IMESA Conference & Exhibition Proceedings 2023

www.imesa.org.za

IMESA

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PARTNERING

WITH MUNICIPALITIES

IN INFRASTUCTURE DELIVERY

g r o u p

TH CONFERENCE OF THE

INSTITUTE OF MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

ISBN: 978-0-7961-1702-1

IMESA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MANAGING EDITOR Alastair Currie Email: alastair@infraprojects.co.za DESIGNER Beren Bauermeister DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTIONS Email: IMIESAdistribution@infraprojects.co.za

Proceedings of the 86th Conference of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa

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CONFERENCE ENDORSED BY

ADVERTISING SALES KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER Joanne Lawrie

IMESA

Tel: +27 (0)11 234 0825 / +27 (0)82 346 5338 Email: joanne@infraprojects.co.za ___________________________________________________ PUBLISHER IMESA (Pty) Ltd P O Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Email: info@infraprojects.co.za ISSN 0257 1978 IMIESA, Inst.MUNIC. ENG. S. AFR. © Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-7961-1702-1 ___________________________________________________ IMESA CONTACTS HEAD OFFICE: Manager: Ingrid Botton P.O. Box 2190, Westville, 3630 Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Email: admin@imesa.org.za Website: www.imesa.org.za BORDER Secretary: Celeste Vosloo Tel: +27 (0)43 705 2433 Email: celestev@buffalocity.gov.za EASTERN CAPE Secretary: Susan Canestra Tel: +27 (0)41 585 4142 ext. 7 Email: imesaec@imesa.org.za KWAZULU-NATAL Secretary: Narisha Sogan Tel: +27 (0)31 266 3263 Email: imesakzn@imesa.org.za NORTHERN PROVINCES Secretary: Debbie Anderson Tel: +27 (0)83 326 3050 Email: np@imesa.org.za SOUTHERN CAPE KAROO Secretary: Henrietta Olivier Tel: +27 (0)79 390 7536 Email: imesasck@imesa.org.za

STRUCTA GROUP: Partnering Municipalities in Infrastucture Delivery

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IMESA Overview

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IMESA President’s Welcome Message

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2023 President's Address

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LOC Chair Address

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Housekeeping Notes

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Conference Programme

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SPONSORS

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- Flowtite South Africa

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- ENsync Engineers

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- Herrenknecht AG

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- Umngeni-Uthukela Water

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- HN Consulting Engineers

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- Makhaotse, Narasimulu & Associates (MNA)

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WESTERN CAPE Secretary: Michelle Ackerman Tel: +27 (0)21 444 7112 Email: imesawc@imesa.org.za

Exhibition Floorplan

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FREE STATE & NORTHERN CAPE Secretary: Wilma Van Der Walt Tel: +27 (0)83 457 4362 Email: imesafsnc@imesa.org.za

Exhibitors

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Speaker Profiles

43

Abstracts

51

Index to Papers

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Papers

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All material herein IMESA Conference Proceedings 2023 is copyright protected and may not be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa or the publishers.

COVER STORY

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STRUCTA GROUP: PARTNERING WITH MUNICIPALITIES IN INFRASTUCTURE DELIVERY Structa Group of companies started operating in 2001 with the merger of Structacom and Dorbyl Structural Products. The current owners acquired the Dorbyl shareholding in 2003 and the Group has grown to house four principal operating divisions and a further three supporting companies. Structa Group divisions are Level 1 BBBEE compliant.

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he Group focuses on the manufacturing and supply of infrastructure related products in the fields of water storage, electrification, lighting, and communication structures, as well as industrial and building structures.

Typical products offered to municipalities include pressed steel water tanks, circular water tanks, lighting masts, communication towers and electricity distribution pylons.

Structa is the largest Sub-Saharan Africa supplier of monopole type electricity pylons.

The operating divisions are housed in two campuses in Meyerton and Vanderbijlpark respectively. Factory buildings are modern and well equipped and offers some 22 000 m2 under roof and crane, with additional lay down and storage areas of some 35 000 m2.

Core values of the business are: • Manufacturing of a quality product.

• Built-in reliability through application of sound engineering practice.

• Continuous improvement of products and processes through application of state-ofthe-art technology.

• Social development of workforce and society.

The above is best illustrated with some examples: • All operating divisions have active SANS certified ISO 9001 quality systems.

• The Group regularly tests structures and components to verify designs for static and fatigue loading.

• The Group has an in-house engineering bureau, equipped with state -of-the art analysis and measurement tools, for product design and development. Equally so, manufacturing processes are upgraded to state-of-the-art where possible. This is illustrated by in-house 20 kW and 6 kW laser cutting facilities.

• For staff and society social development, the Group has an in-house training facility, apprentice training schemes and postgraduate study support schemes.

Herewith are short summaries of the product ranges that Structa Group offers to municipalities and project managers in infrastructure development.

WATER STORAGE Water storage solutions are offered through our Structa Technology division and basically offers solutions for water storage from 5 000 litres to 4,5 million litres through the diversified range of classical pressed steel panel tanks (‘Prestank’) and smaller circular tanks (‘Circotanks’).

With this range a municipality can optimise the water storage tank to suit both purpose and budget.

PRESTANK Structa’s 40-year-old flagship brand, namely Prestank, has over the years proven itself as a hygienically safe, cost effective and reliable way to store water for communities.

Structa’s Prestank Water Storage Tank is the ideal water storage solution for volumes from 10 000 litres and above, especially on elevated stands.

The Structa Prestanks are fully customisable, high quality water storage solutions that are manufactured according to SANS guidelines and meet South African Hot Dipped Galvanising requirements. A major advantage of the sectional tank design is that it facilitates easier handling and transportation over long distances to remote areas, regardless of the final dimensions of the assembled unit. Furthermore, assembly on site is quickly achieved without the need for sophisticated tooling methods. Minimum maintenance is required because the galvanised steel panels resist weathering from the elements, while maintaining the integrity of the water within from contamination of most forms.

COVER STORY

CIRCOTANK Structa Technology has now developed an even more economical but robust round galvanised steel tank range.

The range, branded as Circotank, is manufactured from Aluzinc sheet cold rolled with a stiffening profile. The tanks utilise a PVC liner which hugely improves the speed and quality of build, resulting in a reliable product. Liner replacement is possible, thus resulting in ease of maintenance and longevity.

Circotank is offered in two size ranges, being a Maxi-range covering tank sizes of 100 000 litres up to 1,5 million litres and a Midi range covering a very user-friendly range of 5 000 – 20 000 litres.

The Maxi-range is aimed at medium scale water storage projects, with typical application in mass rural water supply schemes.

Circotanks are easily transported, have simple foundations, and can be erected without cranes. This all adds up to a very economical total cost per cubic metre water storage.

The Midi-range fills a gap not covered by typical moulded plastic tanks and would find good application where users need storage between 5,000 and 20,000 litres, often on stands to provide distribution pressure.

POWERLINE SUPPORT STRUCTURES Structa Group is a leading supplier of transmission and distribution powerline pylons in Southern Africa. Pylons are designed to international standards (IEE and ASCE) and have been deployed in Sub– Saharan Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, Swaziland, DRC and Ethiopia).

Typical products manufactured for municipal use are: • Monopole pylons (11 kV – 220 kV) • Double pole pylons (132 kV – 220 kV)

• Lattice pylons (132 kV – 400 kV) •U tility poles for low voltage (11 kV) distribution The principal ranges have all been type tested by ESKOM in full scale load tests.

The low risk of vandalism and theft on monopoles makes these a very popular choice for distribution lines all over Southern Africa.

Our monopoles were recently famously used to replace vandalised lattice towers in Tshwane in an emergenc y power restoration project.

The utility pole range has now found wide application as a long-term reliable replacement for wooden poles. These structures offer a much lighter, easily transportable option, resistant to fire and rot, as well as ease of maintenance.

SUBSTATION STEELWORK Our C.I.S. Masts and Tower division has extensive experience in the manufacture, supply and installation of electrical substation structures. These typically include: • Termination structures • Gantries • Transformer support structures • Circuit breaker/isolator supports • Disconnector structures • Lightning arrestor supports • L ightning protection masts and shield wire supports

poles typically used on highways, high mast lighting poles and stadium lighting poles.

