HEALTH AND SANITATION
31
Is desalination the key
to our water future?
By Marcel Ley
In all respects, and with the dreaded Day Zero
imminent, the only solution appears to be a manner
in which to utilise the country’s only constant water
source: the ocean.
As a predominantly semi-arid country, South Africa
boasts in excess of 2 500km of coastline. Future-
thinkers should be considering the ocean as an abundant
water supply, following suit with countless countries
across the globe. This said, numerous nations see less
rainfall and have fewer resources than ours, but have
taken it upon themselves to explore alternative sources
of water, such as desalination.
With the rapid pace at which Cape Town’s desalination
programme has had to be implemented, this presents
opportunities for companies to employ their expertise,
ensuring that projects are completed safely, on time, and
within budget.
Desalination is a technology that is far from new and has in
fact been around for centuries. A variety of references can
be found as far back as the writings of Aristotle in CE320,
and is a practice widely used at sea to enable mariners
to survive on long ocean trips. In fact, a typical nuclear-
powered US aircraft carrier today uses waste reactor heat to
desalinate 1.5-million litres of water per day.
Observe the drought that impacted Israel a few years ago,
labelled as the worst in over 900 years, with the nation
quickly running out of water. Israel now boasts as much
as 55% of its water from its Sorek desalination plant and
has transformed one of the world’s driest countries into the
unlikeliest of water champions.
Keeping in mind that a temporary solution has been found,
we have to also consider the possibility of problems arising
in terms of pipe leakage due to incorrect materials or
inadequate joining methods taking preference to what has
been proven to work in other successful projects.
Imagine the
amount of
surplus water
we as a country
could have if
solutions and
preventative
measures are
applied.
In a situation such as the one in which the Cape regions
find themselves at present, one cannot simply afford to
waste water due to preventable situations such as leaks,
and that is why it is vitally important to ensure quality
systems are used to minimise leakage.
According to the GreenCape 2017 Market Intelligence
Report, as much as 37% of South Africa’s water supply
is lost through leaks across multiple cities. Imagine the
amount of surplus water we as a country could have if
solutions and preventative measures are applied. PA
Marcel Ley is the regional manager
at Victaulic South Africa.
South Africa has in excess of
2 500km of coastline whereby
desalination plants as a solution
can be installed.
According to the International Desalination Association, as
of June 2015, a total of 18 426 desalination plants are in
operation worldwide, producing 86.8-million cubic metres
of water per day, providing clean drinking water for some
300-million people.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
May 2018 Volume 24 I Number 3