Imiesa May 2014

The official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa

IMESA

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT • MAINTENANCE CE • SERVICE DELIVERY DELIVER

NUWATER Pioneering water treatment

Urban engineering Green precincts MEDIA

WISA 2014 A proud legacy

Water Botswana transfer scheme

in the

HOT SEAT

“The Salberg group of companies is proud to announce its merger with Samuels & Samuels, trading as Ubuntu Pre-cast.”

Chairperson Barbara Parker and CEO of

I S S N 0 2 5 7 1 9 7 8 V o l u m e 3 9 N o . 5 • M a y 2 0 1 4 • R 5 0 . 0 0 ( i n c l VAT )

Salberg Concrete Products, Russel Samuels

THE JOAT GROUP OF COMPANIES has moulded itself into an efficient and market-leading solutions-orientated team that primarily addresses the optimisation of water supply to consumers through the minimisation of water losses, application of appropriate technology, revenue improvement and energy efficiency.

The group’s key focus areas of operation are consulting and operations engineering (essentially the reduction of nonrevenue water and stabilising of water supply), product sales and support, energy efficiency and mentorship. JOAT’s passion and vision is to ensure that municipalities become as efficient as possible in delivering water to consumers and has adapted its approach towards an outcomes-based partnership that has shared responsibility and accountability. The ultimate objective of any successful partnership with JOAT is to provide water service authorities with an efficient distribution system that they are fully equipped and trained to continue to operate.

In response to this approach, JOAT has invested in wide-ranging technology and partnerships that can be harnessed for the benefit of municipalities. Flow metering solutions (permanent or temporary, monitoring or revenue-generating), data management solutions (data loggers, GSM data loggers), control valve solutions (pressure-reducing valves, pressure controllers, surge control), leak detection solutions (leak detection equipment and service) and energy efficiency solutions (variable speed drives and system optimising) are all available to be presented into cost-effective, custom-made packages.

JOAT has also expanded into the optimisation of energy consumption in the water cycle and has a number of in-house experts that can undertake energy audits and design energy efficiency solutions for pump stations and treatment works. This forms part of its overall approach to making the distribution of water as efficient as possible.

HEAD OFFICE Unit 19 Alexander Park, 24 Alexander Road, Westmead, Pinetown, KZN, SA 3610 • Postnet Suite 23, Private Bag X4, Kloof 3640 t +27 (0)31 700 1177 • f +27 (0)31 700 9853 • Contact Daryl Spencer daryl.spencer@joat.co.za c 083 555 9996 NATIONAL OFFICES • Pietermaritzburg • Port Elizabeth • Johannesburg • Cape Town • Shelly Beach

CONTENTS

VOLUME 39 NO 5 MAY 2014

Town harbour 23 Simons sewer upgrade

17 Since bursting onto the South African water-treatment scene three years ago, NuWater’s pioneering large-scale modular and mobile plants continue to generate significant interest in both the public and private sectors in Africa. P6

From green buildings to green precincts Panel discussion

Regulars Editor’s comment President’s comment Africa Roundup Index to advertisers

3 5 8 84

Cover story NuWater – Water on Wheels

6

Hot seat

in n the e

HOTT SEA AT The Salberg Group of Companies is proud to announce its merger with Samuels & Samuels, trading as Ubuntu Precast. Chairperson Barbara Parker (Far left) and CEO of Salberg Concrete Products, Russel Samuels. P10

Salberg and Samuels tie the knot

10

Water and wastewater management, maintenance and delivery Introduction

33

Degrémont

34

Sizabantu

37

VOMM

39

Sembcorp

41

ERWAT

43

Osborn

45

Municipal Feature Ekurhuleni

12

SHEQ Equipping employees with

Urban engineering From green buildings to green precincts

17

Upholding strong SHEQ principles

55

A water and wastewater treatment 23

legacy to be proud of

28

Boundary demarcation

Stormwater Smart solution for stormwater

49

WISA Conference 2014

Water and wastewater management The harbour sewer upgrade

the right PPE

The politics of demarcation

72

Botswana’s new water transfer scheme

58

64

Africa infrastructure Partnering further into Africa

69

Roads Policy change is needed to ensure good roads

70

Africa project Botswana’s new water

58 WISA Conference 2014

transfer scheme

72

Industry news

81

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EDITOR’S COMMENT

PUBLISHER Elizabeth Shorten EDITOR Nicholas McDiarmid HEAD OF DESIGN Frédérick Danton EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Danielle Petterson SENIOR DESIGNER Hayley Mendelow DESIGNER Kirsty Galloway CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Tristan Snijders SUB-EDITOR Beatrix Knopjes CONTRIBUTORS Dr Michele Kruger, Vuyiso Msipa, B. Paya, G.T. Matsiara, I.J. Bettesworth, M. van der Walt, P. du Plessis, B. Bosman, D. Stephenson, N. Mbayi, A. Keabetswe CLIENT SERVICES & PRODUCTION MANAGER Antois-Leigh Botma PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jacqueline Modise FINANCIAL MANAGER Andrew Lobban MARKETING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Neo Sithole ADMINISTRATION Tonya Hebenton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTIONS subs@3smedia.co.za PRINTERS United Litho Johannesburg +27 (0)11 402 0571 ___________________________________________________

Are these the winds of change?

South Africans want change more than they ever have, save prior to the 1994 elections. The disconnection between what citizens really want and what is currently happening politically has never been greater.

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PRIL SAW THE much-awaited launch of the Civilution Congress. Attracting strong voices and powerful people, the dialogue for change began in earnest. Trevor Manuel’s appearance saw him less as a political animal than an agent for change. His much-talked-about National Development Plan (NDP) was by far not his only topic. Fundamentally, he came with a challenge: forget about waiting for political revolutions and an end to cadre deployment; rather, pay closer attention to what we as individuals do, say and create. The NDP must be seen as a call to action. For the municipal engineer, finding solutions in a less-than-ideal situation is precisely the challenge he made. What does this mean?

Lefadi Makibinyane, CEO of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), came with some clear ideas. Engineers need to empower themselves: “What has to happen to put the engineer in the driving seat again? South African engineers have taken a back seat too long.” What he is saying is that we all need to step up and fill those gaps we keep complaining about. Abe Thela, president of CESA, gave an update of the organisation’s progress in working with National Treasury and other political stakeholders on reviewing and changing the current procurement processes and functioning of tender committees. Naturally, as championed by Manglin Pillay, CEO of SAICE, the professionalisation of the public sector is high on the agenda. This requires serious political will and IMIESA will keep a keen eye on these developments.

Having attended Civilution, I felt encouraged to ask questions about what role the media – in particular media focused on engineering and infrastructure – should play. First and foremost, we must ask questions and we must challenge those who have committed to change to make good on their word. This is not a spurious challenge. It is a genuine role, assisting and developing accountability. It also asks of us to reflect the challenges currently experienced in the infrastructure sector. I have identified skills and capacity as a cause to champion, so not only will I be challenging all institutions active in infrastructure to actively support and help a new generation of engineers into the profession, I will also seek out those young engineers and provide them with a platform for their thoughts and ideas.

Finally, IMIESA would like to put a call out to all our readers to get in touch with us and bring the issues affecting you to our attention. This includes the good and the bad. Any young engineers with a passion and making a difference, any procurement irregularities that need attention, any projects deserving recognition. Let us know and you have an absolute commitment that we will follow up.

Finally, while the election will be over by the time you read this, we hope that all has gone well and that we can get back to the work of building our incredible country.

ADVERTISING SALES Jenny Miller Tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223 ___________________________________________________

PUBLISHER: MEDIA No. 4, 5th Avenue, Rivonia 2056 PO Box 92026, Norwood 2117 Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 Fax: +27 (0)11 234 7274/5 E-mail: nicholas@3smedia.co.za www.3smedia.co.za ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: R550.00 (INCL VAT) ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR. © Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. ___________________________________________________ IMESA CONTACTS IMESA Administration Officer: Narisha Sogan P O Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Fax: +27 (0)31 266 5094 Email: admin@imesa.org.za Website: www.imesa.org.za BORDER BRANCH Secretary: Melanie Matroos Tel: +27 (0)43 705 2401 Fax: +27 (0)43 743 5266 E-mail: melaniem@buffalocity.gov.za EAST CAPE BRANCH Clarine Coltman Tel: +27 (0)41 505 8019 Fax: +27 (0)41 585 3437 E-mail: clarinec@africoast.com KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCH Secretary: Rita Matthews Tel: +27(0)31 311 6382 Fax: +27 (0)31 701 2935 NORTHERN PROVINCE BRANCH Secretary: Rona Fourie Tel: +27 (0)82 742 6364 Fax: +27 (0)86 634 5644 E-mail: imesanorth@vodamail.co.za SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO BRANCH Secretary: Henrietta Oliver Tel: +27(0)79 390 7536 Fax: 086 536 3725 E-mail: imesa.southcape@gmail.com WESTERN CAPE BRANCH Secretary: Erica van Jaarsveld Tel: +27 (0)21 938 8455 Fax: +27 (0)21 938 8457 E-mail: erica.van_jaarsveld@capetown.gov.za

Nicholas McDiarmid

FREE STATE AND NORTHERN CAPE BRANCH Secretary: Wilma Van Der Walt Tel: +27(0)83 457 4362 Fax: 086 628 0468 E-mail: imesa.fsnc@gmail.com All material herein IMIESA is copyright protected and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers.

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Infrastructure News

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Cover opportunity In each issue, IMIESA offers advertisers the opportunity to get to the front of the line by placing a company, product or o service on the front cover of the journal. Buying this position will afford the s advertiser the cover story and maximum exposure. For more information on a cover bookings contact Jenny Miller on tel: +27 (0)11 467 6223. c IMIESA May 2014

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29ǧ31 O C T O B E R

Call for Papers Theme: Balancing Service Delivery • Political and Legislative Perspectives • Social and Environmental Impacts • Financial Considerations • Transport and Traffic • Water and Sanitation • Roads and Stormwater

S Y N O P S I S S U B M I T T E D B Y 9 MAY 2014 to Wiero Vogelzang | wvogelzang@gibb.co.za IMESA t +27 (031) 266 3263 email conference@imesa.org.za

Frank Stevens, president of IMESA

SA Cities Network delivers clear messages

At the end of April, I attended the 25th City Water Manager’s Forum in Nelson Mandela Bay as IMESA president and acting head: eThekwini Water and Sanitation. Two messages were clear: municipal challenges are not unique; and municipal managers and mayors need two-way communication strategies.

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HIS FORUM IS made up of the heads of the water and sanitation Units of the eight metros together with IMESA, SALGA, DWA and the South African Cities Network. The mandate for the first day was to share information on sanitationservice delivery to informal areas and to prepare for meaningful dialogue with municipal managers and metro mayors the next day.

Day 1 – City Water Managers’ Forum Each of the water and sanitation heads presented on the challenges faced and best solutions found for reaching informal communities in their particular metro. It was interesting to note that there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer and how differently each addressed their problems.

Whilst eThekwini installs pairs of container ablution blocks (over 1 000 pairs installed over recent years), Cape Town uses chemical toilets extensively and Tshwane believes strongly that individual water-borne toilets are expensive but the best option.

Energy-saving options, such as hydro-power and solar energy, available to the metros were also discussed. It became clear that the opportunity to make use of PPPs exists in every metro.

Day 2 – Cities Network As the spokesman for the City Water Manager Forum, it was my task to prepare and give a presentation on the previous day’s discussions to a much larger group, as we were now joined by metro mayors and municipal managers from the eight metros.

The presentation included feedback on service delivery to informal areas, key messages to convey to city managers and mayors and to encourage strategic conversations between politicians and technical officials. It goes without saying, that I included a number of slides on the activities of IMESA and I strongly encouraged the political support of technical municipal staff by allowing them to become members of IMESA and attending events such as branch meetings and IMESA conferences.

Capital funding must be accompanied by operation and maintenance funding.

Attention to asset management is crucial.

• Budgeting Appropriate balance between short and long term funding is vital.

• Skills Shortage Professionalisation of local government, experiential training and ECSA registration is important.

Transfer of skills is seriously neglected.

Artisan training is often non-existent.

• Quality Management Achievement of ISO 9001:2008 QMS should be sought.

The importance of an effective customer charter must not be overlooked.

The comments that emerged during the

discussion (especially from politicians), which followed the presentation, were encouraging. Remarks, such as:“IMESA can do far more to help councillors” (e.g. a request was made for a report on the status and viability of de-salination in South Africa); “Engineers must sell themselves more – this would help politicians appreciate their value;” “Two-way dialogue is vital.

Municipal engineers can help councillors by engaging more and by making their intentions clear and easy to understand”, were made by municipal managers and councillors.

I leave you with a ‘take-away’ comment made by a Cape Town colleague: “Each city is unique and its technical team has to find the best solution for its circumstances – there is no ‘silver-bullet’ that will solve all our problems.”

Key points made by officials included: • Political The importance of on-going dialogue with councillors and communities.

Officials need to obtain the buy-in of councillors.

• Financial Collection rates of 95% and above are achievable, if supported by political will and effective credit control.

IMIESA May 2014

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COVER STORY

NUWATER

Water on Wheels Leading up to the 2014 WISA Conference, IMIESA caught up with the NuWater team to discuss their ‘Water on Wheels’ concept and how this is helping to address South Africa’s growing water treatment challenges.

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CCORDING TO John Holmes, NuWater CEO, “As demand for safe, high-quality water overwhelms existing water infrastructure, the need for innovative solutions and technology has never been greater. Large infrastructure projects simply take too long to deliver to have the sort of immediate impact that is required to address the gap between demand and available water treatment capacity. NuWater therefore focuses a lot of its resources on decentralised solutions that address the immediate requirements of communities or businesses. This is where NuWater’s range of modular, rapidly deployable, and re-deployable plants have the greatest and most immediate impact.

“Depending on the specific application the wheels part of the concept may not be critical but the ‘water’ part always is. The ‘Water on Wheels’ concept does however convey this idea that water treatment plants, and for that matter, wastewater treatment plants,

TOP NuWater small plants on the move LEFT NuWater’s range of modular, rapidly deployable, and re-deployable plants have an immediate service delivery impact while strategic infrastructure is developed

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IMIESA May 2014

COVER STORY

can be rapidly deployed almost anywhere and with minimal fixed infrastructure. It also indicates the flexibility of our solutions that are capable of addressing both short- and long-term requirements. It is all about speed of deployment and flexible re-deployment of treatment capacity. Of course NuWater still targets more conventional water and wastewater treatment infrastructure where we also have an impressive track record. Even for large centralised water treatment plants we are seeing the benefits of recycling our ‘Water on Wheels’ designs to achieve more compact, flexible and efficient plants.”

and mobile plants means we can safely say that the concept works and is replicable across both the private and public sectors”, Holmes concludes.

So the concept can scale up but what about smaller plants? Jean Vos, NuWater’s head of business development and sales for Africa, is eager to pick up on this question. “It has always been important to us that we make our advanced technologies and plant designs accessible to as broad a range of customers as possible.

There is clearly a large demand for smaller

New Vaal plant

Does the concept work in practice and is it scalable?

Jeeten Nathoo, head of technology, explains, “NuWater has had the benefit of designing, building, financing and operating the largest rapidly re-deployable water treatment and desalination plant in the world. This plant has been successfully operating at Anglo American Thermal Coal’s New Vaal Colliery near Vereeniging for the past three years and has to date treated over 12 billion litres of mine wastewater to near potable standard – the water is in fact used as high quality cooling water for Eskom’s Lethabo power station. The plant is capable of treating and desalinating up to 20 million litres per day – that’s the equivalent of the average daily water consumption of around 300 000 people.”

He continues, “This plant is completely modular and mobile. Its modularity means that its capacity can be easily scaled up or down to address changes in the mine’s water treatment requirements. The customer really appreciates this flexibility.”

Holmes adds, “Even more than the flexibility, Anglo was really pleased to see us ‘put our money where our mouth is’ by funding the entire plant and charging for the service provided rather than them having to pay for the plant up front. This approach removed the technical and financial risk for Anglo and has allowed us to build a close customer relationship with them as our interests are fully aligned. We have a number of similar plants operating on the same basis for example in Ghana.”

“NuWater’s intimate involvement in each step, from the underlying technology development, through the engineering design and build, and then the financing and operation of such large-scale modular

of innovations either being tested or being commercially piloted – these innovations are now feeding through into our more energyefficient plants. Innovations span different parts of the water treatment process and include ceramic filtration membranes, lowpressure reverse osmosis, energy recovery devices and high water recovery technology.”

He concedes that there is no silver bullet when it comes to energy usage and water treatment so improvements will generally be incremental in nature.

“In terms of power supply, grid electricity, where it is available and in sufficient quanti-

‘NuWater has used its experience in designing, building, financing and operating the largest rapidly deployable water treatment and desalination plant in the world to design independently-powered package plants for rollout across sub-Saharan Africa.’ plants and we have designed, built and sold a number of these both in South Africa and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. We have developed and refined a range of water treatment and desalination plants starting from a capacity of around 50 m3 per day – for example, 50 m3 /day, 100 m3/day and 250 m3. We are now working with strategic partners to roll these smaller ‘package plants’ out to address the requirements of smaller urban and rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa.”

Water treatment is typically an energy-intensive process. How does NuWater address the power requirements for these types of distributed package plants?

According to Nathoo, NuWater is tackling the power challenge from three directions: firstly, looking at how power consumption of its plants can be reduced, secondly, at what reliable power generation options are available from trusted partners with a similar view on distributed infrastructure, and thirdly, what alternative energy options exist in the specific location or environment where the plant is being operated.

“The starting point has to be more energyefficient technologies, plant designs and operating regimes. NuWater has a number

ties, tends to be the most cost-effective option. NuWater maintains strategic relationships with providers of diesel power generation solutions ranging from small to large, which offer a reliable but still costly alternative.

However, in combination with our energyefficient technologies we are very excited about renewables and alternative energy solutions in combination with our water and wastewater treatment technologies.

We expect to have a number of solarpowered plants deployed by the end of year. We are also working with Citius Energy (www.citiusenergy.com) to develop larger-scale water and wastewater treatment projects powered by feedstock such as municipal waste, biomass and coal fines.”

So where does NuWater think we are in the adoption cycle for these new concepts? Holmes sums it up succinctly, “We’re just beginning but adoption is accelerating. Market growth in the next few years is going to be very exciting.”

t +27 21 531 0641 • www.nuwaterglobal.com

IMIESA offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure maximum exposure of their brand. Companies are afforded the opportunity of publishing a two-page cover story and a cover picture to promote their products to an appropriate audience. Please call Jenny Miller on +27 (0)11 467 6223 to secure your booking.

IMIESA May 2014

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AFRICA ROUND-UP

INFRASTRUCTURE NEWS FROM AROUND THE CONTINENT NIGERIA $205 million water and sanitation project The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $205 million (R2.18 billion) urban water sector reform and Port-Harcourt water supply and sanitation project in Nigeria.

The project aims to provide residents of Port-Harcourt City in Rivers State with sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation and to strengthen the federal government’s capacity to reform and scale up water supply and sanitation service delivery across the country. It addresses the rehabilitation and extension of the run down water supply system, as well as looks to provide public sanitation and a pilot sewerage scheme.

The AfDB board of directors noted the project’s alignment with the bank’s mandate and strategy as well as its integrated design, highlighting the propoor focus, capacity building for effective maintenance and support to sector reforms.