Recent innovations include the combination of streetlight poles and cellular communication masts into a singular mast, thus saving space and providing income from cellular services to municipalities.

A further recent innovation is quick rollout kits where masts, electricals, lights and precast foundations are supplied to emerging contractors.

In summary, the Structa Group, offers a ‘one stop shop’ for water and electrical municipal projects.

Our biggest successes in large projects have been achieved through the early involvement of our engineers, even in project definition stages, so that our clients are assured of optimal products, both in structural performance and life cycle cost.

We therefore gladly invite municipalities and utilities to engage with us to achieve, in partnership, successful project delivery.

CONTACT DETAILS: +27 (0)12 804 4804 enquiries@structa.co.za www.structa.co.za

LIGHTING MASTS AND POLES Structa manufactures a wide range of lighting system support structures typically required in municipal infrastructure. These range from streetlight poles, mid-hinging

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IMESA MISSION STATEMENT

SEMINARS

To promote excellence in the engineering profession for the benefit of municipalities and their communities.

Branches organise regular full- and half-day seminars, which feature speakers from both the technical and contemporary areas. These seminars also provide opportunities to introduce new products in the technical field and to brief members and politicians.

OVERVIEW

ANNUAL CONFERENCES

Since 1961, The Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) has been committed to the pursuit of excellence in all facets of infrastructure, pushing boundaries and driving innovation. Our unwavering dedication extends to the professionals who form the backbone of this industry.

IMESA hosts an annual conference. Opportunities for members to gain valuable information and insight into issues facing the municipal engineering fraternity include the presentation of topical papers, product exhibitions and an opportunity to share and discuss ideas with like-minded engineers, municipal representatives and non-technical associates.

IMESA creates a platform for the exchange of ideas and viewpoints on all aspects of municipal engineering with the aim of expanding the knowledge and best practices in all local government municipalities.

This is made up of a community of pioneers, professionals, and enthusiasts united by a singular purpose: to reshape the landscape of infrastructure engineering.

BURSARY SCHEME

Municipalities are key role-players in identifying needs, prioritising funding, and implementing integrated development planning for community-based programmes.

TRAINING

The Institute advises Councils on municipal engineering matters and serves the broader community through representation on a number of national bodies, where it provides input from the municipal engineer’s perspective. As a member of the International Federation of Municipal Engineering (IFME), IMESA contributes to and gains a wealth of global experience in the infrastructure engineering field. Partnering with both local and international organizations IMESA not only to raises awareness but redefines perceptions, strengthening our image and reputation among diverse audiences. Strategic partnerships with government bodies, academic institutions, research entities are pivotal in the quest to benefit the institute, its members, and the entire engineering profession.

Together, we can navigate a course towards a brighter, more innovative future for infrastructure engineering.

In 2000, IMESA established a bursary scheme for full-time studies in the field of civil engineering. Bursaries are awarded each year, as per our bursary policy. The aim of the scheme is to recognise achievements of students and prospective students who would not otherwise be able to continue studying or are dependants of IMESA members.

IMESA offers a range of training courses covering all aspects of infrastructure asset management and other priorities relevant to engineering and municipal environments.

IMESA WEBSITE The IMESA website offers members and potential members a forum for opinion, news and support relating to the municipal engineering industry.

IMESA HERALDRY AND MOTTO The IMESA coat of arms was designed by Alan Woodrow and was registered with the South African Bureau of Heraldry in 1972.

BENEFITS AND SERVICES TO MEMBERS IMIESA JOURNAL Members of IMESA are granted free subscription to the IMIESA journal, a highly informative monthly publication that serves as a mouthpiece for the engineering fraternity by disseminating cutting-edge technical news and developments. The journal has received the prestigious PICA Award for the best publication of its kind in the Urban Management, Civil Construction and Infrastructural Development categories.

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Monumenta Circumspice means “For our monuments, look around you”

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IMESA STRUCTURE

IMESA STRUCTURE PRESIDENT DEPUTY PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT TECHNICAL

VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS

TECHNICAL DIRECTORS

OPERATIONS DIRECTORS

– Director: Infrastructure

– Director: Constitution, By-Laws & Ethics

– Director: Environment

– Director: Head Office Support

– Director: Training & Skills

– Director: Finance

Development

– Director: Conferences

– Director: Asset & Business

– Director: Marketing & Communications

Management

- Candidate Engineer - Candidate Engineering Technologist - Candidate Engineering Technician - Candidate Certified Engineer • Are admitted as such by the Executive Committee • Have been admitted by Council on the unanimous recommendation of the Executive Committee based on their opinion that such persons have the experience, employment responsibility or involvement in infrastructure engineering or have made a contribution to public sector engineering that, in the interests of the Institute, justifies such admission.

STUDENT MEMBERS They shall be persons who are: • Enrolled students at a local or international university/technical university recognised by ECSA • Studying towards a degree/diploma in engineering • Admitted as such by the Executive Committee.

– Director: IMESA PTY

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS ADMINISTRATION MEMBER

IMESA MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES/ GRADES CORPORATE MEMBERS PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS They shall be persons who: • Are registered by ECSA or an equivalent engineering council recognised by ECSA as full professionals in at least one of the following categories: - Professional Engineer - Professional Engineering Technologist - Professional Engineering Technician - Professional Certified Engineer - Registered Engineering Technician • Have at least three years infrastructure engineering experience after achieving a qualification recognised by ECSA or an equivalent engineering council recognised by ECSA for registration •H ave been admitted as such by the Executive Committee • Having failed to comply with the requirements of the clauses above, have been admitted by Council, on the unanimous recommendation of the Executive Committee based on their opinion that such persons have the experience, employment responsibility or involvement in infrastructure engineering or made such a contribution to infrastructure engineering that, in the interests of the Institute, justifies such admission.

NON-CORPORATE MEMBERS GRADUATE MEMBERS They shall be persons who: • Are registered/eligible for registration by ECSA or an equivalent engineering council recognised by ECSA in at least one of the following categories:

They shall be persons who: • Have satisfied the Executive Committee that they are involved in an aspect of infrastructure engineering • Are admitted as such by the Executive Committee.

AFFILIATE MEMBERS They shall be those academic, research, consulting, commercial, industrial or other undertakings who: • Are in the opinion of the Executive Committee, involved in business related to infrastructure engineering • Are admitted as such by the Executive Committee.

SUBSCRIPTION FEES: JULY 2023 – JUNE 2024 Membership Category

Entrance Fees (Once-Off):

All Individual Categories

350

Affiliate Member Platinum

5 110

Affiliate Member Gold

3 960

Affiliate Member Silver

2 430

Membership Category

Annual Subscription Fees:

Professional member

1 370

Retired Professional member

410

Fellow member

1 370

Retired Fellow member

410

Graduate member

650

Retired Graduate member

360

Associate member

830

Retired Associate member

360

Student member

360

Affiliate Member Platinum

16 350

Affiliate Member Gold

10 810

Affiliate Member Silver

7 230

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Background information for Affiliate Membership DEFINITION OF AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP Affiliates shall be those consulting, commercial or industrial undertakings that have been admitted as such by the Executive Committee.

Any consulting, commercial or industrial undertaking may be admitted as an Affiliate, provided, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, it is involved in business related to municipal engineering.

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES This type of membership offers 4 categories: • Platinum: Recommended for larger corporates operating countrywide with and/or ties abroad (20+ offices or outlet points).

• Gold: Recommended for medium-sized corporates operating in the major regional centres (10-20 offices or outlet points).

• Silver: Recommended for smaller corporates operating locally (<10 offices or outlet points).

• Professional: Reciprocal complimentary membership for synergy between associated organisations.

An Affiliate Member may request a change to its membership category once a year, when the renewal of its annual subscription becomes payable.

BENEFITS OF AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP IMIESA magazine Official journal is published monthly. This prestigious technical journal has won a number of awards, including SAPPI-PICA and other Mondi awards, since its launch in 1975. It also has a strong online presence through websites and social media pages.

