You said it in WASA

The opinions and statements shared by thought leaders in the water industry to Water&Sanitation Africa.

“A slow – or no – response from failing municipalities cannot be tolerated and we call on the Department of Water and Sanitation as well as Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to take action on any errant municipalities who make no effort to be part of an improvement process. We call for improved accountability and performance, and consequences for counsellors and administrators who are slowing down or even hindering progress.” Lester Goldman, CEO, WISA PAGE 09

“Many municipalities have been handed the results of these Green Drop audits and do not know what to do to improve them. Some do not even understand the report. They do not have the knowledge, skills or money to make any improvement. Let’s build a bridge and allow them to ask for help.” Dan Naidoo, chairman, WISA PAGE 10

“Simplistically put, most mine closure strategies revolve around separating the ‘dirty/contact water’ that has come into contact with mine residue from the ‘clean/non-contact water’ and keeping the latter clean.”

James Lake, principal environmental scientist, SRK Consulting PAGE

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“Water costs are set to rise, and it’s likely that waterusage legislation will start appearing as demand for water grows. Every business will, in the future, rank water as a prime consideration for costs and operational risks. Prevention is better than cure: the Carbon Disclosure Project’s 2020 Global Water Report notes that companies that don’t mitigate water risks end up with financial impacts five times worse than those that strategically address water supplies to their operations.”

Chetan Mistry, strategy and marketing manager, Xylem PAGE

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“The manufacturing environment is never stable, making the inflows vastly different. Water treatment plants work within set parameters and issues arise when the plant has to work outside these design parameters. There needs to be a greater focus on change management. Veolia values partnerships with its customers; there needs to be constant communication. We turn wastewater into a resource for our clients. It’s a complex, technical process, but we have the expertise and knowledge, and work closely with our clients to achieve this.” Miles Murray, director: Business Development, Veolia Services Southern Africa PAGE 20

“Limescale that forms on the inside of water pipes increases the resistance to the system and decreases the flow of water. This results in greater energy consumption and even damaged pumps. Limescale build-up on heating equipment also impedes heat transfer and the elements use more energy. Removing this limescale often results in expensive downtime for various industries.” Tinus Venter, director, Hydroflow SA PAGE 25

“In the popular imagination, estuaries don’t have the prestige or romanticism of their two constituent parts: the rivers that feed them with freshwater from one side, the ocean that injects salty water from the other. But as the go-between between river and ocean, estuaries nonetheless deserve more credit. Their dull, brackish appearance belies the abundance of life that they hold. Considered as, pound for pound, among the most productive environments on earth, they are said to produce more organic matter than forests or grasslands of the same size.”

Anusha Rajkaran, associate professor, University of the Western Cape PAGE

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“Groundwater is a major water supply source and provides almost half of all drinking water worldwide. While it delivers roughly 40% of water for irrigated agriculture, this figure can be much higher considering that half the water flowing in rivers comes from groundwater as baseflow. Furthermore, groundwater provides about a third of the water supply required for industry and also sustains biodiversity and terrestrial ecosystems. It is a strategic resource and an important component to adapt to the threats associated with climate change. Despite these impressive statistics, groundwater is out of sight and often out of mind for most people. Human activities (including population and economic growth), poor land-use planning and climate change are putting pressure on groundwater resources.” Yazeed van Wyk, national treasurer:

Ground Water Division, GSSA PAGE

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“Municipalities receive support and financial aid from national government in the form of grants, specifically, from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), which manages the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant and Water Services Infrastructure Grant. Local government receives a substantial amount of money to upgrade its wastewater treatment works, as well as the systems that feed those works. This cannot continue if there are no visible improvements. When analysing the outcome from the recent Green Drop Report, it is clear that there is little benefit from the money transferred in some of the municipalities. The next option for poorly performing municipalities despite financial and other support, is for the DWS to intervene in these municipalities as empowered by the Water Services Act and the Constitution. Some municipalities will receive further support from government while the DWS is investigating the option of removing the WSA status from other municipalities.”

Anet Muir, chief director: Water Use Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement, DWS PAGE

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“South Africa’s water finance account has been in the red for years and the numbers are staggering: R898 billion is needed to fund the National Water and Sanitation Masterplan. Alarmingly, we are adding to that total every day, as the impacts of increased urbanisation and climate-driven weather events take their toll. So, where will the money come from? How do we move from red to black? We need to expand our financing options and plan with water in mind.” Malango Mughogho, founder and managing director,

Zenzi Zenzi Sustainable Finance PAGE

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“High water demand and inefficient water systems in Gauteng remain a concern in a country that receives approximately half the global average of rainfall. By increasing Rand Water’s supply capacity,

Station 5A improves Rand Water’s network resilience and Gauteng’s water security.” Sipho Mosai, chief executive, Rand Water 44 PAGE