Port-Harcourt’s existing water utility infrastructure is rundown and does not benefit the citizens. Most residents obtain water from vendors or private boreholes and wells, often paying high prices for unsafe The Kariba Zam in Zambia will be rehabilitated at a cost of $250 million

water. The project’s successful implementation will give PortHarcourt citizens increased water quantity, quality and service hours.

The total project cost amounts to approximately $346 million (R3.6 billion), of which the AfDB is financing $205 million. Mohamed El Azizi, director of the AfDB’s Water and Sanitation Department said, “The AfDB is proud to be collaborating with the Nigerian authorities on this project and we are bringing to the table a combination of our comprehensive approach to sustainable service provision; capacity to mobilise the significant funding needed to make a tangible difference; our experience from operations in Nigeria and other Regional Member Countries; and collaborative partnering with stakeholders in defining and implementing the project."

ZAMBIA Dam rehabilitation The AfDB, the World Bank and the European Union will raise approximately $250 million (R2.6 billion) for rehabilitation of the Kariba Dam. The works will entail the construction of a temporary dam so that the plunge pool can be emptied, the base of the dam reinforced and the riverbed reshaped to better

absorb the energy from the flood waters released through the spill gates. The rehabilitation has become necessary following over half a decade’s wear and tear which cannot be addressed through regular maintenance.

The Zambian Energy and Water Development Minister, Christopher Yaluma, said the Kariba Dam faces collapse if it is not repaired in three years and has appealed for hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for urgent repairs.

The AfDB and the Word Bank are together expected to raise a total of $150 million (R1.6 billion) while the EU, will provide $100 million (R1 billion) for the rehabilitation.

An EU delegation has been discussing the technical and financial details with the Zambezi River Authority, the Ministr y of Finance and other donors. Once these details have been worked out, the EU will make a final decision on whether it can and will finance the projects and at which level. The delegation expects a proposal to be finalised by the end of June.

Meanwhile the AfDB has begun preparing a project appraisal of $75 million to fund repairs to the dam’s wall.

KENYA KSh17 billion for road upgrades KSh17 billion (R2 billion) funding has been approved for road upgrades in Kenya’s northern and western road corridors.

The upgrades will include the construction of interchanges at three major junctions along the Nakuru-Nyahururu, Nakuru-Njoro and Mau Summit-Kericho roads. The

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IMIESA May 2014

Athi River-Machakos turnoff, the Bachuma Gate-Maji ya Chumvi sections and KisumuKakamega-Webuye-Kitale are among the road sections which will benefit from the funding.

The funding will be provided by the World Bank and brings the total funding the bank is extending to improve Kenya’s transport sector in to KSh43 billion (R5.3 billion). Kenya’s Transport and Infrastructure Principal Secretary John Mosonik said these funds will lessen the burden the government has been shouldering on major road projects.

One of the projects the bank is financing is the 600 km Lesseru-Kitale-LodwarLokichoggio-Nadapal road project. The project is divided into three sections, namely Lesseru-Marich Pass, Marich Pass-Lodwar and LodwarNadapal. According to Mosonik, the designs and preparation of tender documents for the first section of the project are due for completion, while those for the last two sections are ready for implementation.

Promoting private investment Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has challenged African governments to accelerate reforms that will encourage more private sector investment in infrastructure projects.

Speaking at the Fourth European Union-Africa Summit, Kenyatta cited Kenya as an example, which has taken steps through enactment of public-private partnership legislation, to facilitate the private sector in the development of projects in transport, energy, water and ICT. Kenyatta believes the establishment of

AFRICA ROUND-UP

the Africa 50 Fund to address the inadequacy of resources for infrastructure development on the continent requires African countries to undertake reforms geared towards facilitating the private sector to invest in infrastructure development and maintenance.

The president welcomed continued collaboration between Africa and the European Union in achieving the continent’s development goals, saying that together the continents can realise the vision of developing Africa’s regional and continental infrastructure.

Kenyatta maintained that the Kenyan government is committed to ensuring that all parts of the country have developed adequate roads, affordable electricity supply and clean drinking water to satisfy all the basic infrastructural needs of its citizens.

MOZAMBIQUE Mozambique and Portugal sign MoU The Mozambican and Portuguese governments have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for technical and institutional cooperation in water resource management, and water and sanitation services.

The memorandum is described as an instrument that will make viable collaboration between the two countries.

The agreement was signed by the Mozambican Minister of Public Works, Cadmiel Muthemba, and the Portuguese Minister of the Environment, Territorial Organisation and Energy, Jorge Moreira da Silva. The MoU is expected to enable collaboration between the two nations in drawing up public policies for the water sector and in strategic plans for the management of international rivers and ground water.

ZIMBABWE Zim blocking BotswanaZambia bridge The government of Zimbabwe could prevent Botswana and Zambia from constructing a bridge linking the two countries.

Botswana and Zambia want to construct the Kasane Bridge over the Zambezi River, which will link the two countries.

The bridge is expected to enhance the transportation of goods along the regional North-South Corridor.

However, Zimbabwe is reportedly concerned that the country would lose revenue because the bridge would allow commercial traffic to bypass the Beitbridge Border Post.

Zimbabwe currently generates revenue from tollgates at the border post.

Zimbabwe’s Transport Minister Obert Mpofu said that the Zimbabwe government’s position it that “there is no direct border between Botswana and Zambia. If a bridge has to be constructed in that area, it will have to go through Zimbabwe, hence the stalemate.”

According to Mpofu, Zimbabwe feels that there is no need for a bridge a few kilometres from the Victoria Falls Bridge.

LESOTHO Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase Two Lesotho, in partnership with South Africa, has officially launched the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP).

The massive water transfer project is the countries’ biggest joint infrastructure investment to date and will be used to augment the critical Vaal River system. Work on the R14 billion second phase will begin with the construction of the 155 m high Polihali Dam and tunnels.

The project situated in the northern part of the country is expected to be fully operational in 2022. The project will deliver specific quantities of this water to South Africa as well as to generate hydro-electric power in and for Lesotho. Lesotho has benefited from significant infrastructure development since the inception of the scheme, including road linkages and upgrades.

The first phase of the project was completed in 2004 and comprised the Katse and Mohale reservoirs, the Muela Hydropower station, and 124 km of tunnels and associated infrastructure. It further included the construction of 265 km of gravel roads, the rehabilitated 1 133 km of roads to grade 1 standard, and the construction of 11 bridges, including 3 bridges between Lesotho and South Africa in Maseru, Maputsoe and Caledonspoort.

South African president Jacob Zuma has called the LHWP a win-win for both countries. “We all have an obligation to meet the Millennium Development Goals of halving, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation… The delivery of water is a priority for both economic growth and for our people as a basic human need,” Zuma said at the sod-turning ceremony for Phase Two.

commissioned by local administration. The project, situated in the Nkambe subdivision of the Donga-Mantung Division of the Northwest Region, began in Februar y last year.

The first phase comprised the construction of a stream intake, sedimentation, upflowing-roughing filter and slow sand filter tanks. A 2 km pipeline network was laid, and release/drain valve chambers and a dam-wall attachment to the stream intake was built.

Further, community water management staff were trained.

The second and final phase of the project is now underway and is expected to be completed by June 2014. It will receive the same level of financial support as the FCFA24 million (R534 000) first phase of the project, provided by Guinness Cameroon, FORCE-CAM and the local community. The focus of the second phase will be on constructing two more tanks, 18 public stand pipes, five washout tanks, valve chambers and the laying of a 2.3 km pipeline network.

FORCE-CAM president Yuniwo Edison said at the commissioning that the implementation of the project was inspiring and a challenging accomplishment because of the strategic importance of the project in delivering water to the Mbuwarr community.

CAMEROON Mbaa Water Project The first phase of the Mbaa Water Project has been

The second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project is underway

IMIESA May 2014

9

HOT SEAT

SALBERG

The Salberg and Samuels The Salberg Group of Companies has proudly announced its merger with Samuels & Samuels, trading as Ubuntu Pre-cast.

N AN EXCITING moment in South African pre-cast concrete history, Salberg Concrete Products has merged with Ubuntu Pre-cast in what promises to be a shakeup of who’s who in the market.

“In an industry where the barriers to entry are vast, the merging of these two companies is seen as a clever marriage of two entrepreneurial organisations with proven track records

FROM LEFT Barbara Parker, chairman, Salberg Concrete Products, Russel Samuels, new CEO, Salberg Concrete Products and Darin Samuels, executive director, Salberg Concrete Products

What has brought about the coming together of these two family businesses? Family

both businesses acting as one will have on the market? A more

per formance company in the pre-cast concrete space.

power ful, hungr y competitor in the market driven by a clear business principle: to be the best in client ser vice deliver y.

Salberg Concrete Products is one of the oldest pre-cast companies in the countr y, embedded with the creative and entrepreneurial energy of its founder Dave Salberg.

Ubuntu Pre-cast is one of the youngest pre-cast companies in the industr y, with an extremely successful entrepreneurial pedigree, spanning its five years of existence.

Together the organisations have complementar y assets, which will create a single high-

What innovations will the new organisation bring to the market?

I

businesses have unique dynamics that the Salberg and Samuels companies share. This has contributed enormously to the compatibility of culture and values between the two organisations.

Both companies share a strong entrepreneurial and service-driven business ethos; they both share an understanding and excitement about the opportunities and growth prospects within the pre-cast concrete industry; and finally, they both share a profound recognition of the value of diversity. Both companies hold that great

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IMIESA May 2014

profitability is dependent on great performance and great performance is dependent on great people. At the heart of any entrepreneurial company is a simple business truth: through diversity of people comes diversity of talent. In the diversity of age, race, gender, class and religion emerges contributing factors for a great entrepreneurial organisation.

It should be noted that Salberg is now the only BEE/EE-led company in the pre-cast concrete industr y in South Africa, manifested in its CEO Russel Samuels and chairperson Barbara Parker, respectively.

What impact do you think the strength of

of operational excellence, to produce one sleek, highly efficient competitor ready to stake its claim in the pre-cast concrete market,” states the new CEO of Salberg Concrete Products, Russel Samuels.

Salberg is the winner of the 2012 CMA Award for Innovation and is one of the few organisations in Africa to design and manufacture bespoke pre-cast concrete solutions for its clients.

The innovation and bespoke market is a high growth node in the pre-cast industr y and Salberg intends to continue being a key player in that growth space.

How has Salberg developed transport and logistical solutions

HOT SEAT

families tie the knot to meet specialist requirements within ever increasing constraints? Bringing a portion of the transport supply chain into the Salberg Group, coupled with well-managed value-based relationships with ser vice providers.

The internal versus external ser vice deliver y balance is driven by the company’s strict ethos of ser vice excellence.

ACCORDING TO RUSSEL SAMUELS Salberg Concrete Products is one of the oldest pre-cast companies in the country, embedded with the creative and entrepreneurial energy of its founder Dave Salberg. Ubuntu Pre-cast, on the other hand, is one of the youngest precast companies in the industry with an extremely successful entrepreneurial pedigree spanning its five years of existence.

“Together the organisations have complementary assets which will create a single high-performance company in the pre-cast concrete space”

Salberg’s products cross multiple sectors, including roads and stormwater, concrete pipes, sewer reticulation, electricity, water, mining, and communications (fibre optics): How do you keep abreast of multiple markets? Playing in the

a deep-rooted culture of R&D – ever y staff member understands this and is passionate about concrete.

Thinking about concrete is a constant internal affair and a driver of strategic knowledge and research partnerships, in both our local and the international sphere.

product-diversity space with large competitors such as Infraset and Rocla, both listed companies, requires an efficient and well-run organisation. Understanding the business value of each product and excellent logistics are key to optimising the efficiency of client ser vice deliver y for each product set.

What integrated solutions do you bring to each of these sectors? Salberg has

How does this impact on research and development? To stay ahead, one needs to keep abreast with the past, present and future of pre-cast concrete and its application in a super-evolving market.

Salberg’s commitment to excellence and diversity of product lines dictate that it is a market leader in pre-cast concrete thinking.

It achieves this through

been unique in the industr y in that it supplies the full stormwater and sewerage management system to its clients, from inlet to outlet.

Salberg offers the full product mix of manholes, pipes and sundr y vibrated products.

With the merger, Ubuntu Precast brings culverts into the product basket.

Where have you seen the most growth over the year and how is Salberg/Ubuntu able to respond? Salberg has been ideally positioned to take advantage of the unprecedented government investment in infrastructure over the past few years and

the company is gearing itself to ser vice the demands of the current budget for infrastructure investment projects – totalling some R785 billion over three years.

South Africa’s economic growth, social wellbeing and place on the African continent are entirely dependent on the government's capacity to deliver y on the countr y’s infrastructure requirements over the next five years.

Salberg is also positioning itself to meet the cross-border demands of Southern Africa’s infrastructure development with several strategic partnerships in the pipeline over the next two years.

Samuels & Samuels – trading as Ubuntu Precast – shares a legacy with Salberg that is clearly complementary.

How are the two companies integrating?

As mentioned previously, family businesses have unique conditions that underpin the business.

They tend to be tighter knit as a group. They tend to be more entrepreneurial. They take commitment to excellence more

personally. There tends to be greater individual accountability and empowerment. Recognition and reward is more personal.

People tend to feel more valued and, as a result, commit themselves fully to the success of the company.

When the company wins it is celebrated as a shared success. When this is all overlaid with a dynamic business ethos of success, it’s a “honey pot” for industry talent.

What are the key elements of the merger and what impact will it have on the market?

For the Salberg/Samuel merger the sum of two has defiantly equalled three.

Besides the obvious benefits discussed already, there is that magical, non-tangible value that has been added to the mix. The yeast of the merger is the psychological boost the jointed team gets when they recognise their combined strength in achieving ser vice excellence. The impact of this positive energy is huge in the market place. Clients feel and respond to it.

What key messages would Salberg/Ubuntu like to give to the infrastructure market?

There is a better and stronger player on the market geared for service delivery excellence and hungry for market growth.

Salberg Since 1972

+27 (0)11 357 7600 www.salberg.co.za

IMIESA May 2014

11

MUNICIPAL FEATURE | EKURHULENI

H

Ekurhuleni is unquestioningly one of South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key areas of interest when it comes to sustaining and developing the wealth of the country. IMIESA profiles recent development and current and future upgrades.

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IMIESA May 2014

OME TO MORE than three million inhabitants, Ekurhuleniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic contribution to Gauteng and South Africa as a whole exceeds it demographics. The city is investing heavily in infrastructure maintenance and development and is making significant headway in revenue collection.

This year alone, the city is spending more than R87 million in the installation, repair and replacement of water meters and has already spent more than R1 billion on electricity infrastructure upgrades. But the pulse of its economy is regulated by its transport infrastructure and its investment in its aerotropolis.

TOP AND INSET Computer-generated images of the proposed phases of the Ekurhuleni aerotropolis

RIGHT Airport road

Creating an aerotropolis Ekurhuleni aspires to become a fully fledged aerotropolis. In an effort to achieve this, it has appointed a consortium of five domestic and international companies to help develop a five-year Ekurhuleni aerotropolis strategic implementation plan and ultimately a 30-year master plan. The team also has the mandate to establish the Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis Development Agency in 2015.

During his State of the City Address, Executive Mayor Cllr Mondli Gungubele announced that the consortium had already delivered the five-year Ekurhuleni aerotropolis strategic implementation plan, which elevates critical projects that should be implemented within the next five years in order to give the Ekurhuleni aerotropolis the required traction.

Aurecon was appointed to lead the consor tium to develop the Ekurhuleni OR Tambo Aerotropolis. Aurecon explains that the planning process for the aerotropolis in Ekurhuleni will follow a process of information gathering, analysis, scenario planning, evaluation and selection.

The process According to Aurecon, the team will need to define so-called economic clusters and distinguish between those clusters that are best served by the current systems, those likely to improve with the already planned regional developments, and those where new or substantial infrastructure is required to make them viable for further development. This will be done by analysing the trends in demographics and economics, and comparing those with land use and air and surface transportation infrastructure in the project area.

The team will need to make use of a number of high-level tools, such as spatial data analysis systems, sophisticated economic analysis tools and transport modelling and planning systems. According to Aurecon, Ekurhuleni is confronted with certain realities that influence how economic development can best benefit its social objectives.

Because of this, demographics, proposed land-use, forecasted demand transpor t facilities, economic growth and predicted CO2 emissions will be used as the criteria in a series of development scenarios, each evaluated to maximise potential benefits, as part of the planning process.

Aurecon Urbanisation Competency Leader

RIGHT BELOW 1000 mm HDPE sewer pipes

Matt Coetzee says he is confident that the team can deliver the innovative yet implementable aerotropolis project that Ekurhuleni deserves.

Fighting water losses The City of Ekurhuleni is spending close to R88 million in the current financial year to install, repair and replace water meters.

This forms par t of efforts to fight water losses in Ekurhuleni, which result from leaks, especially in indigent households, which cost the municipality millions in SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS • the reconstruction of various major roads in the lost revenue. metropolitan area like Barbara Road, Marsala Road, Anson The water metering Street, Gladiator Street and Isando Road project aims to meter • the implementation of various pedestrian bridges in the all unmetered propermetropolitan area like the pedestrian bridge over the R21, ties by June 2016. To the pedestrian bridge over the K27 and the pedestrian bridge over the N3 date, 69 bulk meters • the reduction of gravel roads in the metropolitan area; have been installed gravel roads in the previously disadvantaged communities, in informal settlewas the major focus of capital budgets over the past ments to ensure that ten years the municipality can • the development of the first integrated transport plan for the metro (currently under review) account for the water • the development of a road master plan (second phase to be supplied to each setcommissioned soon) tlement, and monitor • the development of a road hierarchy plan. and mitigate leakages and wastage in areas where these occur. the next two years.

By June 2016 the municipality aims to The municipality has also carried out have installed more than 40 000 water leak repairs to 2 900 indigent households meters in unmetered areas. Of these, and 21 schools in Tsakane, Langaville and 8 400 meters have already been installed Geluksdal. By 30 December 2015, it will in areas such as Chief Albert Luthuli, have completed leak repairs to 43 000 Mayfield, Winnie Mandela and KwaThema. indigent properties.

In enhancing its programme to improve Bus rapid transit the accuracy and reliability of metering The Ekurhuleni municipality is one of 13 – which tends to deteriorate as meters cities and towns in South Africa to impleget older – the municipality replaced just ment a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. under 17 000 meters between July and Road designs have been prepared for December 2013. Ninety thousand more Phase 1 of the project, which starts runs meters are planned on being replaced in

IMIESA May 2014

13

MUNICIPAL FEATURE | EKURHULENI

from Tembisa to Vosloorus via Kempton aerotropolis. Several other new routes are with the representative structure of all in Park and OR Tambo International Airport. in the pipeline. A budget of R80 million has Ekurhuleni, including the taxi industr y and Gungubele has reported that the municibeen set aside for the next two years to purbus operators. pality has made tremendous progress, chase green buses that will service other Linking public transport including in the rollout of infrastructure parts of Ekurhuleni where there is little or To further integrate transport, the municifor the BRT. Road construction has comno current public transport service. pality recently introduced three new routes: menced along the Rev RTJ Namane Road Implementation of Integrated one from Katlehong to Rhodesfield, anothin Tembisa, as well as Pretoria Road in Transport Plan (IRPTN) er from Vosloorus to Rhodesfield, and a Kempton Park, where feeder or compleEkurhuleni is in a polycentric city, constitutthird one from Reiger Park to Rhodesfield. mentar y routes, pedestrian walkways, as ing of nine disconnected well as cyclist paths towns, so the provision are being implemented.