Citings and editorial A citing is compiled by IMIESA's editorial staff, and is valued at least twice that of a paid advertorial of the same size. The following is offered to Affiliates: MEMBER CATEGORY

EXPOSURE

Platinum

3 citings per annum

Gold

2 citings per annum

Silver

1 citing per annum

Professional

1 citing per annum

Note: Company logos are omitted in editorial/citings, as it will lead to losing its value as an editorial/citing. In order to retain editorial integrity, Affiliates will be entitled to expect exposure on this basis, which provides "clean exposure" in that it is not paid for. New appointments, contracts or important projects will receive attention.

Discount on advertising All Affiliate Members will automatically receive Most Valued Client status, meaning that advertisement positions are prioritised.

In addition to this, IMIESA offers a 10% discount on all advertisements on submission of publishable technical material by Affiliate Members. The 10% discount is also applicable to other advertorial products such as inserts and inside cover positions of the journal.

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Free copies Affiliate members will receive free copies of the IMIESA journal:

Platinum

Max 15

Gold

Max 10

Silver

Max 5

Professional

Max 5

Affiliate showcase This is a dedicated full page in each issue of IMIESA journal identifying Affiliate Members. Their logos are presented in colour and company names are listed.

ANNUAL CONFERENCES Sponsorship at conference “First refusal right” towards sponsorship at the annual IMESA Conference.

The conference organising committee/professional organisers will contact all Affiliates in advance, prior to seeking sponsorships from the rest of the industry.

Exhibition stand cost at the annual IMESA Conference The following discounts are afforded on the cost of exhibition stands at the conference:

Platinum

10%

Gold

7.5%

Silver

5%

Professional

5%

Conference registration fees Affiliates will enjoy special membership registration fees for the annual IMESA Conference for each delegate, with further discount for 3 and more delegates. Delegates representing Affiliate Members will enjoy the same discount as ordinary IMESA Members.

IMESA WEBSITE IMESA’s website is one of the main communication mediums. IMESA Affiliates can receive exposure with their logos displayed on the Affiliate Membership sub-site and a link to their website. Additional advertising benefits are being explored.

CERTIFICATE Affiliate Members will be supplied with a framed certificate from IMESA for their head office, reflecting their Affiliate Membership status. Additional certificates may be requested for other offices of the Affiliate Member.

ATTENDANCE AT IMESA BRANCH PROCEEDINGS An IMESA Affiliate may send an unlimited number of attendees to branch meetings and similar proceedings. Affiliates will be included on the contact lists of all IMESA branches countrywide.

CONTACT DETAILS: IMESA HEAD OFFICE Street address: Unit 3 The Summit, 2 Derby Place, Westville, 3629, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Postal address: PO Box 2190, Westville, 3630, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Contact numbers: t +27 (0)31 266 3263 • c +27 (0)71 608 1480

Welcome 09 President’s Welcome Message

10 2023 President’s Address

13 LOC Chair Address

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Engineering Revolutionised

06 - 08 November 2024 CAPE TOWN | GRANDWEST

CONTACT US FOR DETAILS CONFERENCE ENDORSED BY

t: +27 (031)266 3263 e: conference@imesa.org.za marketing@imesa.org.za www.imesa.org.za

IMESA ORGANISER

THE INSTITUTE OF MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (IMESA)

WELCOME

President’s Welcome Message

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lthough IMESA was founded in 1961, our origins go back a lot further which is why we are celebrating our 86th Annual Conference in Gqeberha this year. It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this beautiful city and invite you to take advantage of all the facilities and services that our members and participants have come to enjoy over the years.

Our 2023 Conference theme is “Resilience is the future”.

The pandemic underlined the importance of companies building resilience to be able to focus on the ability of a system, and to anticipate, absorb, recover from and adapt to a wide array of systemic threats. Building resilience is critical for our municipalities to manage infrastructure, as highlighted by catastrophic events in different parts of the country. Resilience can only be strengthened with coherent efforts, by all concerned including the development of supportive environments in all relevant sectors and between the different disciplines.

This conference is an opportunity for professional engineers and municipal officials to network with national and provincial government agencies as well as exhibitors showcasing products and technology. We are very grateful for the support of our exhibitors and sponsors who have made this event possible and contribute to its success. I would also like to thank the LOC members and head office staff for their dedication and hard work in organizing an excellent program which includes the biannual IMESA/CESA Excellence Awards being presented at the opening function to highlight project innovation and excellence.

Our legendary social evening will be hosted on Thursday 26th October at the Tramways venue – a historic transportation node in the city that started out with horse-drawn carriage services in 1881 and then shifted to electric trams from 1897 before closing in 1948. Now it’s an exceptional event venue that reminds us that green power has always been one of the options available – albeit coal-fired power in terms of the grid at that time.

I encourage you to participate and take an active role in all that is on offer.

Sibusiso

IMESA President: Sibusiso Mjwara

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2023 President’s Address

Strategic Liaisons In addition to IMESA commitments, I have had valuable engagements and interaction with external bodies and have been honoured with invitations to various indabas and conferences which were opportunities to showcase IMESA and what the Institute stands for.

A

t this halfway mark for my term as IMESA President, it is encouraging to see that progress has been made in the objectives I set out to achieve, although there is still a lot of work to be done.

One objective was to encourage all engineering personnel working at South Africa’s 257 municipalities to join IMESA, whether registered with ECSA as Professionals or not. Our membership makes provision for candidate/graduate, student, and associate members (such as financial officers and municipal managers who don’t hold a recognised ECSA qualification but have direct involvement in infrastructure project implementation). We have seen a steady growth in membership this past year, including new members from municipalities that have not previously been included, and I am looking forward to seeing more municipalities represented at our 2023 IMESA Conference than we have had before.

Another of my objectives was to ensure that mentorship programs are in place at municipalities for all graduate engineers, technologists, and technicians so they can become professionally registered. This is also a priority for ECSA which has noted with concern the high number of graduates in the public and private sector who are not registered or working towards registration.

Registration is one of the milestones that all built environment professionals should achieve, and attaining this distinction is far more than just a tick-box exercise. It means that registered persons must take responsibility for the work they’ve approved. And that level of competency and accountability is essential for sound execution according to plan and budget.

Going forward, I want to ensure that IMESA members strive for the highest standards of municipal engineering excellence.

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MISA Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent At the MISA 10-Year Reflective Indaba in August 2023, it was interesting to hear about their interventions and review the impact they may or may not have had. One panel discussion focused on the future focus of MISA from a COGTA/municipal perspective and a second panel discussion, which included representatives from professional and statutory bodies, focused on the role of MISA in improving municipal infrastructure.

MISA10-Year Reflective Indaba CIDB National Stakeholder Forum IMESA was invited to submit nominations and now has two members included, namely Mr Vuyani Gxagxama, Vice President: Technical, and Dr Kevin Wall. We look forward to their contribution and feedback on matters raised in this forum.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS

Sibusiso representing South Africa at the board meeting of the International Federation of Municipal Engineering

Civil Engineers South Africa (CESA) – The Excellence Awards presented jointly by CESA and IMESA every second year are included in this year’s conference. We look forward to continued interaction between the organisations to benefit all our members.

Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) – IMESA continues to support and follow the protocols for verification of CPD service providers and accreditation of CPD activities. One of my mandates is to push for professional registration and support younger engineers. IMESA branches are establishing a Young Professionals structure to support this.

ECSA has established the VA Presidents Forum to address issues such as candidacy conversion, VA framework and fees discounts, and various engagements.

National Treasury – IMESA continues to raise issues related to municipal supply chain management and interpretation of policy issues on behalf of the municipalities. Further interaction is planned later this year.

South African Local Government Association (SALGA) – A very encouraging development in this respect is that the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and IMESA are reviving the strategic partnership agreement that was signed in 2011 to strengthen their collaboration and to assist municipalities with their infrastructure challenges. A steering committee has been appointed to identify the key issues that can be addressed and to ensure that the proposed strategies are implemented.

Water Research Commission (WRC) – IMESA continues to collaborate on projects in joint ventures with the Water Research Commission as described above. Their support and input is very much appreciated.

