The Civil Engineering Contractor May 2018 | Page 28

INSIGHT
Greening SA’s water
infrastructure
By Walter Scharf
While government debates infra spending, Walter Scharf, an independent civil
engineering professional, urges them to focus more on creating a sustainable and
‘green’ approach to this sector.
“Y
ou’re an engineer, you fix
things — what will you fix
next, and how can I help?”
my three-year-old son innocently asked
one morning before school. I love him
dearly and usually let him help me
when I am out and about on a DIY
adventure. On one such occasion, he
thought it would be a good idea to
26 - CEC May 2018
hammer imaginary nails into our wall,
and thus one DIY job became two.
When I enrolled for civil engineering at
UP back in 2001, I vaguely remember
asking one of the professors if there
are lots of work for civil engineers, to
which he replied, “There will always
be work if you are willing to get your
hands dirty.”
Looking at the infrastructure
industry in South Africa over
the past three years is painful, to
say the least. The promise of the
National Development Plan (NDP)
and infrastructure development as a
cornerstone to stimulate economic
growth and job creation had many
infrastructure professionals standing
Much of South Africa’s water
infrastructure has fallen into
disrepair through lack of
maintenance.