Water, Sewage & Effluent November December 2018 | Page 29

innovations
So, will the next generation of
professionals tread the same path, or
will they branch out and try something
new? Recently, I have had opportunities
to talk to and with engineering students
at a number of our universities. Many
just want to get a job so they can get
to grips with these issues. They know
www.waterafrica.co.za
that there is a lot to be done and they
want to be part of it.
But some are already being
encouraged to look further — at
different ways of doing the job. In
a programme partly funded by the
Water Research Commission, UCT’s
Dr Kirsty Carden has encouraged
final-year civil engineering students
to consider how to develop more
‘water-sensitive’ cities. As part of
this broad approach, some have
Around 25% of Gauteng’s
residents live in places
without adequate, or any,
stormwater drainage, and
this is the province’s biggest
and most immediate water
security challenge.
Water Sewage & Effluent November/December 2018
27
New generation of
professionals — a fresh
perspective?
Johannesburg’s Juksei River in winter – mostly wastewater from the inner city.