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NEWS
#SurplusWater2025
It is no secret that water scarcity is not going away soon;
in fact, it is just getting worse.
With a growing global population (currently netting
around 120 000 people per day — this is births
less deaths), the demand for potable water is
increasing daily.
In 1975, water scarcity was limited to a small number of
countries in North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
By 2000, water scarcity had spread to many large and
densely populated countries in Asia.
In South Africa, we have moved from being a water-
stressed country to a water-scarce country, and we are
currently the 30th driest country in the world. Predictions
are that by 2025, South Africa will form part of the
‘extreme scarcity’ category.
“Investing in water security is the wisest investment
you can ever make under the circumstances. You
can only do this effectively by understanding and
managing your demand,” says Gerrie Brink, founder of
#SurplusWater2025.
With over 100 commercial property sites currently
being monitored and managed as case studies, some
of which have been running for more than two years,
the results have already proven to be remarkable with
most sites seeing a water savings of at least half of the
original consumption. This has been achieved by creating
solutions around efficiency, fixing leaks timeously, and
reducing demand. This not only saves our precious
potable water, but it is a massive saving on costs that
can essentially be transferred to tenants, making these
properties more sustainable in the long run.
Brink, who has used these case studies for his master’s
dissertation, says, “The reality is that we don’t have
to keep trying to re-invent the wheel. If we turn our
water situation upside down, and focus on demand, as
opposed to supply, it is possible to reduce the demand,
which is a realistic solution to our water crisis. We
should stop looking for alternative sources to supply an
inefficient demand network. First lower the demand,
then only look at alternative source to supply a leaner
demand. Once this has been realised, we can start to
look at smaller pipe sizes and lower supply pressure
systems, since high pressures increase the number
March 2019 Volume 25 I Number 1
of pipe bursts, as well as the effect of leaks in a
deteriorating supply network. Lower demand will further
benefit things such as our wastewater treatment plants
that are already so overloaded that their function cannot
be sustained, since less waste is generated and these
facilities can then work effectively.”
The whole objective of #SurplusWater2025 is to get
as many companies and people involved as possible,
because our water security is everyone’s responsibility
— and therefore everyone should actually be
involved. “There are no individual companies through
this initiative that stand to benefit above another
— it’s not an opportunity to punt your company or
product, and this is why I chose the name, which is
all about what we want to achieve. Also, this initiative
operates as a totally separate entity and the idea is
that companies will want to be a part of it because the
goal is more important than any individual company,”
says Brink.
SO, HOW DOES THIS WORK?
You may be wondering how it can be possible to turn this
around to have surplus water by 2025? Well, it’s really as
simple as steps 1, 2, 3 ...
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Step 1: Know your history
By analysing historical water consumption,
the historical average daily consumption is
calculated. The demand of any facility cannot be
fully understood by only taking meter readings
on a monthly basis, since this only provides
a snapshot of total demand. This provides a
baseline from where the reduction in demand
will be measured.
Step 2: Continuously monitor consumption
By installing an automatic meter reading (AMR)
device on your main incoming line, the demand
profile becomes much clearer, highlighting leaks
and night-flows.
Step 3: Reduce the demand
The focus moves to improving efficiency. This
is done by optimising irrigation, rectifying leaks,
analysing cooling systems, and then auditing
sites for other leaks and inefficiencies. Replace
tap aerators and toilet flushing mechanisms
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