“A budget of R80 million has been set aside for of public transport faciliConstr uction of the next two years to purchase green buses that ties is of paramount importhe feeder routes in tance and the department, Vosloorus began in will service other parts of Ekurhuleni with little even though it has a limitApril, whilst construcor no current public transport service.” ed budget, is committed to tion of the trunk route, providing public transport starting at the Tembisa facilities.

Civic Centre towards Ekurhuleni Metro is one Kempton Park, star ts of the 12 metros in the in May. Integrated rapid countr y to implement public transpor t netthe IRPTN as of February work (IRPTN) constructhis year. Phase 1 of tion work in Ekurhuleni the IRPTN in Ekurhuleni will be in full swing by star ts from Tembisa to June 2014, where most Vosloorus via Kempton of the road sections will Park and the OR Tambo be under construction.

International Airport.

According to A bus rapid transit stop allowing platform-level boarding Over the past two years, two public transGungubele, over and above the IRPTN port facilities were constructed, Leralla infrastructure, Ekurhuleni is engaged in The effect of these has been to link in Tembisa and Daveyton Station Rank processes to ensure that all public transthe municipal public transport provision to in Daveyton. port operators in Ekurhuleni are brought the Gautrain, thereby creating a seamless As such, three designs for new public on board. The municipality has already link between road, rail and air transport, transport facilities were completed, with begun implementing provisions of the within the broader context of the Ekurhuleni the Ramaphosa PT facility currently under  memorandum of understanding signed

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IMIESA May 2014

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Our history Lekwa Consulting Engineers was established in 2002 by two dedicated professional engineers, Kibiti Ntshumaelo and Gert Smit, who seized and developed an entrepreneurial opportunity in the civil engineering industry. Our approach is based on finding synergies with the public and private sector stakeholders, including communities. We believe that through this partnership approach, we could be instrumental in unlocking skills development and job creation initiatives in South Africa. Our office network covers the Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Free State and North West provinces.

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Roads and Stormwater.

Bulk water and sewage installations.

Water and Sewage reticulation networks.

EPWP Projects.

Structures and Buildings (Facilities) Sport and Recreational Facilities.

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Community Centres.

Multi-Disciplinary Project Management.

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ERMELO-Mpumalanga 67 Fourie Street PO Box 1903 Ermelo 2350 Tel: 017 819 1985 t Fax: 017 819 4017 E-mail: lekwa@civilnet.co.za

NEWCASTLE-Kwa-Zulu Natal 34 PatersonStreet Newcastle PO Box 27 Newcastle2940 Tel: 034 315 3232 t Fax: 086 669 7533 E-mail: lekwa@civilnet.co.za

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MUNICIPAL FEATURE | EKURHULENI

construction and due for completion in April/May 2014. Two further facilities are underway: the new Vosloorus next to the new hospital and Palmridge.

In the next two years, focus will fall on the construction of a new regional intermodal facility in Germiston to replace the current facility. Two other facilities will also be constructed: the Phuthaditshaba and Bluegumview facilities.

Roads and stormwater

KROHNE WATERFLUX meets SANS1529-1:2006 fit for trade metrology – exceeds class D Specifications

Sixty-three-and-a-half kilometres of new roads and 23 km of new stormwater systems were completed between January 2011 and December 2013, adding an additional 168 km of new roads to the metropole. In addition to these, the city has constructed a further 6.7 km of new pedestrian walkways, and graded 87.3 km of roads in informal settlements.

By June 2013, 81.6 km of roads and 92.1 km of stormwater infrastructure have undergone complete maintenance.

Stormwater management projects in EMM

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A number of stormwater management projects were implemented throughout the metropolitan area. The aim of these projects was to improve the quality of life and: • minimise the risk of damage to property • minimise the risk to human life • minimise the risk of erosion • maximise the protection of the environment • optimise the water quality of the streams.

Key projects Upgrading the stormwater management system and flood control on Atlas Spruit The purpose of this project was to improve stormwater management and relieve severe flooding along the Atlas Spruit, between Brentwood Park Road and Mercury Road, Atlasville, Ekurhuleni. Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2013. The project already attracts positive responses and reactions from the local community.

Rehabilitation of Swartspruit The project was initiated to address the storm water problems in the Swartspruit, particularly the serious erosion and embankment collapse its banks. The length of the Swartspruit, between Electron Road and C.R Swart Road, has been taken as the study area. This also included commercial and industrial areas. There was increasing industrial development in the catchment area, including the Gautrain development.

The increased risk of flood damage and the further deterioration of safe driving conditions during heavy storms, are however, directly related to the ongoing conversion of natural habitat to built-up suburbs in the upper regions of the catchment area.

Completed stormwater projects • Dreyer Street, Pomona X3, Kempton Park, Ward 24 • Meadowdale, Stormwater project, Ward 17

Completed stormwater protection projects • Isandovale Stormwater • Bedfordview Stormwater.

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IMIESA May 2014

URBAN ENGINEERING

From green buildings to green precincts

The engineering principles for creating ‘green’ buildings are both well understood and have been widely applied. Nicholas McDiarmid asks: where to from here?

W

E HAVE EARNED our 'Stars' in the art of green design, literally, and while innovation will continue to make further advances, our focus is shifting to ensuring sustainability in the face of almost over whelming urbanisation,” says

Aurecon’s national green-buildings expert, Martin Smith.

“We’re entering a new age of green design that explores the development of sustainable precincts in large cities and urban areas,” comments Marni Punt, environmentally sustainable design consultant

and landscape architect at Aurecon. “This means moving outside of the more traditional engineering ‘comfort zone’ that entails designing and constructing an environmentally sound building, to collaborating with a wide range of organisations and competencies to address

IMIESA May 2014

17

Partnering our skills with the public sector to manage, support and maintain the projects that move our country forward.

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socio-economic issues and the ‘liveability’ of an environment.”

In this article, Smith and Punt attempt to define this latest wave of thinking, explore how to achieve greener precincts and discuss the rating tools that are being developed to add value to the precinct concept.

Defining the concept The rapid growth in population and increased urbanisation of countries throughout the world creates both a challenge and an opportunity to learn from the failures and success of urban design to create smarter, more efficient, and more liveable communities.

The concept of sustainable precincts is still evolving. It merges the design of sustainable buildings, urban design and infrastructure.

“Sustainable communities help people lead more sustainable, healthy and connected lives,” explains Smith.

Sustainable precincts present a range of benefits to stakeholders and affected communities throughout their life cycles, from providing safe, attractive facilities and a healthy living environment to contributing to diverse, vibrant and evolving communities.

“Sustainable precincts suggest more than just environmentally friendly buildings. They enable a lifestyle choice that enhances quality of life for residents and can be used as a market-differentiation strategy by investors who wish to gain a competitive advantage within the bourgeoning market that is environmentallyconscious construction,” says Smith.

In Australia, the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star Communities National Framework rating tool has established five principles on which to shape the evolution of new, and revitalisation of existing, sustainable communities. These five principles test a precinct project

by determining “Our focus is whether it: shifting to ensuring •enhances liveability sustainability in • creates opporthe face of almost tunities for overwhelming e c o n o m i c prosperity urbanisation,” Martin • fosters environSmith, national greenmental quality • embraces buildings expert, Aurecon design quality • demonstrates visionar y leadership and and poor health, in addition to more trastrong governance. ditional environmental issues related to The tool provides detailed metrics under green building, through the Green Building each of the above principles to shape and Council of South Africa’s pilot socio-economic categor y for Green Star South Africa’s rating tools. This tool is currently being tested across several construction projects and has advanced beyond traditional greenbuilding criteria to assess the social and economic elements of construction projects, and how these contributed to broader sustainability and pover ty-alleviation objectives. benchmark the development of new communities, or the enhancement and ‘retrofitting’ of existing communities.

In addition, South Africa is pioneering broader economic and social per formance criteria that consider challenges such as the alleviation of poverty, unemployment

Achieving greener precincts Developing sustainable communities starts by embedding sustainable design principles into the way in which streets, parks and buildings are laid out.

The spaces between buildings determine the liveability and value of a community and

“We’re entering a new age of green design that explores the development of sustainable precincts in large cities and urban areas,” Marni Punt, environmentally sustainable design consultant and landscape architect, Aurecon

IMIESA May 2014

19

URBAN ENGINEERING

“What’s the point of working or learning in a five-star green building if people are leading one-star lives once they leave the building?”

good planning and urban design are the fundamental building blocks of a sustainable community.

Creating places for people is the key ingredient in designing successful and thriving communities. This must include places for people to work, rest and play, with high-quality urban design

connecting smar t, sustainable buildings.

Passive design as central to greening

The buildings within a sustainable precinct should be resilient and adaptable to the ever-changing natural environment. We can save money and enhance value if we orientate the streets and buildings to take advantage of solar orientation and prevailing winds. This principle has been known since the start of architecture, but it is often ignored in the design of our cities.

From an energy viewpoint, this can be achieved through the universal application of passive design. Buildings designed using solar design principles use the sun to heat them in the winter whilst they exclude the heat of the sun in summer, using insulation and shading. Passive solar buildings require only 10% of the energy used by conventional buildings.

The ‘father of architecture’, Vitruvius, wrote over 2 000 years ago that the first step in successful town planning is to identify the major winds and from which direction these come and then mark the centre of the city accordingly.

Cold winds are disagreeable to man and are to be avoided.

Likewise, hot and humid winds are unhealthy.

All roads are to be laid out on an axis between two quarters so that the winds will be funnelled down the streets and alleyways.

The laying out of roads in this manner also prevents winds from blowing head-on into the facades of the buildings lining the streets, and thus keeps the winds out of the dwelling spaces.

We can now use sophisticated precinct-modelling tools to enhance our fundamental design knowledge of climate, topography and environment, and optimise designs of our communities.

In addition, with the rapidly falling price of photovoltaic panels, we are seeing widespread adoption of this technology by households. Over one million homes in Australia are providing a significant amount of the power they need using PV panels installed on their roofs, and this number is expected to grow.

Precinct energy systems For some high-density communities, it makes good economic

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IMIESA May 2014

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sense to look beyond ser vicing buildings using stand-alone electricity, heating and cooling systems and to provide these using centralised precinct energy systems via cogeneration and trigeneration systems with district heating and cooling that is monitored and controlled by a precinct-wide smart grid.

In addition, communities can use their collective buying power to drive down the cost of installing PV panels – there are many examples of this in Australia.

Water management, on a precinct scale, should aim to create a balance between water risk and allocation through water-sensitive urban design. Sustainability can be achieved on three levels: • By installing infrastructure for the efficient collection, treatment and distribution of the various water systems.

• By having an active management system for the infrastructure that is able to optimise water balances between different uses.

• Through educating and motivating communities to maintain water ser vices.

Driven by the sheer scale of urbanisation, there is also a necessity and considerable scope for innovative waste management. While waste-to-energy initiatives are a viable method of waste management, Smith suggests that sustainable precincts will benefit more from strategies that prevent waste, rather than for disposing or recycling it.

On a precinct level, a recent innovation is the development of automatic waste collection systems, or pneumatic collection systems, which are able to transport refuse through a vacuum in underground pipes to a central waste-handling facility. This enhances the liveability of the local community whilst reducing the energy used in waste collection and disposal, and makes recycling easier.

Liveability and walkability criteria Within precincts, the emphasis often lies on ‘liveability’ and ‘walkability’.

Interestingly, ways of evaluating the value of the activity walking and walkability – the quality, safety, comfort and convenience of being able to walk in a precinct – have been developed (Litman, 2011).

The contention with walkability is that walking is an important but underestimated component of all people transport systems and should be addressed, rather than purely focusing on faster, cleverer motorised movement.

Precincts that are conducive to walking are conducive to people and walkability carries the extra rewards of being greener, healthier and a significant contributor to liveability.

Competing for ‘Stars’ – precinct rating tools “Rating and certification systems have become a helpful point of reference when it comes to green design, as they help define the market and remove subjectivity from green developments,” says Punt.

There are various rating tools that are being developed with a specific focus on sustainable precinct design. In addition to the recent Green Star Communities National Framework rating tool, and the socio-economic categor y for Green Star South

IMIESA May 2014

21

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Africa, other initiatives include the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighbourhood Development and the One Planet Living scheme, which will soon be widely adopted in South Africa.

few years. He adds that current business systems, and organisational processes that are continually focused on least-cost,

Designing smart, sustainable communities makes good business sense because it has already been seen that people and businesses are looking for safe and liveable places to live, work and play, with good-quality urban design and buildings.

Fur thermore, by embedding these principles of good design right from the start we can also make them affordable communities.

“As with many modern design initiatives, sustainable precincts require the right amount of investment from stakeholders,” concludes Smith. “The engineering industr y has the capability and thrives on innovation, but we need investors to champion the cause of creating more liveable and desirable places for people to live.”

“It is the spaces between buildings that determine the liveability and value of a community”

Stakeholder motivation will shape the way forward “The value of sustainable precincts cannot necessarily be defined in financial terms,” says Smith.

He goes on to say that investment and input from governments and private stakeholders will be vital in ensuring the successful integration of these precincts into existing areas, whether through revitalisation, renovation or retrofitting.

Smith further predicts that fast-developing, sustainable precincts will gain popularity and traction globally over the next

22

‘business-as-usual’ infrastructure development, can prove extremely challenging to the development of sustainable precincts.

“Despite inevitable challenges, the benefits of the development of sustainable precincts remain evident,” claims Punt.

“Greening on a precinct and city scale will allow the construction industr y and government to deliver large-scale socio-economic priorities such as energy security, job creation, social stability and effective resource management, as well as the mitigation of climate change.”

Litman, T. 2011. Economic value of walkability.

Victoria Transport Policy Institue.

IMIESA May 2014

Welcome to the future – a future of Mwangaza We are all writing a part of the script which tomorrow’s society will play out. At Royal HaskoningDHV we would like the title to read: ‘Welcome to the future’ - and for our chapter in that script to read ‘Mwangaza’ - a Swahili word which means ‘light’.

Together with our partners and clients we consider how we can create a welcoming future - developing efficient and smart living.

Whether switching on a light, travelling to work or drinking a clean glass of water - the solutions and work of our engineers surround us, making lives better and brighter. Our work contributes to the sustainable development of communities. Together, we deliver innovative sustainable answers to today’s challenges.

Royal HaskoningDHV is an independent, international engineering and project management consultancy.

royalhaskoningdhv.com/za

WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

The harbour sewer upgrade

Simon’s Town in the Western Cape, famous for being home to the South African Navy and its thriving tourism industry, has been investing in infrastructure upgrades over the last five years, including an R85 million upgrade to the navy harbour. Nicholas McDiarmid navigates the recently completed sewerage upgrades.

T

• • •

•

HE NAVY HARBOUR upgrade is an extensive project with numerous complexities. In its entirety, it comprises: An under water sur vey of the entire harbour.

Repairs to caissons both above and below the water mark.

The installation of 54 m long highstrength threaded steel micropiles through the quays into the bedrock.

The shortening of one quay by 11 m to widen an entrance into the inner harbour for submarine access. This has entailed diamond-cutting the existing concrete

A total of 26 Grundfos SLV and four Grundfos SE model pumps were supplied

IMIESA May 2014

23

WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

and then lifting the broken sections out of the harbour with the help of inflatable buoys.

• The construction of new quay sur face concrete.

• The design of several precast prestressed beams for a new jetty.

24

• The restoration of several onshore and offshore structures.

• The acquisition of a range of specialised fender systems as protection for the navy vessel hulls when they berth.

• The upgrade of the entire sewer system.

The harbour’s sewerage system has to be particularly robust and able to deal with major obstructions and rough conditions

TOP A combination of the two pump models served as an ideal solution for this demanding project

Pumps, pipes and valves

BELOW The Grundfos SL series is designed for the transfer of drainage and surface water, domestic, municipal and industrial

Engineering and environmental consulting firm Jeffares and Green were the principle designers and specifiers of the

IMIESA May 2014

entire project. The harbour’s sewerage system has to be par ticularly robust and able to deal major obstructions and rough conditions. The pipelines and pumps required exacting per formance standards, and DPI Trading were chosen to supply the equipment.

The company supplied the products to Cape Town-based pumping systems expert Vacuum and Fluid Technology, which was responsible for the installation of 16 new pump stations that featured a total of 30 heavy duty Grundfos sewerage pumps and 1.8 km of HDPE piping.

DPI Trading Western Cape external sales representative Charlene Curlewis explains: “A total of 26 Grundfos SLV and four Grundfos SE model pumps were supplied, together with 1.8 km of HDPE pipes manufactured by leading Southern African extruded pipe manufacturer Sangio.”

Power pumps Vacuum and Fluid Technology technical sales manager, Frans Pienaar, notes that the company’s scope of work for the project included full mechanical installation of the pump stations. “The Grundfos SLV and SE pumps were specified by the consulting engineer, as a result of their high motor efficiency and excellent per formance in aggressive operating environments”.

The Grundfos SL series is specifically designed for the transfer of drainage and sur face water, domestic, municipal and industrial wastewater, and process water.

The Grundfos SE range of pumps are ideally suited to wastewater, process water and unscreened raw sewage in heavy-duty municipal, utility and large flow industrial applications.

Curlewis points out that a combination of the two pump models ser ved as an ideal solution for this demanding project. “Both Grundfos models feature an S-tube impeller for applications that require long operating hours, handles up to three per cent dr y matter content, and have a spherical

SANRAL

free passage up to 100 mm.” So robust is the vortex impeller, it can handle ver y tough materials, such as boots, bottles and even steel objects.

Robust impeller The S-tube impeller is the only impeller on the market designed to cope with the challenges of modern wastewater with var ying dr y matter content. The simple and robust design of the S-tube impeller offers world-class hydraulic efficiency without compromising free passage. It is important to note that pumps are also designed for easy access during maintenance.

In this application, screen fronts were placed ahead of the inlet to minimise any future maintenance demands. A small drainage pump was also placed in each station to drain the water for better access.

Although they can run simultaneously should demand require this, the two pumps in each station run sequentially.

This is managed through a control panel, which also manages shut-offs should pressure increase beyond tolerance or should they run dr y. It works as follows: • all duty-standby • two pumps in each pump station • they take it in turns • they don’t run simultaneously unless demand requires • there is a control panel • each pump has an alarm • there is dr y-run protection, in which case, the alarm sounds; • and stops the pumps.

DPI Trading also supplied Vacuum and Fluid Technology with PN 10 pressure rated, 110 mm diameter HDPE piping products. “The PN 10 rating guarantees an optimal operating pressure at up to 10 bar. What’s more, HDPE is the ideal piping material for this highly corrosive application, as it boasts excellent corrosion-resistant characteristics and is highly durable”.

Dependable fusion The HDPE pipes were joined together by Vacuum and Fluid Technology using advanced plasson electrofusion fittings, supplied by DPI Trading. Plasson electrofusion fittings are part of a complete electrofusion smart system, whereby the entire electrofusion process is executed and fully monitored by a computerised control box to ensure safe, dependable connections. In simplistic terms the machine melts the pipe to securely affix the coupling with no weak spots.

