken at the summit include that all WSAs must develop action plans to address their drop results and submit these

THE WATER SERVICES ACT WITH THE MUNICIPAL SYSTEMS ACT REQUIRES A WSA TO EITHER DELIVER WATER SERVICES ITSELF OR APPROVE ANOTHER WATER SERVICES PROVIDER TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE.

to the DWS by end-February 2024, training institutions should prioritise the training of uncertified process controllers to enable them to become certified and all WSAs must issue advisory notices when their drinking water fails to meet microbiological water standards.

CHALLENGES WITH IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE

More than 50 per cent of the country’s water is allocated towards agriculture in the different provinces. Becoming more sustainable is vital, particularly with the increasing threat of climate change.

South Africa’s water resource challenge – increasing water scarcity and competition for water – is due to population expansion, economic growth, climate change and deteriorating water quality, says the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

“The country needs to improve its water productivity and reduce the nonbeneficial use of water. This is particularly important in the irrigated agriculture and forestry sectors of South Africa to which approximately two-thirds of the surface water resources of the country have been allocated,” it says on its website.

Dr Harrison Pienaar, who works in the Water Research Centre at the CSIR, says they have been researching the water usage in agriculture since 2012 and enjoy a good working relationship with farmers and government.

“There is essentially no more water available to allocate to irrigation. Consequently, we have to improve knowledge on crop water requirements and associated irrigation scheduling, thereby enhancing water productivity (crop yield produced per unit of water used),” the organisation states.

LONG-TERM PLANNING IS VITAL

He says the agriculture sector must start planning now before water scarcity worsens. “We need to use that water cautiously and sparingly. Long-term planning is critical for the agricultural sector.”

Commenting on the severe droughts experienced in parts of the country in 2018, Dr Pienaar says: “We were obviously in a comfort zone, and while that might have only affected the Northern and the Western Cape, other parts of the country might be affected by it soon.”

Dr Pienaar, who also serves as deputy chair of the Water Research Commission, explains that you can’t wait until you have a problem.

“THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR MUST START PLANNING NOW BEFORE WATER SCARCITY WORSENS. WE NEED TO USE THAT WATER CAUTIOUSLY AND SPARINGLY.” – DR HARRISON PIENAAR

“When you’re in a good space is actually the most important time to plan and project the way forward. Because our population growth is not stagnant, there will be an increase in demand for a resource that is not abundant. As a country, we are sitting in a water-scarce space.”

One of the ways the CSIR is helping farmers conserve water is through a water-use smartphone app. Dr Pienaar says this is to help orchid fruit farmers improve their irrigation techniques.

“We developed this app to make sure farmers can predict near-real-time water requirements of fruit tree orchards in particular. An important part of the research and data collection was building trust with the farmers.

“As a research organisation, we’ve had immense support from farmers because they enjoy the research we undertake.”

Dr Pienaar adds that collaboration between public and private entities is vital in water-saving efforts. “As the CSIR, we bring all these partners and role players around the table to talk and exchange knowledge. We discuss what we plan to do and then we go out, collect and analyse the data. Then we say we have this amount of water available, so how do we go about managing it?

“I see this is now also a trend of the Department of Water and Sanitation – pushing these partnerships and collaboration with other science councils and universities,” comments Dr Pienaar.

He adds that the water issue demands an integrated approach similar to that as seen with the energy crisis. “I think that shift is starting to happen within the water space. Despite the droughts, maize production was still surprisingly high. We need to be mindful that droughts and floods will become worse in the future.”

STAVING OFF DAY ZERO

The 2017/2018 day-zero threat in the Northern and Western Cape was a wake-up call and should be a lesson for other provinces. MATTHEW HIRSCH chats to some experts and rounds up a few water-wise tips

Everyone can do their bit to be more water-wise and avoid a day-zero scenario. Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, says the city had learned much from the near day-zero experience and the infamous drought of 2017 and 2018, when Cape Town faced becoming the world’s first major city to completely run out of water.

“Generally, the drought has changed the public’s relationship with water for the better. It made people more aware of how valuable this resource is and mindful of how much of it we use.

“Having said that, the usage trends are in keeping with expectations, for example, summer sees an increase, largely due to outdoor water usage, such as topping up swimming pools and watering gardens, while winter months bring a decrease in usage,” Badroodien explains.

CITY OF CAPE TOWN’S WATER STRATEGY

The city adopted its new water strategy in 2019 and its new five-year integrated development plan in 2022.

Speaking at a water reuse conference late last year, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “This plan acknowledges that Cape Town is, and will always be, a water-stressed city, and our strategy for water security needs to go much further than collecting rainwater in the seven dams that supply our metro.”

