100 Mℓ of water from Ndlambe desal plant

The Ndlambe Seawater Reverse Osmosis Plant reached the 100 million litre milestone of water pumped into the municipal reticulation system in Port Alfred.

We’d like to thank the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), Newground Projects, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the municipality for supporting this project,” says Musawenkosi Ndlovu, director of Quality Filtration Systems (QFS).

“The combination of a 2 Mℓ/day desalination plant and 3 Mℓ/day water reuse plant is a powerful and sustainable solution (reduced electricity and running costs) as a coastal town drought-buster. Furthermore, the quality of the water from the desalination plant is far beyond the requirements of SANS 241:2015,” adds Ndlovu. The municipality is the first in the country to combine a desalination and wastewater plant on one site.

Deputy Minister of the DWS David Mahlobo, a microbiologist by training, was highly impressed with the quality of the water and endorsed the implementation of water reuse as a solution for drought-stricken areas around the country.

“A project of this nature is technically complicated and advanced. The performance of the plant has improved substantially and we congratulate the project team for making this possible,” explains Louis Fourie of Newground Projects.

Aimed at dealing with the crippling water crisis brought on by protracted periods of drought, the multimillion-rand plant is fitted with technology to treat and process seawater so that it is suitable for human consumption. The plant is fully automated to ensure there is no human error and the water quality produced is not compromised.

QFS will continue to operate and maintain the plant for the next three years, during which time it will operate a skills-transfer programme for local residents.

A major part of the project is being funded through a Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant from the DWS.

L-R: Thembani Mazani (councillor: Infrastructure Portfolio), Musawenkosi Ndlovu (QFS), Ray Schenck (chairperson: Project Steering Committee and local ward councillor), Onke Sopela (manager: Water Services, Ndlambe Local Municipality), and Dawie van Wyk (Port Alfred Ratepayers Association)