“Plasson electrofusion fittings are specifically designed for reliable, high per formance pipe joining and a prolonged system lifespan. This automated system has been proven to be the most economical due to the low potential for operator error,” adds Curlewis.

Despite the numerous challenges associated with a project of this large-scale nature, Pienaar indicates that the Simon’s Town Harbour sewerage upgrade project was completed on time and within budget in late 2012. “Although the actual installation

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IMIESA May 2014

25

WATER AND WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT

The Grundfos SL series is designed for the transfer of drainage and surface water, whether domestic or municipal

processes were not time consuming, they had to be completed in intervals to minimise disruptions to the harbour, and this proved to be the largest operational challenge.”

26

Turnkey solutions Pienaar believes that the good working relationship between Vacuum and Fluid Technology and DPI Trading contributed to

the success of the project. “We have been doing business with DPI Trading for the past four years, and the partnership has proven to be mutually beneficial during this period, as the two companies have a good understanding of one another and complement each other well.”

Vacuum and Fluid Technology was established in 2004 and has 25 full-time employees that specialise in vacuum pump solutions. “We offer an entire turnkey solution to our clients, including; pump fabrication, piping fabrication and structural fabrication. We ser vice the full pump industr y, from specialised sectors such as wastewater management to the standard water industr y. With the continued upgrade of water infrastructure taking place across South Africa, I am confident that Vacuum and Fluid Technology can achieve measurable future growth,” says Pienaar.

IMIESA May 2014

Afrimat Limited is a leading black empowered open pit mining company providing an integrated product offering ranging from aggregates,

industrial

minerals,

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products (bricks, blocks and pavers) to readymix concrete.

Afrimat has established a strong foothold in contracting services comprising mobile crushing, screening,drilling and blasting.

Backed by more than 45 years’ experience, Afrimat listed on the JSE Limited in 2006. As part of its continued diversification strategy,

Building on the strength of Africa.

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The group’s capabilities enable Afrimat to service projects of any scale from major infrastructure and construction projects for state-owned

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IMESA

IMESA/CESA EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Call for Entries C AT E G O R I E S 1. Structures and Buildings 2. Water/Wastewater 3. Roads/Stormwater 4. Environmental 5. Community Upliftment

EXPLANATION Give recognition to well-engineered civil engineering projects for infrastructure.

Portray the art and science of civil engineering for infrastructure to the general public and indicate how the profession finds answers to challenges. The project must be in Southern Africa.

CLOSING DATE 11 JUNE 2014 (Only completed projects as at 28 June 2014 will be accepted for the Awards) ENTRY FORMS / AND AWARD CRITERIA Download from IMESA website www.imesa.org.za QUESTIONS Debbie Anderson – IMESA – 031 266 3263 • conference@imesa.org.za

IMESA

t +27 (031) 266 3263 f (031) 266 5094 www.imesa.org.za

t +27 (011) 463 2022 f +27 (011) 463 7383

www.cesa.co.za

STORMWATER

Smart solution for stormwater

Comprehensive pre-design modelling and the use of historical data from local authorities ensured the successful execution of emergency stormwater management at Virginia Airport (pictured above) in Durban.

A

T THE IMESA Conference, hosted in Port Elizabeth in October last year, Clinton Chrystal, Godfrey Vella and Randeer Kasserchun’s paper about an emergency stormwater upgrade for the Virginia Airport area, walked away with the Best Paper award. This article extracts and summarises some of the paper’s findings and conclusions. Chrystal’s presentation showcased leading municipal engineering practice that can serve as a valuable case study for other municipalities.

Accumulation of stormwater at Virginia Airport Virginia Airport is located at the bottom of a large urban catchment in Durban North, KwaZulu-Natal. According to Chrystal, sections of this area are characterised by steep slopes and high runoff amounts, because of impervious pavements.

“The resulting stormwater runoff during flooding events produces volumes that exceed the current stormwater infrastructure capacity, which is designed for a one-inten-year storm return interval.”

28

IMIESA May 2014

Essentially, all stormwater runoff then becomes overland flow, as it cannot enter the stormwater network. This overland flow accumulates at Virginia Airport, where three urban catchment areas merge, subsequently flooding the connecting road infrastructure and flowing into the airport buildings.

In addition to this challenge, the stormwater infrastructure is hampered by the constriction of the beach culvert outlet, which provides the exit point for the runoff into the ocean. Marine sediments constrict the culvert exit point during tidal cycles and accumulate in the culvert, preventing it from optimal functioning.

The engineers had to model the catchment area in detail and design a process that will alter the stormwater discharge characteristics, to mitigate flooding at the airport, which causes significant safety risks and damage to property.

Comprehensive modelling – foundation for project success The engineering team investigated flood patterns through GIS technology and developed

a comprehensive stormwater management model (SWMM), which formed a critical component of the success of the overall project.

Field data identified two main flooding patterns: the ingress of sand and other marine sediments into the outfall culvert, as well as overland flow.

“The modelling needed to determine whether the blocked outfall was the main cause for the overland flow or whether infrastructure capacity was exceeded first, exacerbating the problem of the culvert,” says Chrystal.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s SWMM model was selected and set up for the entire catchment area. The outcome of the modelling indicated that the engineering team needed to follow a twofold approach to design and construction: first, to extend the culvert to prevent marine ingress blocking; and second, to alter the time characteristics of the runoff flow.

“Had we only extended the culvert under the airport, it may have helped, but in all probability it would not have prevented future flooding. In many projects, modelling only

STORMWATER

assists in the design phase, but in this project it highlighted the need for a pre-design modelling approach. Further to that we recognised the importance of using existing data during design,” Chrystal explains.

Multilateral design approach The first design approach to reroute the three stormwater pipes into a large dry detention pond wasn’t feasible because the pond size, limited by the circumference of the road network and the high groundwater table, would not reduce flooding.

The second approach was to use the hydraulic model to investigate mitigation scenarios to find an optimum flow pattern, incorporating new stormwater sections and various attenuation options. “We followed a multilateral approach to the design,” says Chrystal.

The first step (A and B in graphic, p.30) was to lower the ground by 1.5 to 2.5 m and construct two dry detention ponds, of 10 000 m3 and 2 000 m3 each. The bank slopes were increased and a multi-cell embankment, stabilised with grass, was used to combat the high groundwater table.

In Part C the engineers had to be inventive to ensure that the pond remains dry and only functions during high rainfall events.

The new 1 200 mm stormwater pipe (D) system flowed into a dual manhole chamber.

During low flow volumes, the water would be redirected in the manhole chamber via a constriction point into the existing stormwater system. However, when the flow rates exceeded the threshold during high rainfall,

the water would be diverted into the pond.

In addition, the engineers made alterations to the overland flow (F) to divert the surface flow on the street to a small stormwater system that fed into the smaller dry pond (B).

“The combination of these inter ventions provided the optimum flood mitigation for the lower catchment area,” says Chrystal. The key finding was that if the timing of the flows of the three main stormwater pipes could be managed, the surcharging manholes would be significantly reduced. The detention pond’s main objective was therefore to retain the central stormwater pipe discharge into the pond, while the northern and southern runoffs pass through. The stored volumes enter the existing system, after these peak runoffs are fed through.

The design of the culvert extension was based on previous monitoring of local authorities. “Data that was collected between 1993 and 2009, to draw up a beach profile, indicated that the culvert extension had to be 48 m, exceeding the 90th percentile of maintaining an open culvert,” says Chrystal.

“If we only used a beach profile based on 2012 data, a 20 m extension seawards

would have appeared satisfactory. If the beach profile were done after the project commenced, the culvert would have been too short. We learned the value of using existing and well-documented data prior to design and construction,” says Chrystal.

Construction – community and environment considerations The community played an ing construction, through stakeholder engagement their specific needs, and

active role durcomprehensive to determine creating direct

TOP Virginia Airport catchment, flooding of buildings, and culvert blockings due to sediments ABOVE Culvert into the sea

IMIESA May 2014

29

STORMWATER

job oppor tunities.

In addition, environmental best practice was considered at all times. For the detention pond to be aesthetically pleasing to the community and enhance the green zone of the area, the contract included the planting of grass and replanting of two large existing fig trees and twenty new ones along the streets to replace alien vegetation.

Although the overall construction project was fairly simple, the control point of the detention pond presented some challenges and innovation. “It required the construction of a large chamber to incorporate the control constriction opening and link into the existing stormwater system. The high groundwater table and higher-than-average rainfall complicated construction”. Because of the high velocities exiting the chamber into the pond, an extensive breakdown system had to be constructed.

To date, the control chamber has been functioning well, although an extensive rainstorm will determine the full functionality of the dry detention pond. The velocity and flow rates, resulting from the steep catchment slope, have created problems. However, with minor augmentations post-construction,

30

IMIESA May 2014

the scouring of the grass is now expected to be insignificant. The project illustrated that pre-design modelling is critical to ensure the overall successful implementation of a project. In addition to that, the ongoing collection of data – be it a survey, rainfall flow or beach profile measurements – is critical.

“Often, historical data-sets are overlooked in municipal budgets, until the importance of this data is realised in hindsight.

Municipal engineers have a responsibility to approach a project holistically to ensure that tax payers’ money is well spent, in a useful and constructive manner,” Chrystal concludes.

TOP An overview of the Virginia Airport project site BELOW Multi-lateral approach to flooding mitigation

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PANEL DISCUSSION

INT TRO ODUCTION TO THE PANEL L DISC CUSS SION N

There is no doubt that lack of expertise and unqualified staff play a huge role in the challenges facing municipalities today.

VER R THE E PA A S T D E CA A D E, much attention has been devoted to the engineering, scientific and technological aspects of wastewater treatment in South Africa. More recently, attention has been redirected to assess the per formance and compliance status of wastewater treatment facilities, and to identify the challenges and root causes that underpin poor per formance.

A Water Research Commission study done in partnership with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) found that 44% of studied wastewater treatment plants may have opted for less suitable technologies when considering their resource base and their capacity to manage and provide effluent-quality requirements, whereas 33% of the technology options were questionable.

With this fact now in the public domain, the opportunity for water and wastewater treatment plant manufacturers, chemical producers and suppliers, technologies and maintenance programmes are growing, with municipalities under increasing pressure to deliver to their constituents.

IMIESA May 2014

33

PANEL DISCUSSION

WATE ER AN ND WASTEW WATER MANAGEMENT, MAINTENANCE E AND DELIVE ERY Y Remy Jaffray | General Manager | Degrémont

D

escribe your company’s specialty products and/or services Degrémont is a worldwide water company with a local presence for more than 30 years in South Africa.

Degrémont has four areas of activity: • design and build • operation and maintenance • equipment and technologies • BOT (build, operate and transfer).

Where in the supply chain of water supply and management industry (WSMI) do these products and services fit in? The scope of activities at Degrémont goes from simply

providing equipment to the complete tailor-made turnkey project. We are able to cover the full field of water management.

What are the main challenges facing South Africa’s WSMI? The main challenges are the risk of water shortage and the need to optimise the water treatment assets operation.

What is unique about the company’s offering?

Degrémont can answer any query in the water treatment market and always provides high-performance solutions.

We can offer specific solutions for any challenge. One of Degrémont’s products, the

Minibloc AP, is suitable for the treatment of wastewater produced in small villages not connected to sanitation collectors, as well as domestic effluent from industries, hypermarkets, schools, bathing areas, rural tourism and hospitals. This compact modular solution was designed to be easily adapted to customer needs. It is available in a range of applications for a population equivalent from 100 to 500 people, and an installation can be designed in parallel for capitations above the top of the range.

What specialist services does the company offer?

Due to our broad scope of in-house skills, Degrémont can deal with any issue in water

management: audit, turnkey contract, operation and maintenance, and PPP. We have no restriction.

Does the company add to the industry’s need for improved asset management, and if so, how? Some 20 million people are served by drinking-water facilities operated by Degrémont and more than 26 million are served by wastewater treatment facilities operated by Degrémont. Based on this experience, we developed tailormade services for our partners to assist and support them for the day-to-day operation to implement the best practices and extend the lifetime of their assets.

Operation and maintenance is part of our core business and we are able to share our know-how with our clients and make sure that all their assets are well managed. We provide audit, asset management assistance, full water delegate contracts and we always find the best scenario to adapt our offer to our partner.

The Minibloc AP300 in Santa Margarida do Sado, Portugal typifies the versatility of the Minibloc product, which Degrémont can customise to suit a range of smaller capitations

34

IMIESA May 2014

PANEL DISCUSSION

Critical challenges exist in South Africa’s WSMI, from aging infrastructure to a shortage of skills.

How does the company view these challenges and what does it offer as solutions? You are right, it is clearly the main challenge of WSMI: most of the plants are old and need to be refurbished or extended. At the same time, the standard has become more binding, implying improved performances. Degrémont has developed technical, highly efficient solutions allowing for improved performances and capacities with limited new civil work investment, for example. Our low-footprint technologies give us the opportunity to extend existing plants while optimising capex.

What is unique about the company’s products and/ or services? For 70 years, Degrémont has been exclusively focused on water treatment worldwide. We have great experience that we can share with our partners. Whatever the challenge is, we have usually already found an adequate solution somewhere in the world.

According to the Department of Water’s national strategy, we are set to see a major increase in infrastructure and service provisioning from the private sector from the present until at least 2030. Is the company ready to service and provide for this increase?

This is one of the main aims of Degrémont. We wish that the Department of Water gives us the opportunity to support the country in its water policy. We are convinced that the publicprivate partnership is a very good solution to guarantee good performance for a competitive price. Suez Environnement already did it recently and we are ready to do it again.

What needs to change in the industry to see the above-mentioned investment goal realised? We have massive experience in water treatment all over the world and specifically in PPP. We have already experimented with many different solutions successfully.

We expect that water compa-

nies, like Degrémont, could be considered as a partner rather than only a supplier. There are always different ways to succeed and we would like to be allowed to propose our alternative approach.

Describe the company’s position as a partner to the public sector in ensuring water security for South Africa in the medium and long terms. Degrémont is ready to be involved in public-private partnership on a long-term basis in South Africa. On the technical side, Degrémont can provide plenty of innovative solutions to achieve the required standards, manage the by-products and optimise energy consumption.

IMIESA May 2014

35

Degrémont, a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, is the world specialist in the design and construction of water treatment plants and an important contributor towards sustainable development.

Degrémont, a subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, is the world specialist in water treatment plants and as such makes an important contribution towards sustainable development.

COMMITTED TOGETHER TO WATER, A SOURCE OF LIFE

Degrémont’s subsidiary in South Africa previously trading as AQUAZUR, is committed to keep plants running smoothly.

The objectives of Dégremont’s Spares Department are mainly to supply the needs of its clients with • The best and affordable quality spares, as per the original designs • Delivering the spares within the best specified delivery period

For PULSATOR Settling tank or similar • Baffles • Lamellar blocks and plates • GRP pipes • Vacuum Fan For AQUAZUR V & T Filters or similar • Nozzles, Washers & Grommets • Partialisation Valves • Clack Valves • Silica Filter Media • Siphon • Slab mould Other Spare parts • Chemical dosing pump • Various pumps • Various valves • Pipes (GRP, Fibreglass, PVC, Steel) • Instrumentation • Air diffuser • Mixer • Membranes • Screening

DESIGN AND SUPPLY OF SPARE PARTS THE WATER TREATMENT SPECIALISTS For this and other Degrémont water treatment plant equipment, contact George van der Merwe, Technical mngr | george.van.der.merwe@degremont.co.za Mornay de Vos, Business Development Manager | mornay.de.vos@degremont.co.za

Tel: +27 (0) 11 807 1983

Fax: +27 (0)10 591 5095 IMIESA April 2014 35

www.degremont.co.za

SIZABANTU PIPING SYSTEMS supplies a

We supply MOLECOR O-PVC Pipes up to 630 mm 25 bar!

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comprehensive range of quality piping & drainage solutions to the Agricultural,

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PANEL DISCUSSION

WATE ER AN ND WASTEW WATER MANAGEMENT, MAINTENANCE E AND DELIVE ERY Y Michael Nortier | MD | Sizabantu Piping Systems North West (Pty) Ltd Describe your company’s specialty products and/or services MN We are distributors of a comprehensive range of predominantly plastic piping solutions to the civil infrastructural, agricultural and industrial markets in Southern Africa.

Where in the supply chain of the water supply and management industry (WSMI) do these products and services fit in? The bulk-water pipelines, potable water reticulations and water-purification plants.

What are the main challenges facing South Africa’s WSMI? • Addressing the future water requirements of the country (planning of dams, purification works, etc.)

• maintaining the current distribution, reticulation and purification plants • addressing the “under delivery” of these services to the community • addressing the skill shortages and level of competency within the government and municipal structures responsible for executing the backlog in services.

What is unique about the company’s offering?

Our unique offerings are that: • we offer a complete quality piping solution to the civil infrastructural market • the products have an international proven track record, are user friendly (especially for the “emerging contractors”), require little maintenance and give the consulting engineers and specifiers peace of mind • the introduction of the

latest cost-effective, international technology to the market.

What specialist services does the company offer? We offer the following services: • assisting consulting engineers and specifiers with the most appropriate product for the application • on-site installation, training and support • on-time delivery.

How do the company’s service level agreements complement the intricacies of this primary resource? We have established a good “footprint” in Southern Africa, with nine strategically placed operations, managed and supported by some of the most experienced personnel in our industry.

Does the company add to the industry’s need for improved asset management, and if so, how? Yes, we do this by: • recommending the correct product required for the application (fit for purpose/ most cost-effective option) • carrying strategically placed stock to support and service the market • offering maintenance-free, user-friendly products.

Critical challenges exist in South Africa’s WDMI, from aging infrastructure to a shortage of skills. How does the company view these challenges and what does it offer as solutions?

• We are continually researching and introducing products

that are economically viable, user-friendly (less skill required) easy to maintain and easy to repair.

• we offer product training (skills development) • a critical challenge that is out of our control and deteriorating is the level of competence within the government and municipal structures, where there is a lack of skills to manage projects (which is the cause of the “non-deliver y of ser vices”) • paying contractors/suppliers timeously, which is impacting on contractors' ability to perform.

What needs to change in the industry in order to see the above-mentioned investment goal realised? Many things need to change, such as: • improvement of competency levels within the government and municipal structures • out-sourcing of projects to competent consulting/ project management companies, who can assist with the expediting of the ser vices • cleaning up tender corruption within the government/ municipalities and eliminat-

Wee are strrateggically welll placedd, with the coorrect baskket off apppropriaate tecchnnologyy prooducts, whiich satissfy thhe neeedss of thhe inndustryy What is unique about the company’s products and /or services?

The introduction of new appropriate technology products, which satisfies the needs of the emerging contractor and engineering fraternity, giving a long, trouble-free service life.

According to the Department of Water’s national strategy, we are set to see a major increase in infrastructure and service provisioning from the private sector, from the present until at least 2030. Is the company ready to service and provide for this increase? Yes, we are strategically well placed, with the correct basket of appropriate technology products, which satisfy the needs of the industry.

ing awarding contracts to incompetent contractors • not accepting sub-standard products that are not fit for purpose • bringing respectability back into the industr y.