International Federation of Municipal Engineers (IFME) In April 2023, I had the opportunity to attend the International Federation of Municipal Engineering’s (IFME’s) board meeting as the representative for South Africa. Hosted in Birmingham, England, this coincided with the Interchange Conference focusing on integrated transport infrastructure, including how information technology, artificial intelligence and alternative energies like green hydrogen will shape the future of smart city mobility.

It’s refreshing to note that our Southern African challenges are not unique – particularly when it comes to asset management and optimum infrastructure utilisation. There were key speaker presentations in this respect from the UK and New Zealand, homing in on the challenges of managing and detecting underground services.

The second IFME board meeting in San Diego, in August 2023, coincided with Public Works EXPO. I had an opportunity to be invited as an international panel to speak about the Public Works & Infrastructure. This conference was attended by approximately 6 000 delegates and exhibitors and included a lot of educational sessions.

This provided an opportunity to network and exchange knowledge with the global counter parts. The IFME Country representatives who were in attendance included Australia, Finland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and USA. The preparations for the IFME 21st Congress & World Urban Parks Congress are well underway, it will take place in September 2024 at the Beatrix Theatre, Utrecht The Netherlands. Members, are encouraged to make submissions in line with the topic Future Green City.

IMESA Projects Water Reclamation and Reuse Guide for South African Municipal Engineers - This guide was developed in a project sponsored equally by the Water Research Council (WRC) and IMESA and was completed in 2022. Training workshops were held at six venues around the country at the beginning of this year to roll out this guide as widely

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as possible. It can be downloaded from the knowledge base library on the IMESA website.

Best Practice Guideline for Design Flood Estimation in Municipal Areas in South Africa - Design Flood Estimation was also identified as a critical aspect for municipalities and IMESA initiated the project to develop this guideline with WRC support. The project made good progress in 2022/2023 with reference groups and input from various stakeholders.

We are proud to announce that WRC will be launching the completed guideline at this year’s Conference with training workshops planned for further roll out.

EXCO and Council Our management team of 14 executive committee members and 35 regional council representatives continue to support and drive all IMESA operations and initiatives.

You can be sure that the institute is in good hands. The Head Office staff are also to be commended for their supporting administration services.

Membership and Branches This has been a good recovery year for membership and for branch activities. New events have been added to the calendar as a welcome addition to the quarterly branch meetings/ seminars. Our August Woman’s Day celebration has become an annual event at most of our branches. It is a pleasure to encourage and celebrate the achievements of women in engineering. Golf days are another popular addition.

More importantly for my mandate is the establishment of a Young Professionals Portfolio (YP2) which will focus on creating a positive and motivated mindset in young engineers and aspiring engineers to expand their knowledge, to support their professional career development and to encourage registration with ECSA. Please get involved at the branches and let us know how we can provide more technical development opportunities.

IMESA has branches covering the following regions: • Northern Provinces (Gauteng) • Free State/Northern Cape (Bloemfontein/Kimberley) • KwaZulu-Natal (Durban) • Border (East London) • Eastern Cape (Port Elizabeth) • Southern Cape/Karoo (George/Mossel Bay) • Western Cape (Cape Town) • SADC Countries

Finances and Investments Our Operations Director Finance, with the support of EXCO/Council and head office, has had to manage finances

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carefully after the loss of conference income in 2020 and 2021. Fortunately, the 2022/2023 financial year has brought some relief and the institute continues to maintain a secure financial position.

IMIESA Publication In a historic milestone, the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA) has purchased the full trademark and publishing rights for our longstanding magazine – IMIESA – founded in 1975 by a contractual agreement between the Institute and Shorten Publications, and subsequently Novus Print T/A 3S Media. The first IMIESA magazine rolled off the press in 1976 and has been the benchmark in its field ever since.

IMIESA will now be produced by IMESA (Pty) Ltd as the official business-to-business communication platform for the Institute and its stakeholders in industry. We look forward to ensuring that this remains the definitive magazine in all areas related to infrastructure in South Africa, and Africa.

Obituary The passing of Engelbertus (Bertie) Byker in December 2022 was a sad loss, especially for the Western Cape Branch where he was an active member for many years. He and other members will be commemorated at our AGM on Wednesday, 25 October 2023.

In Summary I would to thank all our members and staff for their passion in making this their organisation of choice. IMESA will continue to support its members in relation to developing the necessary Municipal Engineering Guidelines to respond to the service delivery matters. IMESA is a platform for municipal engineers to share ideas on how to respond effectively to common issues. I am therefore challenging the municipal leaders to encourage their technical employees to become the members of IMESA in order not to miss out on the opportunities available to assist our government to deliver the municipal services efficiently and effectively.

LOC WELCOME

LOC Chairperson Address

O

n behalf of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the IMESA Eastern Cape Branch. I would like to welcome all delegates, and their companions, sponsors, exhibitors, and invited guests to the beautiful and friendly city of Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth). A special welcome is extended to the IMESA Head office Staff and the new elected IMESA President - Mr Sibusiso Mjwara. It is an honour to host delegates from all over Southern Africa.

This year marks the 86th Annual National IMESA Conference, and Gqeberha has been privileged to be named host city, after previously hosting in 2013 and 2018. Gqeberha is widely known as the “Windy City”, but locals will be quick to remind you that it is also well known as being “The Friendly City”. Gqeberha is the gateway for both local and international tourists to surrounding attractions such as the Addo Elephant National Park, Shamwari Private Game Reserve, Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area and the Garden Route just to name a few. We therefore encourage you to stay a little longer and use the opportunity to explore these scenic and world-renowned routes. There’s much to explore, sightsee and experience in our beautiful province of the Eastern cape.

The theme for this year’s conference is appropriately titled “Resilience Is The Future”. With the current socio-economic and climate change challenges faced by engineers in South Africa, not to mention the catastrophic affect of the pandemic, it has become more evident that our design and construction philosophy be realigned to this thought process.

A philosophy which has recently been adopted by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, home to Gqeberha and Kariega (formerly known as

2023 LOC TEAM Chairperson: Lyle Francis; Vice Chairperson: Nicholas Barnard; Finance: Gerrie van Der Merwe; Technical Tours: Marius Van Jaarsveld; Technical Advisory Committee: Dan Abraham & Drikus Bester; Golf Day: Ruan Van Niekerk; Transport & Accommodation: Zirk Buys & Ivor Berrington; Companion Programme: Melissa Gounden & Susan Canestra; Other: Joseph Tsatsire & Barry Martin

Uitenhage), due to the severe and prolonged drought currently being experienced. We as engineers need to consider numerous additional factors when designing and implementing new projects.

We are therefore immensely pleased that our papers represent a broad spectrum of disciplines in our industry which reflect this theme.

A special word of gratitude is extended to the speakers for the time they have taken to provide us with high quality papers and presentations. We envisage that the content presented will “drive home” the theme and stimulate a new thought process in us all.

This year’s conference will be held at the Boardwalk Hotel. We kick off proceedings with a Golf Day at the stunning Humewood Golf Club on the Tuesday. Thereafter, three technical tours have been booked for the Thursday afternoon: South African Breweries, NMU Science Centre and CoegaKop Water Treatment Works. The Thursday evening will culminate in a social evening held at the Tramways Building - the theme is “Denim and Tees” so please dress accordingly and bring along your dancing shoes as there will be a DJ. Our conference comes to an end on the Friday afternoon whereby awards for “Best Paper” and “Best Speaker” will be handed out. Our IMESA President will then close off the conference.

A final and heartfelt thank you goes out to the LOC and Head Office staff who assisted in making the conference a success. They have worked tirelessly and gone beyond the call of duty.

Lyle Francis LOC Chairperson IMESA Eastern Cape Branch

Lyle Francis

Nicholas Barnard

Gerrie van Der Merwe

Marius Van Jaarsveld

Dan Abraham

Drikus Bester

Ruan Van Niekerk

Zirk Buys

Melissa Gounden

Susan Canestra

Ivor Berrington

Joseph Tsatsire

Barry Martin

IMESA

13

CALL FOR

abstracts TH 87IMESA

IMESA

CONFERENCE

Engineering Revolutionised

06 - 08 November 2024 CAPE TOWN | GRANDWEST

CATEGORIES • Buildings, Structures

• Electrical and Electronic

• Ecological, Environmental

• Water and Sanitation

• Financial, Legal

• Transport, Roads and Stormwater

and Housing

and Social

and Regulatory

A B S T R AC T S S U B M I T T E D BY

10 April 2024

marketing@imesa.org.za | tel +27 (0)31 266 3263

Contact Melanie Stemmer for an entry form or download it from the website.

