Water, Sewage & Effluent July August 2018 | Page 8

1
Some of the highlights of the conference
were:
•
2
•
•
3
•
•
1-3: There was strong representation from suppliers to the water sector.
6
Water Sewage & Effluent July/August 2018
Clem Sunter gave his presentation
in the opening plenary on “The
mind of a fox”, which calls on
flexible, non-traditional thinking
around
global
issues.
He
emphasised that globally, the
‘tipping point’ around water has
passed. The planet is in dire straits
and adherence to the conditions
of the Paris Accord was critical.
Johan Oost, an organiser,
trainer, and networker based in
the Netherlands, spoke about
the importance of exchange
programmes
between
the
Netherlands and South Africa. He
explained that the need for actual
life exchange is gaining importance
in a world where people spend
most of their time on the Internet.
He cited an exchange programme
that his organisation has between
South Africa and the Netherlands,
which focuses on an exchange
between people working on the
primary level, in operation and
maintenance in the water sector.
Dr Lingam Pillay presented the
details of the VulAmanzi project,
a water purification system at
the Water Institute Conference
hosted at CTICC this June. In his
presentation, he told delegates
that South African scientists have
finalised their technology and
already tested it in 500 homes in
Limpopo and Eastern Cape.
Virginia Molose, South Africa’s
Water Research Commission
research manager, shared how
the government was missing
out on valuable opportunities in
partnering with communities. Her
presentation was mainly focused
on rural district municipalities
of Vhembe and Sekhukhune in
Limpopo.
Tony Wong, the chief executive
of the Cooperative Research
Centre for Water Sensitive Cities
(CRCWSC), said international
research and findings were used
in parts of diversifying water
resources in Australia when the
country was faced with drought.
Wong used an international case
study that was applicable to the
current water problems faced by