Plumbing Africa September 2019 | Page 17

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS 15 IFAT Africa offers plumbing innovation The third edition of IFAT Africa took place over three days from 9 to 11 July in Johannesburg. It is a trade fair for water, sewage, refuse and recycling. IFAT Africa is a forum and an exhibition on envi- ronmental technologies, which takes place each year. As an offshoot of IFAT in Munich, it offers a full range of environmental technologies and services with a comprehensive product portfolio ranging from simple to technologically advanced machines and solutions in the areas of water, sewage, refuse, recycling and energy conservation. The rationale of the exhibition, according to its website, is, “Especially in Africa, investment in infrastructure and water supply are urgently needed. Growing populations, economic expansion, scarce water resources and extensive agriculture confront the government with major challenges. In addition, the amount of waste is rising enormously, especially in the mining industry, which is an important contributor to waste. Here action is required. Since the environmental management in Africa is still in its infancy, IFAT Africa presents innovative technologies and solutions and ensures a high-quality knowledge and information exchange. IFAT Africa is only accessible to trade visitors and offers international companies a good introduction to the African development market of environmental technologies.” The exhibition hosted a series of forums or presentations, many of them of interest to the plumbing industry. These included several on waste management solutions for municipalities. There were also a large number of pump and piping distributors hosting stands, and various new technologies. PA September 2019 Volume 25 I Number 7 www.plumbingafrica.co.za