CONFERENCE ENDORSED BY

t: +27 (0)31 266 3263 e: conference@imesa.org.za marketing@imesa.org.za www.imesa.org.za

IMESA ORGANISER

THE INSTITUTE OF MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (IMESA)

IMESA

Housekeeping

& PROGRAMME 16 Housekeeping 18 Conference Programme

HOUSEKEEPING

CONFERENCE Gqeberha (PE) R

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25-27 October

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Housekeeping Notes

ARRIVING IN GQEBERHA (PE) On arrival at the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, collect your luggage and proceed to the arrivals hall. Look out for a person holding a BLUNDEN & Transfers sign – they are the service provider who will be providing the FREE shuttle service for the duration of the IMESA Conference. Shuttles will provide transport between the hotel and the airport, to the Conference venue daily and back to all the hotels listed below. Airport Shuttles will start on Tuesday (14h00 to 20h00) and Wednesday (07h30 -10h00) and take you back to the airport on Friday.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATION Most hotels are within walking distance of the Conference venue. All the listed hotels are within a 3km radius of the Boardwalk Hotel.

From these hotels, IMESA will provide daily shuttles to the conference and back to the hotels, including shuttles to the Opening Function on Tuesday and the Social Evening at Tramways on Thursday. Shuttles will take you to Tramways between 18h15 to 19h00 and will provide transport back to the hotels from 21h30 to 23h30. The venue closes at 23h30.

The distance indicated next to the hotel’s name below is the distance from the Boardwalk Hotel (Conference venue): • Beach Hotel – 100m

• Town Lodge – 430m

• Road Lodge – 100m

• Protea Marine Hotel – 900m

• Courtyard Hotel – 100m

• Chapman Hotel – 1.1km

• City Lodge – 380m

• Garden Court – 1.3km

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DEPARTURE FROM GQEBERHA ON FRIDAY On Friday, the day of departure, delegates must check out of their hotel and bring their luggage to the Boardwalk Hotel. A secure luggage storage facility will be provided at the Conference venue. Leave your luggage at the REGISTRATION desk where it is clearly marked Luggage Drop Off. On Friday, there will be a FREE shuttle service from the Boardwalk Hotel to the airport – it takes approximately 30 minutes these timings will accommodate all delegates for their different flight departures, further information will be provided at the information desks at the Conference. The shuttle will depart from 12h15 to 15h00 on the hour every hour to the airport.

All luggage must be collected by no later than 14h30 from the Luggage Drop Off storage facility on Friday.

ACCOMMODATION Most of the hotels are within proximity of the Boardwalk Hotel - some hotels are within walking distance. The shuttle will go to ALL hotels listed, so delegates can decide to walk or take the shuttle. Please check the shuttle timetable which will be available on the website and at the INFO desk at the conference.

IMESA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) Everyone attending the conference (members and non-members) are invited to the IMESA AGM. The AGM, which will run for approximately one hour, and will take place in the Plenary on Wednesday, 25 October 2023 at 17h30-18h30 (after close of the last session).

HOUSEKEEPING

CPD ACCREDITATION The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points will be allocated to those who scan their name tags on entering the Plenary and scanning before getting on the Technical Tour bus. Attending the conference and all the sessions, including a technical tour, will earn the delegates 2.5 CPD points.

Registration for CPD accreditation will be done via the IMESA Registration staff at the entrance of the Plenary, the onus is on the delegate to ensure they scan their name tag which has a unique barcode to log on their CPD points. Delegates may contact IMESA Head Office for a certificate of attendance three weeks after the conference - conference@imesa.org.za

PARKING AND TRANSPORT There is safe parking in the basement of the Boardwalk Hotel.

SMOKING Smoking is not permitted within any closed area or within close proximity to the exit. There are demarcated smoking areas outside the Boardwalk Hotel.

FACILITIES IN AND AROUND THE BOARDWALK HOTEL BANKING FACILITIES All majors banking institutions’ ATMs available at the Shopping Centre close to the Boardwalk Hotel.

MEDICAL FACILITIES – on-site For minor medical issues there will be a medic on-site in the Exhibition Hall for the duration of the conference.

HOSPITAL – Tel +27 (0)41-392-6111 The closest hospital to the Conference venue is: Life St Georges Hospital 40 Park Drive, Central, Gqeberha WI-FI Wi-Fi is available at the venue. The password will be conveyed to delegates on-site.

BRIEFCASES, LAPTOPS AND VALUABLES Do not leave your valuables unattended at your stand or in the conference venue. Delegates are requested to keep their valuables with them at all times.

GENERAL INFORMATION REGISTRATION Delegates and exhibitors can register at the Registration Desk at the Boardwalk Hotel, which is at the top of the escalator when entering from the basement parking area. Registration will open from 11h00 to 21h00, on Tuesday, 24 October 2023. Delegates will receive their delegate bag and conference programme together with their name badge. Note that proof of identification will be required when registering.

REGISTRATION TIMES Tuesday: 24 October 2023 - 11h00 to 21h00 Wednesday: 25 October 2023 - 07h00 to 11h00 Thurs/Friday 26 & 27 October 2023 - 07h30 to 08h30 *N.B.: Access to the conference venue will not be allowed without FULL payment. On arrival, if payment has not been received, we will accept delegates; however, the delegate concerned will need to complete an indemnity form, whereby they will be liable for the full account should their company not settle the account on their return.

SPOTTING THE LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE (LOC) Members of the LOC will be wearing IMESA Red shirts. Feel free to ask them for assistance.

EXHIBITION HALL All meals and refreshments will be served in the Exhibition Hall.

Delegates are urged to support our exhibitors who not only put a great deal of effort into their exhibits but also take the time impart their knowledge to benefit and expand the knowledge base of each delegate with valuable information and insight into issues facing the industry daily, or new products on the market to benefit all projects.

The KNOWLEDGE Bar is also in the Exhibition Hall and anyone may join at no charge. All the topics are relevant to what is happening in the industry on an ongoing basis. Take some time out to join those at the KNOWLEDGE Bar. DELEGATE NAME BADGE Delegates’ name badges will allow them access to ALL events.

Delegates must please ensure that they wear them at all times. Should a delegate lose or forget their name badge, proof of identification will be required before a new one can be issued at a cost of R250 cash.

SOCIAL EVENTS GOLF DAY @ Humewood Country Club Date: Tuesday 24 October 2023 Venue: Humewood Country Club Time: Registration opens at 09h00 for 11h00 start; prize-giving at 17h00 Address: 39 Marine Drive, Summerstrand, Gqeberha OPENING FUNCTION & EXCELLENCE AWARDS – 17h30 until 21h00 Date: 24 October 2023 Venue: Boardwalk Hotel Time: 17h30 for 18h00 in the Plenary, followed by cocktails in the Hotel Foyer Dress Code: Smart casual THURSDAY SOCIAL EVENING Date: Thursday 26 October 2023 Venue: Tramways (16 Lower Valley Road, South End, Gqeberha) Theme: Anything goes with “Denim & T’s” Time: 18h30 for 19h00 until 23h30 Dress Code: Casual – Denim and T-shirts This event is one of the highlights of the Annual IMESA Conference.

Please ensure that you have your name badge with you to allow access to the event. Wine, beer and soft drinks will be served, while a CASH bar will be available - only credit cards, no cash.