Describe the company’s position as a partner to the public sector in ensuring water security for South Africa in the medium and long term We are able to: • address the needs of the industr y with the continual introduction of appropriate technology products • supply product training (skills development) • introduce locally manufactured, new technology products • support the engineering fraternity with reliable, quality products and ser vices.

IMIESA May 2014

37

MILAN - ITALY

Wastewater sludge drying and thermal valorization

Impianti e Processi S.p.A. Via Curiel, 252 - 20089 Rozzano (MI) ITALY

commerciale@vomm.it - www.vomm.it

PANEL DISCUSSION

WATE ER AN ND WASTEW WATER MANAGEMENT, MAINTENANCE E AND DELIVE ERY Y Stefano Cattaneo | Regional Business Manager | VOMM Impianti e Processi

D

escribe your company’s specialty products and/or services SC VOMM, founded

in Italy in 1969, is a world-wide leader in engineering and the construction of process plants such as drying, concentration, granulation, crystallisation, cooking, kneading, etc. In more than 40 years of activity we expanded our presence in different sectors: environmental, food, chemical, oil and gas, and pharmaceutical. The most important application of VOMM, patented “Turbo Technology”, is in the environmental sector to treat wastewater, municipal and industrial sludge. For this application we successfully delivered more than 150 drying plants in 25 different countries and for some of them we are also taking care of the O&M. Today, VOMM is structured as a holding company and specialised companies: VOMM Impianti e Processi providing engineering and construction services, VOMM Service providing commissioning, start-up, supervision and O&M services and GeoTeck specialised in design and construction of sludge and biomass combustion systems.

Where in the supply chain of water supply and management industry (WSMI) do these products and services fit in? Within the wastewater sector, VOMM technology finds its application in mechanical dewatering of sludge generated during the wastewater treatment process with the key role of transforming what can be an annoying product, that is expensive to eliminate, into a viable resource. VOMM drying technology provides a microgranulated product, with a high

degree of dryness, usable as a fuel or a pelletised product easy to handle and appropriate to use in agriculture as fertiliser.

How do the company’s service level agreements complement the intricacies of this primary resource? VOMM,

What are the main challenges facing South Africa’s WSMI? South Africa

in partnership with EnviRemed Technology South Africa, are able build, commission, run and train staff to operate and service these plants. VOMM is flexible and able to set up service level agreements to suit the client’s needs.

still has instances of sludge running into waterways and dams, or dumped on open land or landfills, causing major problems in terms of pollution as well as being a serious health risk. With the sewage network in expansion and treatment plants upgrading, the safe and sanitised elimination of sludge will become more and more of an issue.

What is unique about the company’s offering?

VOMM places more than 40 years’ experience in sludge drying at our clients’ disposal.

Our technicians are able to understand the peculiarities of each project and suggest the best customised solution as well as designing a state-of-theart industrial plant, so that it can operate it at its best.

What specialist service does the company offer?

VOMM is able to provide all consultancy and engineering services in the environmental sector, and in particular: customised process solutions, feasibility studies, basic and detail engineering, manufacturing, procurement and construction, installation, commissioning and start-up, operation and maintenance, and R&D to jointly develop innovative process solutions with our clients.

In terms of our thermal drying facility, we are able to say that the VOMM solution is a reliable, compact, safe, flexible solution that is also a highly energyefficient one.

Does the company add to the industry’s need for improved asset management, and if so, how?

These plants can be monitored off-site through our office with automatic shutdown in case of emergency. Reports on the plants performance can be generated on-site or be submitted for evaluation and discussion at our off-site office.

Critical challenges exist in South Africa’s WDMI, from aging infrastructure to a shortage of skills.

How does the company view these challenges and what does it offer as solutions? The implementation of new technologies and the increasing level of competences of personnel is the normal evolution of the market, we have experience in such development because we already led these changes in other countries in Europe and elsewhere. We know how to train people and develop local competences.

According to the Department of Water’s national strategy, we will see a major increase in infrastructure and service provisioning from the private sector until at least 2030. Is the com-

pany ready to service and provide for this increase?

Privatisation in the water and wastewater sector is very common, France was the first country to implement privatisation in the 19th century, and later on many other countries implemented privatisation mainly through private-public partnership in the form of a management contract, a lease or a long-term concession contract.

So we are used to taking part in the privatisation framework as subcontractors or in direct relationship with local government, such as in Bahrain where we are in direct contact with the Ministry of Works to supply industrial plants and full O&M services to wastewater dewatering and drying plants.

What needs to change in the industry in order to see the above-mentioned investment goals realised?

To implement a sustainable and successful privatisation process, the most important changes are not in the industrial sector but in the legislative framework that must define clear roles and responsibilities between the parties involved.

Then the industry will follow and will adapt to take part in the show.

Describe the company’s position as a partner to the public sector in ensuring water security for South Africa in the medium and long terms As we have already said before, VOMM is not involved in water security, what we are doing in other countries, and what we are willing to do here in South Africa, is to bring our experience to minimise the environmental impact of sludge and turning a waste into a source of additional water and a reusable product.

IMIESA May 2014

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PANEL DISCUSSION

WATE ER AN ND WASTEW WATER MAN NAGEMENT T, MAINTE ENANCE AN ND DELIVERY Marius van Aardt | MD | Sembcorp Silulumanzi

D

escribe your company’s specialty products and/or services MVA

Sembcorp Silulumanzi is part of the Sembcorp Industries Group, headquartered in Singapore. Its core businesses are water and power utilities, urban development and marine engineering.

Sembcorp Silulumanzi has a 30-year concession contract with the Mbombela Local Municipality for the rendering of water and wastewater ser vices inclusive of customer ser vices. The concession is in its 15th year.

Where in the supply chain of water supply and management industry (WSMI) do these products and services fit in? We operate across the entire water and wastewater cycle, from raw water abstraction, treatment, storage and distribution, to retail ser vices and customers. Similarly, on the wastewater side we collect the wastewater, treat it to standard and discharge back to the environment. Functions include capital investment, operations and maintenance, and customer ser vices.

What are the main challenges facing South Africa’s WSMI? Lack of skills and capacity in the municipalities, lack of bylaw enforcement, bureaucracy in supply-chain management in municipalities, funding shortages and low revenue collection levels in municipalities.

There is a lack of accountability and increasing water shortages caused by increased pollution, high non-revenue water (NRW) and wastage.

What is unique about the company’s offering?

Our combination of global best practice in the management of utility ser vices and access to funding and expertise make our offering unique.

What specialist services does the company offer? We specialise in all aspects of water and wastewater management, from “source-to-tap” and “toilet-to-environment”.

How do the company’s service level agreements complement the intricacies of this primary resource? The concession agreement contains clear and measurable key process areas, and key process indicators for which we are accountable. These are reviewed ever y five years in a comprehensive contractual review.

Does the company add to the industry’s need for improved asset management, and if so, how? Proper asset management is one of our core functions. Managing underground utility networks (so-called “pipes and wires business”) requires special skills, experience and tools. The core of our concession agreement is the proper management of the assets and typical activities in this regard include: • master planning • operations • maintenance • facilities management • capital investment • customer ser vices • asset management: stores inventories, electronic job scheduling, asset registers, asset change control, etc.

Tools we use include a comprehensive customer information system (not simply a billing system), telemetr y and SCADA, a 24-hour control room, GIS-based geospatial asset quer y tools, and engineering planning and design software.

Critical challenges exist in South Africa’s water distribution and management industry, from aging infrastructure to a shortage of skills. How does the company view these challenges and what does it offer as solutions? This is exactly the space we operate in and we specialise in addressing these challenges. We can offer skills and experience, global best practise and funding, all of which come with a track record which speaks for itself.

According to the Department of Water’s national strategy, we are set to see a major increase in infrastructure and service provisioning from the private sector until at least 2030. Is the company ready to service and provide for this increase? Sembcorp is keen to expand its ser vices in South Africa which it sees as an attractive growth market for the future. Sembcorp is ready to assist government in addressing the ser vice-backlog issues in the countr y with the capacity, skills, funding and experience it has.

What needs to change in the industry in order to see the abovementioned investment

goal realised? Enabling legislation has been in place for a long time to promote PPP projects.

What is lacking is a political will to open the water sector for these types of projects. It is already being done extensively in the electricity, health care, and transportation sectors.

Furthermore, skills within the client bodies to develop these complex long-term projects are lacking, and here we would like to see the formation of a body or team of professionals appointed by government to assist municipalities with this process.

The ver y successful renewable energy procurement process currently under way, under the auspices of the DOE, is a sterling example of what can be done.

Describe the company’s position as a partner to the public sector in ensuring water security for South Africa in the medium and long terms In these long-term PPP arrangements, we see ourselves as an extension of the municipality. The partnership should be nurtured on an ongoing basis, and any emerging dispute dealt with in an open-trust relationship.

For this to work, both parties should have equal skills and experience to manage a PPP contract successfully.

For this, we recommend a properly skilled and resourced concession-monitoring unit, independent from both parties, to be established as part of the contractual arrangement. Typical skills and experience required in such a unit will be legal, contractual and commercial.

IMIESA May 2014

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I N N O V A T I V E

W A S T E W A T E R

T R E A T M E N T

YOU URGENTLY NEED: Specialist knowledge on wastewater management Complete professional solutions to wastewater problems

BACKED BY 20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE, ERWAT BRINGS YOU: Expertise and experience in all aspects of wastewater Consultation, sourcing and facilitation of services to address your needs SANAS 17025 accredited laboratory analysis Value-added service at affordable prices

Why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you contact us today? t 011 929 7000

f 011 929 7031

mail@erwat.co.za

www.erwat.co.za

PANEL DISCUSSION

WATE ER AN ND WASTEW WATER MAN NAGEMENT T, MAINTE ENANCE AN ND DELIVERY Mikgane Tsotetsi | Executive Manager | ERWAT Commercial Business | ERWAT

D

escribe your company’s specialty products and/or services ERWAT offers innovative wastewater solutions to all nine provinces in South Africa through its commercial division known as ERWAT Commercial Business (ERCOM). Although ERWAT has traditionally established itself as a service provider to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), ERCOM seeks to develop business in and outside Ekurhuleni’s boundaries.

ERCOM’s key product offerings include consulting, sourcing and facilitation of services such as plant operations, plant technical maintenance and asset management, water quality, performance and compliance monitoring, plant audits, Green Drop fasttracking as well as total water plant management .

ERCOM is, and aspires to be, involved in a wide variety of market segments. These markets include all spheres of government as well as industries, such as automotive, mining and minerals, food and beverage, petrochemical, steel, paper, textiles and dyes.

Where in the supply chain of water supply and management industry (WSMI) do these products and services fit in? ERCOM is underpinned by sustainability and therefore we believe in a “cradle to grave” approach. Our products are tailored to fit in from natural resource abstraction to natural resource discharge. There are many activities in between and the recycling of water and reuse become a focal point in our delivery.

What are the main challenges facing South Africa’s WSMI? Evaporation of rain water is very high and that lowers fresh water supply. Our history of poor infrastructure – especially for the rural areas and townships – and increased urban migration put pressure on current and new infrastructure. These factors may impact the quality of discharge.

Another aspect is the low level of discharge compliance, which pressurises the wastewater treatment works and may possibly pollute natural resources. There is, however, tight legislation and enforcement surrounding this issue. Previous mining activities pose a threat, especially around Gauteng.

What is unique about the company’s offering?

ERWAT is rich in expertise, focusing on cost reduction and quality effluent. With the increasing cost of managing wastewater, ERWAT's leadingedge technology presents a cost-effective, environmentally sound water care solution.

ERWAT strives to improve the utilisation of existing infrastructure and makes optimum use of all its resources.

ERWAT provides practical, strategic solutions by offering a top-level science and engineering structure, and an excellent technical supervisory structure that will ensure effective implementation, management and operational control at a functionary level.

It also offers internal auditing that will peruse the functional efficiency of each area within the organisation, in terms of the Blue Drop and Green Drop certification programmes.

ERWAT invests in R&D through major South African

universities. As an example, the University of Stellenbosch is currently looking into some research on our behalf, and to the benefit of our country.

How do the company’s service level agreements complement the intricacies of this primary resource? Our service level agreements (SLAs) are structured in such a way that high-quality effluent is to be produced for discharge, compliance and recycle or reuse purposes. ERWAT has developed intrinsic systems to deliver on promises and, therefore, our SLAs reflect this. Protecting our primary resources is of paramount importance.

Does the company add to the industry’s need for improved asset management, and if so, how? ERWAT is very serious about asset management and maintenance, and deals with it at executive management level.

ERWAT provides specialised EWSETA-accredited training with a practical hands-on section, which benefits the industry at large.

According to the Department of Water’s national strategy, we are set to see a major increase in infrastructure and service provisioning from the private sector until at least 2030. Is the company ready to service and provide for this increase?

ERWAT has been ready and is still ready for such assistance.

We have the advantage of being able to deal with many complex projects at the same time. The research investments made over the years have surely paid

off and will continue to do so.

ERWAT is most excited about the DWA’s strategy.

What needs to change in the industry in order to see the above-mentioned investment goal realised?

The National Development Plan (NDP) has widely been accepted as a strategy document. The reliant and continuous reference from organs of state and private industry will increase the belief in the NDP exponentially and boost investor confidence, due to a common national vision or blueprint.

Describe the company’s position as a partner to the public sector in ensuring water security for South Africa in the medium and long terms ERWAT is an indigenous South African wastewater company, established in 1992 as a Section 21 company. Although a municipal entity of the EMM, it operates nationally in various private industries and municipalities.

ERWAT provides bulk wastewater conveyance and wastewater treatment services to some 2 000 industries and more than 3.5 million people who have access to sanitation services.

It is currently custodian of 19 wastewater care works, treating a combined capacity of some 696 megalitres of wastewater per day. ERWAT handles about 200 tonnes of dry solids per day. It furthermore handles some 5 000 samples and conducts some 12 000 analysis per month in its SANAS accredited laboratory.

All of these competencies and expertise enable ERWAT to be the ideal partner in pursuing water security for South Africa in the medium and long term.

IMIESA May 2014

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PANEL DISCUSSION

WATER R AND WASTEWA ATER MA ANAGEM MENT T, MAINT TEN NANCE AND DEL LIVERY Y Noel Bessler | Sales Director • Peet Venter | Product Sales Manager Osborn Engineered Products SA S BOR RN IS A M EMB B ER R O F the Astec Industries group of companies. Listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, all but three of the eighteen companies are American-based and manufacture equipment for the aggregate, mining, asphalt and utilities industries.

In this panel discussion, Noel Bessler and Peet Venter focus on two key product lines with specific application in the water sector: horizontal directional drills (HDD) and auger boring equipment.

Describe your company’s specialty products and/or services The two product lines we are focusing on here include the trenchless applications and trenching equipment. Osborn is the Southern African dealer in directional drilling for both American Augers and Toro.

We also distribute the Trencor trenching and surface mining equipment which is part of American Augers.

Where in the supply chain of water supply and management industry (WSMI) do these products and services fit in? Toro’s range is specialised for the trenchless industry.

Toro specialises in smaller directional drilling equipment up to 18 tonnes and comprise a larger machine – the Toro DD4045 – and the smaller DD2024. They too offer small ride-on and walk-behind trenching equipment. American Augers produces horizontal directional drilling equipment from 45 up to 450 tonnes.

Also part of their offering is

the auger boring equipment for the larger diameter trenchless market with models from the 24/30-150 up to 84/96 – 1800, which is 84” to 96” diameter bores with 1,8 million pounds of thrust. Gefco is another Astec company product which is offered for vertical water well drilling, aimed at the larger end of the drilling equipment market.

What is unique about the company’s offering? Taken as whole, it is clear that Osborn is able to provide the water industry with an amazingly broad spectrum of specialised machinery and equipment. All the equipment that Osborn deals in has unique features that yield optimal results and are designed for ease of maintenance.

Our machines consistently deliver any size trench or tunnel employing the latest in technological design.

What is unique about the company’s products and/or services?

Concentrating on the HDD equipment,the main feature that differentiates the Toro DD2024 and DD4045 is the use of three separate hydraulic pumps: one for thrust, one for rotation and the third for everything else. All the other similar machines on the market use just one hydraulic pump across all applications. The main benefits of the three pumps are: • Access to full power all the time. Customers find, during operations, that there is no loss of power, regardless of the application.

• The Toro range has several applications, including water, sanitation, fibre-optic cables and electrical reticulation.

The D2024 is exactingly designed for the drilling of smaller pipelines up to 550mm. With productivity as a distinguishing feature, the two-speed floating carriage moves at 36.6 metres per minute at high speed to decrease cycle time and reduce operator fatigue. Powered by the Cummins B3.3, the turbocharged diesel engine’s 61.9 kW delivers up to 9.07 tonnes of consistent thrust/pullback and best-in-categor y 3 354 Nm rotary torque for reliable performance in all conditions.

The DD4045 is designed for consistent and powerful performance. Its two-speed floating carriage moves at 46 m/min to decrease cycle time when adding and removing pipe from the spindle. Powered by a Cummins QSB4.5 turbocharged diesel engine with 119 kW, the DD4045 delivers 18 tonnes of consistent thrust and pullback and 6 101 Nm of torque.

A key feature of the DD4045 is the quad rack and pinion carriage design which spreads the carriage load evenly for smooth and stable travel.

Unlike its competitors, the carriage gear track is welded, not bolted to the frame for long-lasting durability. Stability is a crucial component when operating horizontal directional drills and the DD4045 achieves this through its dual

outriggers’ unique reverse design, providing superior stability during pullback.

• American Augers directional drills. These machines range from 40 tonnes to 450 tonnes. RS1100 is the biggest machine in world and can drill up to an incredible 4.5 km All the machines in this range can be held in place by piling – a process in which piles are knocked into the ground – or by bolting the anchor plate into a cement foundation. Unique to these machines are the separable and pivotable anchor plates, which can be rotated and planted ahead, thus much time can be saved.

Further, because the rack gears are welded to the boom – as opposed to bolted down – the machines deliver a more stable thrust.

The machines are designed for service ability, with all the hydraulic valves and filters easily accessible. Of interest is that contractors in the Chinese market have started using this range which is notewor-

DD D202 24 SPEC CIFIICATION NS Dimensions Length: 526 cm Width: 131 cm Height: 188 Weight: 3856 kg Power Engine: Cummins B3.3 Turbo liquid-cooled diesel engine Gross power rating: 55 kW Displacement: 3.3 litres

D4 4045 5 SP PECIIFIC CATIO ONS S Toro Toro DD4045 DD2024 EsƟmated maximum distance

396 metres

182 metres

EsƟmated diameter

558 mm

355

OperaƟonal weight

9.072 tonnes

4.763 tonnes

Dimensions Length: 653 cm Width: 216 cm Height: 219 cm Weight: 7 920 kg (ex. drill pipe) Power Engine: Cummins QSB4.5 liquid-cooled diesel engine Gross power rating: 119 kW Displacement: 4.5 litres

IMIESA May 2014

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PANEL DISCUSSION

thy considering the wealth of equipment produced by the Chinese themselves.

Now we have discussed the HDD and the auger equipment, what about Osborn’s trenching equipment?

• The Trencor range This range consists of mechanical drive chain trenchers that cross a range of capacities starting with the T1 up to the T7. Starting with a depth of 1m (T1), the T7 can go down to 9m. The width starts from 0.4m (T1) up to 1.8 m on the T7. The operating weight starts at 38 tonnes on the T1 up to 147 tonnes on the T7.

