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While the water shortage can be blamed on the drought , a lack of maintenance is taking its toll on South Africa ’ s water infrastructure .
Liquid gold – down the drain
Water is the giver of life , more precious than any commodity and without which life ceases . So why are we allowing our water infrastructure to crumble ?
By Kim Kemp
W a ter , Sewage , and Effluent caught up with Vishal Haripersad , MD and chairman of Knight Piésold , at the recent African Infrastructure Conference held in Johannesburg . A 100 % South Africanowned and managed company , Knight Piésold is also the oldest consulting engineering firm on the continent . If anyone knows about infrastructure , it ’ s them .
Haripersad doesn ’ t pull any punches and when asked to comment on the present state of our water infrastructure , he had this to say : “ It ’ s no secret that our water infrastructure is in a poor state , through under investment , a lack of maintenance and , I hate to say it , incompetence as well . This has led to our ageing infrastructure failing . If you look around various municipalities , provinces , and undeveloped areas in South Africa , what was done pre-1994 has not been updated or maintained — not enough to sufficiently keep pace with urbanisation and a growing population in the urban nodes .”
The result is that the infrastructure in established areas , for example Sandton , shows signs of wear and tear , and investment , he points out , is rather in maintenance and not in strategic growth investment — if even that , given the dire state of repairs that our sagging structures presently require .
From a water supply , treatment , and network expansion viewpoint , the past two decades , he says , “ has had huge under investment ,” and adds , “ The reality is , it ’ s coming home to roost .
Our sewage plants cannot keep pace with flow increase ; our population has expanded ; we don ’ t have sufficient water treatment works in the rural areas ,” and , to exacerbate the situation , “ corruption has mired the work already done in water treatment and supply ,” resulting in a “ severe challenge experienced by all our citizens .”
“ No access to safe drinking water or clean sanitation is the result and that , is a health hazard . It ’ s a moral imperative that we secure reliable and consistent access to power , clean water , and sanitation for our entire population ; that is where future investment needs to happen ,” Haripersad stresses .
“ Water is like liquid gold — without it , we die ,” he says bluntly .
12 Water Sewage & Effluent September / October 2017