IMESA

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CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

CONFERENCE Gqeberha (PE) R

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Conference Programme Tuesday, 24 October 2023 11h00 - 18h00 IMESA Golf Day @ Humewood Golf Club 12h00 - 21h00 Conference ON-SITE REGISTRATION | sponsored by Umngeni-Uthukela Water 17h30 for 18h00 OPENING FUNCTION & EXCELLENCE AWARDS @ Boardwalk Hotel

Wednesday, 25 October 2023 07h00 - 08h00 Onsite Registration Open | sponsored by Umngeni-Uthukela Water 08h10 MC opens the 1st day of Conference SESSION 1 08h20 Opening by IMESA President: Sibusiso Mjwara 08h30 ADDRESS by SALGA Representative 08h40 - 09h40 KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr Imtiaz Sooliman from Gift of the Givers 09h40 - 09h55 Address by Diamond Sponsor: Bantu Mselana (Flowtite SA) 09h55 - 10h00 Promotion of 2024 IMESA Conference 10h00 REFRESHMENTS SERVED IN EXHIBITION HALL SESSION 2 10h40 MC welcomes delegates to Session 2 10h50 - 11h20

PAPER 1: Nick Graham Legal impediments to providing water services to informal settlements on private land

11h20 - 11h50

PAPER 2: Neil Armitage The new SA Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) Guidelines

11h50 - 12h20

PAPER 3: Andriëtte Combrinck & James Harvey-Ewusi Regional-scale planning for municipal water to support transformative adaptation

12h20 Questions from the floor 12h30 LUNCH SERVED IN EXHIBITION HALL SESSION 3 13h30 MC welcomes delegates to Session 3 13h40 - 14h10 ECSA Presentation 14h10 Questions from the floor 14h20 - 14h50

PAPER 4: Ednah Mamakoa Next Generation Sanitation Technologies, a solution for informal settlements

14h50 - 15h20

PAPER 5: Professor JA du Plessis An early warning approach for droughts, using the Standardise Precipitation Index

15h20 Questions from the floor 15h30 REFRESHMENTS SERVED IN EXHIBITION HALL SESSION 4 16h00 MC welcomes delegates to Session 4 16h10 - 17h20

PANEL DISCUSSION: South African Resilience: Fostering Sustainable Solutions for an Uncertain Future

17h20 Close of Conference Day 1 17h30 - 18h15 IMESA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

EVENING AT LEISURE 18

IMESA

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Thursday, 26 October 2023 07h00 Coffee in the Exhibition Hall 08h00 MC opens 2nd day of Conference SESSION 5 PAPER 6: Johan Bester 08h10 - 08h40 How to get a realistic Operations and Maintenance budget in place to prioritise essential maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure 08h40 - 09h10

PAPER 7: Jean-Pierre Blignault Emerging Micro Enterprise (EME) Engagement: Insights through Practical Experience

09h10 - 09h40

PAPER 8: Reudebaker Nel A case for trenchless technology - Mahatma Gandhi Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 2

09h40 - 10h10

PAPER 9: Phillip de Souza & Joseph Barnard Advancing Water Supply and Sanitation System resilience through improved Risk Management Approaches

10h10 Questions from the floor 10h30 REFRESHMENTS SERVED IN EXHIBITION HALL SESSION 6 11h00 MC welcomes delegates to Session 6 11h10 - 11h40

PAPER 10: Oseni Amoo & Kuluwa Mkosana Effects of Rainfall Temporal Variability on Groundwater Physio-Chemical and Microbial Quality

11h40 - 12h10

PAPER 11: David Still Faecal Sludge Management - What do you need to know?

12h10 - 12h40

PAPER 12: Christopher Chinonge Data Modelling and Infrastructure Profiling in Local Municipalities

12h40 Questions from the floor 12h50 LUNCH SERVED IN EXHIBITION HALL TECHNICAL TOURS for the afternoon 13h45 Delegates depart for Technical Tours and return from Technical Tours at 17h00 18h30 - 23h30

SOCIAL EVENING @ Tramways THEME: Denim & Tee’s

|

DRESS CODE: Casual (Bring something warm for the evening chills)

Friday, 27 October 2023 07h00 Coffee in the Exhibition Hall 08h15 MC opens last day of Conference SESSION 7 08h20 - 08h50

PAPER 13: Khothatso Hlalele & Didlier Ilunga Causes of leaks and leakage management in water distribution network

08h50 - 09h20

PAPER 14: Matt Braune & Nichal Rajnandan Improved Municipal asset data capture and management using GIS applications

09h20 - 09h50

PAPER 15: Luntu Ndalasi & Lubabalo Luyaba Revising the Municipal Infrastructure Grant to Improve Expenditure Outcomes

09h50 - 10h20

PAPER 16: Chandre Barnard The Bulk Water supply journey

10h20 Questions from the floor 10h35 REFRESHMENTS SERVED IN EXHIBITION HALL SESSION 8 11h15 MC welcomes delegates to Session 8 PAPER 17: Phillip Majeke 11h20 - 11h50 Building climate resilience in the sanitation value chain through innovative technologies towards circular economy 11h50 Questions from the floor 12h00 - 12h20 CONFERENCE SUMMARY – Barry Martin 12h20 CLOSE-OFF FORMALITIES: Best Paper & Best Exhibition Stands 12h30 Presidential Conference Closing Remarks 12h45 FINAL Lucky Draw - R 5 000 12h45 - 14h00 LUNCH SERVED IN EXHIBITION HALL & DEPARTURE

IMESA

19

THE NEW CHAPTER has begun UMNGENI-UTHUKELA

WATER . AMANZI

uMngeni-uThukela is a new name for the former Umgeni Water, after the incorporation of Mhlathuze Water with effect from 01 July 2023. One of the fundamental drivers of this change is to Join forces to enhance water and sanitation service delivery for all communities in KwaZulu-Natal. uMngeni-uThukela Water will provide water and waste water services and related services to other water services institutions and customers within its gazetted service area of 30 200 km2 (the entire province of KwaZulu-Natal), providing safe potable water to 6.7 Million people and 1.9 Million households.

The entity operates in accordance with the Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) and the Public Finance Management Act (Act 1 of 1999), among others, and is categorised as a National Government Business Enterprise. uMngeni-uThukela Water reports directly to the Department of Water and Sanitation, through the Board (Accounting Authority) and through its functionaries, the Chairperson of the Board and the Chief Executive. The Minister of Water and Sanitation is the Executive Authority for Water Boards.

Contact Details Thokozani Hammond Acting Manager: Brand, Marketing and Communication UMNGENI-UTHUKELA WATER 310 Burger Street Pietermaritzburg 3201 Tel: 033 - 34111368

22 D IAMOND SPONSOR FLOWTITE South Africa 22 G OLD SPONSOR ENsync Engineers 23 GOLD SPONSORS Herrenknecht AG Umngeni-Uthukela Water 23 SILVER SPONSOR HN Consulting Engineers 23 BRONZE SPONSOR Makhaotse, Narasimulu & Associates (MNA) 28 Exhibition Floorplan 29 Exhibitors

SPONSORS

CONFERENCE Gqeberha (PE) R

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25-27 October

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DIAMOND SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

FLOWTITE SOUTH AFRICA

ENSYNC ENGINEERS

Flowtite South Africa is the sole manufacturer of FLOWTITE™GRP (Glass fibre reinforced polyester) pipes and fittings within SubSaharan Africa. All products are manufactured locally at our Gauteng facility in Germiston. The production method is a continuous filament winding process.

ENsync Engineers are multi-disciplinary consulting engineers recently formed by the merger of the combined speciality business lines of Escongweni BPH Engineers and PHB Engineers.

Our vision is for Flowtite GRP pipes to be a household brand in the piping market within sub-Saharan Africa for civil, mining, agricultural, and industrial applications.

Our mission is to remain at the cutting edge of technological development in the piping market. We therefore remain devoted to high-quality standards, excellent customer service, reliability, accountability, and transparency in order to provide superior value to our customers’ infrastructure requirements. The ultimate goal is to create an enduring legacy for our communities.

FLOWTITE™ GRP PIPES are the first choice for Engineers because they are corrosion-free and have a proven resistance to acidic environments in water and sewage systems.

W: www.flowtite-sa.co.za

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Through our offices in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, ENsync Engineers are able to provide a national footprint. This is evident through our current projects throughout South Africa and neighbouring countries and our ongoing marketing initiatives in the diaspora.