What is special about these machines is that they use a mechanical drive which delivers full power to the trencher.

American Augers DD10

The four-speed gearbox is mechanical, which allows the operator to run it at less than full RPM, unlike the hydraulically driven types. Thus, these units are able to deliver full torque at the chain. They dig from 0.35m to 1.5m in width and up to 10 m deep, making them ideal for larger diameter pipelines.

• The Toro range This range consists of two models: the RT600 and RT1200.

The RT600 can trench up to 0.5m deep and 0.30m wide, while the RT1200 can trench up to 1.5m deep and 4.1m wide.

What specialist services does the company offer? Our machines are specialist machines, the range is comprehensive and we believe that there would be few environments and requirements we could not meet. We carry parts

and service all our products, ensuring that quality assurance remains an extremely important aspect of Osborn’s everyday activities.

How do the company’s service level agreements complement the intricacies of this primary resource? Osborn has a local distribution network with sales staff working out of the head office and factory at Elandsfontein, Boksburg, with branches in Cape Town, Durban, Witbank and soon to be Northern Cape.

The company views Africa as a strategic growth market for its products and services. The extensive, modern manufacturing facilities at Elandsfontein are supported by strong procurement, expediting and management functions to ensure contracts are fulfilled and equipment commis-

sioned on time. Osborn also demonstrates responsible environmental management and is committed to prevention of pollution and continual improvement with regard to the environment.

Describe the company’s position as a partner to the public sector in ensuring water security for South Africa in the medium and long terms.

Osborn is committed to the advancement of South Africa’s previously disadvantaged communities, and has established an employment equity policy through which it can assist these individuals within a structured programme and against set targets.

In addition, where possible, Osborn subcontracts to small, medium and micro-enterprises as well as black empowerment companies.

The company views Africa as a strategic growth market for its products and services

IMIESA May 2014

47

SAFETY, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY

Employees exposed to risk or potential risk while working are required to wear PPE

T

Equipping employees with the right PPE

HE OHS ACT states that any employees working in a situation where they may be exposed to risk or potential risk are required to wear PPE. There is dual responsibility for wearing PPE. In the first instance, the employer is obliged to provide the PPE and in the second instance, the employee is obliged to wear PPE. Negligence by either party to comply with the OHS Act can result in prosecution.

The issue, however, is that often employers are not aware of the correct choice of PPE for their specific circumstances. With such a wide variety of products available on the market, how does one know that the PPE is up to the task at hand?

to encapsulate greater safety standards, determining which PPE is required and formalising a training programme.”

PPE is typically stipulated where it has been determined that its use will lessen the likelihood of occupational injur y or illness. It may be used to reduce or minimise the exposure or contact with injurious physical, chemical, ergonomic, or biological agents.

It is not only a moral obligation, but more critically a legal imperative, that organisations provide their employees with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Auditing risk It is evident that work-related hazards and risks need to be identified in order to establish the necessar y precautionar y measures. A risk assessment could prove

to be a valuable tool in this regard. It could basically be described as a careful examination of what, related to the work activities of an organisation, could cause harm to people or damage to property.

Quality and versatility Plan of action “The OHS process begins with a full risk assessment to identify the hazards associated with an activity. The seriousness of these hazards is then calculated and documented and a plan of action is put into place,” says Joshua Low, IFSEC SA and OSH EXPO Africa Event Director.

“This would typically include stipulating which work processes could be altered

Not only should one use PPE to reduce risk, but the correct type and grade of PPE should be specified. General Safety Regulations 2 (GSR 2) also stipulate that the employer or user should effectively manage and control risk by making use of safety equipment and facilities that will: • prevent bodily injur y effectively • protect the wearer against harm • protect persons against falls 

IMIESA May 2014

49

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SAFETY, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY

• prevent slipping, unsafe entr y or unsafe conditions.

Before PPE is issued to an employee, appropriate training should be given to the employee in the use of the PPE. They should also be informed about the proper maintenance and limitations of PPE. In order to provide maximised safety for its user, PPE should be properly maintained. Regular inspections, by internal as well as external safety inspectors, should be undertaken. An inspection will identify any small issues before they escalate.

Exhibitors at the OSH EXPO Africa 2014 include a balance of PPE suppliers as well as companies involved in providing and managing OHS risks, as well as training providers for all OHS risks.

Dromex, one of the exhibition’s main sponsors, has a full range of PPE products and chose OSH EXPO Africa 2014 to highlight its wide selection of gloves (including the international Taeki range with their Cut Level 5 options), respirator y systems and an increased range of top quality workwear. 3M provides a range of respirators including the EN149:2001+A1:2009compliant 3M 8810 particulate respirator which enables easier breathing with an ergonomic design using 3M’s highper formance filter media.

ELVEX’s Go-Specs and Go-Specs II ranges of snug-fitting spectacles are ideal for dirty and windy environments, while their new Reflect-Specs are designed for people working in dusk, night-time and low-light conditions.

The SHEQ software system from mySolu-tions is a fully web-enabled and mobile sys-tem for compiling, conducting and approv-ing SHEQ audits. Emergency Care providess health and safety consulting and trainingg to the mining and other industries.

Runrite Electronics’ improved doseBadgee system has a self-contained noise meas-urement device that captures the user’ss daily noise-exposure levels. North Safetyy Products Africa has a range of locallyy manufactured SABS-approved safety har-nesses, lanyards and related belts.

across Southern Africa or in-house at the client’s premises. It also provides safety audits and mentoring programmes.

RMC Risk Consultants provides consulting on total risk management, including the development of baseline and gap assessments, SHE auditing, emergency planning and SHE training and coordination plan management as well as training on first aid, firefighting and general OHS matters.

In order to provide maximised safety for its user, PPE should be properly maintained A comprehensive range of fall protection equipment, including rescue/descent products, fall protection kits, harnesses, vertical climbing systems, horizontal lifelines, connecting devices, anchorage connectors as well as accessories, is available from MSA Africa. Safety Solutions Africa provides tailored OHS risk assessments

as well as the provision of personal protective equipment, employee wellness programmes, client-agent functions, training, safety files, premise audits and recruitment.

Aludar’s HexArmor purpose-built PPE is designed for specific hazards and applications, such as on construction sites.

Health and Safety Professionals Group provides a number of OHS ser vices and products to the construction industr y.

AJ Charnaud's newest addition to the Survive-ARC range of products is designed for head-to-foot protection against the thermal effects of electric arc flash. Bramhope Safety Solutions has anti-fatigue cushioned floor-matting products that are ideal for operatives who have to stand for prolonged periods of time in the workplace.

Bata Industrial’s range of industrial safety footwear, including safety shoes, boots and gumboots, all use the latest insights into biomechanics to produce optimum comfort and safety.

Locally manufactured H.A.S.S. Industrial Noise-Ban Elite hearing protection is both ISO 9001:2008 accredited and SABS approved. SHEilds is a leading NEBOSH health and safety training provider, specialising in online and classroom studies for over a decade, providing access to international qualifications to thousands of students across Africa and the rest of the world.

“The cost of PPE pales in comparison to the cost of either an injur y, or worse, a fatality at work,” Low concludes.

SHEQ resources NOSA offers a number of training courses,, presented by qualified and experiencedd practitioners, at all training academiess A risk assessment determines which PPE is required

IMIESA May 2014

51

Quarrying in safety

A S P A S A

AGGREGATE & SAND PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA

SURVIVAL BY SHEQ The Coedmore Quarry

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Upholding strong SHEQ principles The Coedmore quarry near Durban has survived tough market conditions and intense competition by adhering to strict SHEQ (safety, health, environment and quality) principles.

T

HE QUARRY IS owned by Afrisam and the commitment to SHEQ principles has been instituted and instilled in all its employees through a successive line of highly par ticipative plant managers. The result is an operation that consistently achieves showcase status for its unblemished safety record and simultaneously

manages to maintain high levels of quality product output.

Perhaps the biggest accolade in terms of health and safety is Coedmore quarry’s performance on Aspasa’s Health and Safety and Environmental Audits. For the past five years, Coedmore has received showplace status, an achievement that sets it apart as a quarrying operation and underlines

Cladded screen towers which contain noise and dust

AfriSam’s stated values of ‘people, planet and performance’.

“In its most basic form, this is a commitment to our stakeholders and ourselves, not to accept mediocrity and to recognise that injury is not something that ‘happens to IMIESA May 2014

IMIESA April 2014

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ASPASA

someone’ but rather it impacts a colleague or a friend who plays a valuable role in the company,” says Jurgens du Toit, AfriSam’s regional manager: construction materials South KZN and previous Coedmore quarry works manager.

Du Toit points out that the ASPASA audits are critical to Coedmore’s safety programme. “The audits not only provide us with a checklist and yardstick with which we can measure our performance, but they focus on trends within the industry. Through the audit protocol and the knowledge sharing that transpires from it, we are able to determine any potential shortfalls and to rectify them immediately.”

The last lost-time injury at Coedmore quarry was recorded on 1 September 2008.

Du Toit says that AfriSam places emphasis on high levels of safety compliance and has implemented a number of programmes such as competency-based safety to achieve organisation-wide occupational health and safety awareness.

In keeping with continuous improvement, and as a typical example of embracing change, in 2013, Coedmore quarry completely rewrote its safety procedures with regards to working on the crest of drilling/blasting area. Specialised input was received from Southern Rock (indoor and outdoor rock climbing specialist), suppliers of ropes and harnesses used by AfriSam at the quarr y and drilling contractors Eire Contractors.

The result of this collaborative effort between Coedmore, aforementioned vendors and the Department of Mineral

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IMIESA May 2014

Drilling operations taking place using the newly approved safety barrier system

Resources (DMR) is that a practical, user friendly system has been rolled out to all the AfriSam KZN operations. When drilling or blasting takes place, blue poles (supplied by Glassfibre Products) are sunk into the ground three metres away from the crest and a red (top) and blue (bottom) static climbing rope is strung between the poles to indicate the start of the no-go area.

The drilling operators are then required to attach the harness they are wearing to a double-rope system whenever they work closer than the poles to the crest.

Today, the Coedmore quarry pit, with its highest face 110 m (46 metres below sea level), is surrounded by a vast array of strategically planted and nurtured indigenous vegetation. This forms part of the environmental development programme instituted at the quarry in 2002.

Coedmore quarry has managed to go above and beyond the levels of compliance required by the DMR and has, at the same time, ensured a harmonious relationship with local residents.

“We have instituted a number of measures that minimise the impact of our operations on local residents. These include the installation of sound, air-quality and dust meters to monitor levels at strategic points throughout our site. We undertake systematic cleaning of the Londonspruit River which enters and exits our property, and we are active members of the Industrial Liaison Forum which further improves our

ASPASA

relationship with our neighbours through information sharing,” Sagie Jaganaikulu, current works manager at Coedmore quarry, says.

The systematic and strategically planned rehabilitation programme involves the monumental task of removing alien-invader plant species and replanting with thousands of indigenous trees, shrubs and plants, in conjunction with local company Natal Landscapes. To date, 11 896 trees, shrubs and ground covers have been planted.

The quarr y produces a wide variety of aggregates including 53 mm ballast, 53 mm, 37 mm, 26.5 mm, 19 mm, 13.2 mm, 9.5 mm and 6.7 mm concrete stone, scour (armour rock) and selected first crush, G1, G2, G4, G5 and G7. In addition, it also produces 19 mm, 13.2 mm and 9.5 mm roadstone on request. Annual outputs of one million tonnes are not uncommon and, at any one time, the operation maintains a stockholding of 8 000 tonnes of product on the intermediate stock pile.

AfriSam has invested heavily in its

laboratory, where all products are regularly tested to ensure quality conformance within specific parameters. “Normally one sample in every 500 tonnes of product is tested, with additional testing taking place whenever plant changes or specialised products such as roadstone are required. In some cases, three to four samples are tested per day to ensure that specifications are met,” Jaganaikulu says.

The quarry was extremely busy during 2013, supplying 120 000 tonnes of scour to the project for widening the Durban harbour, as well as ongoing G5 and G7 base course material to the Umgeni Road Interchange project.

According to Du Toit, the trend is a move away from traditional base course to a stabilised base course, which has resulted in Coedmore quarry changing its production processes to accommodate this change.

“While this has led to a drop in average selling prices due to product mix, it has also offered us the opportunity to open up the quarry for future development. Having

a plant that can be adapted to meet an increasing trend in the Durban market to produce non-standard products has also benefited Coedmore quarry as well. These non-standard products are set to continue in line with growth in the harbour and associated projects.”

He explains that the second diversion of the Londonspruit River has allowed the operation to remove almost one million tonnes of overburden, and has resulted in the ability to substantially expand the quarry. In addition, an underpass is being blasted under Coedmore’s main conveyor from the in-pit crusher to the intermediate stock pile. This will create a shorter route for the articulated dump trucks and will result in reduced costs in terms of cycle time, diesel usage and deferred capital expenditure.

The AfriSam credo ‘building our future together’ is very evident in this highly productive quarry, which is characterised by the perfect balance it maintains between safety, environmental stewardship, customer and supplier relations, and quality output.

IMIESA May 2014

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WISA 2014

WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT

A legacy to be proud of In celebration of the Water Institute of South Africa’s 2014 bi-annual conference, which coincides with South Africa’s celebration of 20 years of democracy, IMIESA is pleased to publish the following article, written

by Dr Michele Kruger*, celebrating the progress of water and sanitation services in the country over the last 20 years. *Dr Michele Kruger, Pr Eng, ECSA

Cape Flats wastewater treatment plant

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IMIESA May 2014

S

OUTH AFRICA HAS recently suffered from negative press regarding quality of water being delivered to its citizens. However, as we all know, good news doesn’t sell newspapers. The enormous contribution that South African engineers together with government have made regarding service delivery and the development and implementation of first-class technology will never make front-page news, but credit needs to be given nonetheless.

Water – first-world technology The first documented mention of water treatment in South Africa was in 1929. Before then, water was supplied directly from springs and other water sources. In the same year, the Pretoria town council instructed consulting engineers to commence with an in-depth study of the Rietvlei-Grootfontein scheme along with the drawing up of a report to be submitted to Parliament for the

WISA 2014

approval of a dam construction with a purification works in the Hennops River as well as the collection of water from Grootfontein.

The proposal was not supported by the Department of Agriculture.

Chas Stewart, chartered engineer, was commissioned to plan and design the Rietvlei Dam. The construction of the dam and purification works commenced in 1930 under the supervision of BG Twycross who was appointed as the resident engineer.

This work was carried out thoroughly and conscientiously and the project was completed four years later in 1934. Most of the

dam-wall pitching, stone walling and the dam spillway was constructed by hand due to the shortage of construction machinery. Material for the earth-fill wall was conveyed by ox wagons and donkey carts. Excavations and building work for the purification works were also carried out by hand. The Rietvlei water treatment plant has seen many upgrades

The first documented mention of water treatment in South Africa was in 1929.

Before then, water was supplied directly from springs and other water sources

and improvements and has been on the cutting edge of technology: a gem in the South African history of water treatment.

The capacity of the plant was upgraded to 40Ml/d in 1988 and boasted the first full-scale application of dissolved air flotation and filtration (DAFF) in South Africa.

This combined system removes algae and turbidity in one step. The granular activatedcarbon filtration system was completed in 2000 and was the first operational application of open-bed carbon gravity filters for drinkingKatse Dam water treatment in South

IMIESA May 2014

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WISA 2014

Africa. This fantastic system not only removes tastes and odours, but is able to adsorb endocrine disrupters as well. Talk about leading the way! To top it off the Rietvlei water treatment plant now also boasts an ozone installation, which assists in purifying water abstracted from eutrophic impoundments.

There are many gems like the Rietvlei water treatment plant all around South Africa that attest to the capability of South African engineers to enable municipalities to deliver first-world, Blue Drop-compliant, safe drinking water to South Africans! With membrane technology becoming cheaper, treatment works with limited space available for expansion, can also be improved and more plants can be upgraded with this technology.

WATER Water Supply | Water Treatment | Industrial Water Management Minesite Water Management | Water Reuse & Recycling Chemistry and Geochemistry | Numerical Modelling

Water management for sustainable business

Wastewater treatment – prepare to be amazed In wastewater, the three components that need removal are carbon, ammonia and phosphate. Carbon can quite easily be reduced by the introduction of oxygen (in layman’s terms: bug sees food, bug eats food in the presence of oxygen), but from

There are many gems like the Rietvlei water treatment plant all around South Africa that attest to the capability of South African engineers to enable municipalities to deliver first-world, Blue Drop-compliant, safe drinking water to South Africans! there it gets tricky. Ammonia needs to be oxidised to nitrates (and nitrites) and then denitrification needs to occur so that, in the end, nitrogen gas is released into the atmosphere. Basically with a lot of effort ammonia is now a gas in the air and no longer a problem. But phosphate removal is extremely tricky and an article on its own. Now let’s get to the awesome stuff.

The first municipal scheme designed in South Africa (1898) at Wynberg, commenced operation in 1905. After screening and grit removal, sewage was passed through filter beds fitted with rotating trough sprinklers which could be used either as contact beds or percolating filters, but was only operated during wet seasons. The honour of having the first operational sewage works fell to Bloemfontein, where the plant commenced operation in November 1904, two months prior to Wynberg. In 1906 a treatment scheme was recommended for Johannesburg, but it was not implemented and for many years sewage was irrigated untreated on land. Who knew Johannesburg would be so outdone by Bloemfontein? In 1928, biofiltration was introduced in South Africa and many of these plants are still in use today. Biofilters are able to reduce the carbon load in the sewage and, when designed correctly, are also able to nitrify ammonia. Later on, engineers established they were also able to denitrify by means of recycling the effluent back through the Biofilters. The Union Health Act No.35 of 1919 permitted the Minister of Health to lay down standards for purified effluents, but these powers were never exercised. The Water Act No.54 of 1956 made it obligatory to discharge effluent to a watercourse, thereby recharging the catchment. This is extremely important

IMIESA May 2014

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WISA 2014

in a water-scarce country like ours. This Act, amended in 1984, has a marked influence on the methods of sewage purification.

The first conventional activated sludge plant to be installed in South Africa was at the Boksburg Hospital in 1921. Extended aeration was traditionally reserved for package plants including those used in the gold-mining industry. This system used the Pasveer Ditch (1959) and variations developed including the Huisman Orbal and Carousel systems.

In the 1970s capital became an extremely scarce commodity and it became economically advantageous to build much larger extended aeration plants, for instance the 80 Ml/d Olifantsvlei WWTW in Johannesburg, designed for nitrification. In 1948, Trevelyan identified that nitrate, activated sludge and a carbon source, such as sewage, can bring about denitrification.

Barnard, a researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, adapted these principles and, in 1974, developed the

Bardenpho process. In 1977, Nichols demonstrated enhanced phosphate and nitrogen removal at the two-stage Alexandra plant in Johannesburg, by periodically switching off aerators for a number of hours in the primary basin.

In 1983, Paepcke reported that a number of first-generation biological phosphate removal plants were not performing optimal-

are described in detail in all wastewater treatment textbooks prescribed to prospective engineers, at all universities offering courses in wastewater treatment. This is an unbelievable achievement of which engineers in this field remain extremely proud.

Wastewater treatment has now advanced even further and Belville, Cape Town boasts a membrane bioreactor.