Responding to questions, Hill-Lewis said that regular communication was key to avoiding the day-zero scenario. “Because Cape Town is able to measure daily water production accurately, the city could set water-saving targets down to the level of an individual and household. The city also provided a moving forecast of whether day zero was being pushed out as a result of successful water-saving measures.”

Cape Town continues to set targets for daily water consumption and communicates these to the public, encouraging residents to be water-wise by staying within 950ML per day during the summer. “This will ensure we retain a decent position should winter rainfall disappoint next year,” added Hill-Lewis.

Dr Harrison Pienaar, a water expert at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), say it’s vital that other provinces learn from these experiences. He said long-term planning for better water use was crucial.

“The Western Cape and Northern Cape lessons should be adopted by all other provinces, particularly Gauteng, as we don’t want to wait for a day-zero-type problem to arise.

“There needs to be greater awareness around water usage. One cannot ignore that day zero can happen at any time in any province.”

HOW TO BE WATER-WISE AT HOME

• Take shorter showers – this is a great way to save water daily.

• Fix any water leaks at home and report all public water leaks to your local municipality.

• Switch off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving.

• When cleaning hard surfaces outside, sweep rather than wash with a hose.

• Install water meters to monitor your daily use.

• Cover swimming pools when not in use to avoid evaporation.

• When watering your garden, it is best to do it in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid evaporation losses during the heat of the day.

• Only use your dishwasher when it is full.

• Install a geyser blanket for insulation.

• Wash your car using a bucket and sponge instead of a hose.

Source: https://www.environment.co.za/ecogreen-living/conserve-water-life.html and the City of Cape Town.

CAPE TOWN CONTINUES TO SET TARGETS FOR DAILY WATER CONSUMPTION AND COMMUNICATES THESE TO THE PUBLIC, ENCOURAGING RESIDENTS TO BE WATER-WISE BY STAYING WITHIN 950ML PER DAY DURING THE SUMMER.

WHY WATER SECURITY IS OUR MOST URGENT CHALLENGE

It is time for the world to take note, advises WATERSOLVE

Water is central to our survival, economic growth and development. Yet, we face a global water crisis that is outpacing efforts to address it.

Have you considered the following statistics from UNICEF?

• Four billion people – almost two-thirds of the world’s population – experience severe water scarcity for at least one month each year.

• Over two billion people live in countries where water supply is inadequate.

• Half of the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity by as early as 2025, one year from now.

• About 700 million people could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.

• By 2040, roughly 1 in 4 children worldwide will be living in areas of extremely high water stress. Even in countries with adequate water resources, water scarcity is not uncommon. This may be due to several factors such as climate change, population growth, overexploitation, old and collapsed infrastructure and distribution systems, contamination and poor management of water resources.

COLLECTIVE ACTION AND THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS

Here in South Africa, the 2023 Blue Drop Report, released by the Department of Water and Sanitation, paints a grim picture of our drinking water and water infrastructure.

The damning audit found that the quality of the country’s drinkable water is getting worse. Nearly half (46 per cent) of all water supply systems pose acute human health risks because of the presence of bacteria or other pathogens. The Report also found that more than two-thirds (67.6 per cent) of all wastewater treatment works are close to failure. It also showed that over 47 per cent of all clean and treated water was lost through leaks or could not be accounted for.

Professionals in the built environment ecosystem, as some of our country’s largest water users, therefore have an influential role to play in managing water as a valuable financial and natural resource.

Partnering with key players such as WaterSolve can positively impact your businesses’ water challenges.

It is not just about maximising your water efficiencies; it’s about your business playing a crucial part in achieving broader goals such as the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

With only six years left to meet these objectives, business as usual will not save the planet, and avoiding a water crisis on top of our ongoing energy crisis requires a major course correction.

AVOIDING A WATER CRISIS ON TOP OF OUR ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS REQUIRES A MAJOR COURSE CORRECTION.

Partnering with WaterSolve means joining forces with a leader in water and wastewater treatment – our role in facilitating water resilience has never been more critical.

As a trusted partner, we will help you design greater water efficiencies and a better bottom line, working toward a safer water future and realising your business goals.

WaterSolve can provide a full turnkey, alternative water solution to clients in the commercial, industrial, residential and medical sectors.

Our experienced team has the expertise to design, build and operate on-site water treatment facilities. Our services include:

• innovative thinking around alternative sources of water supply;

• accurate and comprehensive measurement of water usage;

• responsible utilisation of existing water resources;

• flexible and scalable plant design and construction; and

• future-proof solutions.

With water security and quality of supply a pressing concern, implementing borehole, rainwater or wastewater treatment solutions is a prudent choice, and we also offer clients a portfolio of water reuse options.

Through collective and deliberate action, we can take meaningful steps towards a more water-secure world.