36 LAST WORD
Unseen but not unimportant !
As I write this , the public comment for SANS 10254 has closed and all await the outcome . There is much more to this standard than what has troubled most of us for the last four plus years .
Rory Macnamara
It is a standard that requires revision , most certainly , considering its importance in terms of every aspect of a geyser . Let us trust that the Technical Committee pays attention to the real issues of the standard .
Talking about Technical Committees and the SABS , in one of my previous lives , the names of these committee members were published in the standard and such mention was a proud moment for the individuals who gave up time and money to attend such meetings and offer up their experience and knowledge . Sad that that acknowledgement has been removed as it provided more confidence in the standard when one saw the names and organisations that contributed to the standard .
Perhaps one day we will be able to persuade SABS to return to this practice of a simple acknowledgement .
As we witness the floods and damage caused in certain provinces of our country the one message coming out is the lack of infrastructure maintenance , courtesy of municipalities that are clueless as to what their role is in society . The recent IOPSA survey showed a severe lack of water regulations in spite of the fact that Model By-Laws were provided to every municipality when the National Water Act came into being . Credit to those local authorities that are working with IOPSA in correcting this bad state of affairs .
Nonetheless , engineers are calling out for infrastructure to begin in earnest , and we support that stand .
In one news report water – and we include plumbing – are considered the “ invisible services ” which , when working are great and fulfil the expectation that water , be it hot or cold , just appears when we turn on the tap ! However , when a crisis hits us , only then do we complain about lack of water ( clean or otherwise ), lack of regular maintenance , sewage that flows down the streets because of overloaded storm water drains and so on . The first thing that must be attended to in these times is water – fresh , potable water so people can at least sustain their bodies in times of crisis . Who provides the reticulation system to ensure this happens – the plumber ? Yet he / she is the last to be called or acknowledged . It is not about tankers arriving but a temporary reticulation system that provides this invaluable resource .
The lack of acknowledgement of the critical role played by the plumbing industry was brought home to me at a recent celebration of the SWPN 10 th anniversary . While congratulating the SWPN on this fine achievement , neither the Minister nor the Director General made any mention of the role played by plumbing . Okay , so it was a celebration and even when this omission was pointed out to both the Minister and DG after the event was our communication even acknowledged or responded to .
Not surprising as DWS is well known for its lack of response on most matters !
But I put it to the hierarchy in the water space , who actually install your great designs and makes them work – let me help THE PLUMBER and the PLUMBING INDUSTRY . PA
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www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline June 2022 Volume 28 I Number 4