With such an amazing history, wastewater in South Africa can overcome its challenges. Besides, we are standing on the shoulders of giants.

StatsSA reports that government has improved the number of South Africans who have access to safe drinking water from 59% in 1994 to 95% currently. By introducing the Special Limits to wastewater effluent standards that discharge into sensitive catchments, the Department of Water Affairs is working hard to protect our precious water resources.

Go ahead! Spread the good news!

The first conventional activated sludge plant to be installed in South Africa was at the Boksburg Hospital in 1921 ly and this led to the UCT and modified UCT process developed by the University of Cape Town. Johannesburg Water took this process further by rearranging the sequence of the first two basins and this is now officially called the Johannesburg process.

What is astonishing is that all this happened in our own back yard and now these processes are used all over the world and

Athlone wastewater treatment plant

IMIESA May 2014

63

BOUNDARY DEMARCATION

The politics of The drawing of borders and the demarcation of spaces has always been an area of high emotional tension.

In a recent roundtable meeting hosted

by Isandla Institute, participants were given an opportunity to unravel aspects of that contestation.

T

HE PROCESS OF contestation has continued, Mirjam van Donk, Isandla Institute Director, pointed out. “Boundary demarcation remains a contested issue in the democratic South Africa, and generally speaking, contestation is something that current-day South Africa doesn’t appreciate or manage very well,” she said.

The issues are complex. Public participation, the influence of political parties, the public’s perceptions of the value of belonging to one region as opposed to another and service delivery and governance concerns all have a role to play.

The discussion At the round-table meeting, delegates from civil society, academia and the media sought to unravel the complex issues around demarcation. In particular, they looked at contestation about boundary demarcation, especially the process of investigating, decision-making and reporting, as well as the interpretation and weighting of seemingly objective proposals for boundary changes.

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In the spotlight was the functioning of the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) whose mandate is to review, determine and revise municipal boundaries and ward boundaries within municipalities in South Africa.

“Our discussion aimed to generate a better understanding of the nature of contestation

are affected by demarcation decisions, public participation is very important. However, the concept of having a say is not clear cut.

Contestation arises around who has the final say, and whether all the voices, the perspectives, the desires and the ambitions of the communities are sufficiently expressed and acknowledged. “The MDB needs to be seen to be transparent and accountable when it reaches its decisions,” she said.

Landiwe Mahlangu, chairperson of the MDB, commented that one of the difficulties that the board faced was that the public was not always aware of what did, and did not, fall within the ambit of the board. “Demarcation is about spatial transformation,” he said. “It is key to local government reform. The provincial boundaries were negotiated as part of the democratisation of this country. They fall outside what we as a board can do.”

The issue of the independence of the board is something that Mahlangu feels very strongly about. “We are accountable to Parliament, and are not affiliated to a particular political party,” he said. “This is

... boundaries and politics can become enmeshed in the ward delimitation process with regards to municipal demarcations in general, and the MDB in particular,” said Pamela Masiko-Kambala, Isandla Institute policy researcher. “We were concerned with the role of public participation and influence on decision-making; the role of political parties, and service delivery and governance concerns.”

The importance of public involvement Masiko-Kambala, in her discussion paper, pointed out that for the communities who

BOUNDARY DEMARCATION

demarcation particularly important given our history of how boundaries were used.”

This is in contrast to countries like Uganda where the president is able to declare new districts by decree, often influenced by the strongest lobby. Mahlangu did, however, admit that the MDB in its current configuration and composition has certain institutional limitations, particularly around its ability to engage fully with the public.

Issues raised There was some criticism from the floor that the MDB does not have the capacity to run public engagement processes itself, but tends to call for help from the municipalities

– a process which was described as "asking the patient to help with his diagnosis".

Mahlangu explained that the board’s level of demarcation is in the wards of local government. “The key aspect of the redetermination of municipal boundaries is to deepen democracy. It is at this level of government that the electorate is able to exercise its right of voting for representatives that are close to them.”

The then-mayor of Midvaal, Timothy Nast, challenged Mahlangu on issues of refragmentation, asking whether it “is not the ultimate sign of transformation in South Africa if Soweto can be seen as a viable and independent municipality which has its future

determined in Orlando, not Braamfontein?”

Mahlangu replied that the MDB receives many applications, and a key in its decision has to be if dividing a municipal area would result in two viable municipalities.

“We cannot create problems by allowing unviable municipalities,” he said. “Some areas, even with the best of intentions, can never be viable municipalities.” He added that the MDB has never lost a case when there have been challenges to its decisions.

Amendments to the demarcation act Former Minister of CoGTA, Richard Baloyi, appointed a task team in 2012, and although its report was completed early this year, it IMIESA May 2014

65

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BOUNDARY DEMARCATION

is yet to be made public. Shanaaz Majiet, Deputy Director-General of Provincial and Municipal Government Support, said that her department is currently in the process of assessing necessary amendments to the Municipal Demarcation Act. The MDB has recommended changes and the task team is being asked to consider any amendments to the Act that it would like to propose.

Majiet also felt strongly that vacancies in the MDB should be filled with the future in mind. “It is important to reflect on what is working well, as well as on what is not working as we move into the next 20 years of our democracy,” she said.

Discussions around demarcation In terms of the legal framework of demarcation, boundaries and politics can become enmeshed in the ward delimitation process.

Jaap de Visser, professor of constitutional law at UWC, pointed out that “the number of registered voters, South Africa municipalities by language

divided by the number of ward councillors gives you an average, and you can’t deviate more than 15% from that.

“Does that mean that when you have a

community where the numbers don’t add up, you have to go over the hill to find more people to make up a ward, with the result that you do fragment communities? Is this an area where the law should be clarified?” de Visser asked.

Paul Berkowitz, a journalist for Daily Maverick and head of Citydex, a division of Empowerdex, which focuses on municipal government analysis, commented that apartheid was a dam wall that held back a lot of the changes that were happening naturally in the rest of the world.

As an agent for socio-economic change and redress, the MDB is playing catch up.

The MDB has come under a lot of criticism when it comes to municipalities like Zamdela, where riots erupted early in 2013.

“I also look at issues such as the Marikana tragedy, and I wonder, where was the local IMIESA May 2014

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BOUNDARY DEMARCATION

municipality? What was their role in providing basic services and housing? Who has the greatest responsibility to make sure the whole system works?” Berkowitz asked. “In Johannesburg, part of the challenge has been to integrate people, but are we really doing anything to unpick the old spatialdevelopment patterns of power? The legacies are still with us.”

For Berkowitz, one of the biggest challenges faced by the MDB is the fact that the process of public participation is unfortunately driven by political parties rather than the public.

Timothy Nast agreed that demarcation is a political issue around the world. “In South Africa we should applaud the fact that the MDB is independent,” he said.

For Nast, the practical implications of boundary changes are huge. “When someone walks into my office and I ask them where they are from, they will tell me their ward. It points to a positive sense of association and ownership. So a change in a ward boundary is like a change in your family: who are you letting in to share your resources?

“If we could cost the continual restructuring of local government boundaries, we’d be horrified,” he said, adding that he felt that demarcation changes should only take place every 10 years, after the release of census data.

Ebrahim Fakir, Manager of Governance Institutions and Processes, Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (EISA) pointed out that an important part of demarcation is redistribution, and as such there will be undoubtedly be changes and upheavals. “It is more than just a technical exercise,” he said. “It is subjective and there is a purpose. It is also about achieving certain political goals and outcomes, and this is contentious, especially when structural impositions are used to force people to interact.”

Too much change results in instability, so the MDB has to weigh up the benefits and costs of making a short-term decision that will achieve a long-term social or political objective. Under apartheid, demarcation reinforced marginalisation and exclusion and

now all of these things have to be reversed.

“Are we not imposing the reversal of these massive, socially engineered outcomes through an instrument like the MDB? I wonder whether the ANC is imposing onto the MDB an onerous obligation which it ought to meet politically,” Fakir said. “Is the MDB being asked to reduce poverty and de-racialise areas through demarcation? Are they imposing cross-subsidisation from richer to poorer areas?”

In all the cases facing the MDB, there is contestation, but we need to be clear about what the contestation is about. Sometimes it is inter-party, sometimes it is intra-party.

“And in Khutsong, it was worse. It was about intra-party factionalism and it was also about groups of citizens taking sides against each other, and sometimes citizens against the government they actually support,” Fakir said.

“Unfor tunately for Khutsong it came to a head at a time when they could be used as a pre-Polokwane football.”

Van Donk, however, has warned against the perception that government always has a hidden political agenda when it comes to demarcation.

“Of course, we do know that agendas exist, but demarcation is a much broader issue than a political or factional agenda,” she said. “That is not to say that political agendas are inherently bad.”

A change in a ward boundary is like a change in your family: who are you letting in to share your resources?

68

IMIESA May 2014

Drawing the line As we talk about the politics of demarcation, we need to bring to the fore the community politics, what Van Donk described as “politics with a small p”. It is here that community interest takes precedence, in all its messiness and difficulties. Communities are hard to manage and mould and structure, especially as all the nuanced levels of power and influence are at play.

“Educating citizens about the role and functions of the MDB is vital,” MasikoKambala said. “In the end, and assuming due process has been followed, communities and political parties have to learn to accept that ‘drawing the line’ is essentially about balancing objective and subjective matters in the interest of better service delivery provision and development.”

AFRICA INFRASTRUCTURE

Partnering further into Africa SEATED FROM LEFT Courage Dogbegah, CEO of Berock Ventures; Rockson Dogbegah, chairman of Berock Ventures and Leon Botha, business development director at Murray & Roberts Construction STANDING FROM LEFT Eugen van Jaarsveld, operations manager for Ghana for Murray & Roberts Construction and Ivan Vos, country manager for Murray & Roberts Construction Ghana

With impressive growth and a need for new infrastructure, Africa is luring increasing numbers of consulting and civil engineering, and major contracting, companies. Most look to form partnerships. Nicholas McDiarmid examines the approach Murray & Roberts has taken in forming new business hubs in East and West Africa.

T

HE APPROACH Murray & Roberts has taken is to establish 50/50 joint ventures (JVs) with two key local construction companies in its target regions of East and West Africa.

This follows the formation of two new companies, Murray & Roberts Kenya, situated in the Funzai Road Industrial Area, Nairobi, and Murray & Roberts Ghana, in the Movenpick Commercial Centre in Accra.

“The decision to form two business hubs in East and West Africa was taken about 18 months ago by Murray & Roberts Limited to address the vast geographical gap in our corporate presence between South Africa and Dubai,” Murray & Roberts construction’s Leon Botha, says. “We

realised that we can ser vice the region far better from business sites closer to existing and potential customers.

Mutual benefits “We elected to approach this policy directive by partnering with appropriate construction partners in each of these regions, which has effectively given us a win-win entr y solution by providing us with established networks into which we can be introduced. In addition, this will enable our partners to access more complex projects. Potential partners in both countries were identified and thoroughly screened before we selected the two most appropriate companies.”

Multi-sectorial opportunities In Kenya, Murray & Roberts Buildings has partnered with H Young, one of East Africa’s leading multi-disciplinar y construction groups, which has operated in the country for the past 50 years. Although H Young has a strong focus on roads and earthworks, its design and manufacturing activities relate to all sectors including telecommunications, mining, power generation, petrochemicals, agriculture, process industries and cement.

The new company will bid for tenders in JV with H Young where tenders call for a combination of both partners’ skills and resources; however, both parties are also free to tender on projects independently.

Following several investigative visits to Ghana and interactions with a variety of potential partners aligned with the business, Murray & Roberts Construction has partnered with Berock Ventures, a leading local construction and civil engineering company. The JV agreement was drafted in December 2013 and its signing was followed by a visit by three senior Berock staff to Murray & Roberts in South Africa, for a two week familiarisation programme. Newly appointed Murray & Roberts Construction Africa operations manager for Ghana, Eugen van Jaarsveld, who started his duty in Ghana early in January, also participated in the programme. Van Jaarsveld joins Ivan Vos, country manager for the Murray & Roberts Group, who has been resident in Ghana since early 2013.

“We’re now looking out for joint opportunities in and around Ghana and we feel very optimistic about these prospects,” Botha says.

IMIESA May 2014

69

ROADS

Policy change needed A policy shift will be required to maintain and improve road conditions across South Africa's provinces. By Vuyiso Msipa, Technical Executive, GIBB

W

HILE MAJOR HEADWAY has been made in developing infrastructure in South Africa, the country’s roads require urgent attention. This was recently highlighted when heavy rainfall in some provinces

70

IMIESA May 2014

caused havoc on several road networks.

That said, the roads would not be in the state they are currently in if proper maintenance plans were effected years ago.

A few years ago, the government was informed about the rapid deterioration of the

country’s key provincial roads. Back then, some of the roads were becoming impassable. Today, the situation has worsened significantly in some provinces. Most provinces have found it difficult to maintain their total length of roads with the resources they have.

SANRAL steps in In 2012, the Eastern Cape and North West provinces realised the growing problem with their deteriorating networks and requested the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) take over and maintain about 2 100 km and 1 400 km, respectively, of their roads. This year, SANRAL will take on the maintenance of an additional 1 628 km of Limpopo’s provincial roads at their request, bringing the total roads SANRAL is responsible for to about 12 000 km. This is a positive step for the country’s road network. SANRAL has a proven track record of maintaining roads. A 2013 CSIR-Imperial state of logistics survey on the network taken over by SANRAL in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo provinces,

TECHNICAL ROADS PAPER

demonstrated that they did a good job of maintaining their primary road networks, making them the obvious choice to handle road networks nationwide.

Lack of alignment The challenge, however, is that the decision to hand over provincial roads to SANRAL is left to the provinces themselves. Roads are left to deteriorate for long periods while administrative processes are followed to transfer roads from one government entity to the other. Roads that may have needed light maintenance to extend their life, end up requiring costly full reconstruction by the end of the process.

Although SANRAL has the systems and capacity in place to maintain the roads, its budget rose by only 8.7% while the network it is responsible for rose by 27%. This means SANRAL will be able to conduct routine maintenance – crack sealing, resurfacing, filling potholes, cutting grass, clearing drains, fixing signage – but not major reconstruction of the roads, which is what many of them need.

Most provinces have found it difficult to maintain their total length of roads with the resources they have Urgent need for policy change On average, new roads are designed with a 20-year lifespan. The surface of a road normally lasts for five to seven years before surface treatment is required. If routine maintenance is not conducted from the get-go, water seepage into underlying layers, heavy traffic and other factors can lessen the lifespan of roads significantly. The current state of the roads and inadequate funding mean SANRAL will be

forced into routine maintenance until funds are available, rather than the reconstruction that is so desperately needed.

Policy change is necessary to place all provincial roads (and adequate funding for them) in SANRAL’s hands. High-level strategy change is required if we are going to save our existing road assets. The longer we take to deal with the challenge, the worse the situation will get and the more severe the state of disrepair will be.

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AFRICA PROJECT

Botswana’s new water transfer scheme

Botswana’s North-South Carrier 2 is a new lifeline towards unlocking the potential of eastern Botswana.

B

OTSWANA IS A relatively stable and democratic economy in the SADC region. Its economy, which is heavily dependent upon mining – especially diamonds – has exhibited robust growth since independence but is sensitive to global economic contagion, which directly impacts upon diamond trading. Botswana budgets for its public works under a cyclical national-planning programme and recognises the importance of infrastructural investment as a key foundation for national, regional and local economic growth and development.

The eastern regions of Botswana are economically most active and home to the majority of Botswana’s citizens. Gaborone Constuction of Botswana’s great North– South Carrier

72

IMIESA May 2014

and its environs is the most densely-populated and economically active region and exerts the largest water demand. Coal and related deposits (related to the Waterberg geological complex in Botswana) have been developed in eastern Botswana and also contribute to the primary water demand.

Water sector governance Water resource planning and control is consolidated with the governance of minerals and energy within Botswana’s Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MMEWR). Historically, the Department of Water Affairs took responsibility for the planning and implementation of the national water resources as well as rural water supply and sanitation, while Botswana’s Water Utility

Corporation (WUC) was responsible for the operation and maintenance of Botswana’s dams as well as the NSC-1 and water services within the urban area of Gaborone.

Recent water-sector restructuring, under the guidance of the World Bank, transferred the function of rural water supply and sanitation from the Department of Water Affairs to WUC. MMEWR retrains the function of water sector legislation and regulation as well as the planning of national water resources.

Water resources and transfer requirements Although various groundwater resources have been developed within eastern Botswana for local and regional conjunctive use, by far the larger portion of Botswana’s primary water

AFRICA PROJECT

180.000 160.000

Resource Yield (Million m3/a)

140.000 120.000 100.000 80.000 60.000 40.000 20.000

2035

2034

2033

2032

2031

2030

2029

2028

2027

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

0.000

2006

demand requirements are met (or planned too be met) from surface water resources. Thee largest (over 75%) water demand within east-ern Botswana is exerted by Gaborone and itss environs. The climate and hydrology of east-ern Botswana determines that Gaborone’ss local resources (Gaborone Dam and Bokaaa Dam) cannot meet the current demands off this water-supply district and will becomee increasingly unable to do so in future ass population and industry grows and moree households are connected to regional waterr supply systems. Water transfer, importa-tion, recycling and demand managementt w are thus unavoidable. Importation of raw water to Gaborone from the Moletedi Dam in the North West province of RSA was implemented during the 1990s. Also during the 1990s, MMEWR identified that unutilised surface water resources in the Motloutse, Shashe and Tati rivers (tributaries of the Limpopo River) in central-eastern Botswana were suitable for impoundment and transfer southwards to Gaborone.

The Letsibogo and Shashe Dams were subsequently constructed and the larger Dikgatlhong Dam is currently nearing construction completion. The direct water transfer route (primarily alongside north-south traffic route A1), passes the demand nodes of Palapye, Mahalapye and Mmamabula, en route to Gaborone. National electricity generation is at Morupule, within the Palapye complex, and potential export generation can be established in future on the Mmamabula coal field between Mahalapye and Gaborone. Water reclamation from the Gaborone water treatment works at Glen

Year Southern Local

Khurutse / Palla Rd

Shashe Dam

Valley is also planned to supplement local water resources. Eutrophication of local Gaborone resources in Bokaa Dam and Gaborone Dam (and in future, Dikgatlhong Dam), are technical matters that require management and design consideration. The summarised yield of the eastern Botswana dams is shown in Figure 1 at 95% assurance.

The yield of the eastern Botswana dams is expected to be sufficient until around 2035.

Thereafter, further resource augmentation will be required. This future source is currently expected to be the Zambezi River near Kasane where the Botswana government has a significant allocation for primary usage and agriculture.

Water demands and transfer requirements through the NSC for eastern Botswana at 98% assurance are shown in Table 1 (83Mm³/a in 2035): Transfer through the NSC is of raw water with treatment at Palapye, Mahalapye and Mmamashia.

