A
ccording to the United Nations forecast in 2013, the
world’s population will increase from 7.2 billion to 8.1
billion in 2025, with most growth in developing countries
and more than half in Africa. By 2050, it will reach 9.6
billion worldwide. Of these, come 2025, 1.8 billion people
will be living in countries or regions with acute water
scarcity, while two-thirds of the world’s population could
be undergoing severe water restrictions. This dire situation
can no longer be ignored, as the existing water resources
are increasingly coming under stress owing to growing
water demand exponential to the population growth.
Desalination has become a buzzword and the
reuse of water has become an attractive option for
water augmentation owing to increased efficacy
of treatment methods and reduced costs, coupled
with the fact that this water source is readily
available and near the point of application.
Rapid population growth, urbanisation, and the
fickleness of conventional water source sustainability
(impacted by climate change and source pollution), remain
key drivers for water reuse and is spurring large-scale
interest in and the application of water reclamation and
reuse of wastewater to sustain development and economic
growth in the region. Water reclamation plants have sprung
up around the country and include Beaufort West (direct
potable reuse – DPR), George (indirect potable reuse
– IPR), and Mossel Bay (reuse for industrial purposes),
while direct potable reuse options in Durban (eThekwini
Metropolitan Municipality), Port Elizabeth, Cape Town,
and Hermanus are at an advanced planning stage.
In this regard, water reuse for potable purposes
involves the reclamation of wastewater for drinking
purposes after it has undergone several treatment
processes to produce water that is safe for human
consumption and use. While direct water reuse
entails the reuse of treated wastewater or effluent by
direct transfer from the production site to the site of
the new application, indirect water reuse comprises
reclaiming treated wastewater from surface water
or groundwater where it was discharged with the
intention of reuse, before being abstracted for reuse
at a new or different site of beneficial application.
Aims of the project
Water Sewage & Effluent May/June 2017
The project aims to document the status of water
reuse for potable applications (direct and indirect)
for planning and regulatory purposes. It also
seeks to develop a database of direct and indirect
potable reuse potential of South African towns.
Standardised terminology for water reuse needs to be
developed that is clear and comprehensible. This includes
direct potable reuse as well as indirect potable reuse, to
generate trust and confidence within both stakeholders and
the public. Through using the outcome of the terminology
and public perception research, effective messaging
and communications materials can be developed for
different stakeholders and the public in general.
The project aims to develop water quality monitoring
programmes and guidelines. These will comprise
constituents and criteria that will necessitate overseeing,
including analytical methods, time lines in which to
obtain results, dependability of method employed,
detection limits, frequency, and costs of analyses. The
focus should be on online (real time) measurements
to ensure that all the required process measures
are intact. Also, the project will produce a succinct
guideline document for use by municipalities and
water professionals, integrating all the above aims.
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