6 ASSOCIATIONS

IOPSA urges prudent water use while still possible

IOPSA – Sello Mokawane , vice president

South Africa ’ s already-serious water crisis is being exacerbated by load shedding and this is expected to worsen as the country struggles to bring more electricity generation online .

The country will experience at least two more years of persistent blackouts . This is as contingencies are made to maintain its aged coal power fleet , which entails taking at least 3 000MW offline at a time .

The situation also brings to the fore the minimal progress South Africa has made in terms of integrating the planning of water and energy . This is despite the intrinsic connection between water and electricity , also referred to as the “ energy-water nexus ”. Aligning the planning of energy , water and food has become a major focus for many countries , considering their close relationship . The one cannot do without the other . This is evident in South Africa where power outages now also threaten food security . A case in point is the large impact that load shedding has had on the poultry industry . Factories have been forced to pause continuous operations for as long as half a day at a time .

Eskom on its own uses just over 10 000l of water a second , considering that more than 80 % of the country ’ s electricity is generated from coal-fired power stations . This is equivalent to the amount of water that one South African citizen uses in a year . It also pollutes even more water during its operations . In turn , this electricity is used to extract , convey and deliver water of the appropriate quality for diverse applications . Electricity is then used again to treat wastewater before being returned to the environment . On average , water and wastewater account for some 17 % of energy consumption in a typical South African metropolitan .

During higher stages of loadshedding , the operation of water treatment plants and pumping stations has been interrupted for extended periods . Without a consistent flow of water , reservoirs , including reserve capacity , run dry leaving areas of the country with limited or no supplies at all .

Gauteng ’ s water supply system relies heavily on electricity to operate . This is considering the high elevation difference between the Vaal Dam and the Witwatersrand escarpment . The maximum pump head from the Vereeniging Wastewater Treatment Works over

“ IOPSA members also know how to correctly install , maintain and repair tankless / instant water heaters , as well as solar water heater and heat pumps .” the escarpment is about 320m . For this reason , Rand Water has classified the availability , reliability , reliance and quantity of electricity supply as one of its Top 10 Strategic Risks in an annual report . The extent to which its operations are dependent upon a reliable supply of electricity was already demonstrated in 2018

Sello Mokawane , vice-president of IOPSA . when a City Power substation exploded and disrupted the operations of Eikenhof Pump Station . This led to widespread water shortages in Gauteng and even parts of the North West , although the problem was solved fairly quickly . However , the more recent rolling blackouts have left areas in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality , especially in the high lying areas , without water for extended periods .

The City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality has also warned about the impact of load shedding on its water supply system . Again , communities that are especially at risk of low supplies or none at all are those which are located in high lying and mountainous areas because water cannot be pumped there . Meanwhile , several areas within the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality , including Durban , experienced crippling water shortages during stage 5 and stage 6 loadshedding in 2022 . This persisted for days on end . In Polokwane , Limpopo , strict water restrictions were implemented during high demand periods due to low and empty reservoirs as a result of rolling black outs . Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape was the first city to be beset by water shedding that was implemented by the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality to avert a crisis during this period .

This is on the back of the severe water and sanitation crisis with which the country has been grappling for many years before the recent persistent load shedding schedule that was implemented in the beginning of 2022 . There are numerous reasons for this . Among others , they include the dire state of the country ’ s water infrastructure ; pollution of water sources ; and lack of planning for future requirements , not least of which is global climate change and

Plumbing Africa April 2023 | Page 8

IOPSA urges prudent water use while still possible