Year Adopted Total Direct Demands on Letsibogo

2010 13.436

Letsibogo

Dikgatlong

Far North Resource

FIGURE 1 Yield of NSC dams

North-South Carrier 1 history The government of Botswana adopted a national water supply master plan during the mid-1990s. This plan identified the need for Botswana’s north-south carrier, hereby connecting Letsibogo Dam on the Motloutse River to the Mmamashia water treatment works in northern Gaborone and also supplying the Palapye WTW and Mahalapye WTW en-route. Mmamashia is also supplied from the smaller Bokaa Dam, directly north of Mmamashia, Phase 1 of the North-South Carrier water transfer scheme (NSC 1) was planned, implemented and commissioned by 1999. NSC 1 has three pumping stations, at Letsibogo (PS1.1), Moralane (PS2.1) and TABLE 1 Adopted reconciliation strategy for projected NSC water

2015

2020

2025

2030

2035

9.364 11.478 14.394

19.724

25.055

Adopted Total Palapye

2.533

5.935

6.938

7.708

8.600

9.608

Adopted Total Mahalaype

2.953

3.681

4.170

4.717

5.251

5.775

Adopted Total Mmamabula (plus contingency)

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

0.000

Total Mm3/Annum

49.811

69.446 79.712 89.198

99.895 111.391

6.974

14.245 17.096 18.045

20.940

22.089

Total Southern Water Resources Yield

23.640

21.840 21.840 21.840

21.840

21.840

Balance from NSC

19.198

33.362 40.776 49.313

57.116

67.462

Total Adopted Demands on NSC at Source Demand on Supplies to NSC

24.683 38.119

42.978 51.883 61.737 52.342 63.361 76.131

70.967 82.845 90.691 107.900

Total Incl. Chobe/Zambezi projected link 98%

34.589

69.974 82.333 81.612 110.792 135.071

Total Southern Demand Reducing Factors

IMIESA May 2014

73

uppe marketing A09481

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AFRICA PROJECT

Palapye (PS3.1). A future pumping station at Seroroue (PS4.1) was envisaged at the time. NSC 1 varies in diameter from 1 400 DN down to 1 100 DN and was constructed using a combination of pipe materials, both GRP and steel alternatively. NSC 1 has had reliability challenges since commissioning.

North-South Carrier future planning Planning of NSC 2 commenced in 2007 with the advancement of the planning and implementation of the second phase of the regional water transfer scheme.

Implementation of Dikgatlhong Dam was commenced, as well as its connection via the NSC-2A to NSC 1’s break pressure tank.

Thereafter, NSC 2 continues to Mmamashia in northern Gaborone.

NSC 2 was conceptually scoped to deliver 45 Mm³/a and estimated in 2010 to cost P5.5 billion. Due to deteriorating global economic trading conditions, GoB resolved to construct NSC 2.1 (45 Mm³/a) and to upgrade NSC 1 (38 Mm³/a) during National Development Plans 10 (2010 to 2016) and to defer NSC 2.2 to NDP 11 (2017 to 2022). MMEWR also initiated environmental scoping and pre-feasibility planning for NSC 3. For purposes of effective management and redundancy, NSC 1, NSC 2 and NSC 3 are planned (or envisaged) as separate independent delivery systems within a single corridor, but operating under an integrated communication and control system.

An overall NSC transfer decision support system, factoring in current resource storage levels, water qualities, treatment demands

and pumping and treatment costs, will be established to determine water source and transfer requirements from local resources, via NSC 1, 2 and 3. Communication and control signals will be primarily by fibre optic cable with backup by wireless radio data link.

Future pipe materials were determined to be either steel or ductile iron, whilst consistency in other principal plant and material selections, including the key requirement of local maintainability, are required by GoB. Implementation of NSC upgrading works will be led by MMEWR, with WUC participating as operator and key technical partner.

Land and environment In order to protect and control access to this strategic national asset, MMEWR has resolved to acquire and register rights to the NSC corridor from Dikgatlhong Dam

Environmental investigations, reporting, authorisation and subsequent management were undertaken for the primary corridor

to Mmamashia. A single corridor, varying between 50 and 70 m wide, will be acquired to accommodate each of NSC 1, 2 and 3, the fibre-optic communication backbone and the NSC maintenance road.

Environmental investigations, reporting, authorisation and subsequent management were undertaken for the primary corridor.

Further investigation and authorisations were pursued on bedding and gravel wearing course materials along the route of NSC 2.

Borrow pit leases and mining licences are also a requirement.

New NSC 2 Works NSC 2 comprises an all-pumped system IMIESA May 2014

75

AFRICA PROJECT

(starting at 45 Mm³/a), with four separate pumping systems. NSC 2 pumping stations deliver from 1 175 l/s to 2 300 l/s with operational capacity between 2 MW and 3 MW respectively. The NSC 2 storage reservoir at Palapye WTW (SR2B) is 28 Ml and at Mmamashia (SR4B) 100 Ml. Delivery mains will be 1 400 DN steel reducing to 1 000 DN steel over a total distance of 400 km. NSC 2A delivers via P1.2 from Dikgatlhong Dam (PS1.2) to BPT1A. NSC 2.1 delivers via PS3.2 and PS4.2 from SR2B at Palapye to Mmamashia.

NSC 1 upgrading works In order to improve reliability and to increase capacity and so defer NSC 2.2 works to NDP 11, upgrading of NSC 1 works was agreed for implementation during NDP 10. NSC 1 upgrading works will include the introduction of variablespeed drives at PS1.1, PS1.2 and PS1.3 and the new construction of PS1.4 (1 350 l/s). In addition, adjustment and upgrading of the existing 600 DN main transfer link between Bokaa Dam, Mmamashia WTW, Gaberone WTW and Gaberone Dam forms part of the NSC 1 NDP 10 upgrading works. The water treatment works at Palapye will be doubled to 28 Ml/ day; at Mmamashia WTW, 45 Ml/d pre-treatment (due to eutrophication at Bokaa) and 45 Ml/day secondary

treatment will be added. At Gaborone WTW raw water and other process upgrading will be undertaken during NDP 10. A further 45Ml/day secondary treatment will be undertaken during NDP 11, once NSC 2.2 is implemented.

produces efficient risk apportionment and strong, competitive bidding. Local content is a governmental key requirement to ensure a direct contribution to the growth of the national economy. Wet commissioning will be followed by a 12-week trial operation period.

NSC 1 upgrading works will be undertaken using an employer design/EPCM approach.

The required adjustments to, and upgrading of, existing works make an EPC approach to these deliverables difficult to manage.

Implementation strategy NSC 2.1 and NSC 2.2 are being implemented using an EPC contracting strategy.

Three bid stages are being employed; i.e. Stage 1 is pre-qualification, Stage 2 entails pricing of the employer’s conceptual NSC 2.1 EPC CONTRACT design and Stage 3 The NSC 2.1 EPC contract is currently under Stage 3 bidding with a successful bidder notice and subsequently instruction is for EPC design and to proceed anticipated during Q2 2012. Construction will bid development. The take 24 months to complete with commissioning and three-stage bid strategy trial operation expected by mid-2014. Dikgatlhong Dam has already impounded and is expected to have filled significantly by the time of commissioning.

NSC 2A was let under a separate procurement process and the civil works have already been awarded.

Participants The employer for NSC 2 is MMEWR. The operator and key technical partner is WUC. The employer’s representative is Bigen Africa Services.

The preferred bidder for NSC 2.1 is CWJV (WBHO and CCC).

The professional service provider for Dikgatlhong Dam and NSC 2A is the Bergstan, Gauff, Jeffares & Green JV. The NSC 2A civil contractor is China State/Excavator Hire JV.

Environmental monitoring was crucial to the project IMIESA May 2014

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ADVERTORIAL

VORTEX

SPLASHPAD A highly des sired d and susta ain nable amenityy that ens s com mmunity tie es strengthe

By Derbhla Dunne, Marketing Manager, Vortex Aquatic Structures International OR R SEVER RAL YEARS now, spray park installations have been identified as highly desired amenities for all types of recreation

environments. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been implemented in municipal parks, community recreation centres, family fun centres, public swimming pools, aquatic centres and water parks.

What is it that has made these systems so successful and popular? Here are the leading factors that have contributed to the success of Splashpads.

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HOW THE CAPTURE REPURPOSE SYSTEM WORKS 1. A user touches the activator, sending a signal to the command centre 2. The command centre releases potable water to the play products based on preset sequences and timing 3. Water passes through the drain, is strained for debris...

4. ... and is transferred to the effluent water holding tank 5. It is then sent through the filtration & disinfection system 6. Treated water is transferred to the modular water containment system 7. The irrigation pumping station draws water from the MWCS at the onset of scheduled irrigation 8. Water nourishes the vegetation and returns to nature

IMIESA May 2014

79

ADVERTORIAL

Percolation allows effluent water to be captured and reused to replenish the natural water table, effectively conserving water

provide, at the same time, an exciting place for families to gather and meet. While kids are playing and enjoying the water, parents can mingle and socialise and enjoy the outdoors. This in turn brings high visibility to a municipality, and will attract visitors from surrounding areas.

Mo odes st inve estm mentt for high va alue

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE WITHIN TODAY’S BUDGET Expandability using the Vortex-patented SafeswapTM Anchoring System, allows staging of installation.

management, and serve as superior water conservation options to traditional drainaway systems. They allow effluent water to be contained, filtered, disinfected and redistributed in a closed circuit, or for it to be collected and transferred to a containment reservoir to be repurposed to irrigation, leach, or replenishment systems.

Certain physical attributes of the play structures can also reduce water usage.

Play features are activated by users on demand only; water doesn’t get consumed beyond user interaction. The features can also be sequenced so that water flow from feature to feature is distributed proportionally as opposed to all at once, and will

automatically shut off after a set period of time.

While a Splashpad cannot replace a fullservice pool, it is an affordable way to add a water amenity for a relatively small investment. Compared to long-lasting Splashpads, traditional swimming pools and wading pools have high start up and maintenance costs.

This is mainly due to the ease of Splashpad operation. Less time is required to upkeep the system and the need for trained staff and lifeguards is lessened, therefore reducing labour costs. The structures are built to be durable and vandalism-resistant, making repairs and part replacements minimal.

These are all-important considerations in planning for the long-term costs of any new amenity.

What itt’s s alll abo out Innova ativ ve comm mun nity en nhanc ceme ent Splashpad play areas provide a unique way of bringing vitality to their communities.

This exciting amenity brings families and communities together, providing refreshment on a hot summer day. The Splashpad quickly becomes a secure and open central gathering point where bonds are formed.

The colourful, impressive structures are eye-catching in any setting. With the wide array of design options available, a unique Splashpad can tie in to any surrounding and

Splashpads are safe, environmentally sustainable, cost-effective and can be a source of fun for all. Timothy O’Brien, the mayor of the city of New Britain in Connecticut, USA, understood the importance of a Splashpad for his community at the Chesley Park Splashpad opening.

The mayor said the Splashpad “was a high priority for me to get done. We need more activities for kids on the east side.

Investment in our parks is important. It’s about building a good quality of life in the community.”

DEESIG GN PHILLOS SPHY Y Inclusive Play (play opportunities for all ages and abilities) and Value of Play (encourages active bodies and minds) are at the foundation in the development of Vortex solutions.

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IMIESA May 2014

CR ROSSSͳG G ENER R ATII O NALL

PH H YSICA A L DEV V ELO O PMEE NT

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Imported pumps popular in SA

A

N EXPANDED RANGE of Evak sewage and drainage pumps, many of which are being made available to the South African market for the first time, is generating increasing interest.

According to Corde Africa – who is importing these products – within two weeks of receiving the latest shipment of pumps from this range, more than a third had already been sold. “Since we launched the expanded range of Evak pumps, the interest these products have generated in the local market by word of mouth has been tremendous, verifying our conviction that we’ve brought something new and exciting to the market,” says Errol Cornelius of Corde Africa. Cornelius says the company has received enquiries from plumbers, pump retailers, consulting engineers and contractors. “The sewage industry in South Africa is a huge and growing market and we intend to become a significant player in this arena.

We believe the return on investment offered by this extended range of drainage, sewage and contractor pumps will help position us to achieve this objective.”

The pumps, available across a spectrum of sizes, are made to world-class quality standards in Taiwan, where each unit is tested before it leaves the factory.

Borrehole mottors Corde Africa has also introduced a range of Corde borehole motors, manufactured by international motor producer Sumoto in Italy. The six-inch OYC series motor is cooled using a special food-grade lubricant and incorporates a plug-in lead cable for ease of installation and maintenance, while the four-inch 4WP series features a new size stator core and a watertight cable connector.

The Edenvale-based company further provides uPVC borehole pipe columns to the industry.

These have a number of technical advantages over the traditional galvanised iron borehole piping, including being lightweight, easy to transport and corrosion resistant.

“Our uPVC alternative has the highest specifications in the industry and is enjoying a steady uptake in the mining and agricultural sectors.

The smooth walls of this product ensure water flow at low-friction losses, contributing to a high ‘water to wire’ ratio and reduced energy costs.

Besides being rust-proof, it’s also resistant to solids build-up in the pipe,” says Cornelius.

FROM TOP Submersible drainage pump with vortex impeller for medium concentration wastewater Heavy-duty submersible slurry pump with agitator Heavy-duty submersible sewage and wastewater pump up to 22 kW

IMIESA May 2014

81

I M E S A A F F I L I AT E M E M B E R S

IMESA

AECOM vanessa.partington@aecom.com AJ Broom Road Products ajbroom@icon.co.za Arup SA rob.lamb@arup.com Aurecon danie.wium@aurecongroup.com Aveng Manufacturing Infraset cgroenewald@infraset.com Bigen Africa Group Holdings otto.scharfetter@bigenafrica.com BMK Consulting brian@bmkconsulting.co.za Bosch Munitech info@boschmunitech.co.za Bosch Stemele bsdbn@boschstemele.co.za Brubin Pumps sales@brubin.co.za BVI Consulting Engineers marketing@bviho.co.za Civilconsult Consulting Engineers mail@civilconsult.co.za Concrete Manufacturers cma@mweb.co.za Corrosion Institute of Southern Africa secretary@corrosioninstitute.org.za Development Bank of SA divb@dbsa.org.za DPI Plastics mgoodchild@dpiplastics.co.za EFG Engineers eric@efgeng.co.za Elster Kent Metering leon.basson@elster.com Engcor Engineers masham@engcorengineers.co.za Fibertex South Africa (Pty) Ltd rcl@fibertex.com GIBB yvanrooyen@gibb.co.za GLS Consulting nicky@gls.co.za Hatch Goba leratom@goba.co.za Herrenknecht schiewe.helene@herrenknecht.de Huber Technology cs@hubersa.com Hydro-comp Enterprises dan@edams.co.za I@Consulting louis_icon@mics.co.za ILISO Consulting hans@iliso.com INGEROP mravjee@ingerop.co.za Integrity Environment info@integrityafrica.co.za Jeffares and Green dennyc@jgi.co.za Johannesburg Water rtaljaard@jwater.co.za KABE Consulting Engineers info@kabe.co.za Kantey & Templer (K&T) Consulting Engineers info@kanteys.co.za Knowledge Base info@knowbase.co.za Lektratek Water general@lwt.co.za Makhaotse Narasimulu & Associates mmakhaotse@mna-sa.co.za Maragela Consulting Engineers admin@maragelaconsulting.co.za

Mhiduve cgroenewald@infraset.com Mott Macdonald PDNA mahomed.soobader@mottmac.com Much Asphalt john.onraet@murrob.com Nyeleti Consulting ppienaar@nyeleti.co.za Odour Engineering Systems mathewc@oes.co.za Pumptron info@pumptron.co.za Pragma nicojobe.mabaso@pragmaworld.net karen.devos@murrob.co.za Rocla Royal HaskoningDHV francisg@rhdv.com SABITA info@sabita.co.za SALGA info@salga.org.za SARF administrator@sarf.org.za.co.za SBS Water Systems terri@sbstanks.co.za Sektor Consulting cradock@sektor.co.za Sight Lines sales@sightlines.co.za SiVEST SA garths@sivest.co.za Siza Water Company tionette.bates@sizawater.co.za SMEC capetown@smec.com SNA temple.d@sna.co.za Southern African Society for Trenchless Technology director@sasst.org.za SRK Consulting jomar@srk.co.za Sulzer Pumps Wastewater sales.abs.za@sulzer.com Syntell julia@syntell.co.za Thm Engineers East London thmel@mweb.co.za TPA Consulting roger@tpa.co.za UWP Consulting craign@uwp.co.za Vetasi south-africa@vetasi.com VIP Consulting Engineers esme@vipconsulting.co.za VOMM commerciale@vomm.it Water Institute of Southern Africa wisa@wisa.org.za Water Solutions Southern Africa ecoetzer@wssa.co.za Wilo South Africa tracy.vanderLinde@wilo.co.za WorleyParsons chris.brandsen@WorleyParsons.com WRP ronniem@wrp.co.za WSP Group Africa dirk.hattingh@mbs-wsp.co.za Zebra Surfacing andrew@zebrasurfacing.co.za

INDUSTRY NEWS

When engineering meets architecture FAR LEFT (From left) Kevan Moses, MD, SVA International, Don Mkhwanazi, chairperson, GIBB board and Richard Vries, CEO, GIBB Group LEFT (From left) Richard Vries, Don Mkhwanazi and speaker of the eThekwini Municipality Cllr Logie Naidoo

A

NETWORKING EVENT in celebration of the merger between leading consulting engineering firm GIBB and architectural firm SVA International recently brought together key industry players and clients.

Keynote speaker Cllr Logie Naidoo, of the eThekwini Municipality, said that from a government perspective, there is a need for firms such as GIBB and SVA International to assist in the realisation of its mandate of

growth and development in South Africa. The partnership between the two will strengthen GIBB’s existing footprint in Africa and will enable both firms to broaden capabilities in infrastructural disciplines.

“Infrastructure, as our government has stressed, remains one of our country’s most important challenges, but is indeed the backbone to our economy. This is where we need to invest our time and energy, building Africa, and South Africa particularly, from the core:

more hospitals, more schools, better roads, airports, power, energy and dams,” said GIBB Group CEO Richard Vries.

Naidoo, said, “The event was an absolute pleasure for me to attend, as was the opportunity to address it. This was the coming together of two giants in the engineering fraternity. This calibre of the event in itself, displays the quality of services that these two entities bring to the table. Together, they will be formidable.”

IMIESA May 2014

83

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS 40

Sephaku Cement

54

81

IMESA Registration

62

Afrimat

26

Infrastructure Project Risk Management

84

55

Joat Group

IFC

Aquatan

83

Krohne South Africa

16

Aveng Manufacturing Infraset

74

Lekwa Consulting Engineers and Project Managers 15

Bagshaw Footwear

50

National Asphalt

Barloworld Equipment

25

NuWater

Beier Safety Footwear

52

Osborn Engineered Products

44

DegrĂŠmont

35

Pan Mixers South Africa

56

Enviremed

38

PPC Cement

14

ERWAT

42

Precision Meters

68

Water & Sanitation Services South Africa

Fiberpipe

20

Quality Filtration Systems

48

Westrade Group (No Dig)

65

Gast International

32

Rocla

21

Wilo

76

IMESA Call For Entries

27

Royal HaskoningDHV

22

WorleyParsons

61

IMESA Call For Papers

4

WRP

IBC

Zest WEG Group

31

Aggregate & Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa

Babcock60

IMESA General

84

Sembcorp

Afri-Infra

IMIESA May 2014

66

Salberg Concrete SBS Water Systems

70 OFC

10 & 11 2

Sika

30

Sizabantu Piping Systems

36

SRK Consulting

75

Standard Bank

18

Technicrete

71

The Concrete Institute

57

Tosas

67

Valve & Allied

77

Vortex

78 OBC

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