44 LAST WORD
Water , water everywhere but …!
Those of us of the older and not so old generation will remember the naval saying which finishes with , “ not a drop to drink or spare !”
In South Africa , and Africa for that matter , we are not in the middle of a great sea but rather a water crisis , or is it water wastage ?
My email box has been filled with scientists and engineers making comments or “ opinion pieces ” – as is now the PR buzzword – on the state of our water . All of it makes sense and suddenly water is now the flavour of the month .
Our water situation has been dire for decades with infrastructure crumbling faster than a wet muffin and water quality declining in much the same way .
Is it a water crisis or is it water wastage or both ?
The scientists I will not argue with – they say water crisis and provide particularly good arguments in terms of dams , treatment and so on . The engineers say it is similar and add infrastructure to the pot which it is . But somehow , we forget our average potable water loss has been 44 % to 52 % for an exceptionally long time due to lack of maintenance and unqualified people doing what little maintenance has been done . With 87 % of municipalities dysfunctional and a national water department having suffered corruption and wastage for the better part of 20 years , it is small wonder that wastage must be the major factor .
Having said that , there is another critically crucial factor that comes into play and that is unqualified people doing plumbing work which are in the majority . Whilst we have no figures / research to quantify the water loss , just imagine such a person who knows nothing or truly little about plumbing installing a drainage system or a water reticulation system and – herein lies the rub – doing repairs to such systems . Take a qualified plumber , who has trained for three / four years , theory , practical and obtained his trade certificate and learnt about pressure , hydraulics , different pipe systems and a whole bunch more who also protects the health and safety of the people . This qualified plumber ensures no water loss because he / she knows what to do correctly . Yet our DWS cannot bring themselves to recognise the plumber ’ s role .
Now the next element of this which the scientists and engineers never seem to talk about is the significant level of non-compliant products in this country . In many cases non-compliance is breaking the law as plumbing is regulated . Taps , mixers and fittings made of nickel sold by certain wholesalers is a perfect example . The law clearly states nickel may not be the material for such products .
Plumbing Africa Rory Macnamara
Our most precious resource .
My leaning is toward wastage incurred within the municipal structure , water boards and the use of unqualified people to maintain our systems and lack of recognition of the plumber who makes the design a reality ! PA
“… there are other parts of conservation that make up the whole .”
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www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline March 2023 Volume 29 I Number 1