Our services include Structural & Bridges, Advisory, Water, Telecommunications, Roads & Mobility and Civil/Urban Engineering.

ENsync Engineers are certified as a Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor, with over 76.8% black ownership.

W: www.ensync.africa

SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSOR

HERRENKNECHT AG

HN CONSULTING ENGINEERS

Herrenknecht is a technology and market leader in the area of mechanised tunnelling systems. As the only company worldwide, Herrenknecht delivers innovative tunnel borini machines for all ground conditions and in all diameters - ranging from 0.10 to 19 metres, for traffic and utility tunnels. As a reliable project partner, Herrenknecht supports its customers with an extensive range of services from the beginning of the project to breakthrough. From the initial project idea through manufacturing, transport, assembly, tunnelling support and spare parts service to disassembly.

Established in 2002 and driven by its slogan, ‘Engineering for Life’, HN Consulting (formally Henwood & Nxumalo) has grown to become a respected multidisciplinary consulting engineering practitioner in the design, project management and delivery of world-class infrastructure. HN operates in the fields of civil, structural and electrical engineering, construction monitoring and project management. With an ever-expanding client base.

Herrenknecht’s trenchless solutions are in operation in numerous projects worldwide to install supply and disposal tunnels and networks – for water and sewage, oil and gas pipelines, or protective pipes for underground cables, etc. Trenchless technologies offer a wide range of advantages compared to conventional construction procedures: transport, business and the environment on the surface remain mostly undisturbed. The range of installation methods from the tunnelling (pipe jacking, segment lining) and pipeline (HOD, Direct Pipe®) industry has been completed by new solutions (E-Power Pipe®) to offer maximum flexibility to the construction industry.

Herrenknecht offers the broadest and deepest portfolio in the realm of mechanised tunnelling.

HN is a proudly 100% South African company, with a commitment towards transformational excellence and the firm’s BBBEE Level 1 status reflects this.

Quality assurance has also been enhanced by ISO 9001 accreditation, and the firm has a full in-house design capacity and capability.

HN looks forward to opportunities to demonstrate our expertise and wealth of experience in the development of infrastructure in South Africa.

W: www.hn.co.za

BRONZE SPONSOR MAKHAOTSE, NARASIMULU & ASSOCIATES (MNA)

W: www.herrenknecht.com

UMNGENI-UTHUKELA WATER

In the tapestry of professional excellence, the name Makhaotse, Narasimulu and Associates is a vivid thread, woven by the visionary founding directors, Martin Makhaotse and Sagren Narasimulu, in the year 2000. For over two decades, this illustrious organization has been a beacon of transformation, tirelessly uplifting communities through their expertise in civil and structural engineering, project management, and construction management.

uMngeni-uThukela is a new name for the former Umgeni Water, after the incorporation of Mhlathuze Water with effect from 01 July 2023. One of the fundamental drivers of this change is to join forces to enhance water and sanitation service delivery for all communities in KwaZulu-Natal. uMngeni-uThukela Water will provide water and waste water services and related services to other water services institutions and customers within its gazetted service area of 30 200 km2 (the entire province of KwaZulu-Natal), providing safe potable water to 6.7 million people and 1.9 million households.

Sagren Narasimulu is the appointed Managing Director demonstrating exceptional leadership and vision. This leadership is complemented by a dedicated board of Directors, comprised of Martin Makhaotse, Nerave Moodley, and Agilen Moodley, who collectively steer the company towards its continued growth and success.

The organization has demonstrated significant growth and expansion across several provinces, reflecting an increasing staff complement. As the years have unfolded, the organization dedication to excellence has only grown stronger, and the organization name in industry is related with promise of high standard and commitment to deliver excellence.

W: www.umgeni.co.za

W: www.mna-sa.co.za

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SPONSORS

CONFERENCE Gqeberha (PE) R

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DIAMOND SPONSOR Flowtite South Africa

25-27 October

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Our mission is to remain at the cutting edge of technological development in the piping market. Foremost, this entails remaining devoted to high quality standards, excellent customer service, reliability, accountability, and transparency to offer superior value for our customers’ infrastructure requirements.

Our product applications Flowtite GRP pipe systems are used in many applications. They can be found in the transmission of drinking water, in sewage applications and irrigation, in power plants as well as in trenchless and industrial applications.

F

Quality controls

lowtite South Africa is the sole manufacturer of FLOWTITE™ glass fibre reinforced polyester (GRP) pipes and fittings, and a licensee within the global Flowtite network.

Flowtite pipes are produced worldwide by more than 40 specialised production lines at modern, efficient, and reliable plants located strategically on five continents.

Flowtite South Africa’s factory is based in Germiston, Gauteng, and has a branch in Cape Town. In total, the company employs some 150 staff members.

Our product portfolio includes a wide range of pipes, fittings, and manholes with additional custom designed solutions. For the South African market, we manufacture nominal diameters ranging from DN150 mm to DN2600 in various stiffness and up to PN32.

Our mission and vision Our vision is for Flowtite GRP pipes to become a household brand in the piping market within sub-Saharan Africa for civil, mining, agricultural and industrial applications, and Flowtite South Africa urges the market to Generally Accept and Generally Approve GRP. We are committed to creating an enduring benefit for our communities and our customers through our Flowtite GRP product range.

TECHNICAL DATA FLOWTITE PIPES Main materials

Resin, glassfibre, sand

Operating temperatures

-50⁰C to +70⁰C

Standard lengths

12 & 6 m

Diameter Range

DN150 – DN2600

Pressure Range

PN1 – PN32

Estimated lifetime

More than 150 years

Corrosion protection

None needed

Hydraulic roughness

K=0.029 mm (Colebrook-White)

Hazen Williams

C Factor=150

Assessment of conformity

CEN TS 14632

International Pipe Standards

ASTM D3262, ASTM D3754, ASTM D3517, AWWA C95O, ISO 10639, ASO 10476 EN 1796, EN 14634

Factory Certification

ISO 9001:2015 certified

Production Capacity

+800 m to 1 km per day

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Flowtite South Africa has its own quality control department and is ISO 9001:2015 certified. This ensures that our products are produced in accordance with internationally accepted standards. Our pipes and couplings are tested through various methods and this together with our QCP Plans and Field Services makes Flowtite South Africa the leading pipe manufacturer in GRP pipes.

The company is licenced by Amiblu Technology AS to produce Flowtite pipes according to EN 1796, EN 14364, ISO 10639, ISO 10467, ASTM D3262, ASTM D3574, ASTM D3517, AWWA C950, and SANS 1748.

Raw materials are delivered with vendor certification, demonstrating their compliance with Flowtite quality requirements. In addition, all raw materials are sample tested prior to their use. These tests ensure that the pipe materials comply with the specifications as stated.

All pipes are subjected to the following control checks: » Visual inspection » Barcol hardness » Wall thickness » Section length » Diameter » H ydrostatic leak tightness test to twice rated pressure for all pressure pipes Mechanical tests are conducted twice daily as follows: » Determination of initial ring stiffness (STIS) » Axial tensile strength » Hoop tensile strength » LOI (Determination of composition of laminate) In addition to products of high quality, Flowtite South Africa assists with advisory services through our sales engineering department to select the most suitable material for the conditions of the specific project.

SPONSORS

FEATURED PROJECTS In addition to South Africa, Flowtite’s footprint has progressively increased throughout the SADC region in recent years. Locally, major works include the implementation of projects within the Department of Water and Sanitation space. The following are some project highlights from the 2021 - 2023 period.

MANDLAKAZI BWS SCHEME: UPSTREAM BULK SECTION 1A, 1B & 1C The Mandlakazi Bulk Water Pipeline Scheme is located in the Zululand District in Northern KwaZulu-Natal on the southern end of the Jozini/Pongola Dam. The Upstream Bulk Section of the scheme will collect water from the Jozini Dam, which receives water from the Pongola River, and transports it to the Dreyer Senekal Dam.

VLAKFONTEIN RESERVOIR Vlakfontein Reservoir is located on Johannesburg’s East Rand.

It is the largest cylindrical post-tensioned reservoir in the country and Sub-Saharan Africa and possibly the world at a capacity of 210 ML.

