SABI Magazine SABI Magazine June July 2017 | Page 9

Indutec 2017…
Why moves toward water security
offer huge opportunities for
innovative suppliers
P
ump, valves and pipes manufacturers exhibiting
recently in Johannesburg at Indutec 2017
were told emphatically their products are
vital to the future water supply that will drive
economic growth
The conference agenda set the tone
for the second day of INDUTEC
2017 in Johannesburg with the
preservation of this vital resource
of water became the focus.
With most provinces in South
Africa having experienced serious
droughts and the Western Cape
hoping and praying fervently for
much rainfall to quench a drought,
the issue of water conservation has
become a national focus.
So it not surprising that many
visitors to Indutec 2017 were
drawn to the PVP Live conference,
whose first speaker was Peter Telle
of Ultra Control Valves, who spoke
about ways to reduce water loss.
South African based MI Power
saw strong interest in the first
direct current (DC) solar powered
sewage pump in the country.
Peter Mango, sales manager of
MI Power said there were huge
benefits to using solar power
in areas where supply might
be unreliable.
“We have already met potential
clients here at INDUTEC, and
they were showing great interest
in the pump alongside our existing
borehole submersible pump,”
he said. It can also be used to
maintain old unused mining shafts
with a flow rate of up to 700,000
litres an hour.
Sustainable pumping solutions
are one positive for the future
but maintaining the region’s
water supply is vital for
economic expansion.
Plug the leaks,
reduce pressure! from 12 bar to 4), but sometimes
that’s not enough, he said.
Leaks are a part of every water,
or fluid, supply system in the
world, but in southern Africa, the
losses take on greater importance
following three years of drought. There are four or five pump
brands on sale in South Africa,
some operate by a timer, others
by detecting changes in demand
and alter flow automatically.
They cost around Rand 50,000
($3,700) but they are maintenance
intensive and he said maintenance
was
“too
complicated
for
African conditions”.
In South Africa, most of the country
has faced some restrictions in
recent months and in Cape Town
real dam levels are at just 12
per cent and the authorities are
set to implement an upgraded
ban on external drinking water
supply within weeks.
Reducing the pressure, especially
during low demand, can offer huge
savings, visitors to INDUTEC PVP
Live 2017 conference were told.
Peter Telle explained in simple
language how pressure can be
reduced in three different ways
and while pressure reducing valves
(PRV) are the natural choice they
only really operate at a 3:1 ratio
(reducing pressure for example
He showed the audience how a
simpler system could work well
in developing nations to reduce
water loss through leaks and
talked about a new acquired ratio
valve (ARV) with no controls and a
Maric flow valve, which is able to
operate with soiled water.
To ensure future investment in
the country and the growth of the
economy, it is vital that southern
Africa offers a reliable water supply
to ensure foreign investment and
financing improvements in supply.
SABI | JUNE/JULY 2017
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