LOSKOP The Loskop Bulk Water Supply Project is a cross-boundary project worth R1,67 billion and comprises of five work packages. 14 700 m, 700 dia PN 10, 16, 20, 25 and 32 bar Flowtite pressure pipes were used as part of this contract.

Water from this project will bring relief to the Thembisile Hani communities.

Support is given during the design process to ensure that the design caters for all the requirements as pertained in our brochures. We offer tailor made solutions on our fitting range and can assist with the designing of a combination of fittings to suit your environment.

CAPE FLATS Bulk water supply to the City of Cape Town is limited. Many options were investigated over a number of years and as part of the Bulk Water Supply Strategy it was decided to make use of groundwater in the Cape Flats area. The source should be sustainable and it was decided to recharge the aquifer with treated effluent from the Cape Flats Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The treated wastewater coming from the plant is of a very high standard, similar to that of potable water. This will then be pumped back into the aquifer in the larger Cape Flats area.

Stefanutti Stocks was appointed and all large diameter pipes were specified as GRP pipes. Flowtite was awarded the contract to supply DN1000 PN10 and PN6 SN5000 and DN1200 PN6 SN5000 pipes. The complexity of the project required many technical inputs from Flowtite.

Flowtite worked with the consulting engineers and the contractor to find solutions for complex challenges. A number of complex fittings were manufactured to fit in with specific design details.

NANDONI NTSAMI BULK WATER PROJECT The Nandoni Ntsami Bulk Water Project will benefit 240 000 Giyani residents comprising of 55 villages around the Mopani District.

The project consists of four components each with its own timeline. Water is extracted from the Nandoni Dam and treated at the existing water treatment works (WTW) at Nandoni. Thereafter, the treated water is pumped from the Nandoni WTW to a new concrete reservoir near Giyani; as well as supplementing the bulk water supply to the greater Malamulele Area.

ensure that the construction teams have the requisite skills and are equipped on how to install GRP pipes and fittings in accordance with SANS 1200 LB, our installation manual and best practices. They also train operations and maintenance teams at municipalities and other end users.

Training and development Flowtite South Africa understands the need to empower our local communities and with our skills transfer programme our field technicians assist the contractors in upskilling locally employed unskilled staff.

As part of ensuring that installation is done correctly our dedicated field services technicians are on site from the start to the end of the project. They

www.flowtite-sa.co.za

IMESA

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SPONSORS

CONFERENCE Gqeberha (PE) R

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GOLD SPONSOR

25-27 October

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Herrenknecht AVN machine range, for Slurry Pipe Jacking from DN250 up to DN4000 (shown from DN1600 – DN3200)

Mechanized tunnelling solutions

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s the world´s leading manufacturer of tunnelling equipment with more than 45 years of experience, Herrenknecht maintains a close partnership with its customers, who have successfully completed countless tunnelling projects worldwide. Based on an international service network and reliable technology not only for tunnelling, but also for pipeline installations and shaft sinking, Herrenknecht provides mechanized solutions for ambitious upcoming projects and their successful completion.

Trenchless technologies for underground infrastructure Population growth goes hand in hand with the need for today's cities to develop sustainable infrastructures for traffic, supply and disposal networks. As space is restricted on the surface, more and more utilities like power cables are moved underground. Existing sewage networks have to be expanded, new large-capacity schemes have to be built to meet future requirements in volume or growing challenges in flood protection.

Water transfer and supply tunnels and the implementation of seawater desalination plants require long tunnels, on- and offshore.

Utility Tunnelling in South Africa For South Africa´s upcoming water and sewage projects, slurry microtunnelling equipment will play an important role in

Extension kit for AVN machines, to cover different diameters with one machine

order to cover prevailing ground conditions and to meet safety, economic and environmental aspects. Microtunnelling has a long tradition in the trenchless construction of sewer networks or link sewers, as the portion of non-accessible diameters in sewer network construction is relatively high.

On an international scale, technological advance and valuable experience gained by the contractors have pushed the boundaries in pipe jacking in terms of achievable drive length, also in small diameters, and largediameter pipe jacking.

Montague Gardens sewer project, Cape Town The Montague Gardens sewer project represents a significant investment in the city's infrastructure, showcasing Cape Town's commitment to modernization and sustainable development. The primary objective is to address the growing demands of Montague Gardens industrial area, Joe Slovo, Sanddrif, Century City and Bothasig Districts, and to ensure efficient and sustainable sewage management. By upgrading and expanding the sewer system, the project aims to mitigate the risk of overflows, reduce environmental impacts, and improve the overall sanitation and hygiene conditions for the communities.

The Montague Gardens sewer project is set to begin soon. This significant undertaking will involve tunnelling over a distance of around 8 kilometers, with a tunnel diameter of 1,000mm for the majority of the route. The tunnelling contractor will use their Herrenknecht AVN machine fleet, equipped with extension kits to meet the required tunnel diameters. www.herrenknecht.com

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SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSOR

The forerunners in digital transformation Digital transformation of the engineering industry is changing the way projects are delivered.

However, it is often viewed as an added extra rather than core engineering.

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Nsync Engineers (Pty) Ltd has invested significantly in developing its team’s capabilities and is seeing major benefits in the way we design, especially on multi-disciplinary projects. This has been carried out across all our business lines to ensure that the whole team has access to the tools needed for transformation of our design processes. These tools are not just the design and draughting tools needed for BIM but also a change of project processes and filing to allow for greater collaboration across our offices and remote staff.

The key benefits ENsync Engineers has realised on our projects to date are: - Better coordination between disciplines reduces design conflicts. Having a single coordinated model accessible to all designers (in all our offices and working from home) means that each designer can see the impact of their design on other disciplines.

- Concurrent design between disciplines has increased the speed of design.

Rather than waiting for the design to be finished before passing on to the next discipline all disciplines can design and collaborate in parallel.

- Adoption of BIM standards (including ISO 19650) has improved design sharing with external parties. This is key when working on multidisciplinary projects with other built environment professionals outside our company.

Beyond the benefits to our own design process, on our complex projects we have found that being able to present detailed 3D visualisation to our clients and to the public has made a huge difference. Clients and the public at large who often struggle to understand printed drawings can easily understand 3D renderings. These visualisations also allow designers to pick up operational

SILVER SPONSOR www.hn.co.za

or safety issues which would otherwise not have been clear on a 2D design.

These benefits can be seen clearly on our projects such as the St Helen’s Rock Abstraction Works where we are currently carrying out detailed design of a 108ML/d abstraction works and weir on the uMzimkhulu River for Ugu District Municipality. Our designers are integrating geotechnical information, existing infrastructure, structural design, electrical and lighting design, instrumentation, mechanical equipment and pipework in a complex environment.

ENsync Engineers is committed to the continuous upskilling of our staff in BIM to ensure that we are forerunners in digital transformation and in turn provide maximum project value to our clients and all relevant stakeholders. www.ensync.africa

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stablished in 2002 and driven by its slogan, ‘Engineering for Life’, HN Consulting (formally Henwood & Nxumalo) has grown to become a respected multidisciplinary consulting engineering practitioner in the design, project management and delivery of world-class infrastructure. HN operates in the fields of civil, structural and electrical engineering, construction monitoring and project management. With an ever-expanding client base.

HN is a proudly 100% South African company, with a commitment towards transformational excellence and the firm’s BBBEE Level 1 status reflects this. Quality assurance has also been enhanced by ISO 9001 accreditation, and the firm has a full in-house design capacity and capability.

HN looks forward to opportunities to demonstrate our expertise and wealth of experience in the development of infrastructure in South Africa.

IMESA

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EXHIBITOR FLOORPLAN

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EDAMS Technology

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Stewarts & Lloyds Projects and Contracts

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EXHIBITOR PROFILES

AKS LINING SYSTEMS (PTY) LTD

AKS Lining Systems is a manufacturer of high-performance thermoplastic liners, specialising in geomembrane and corrosion protection linings. Based in Cape Town, our products are used in diverse applications such as mining, environmental conservation, landfills, water treatment, sewerage tunnels, WWTWs, TSFs, digesters, reservoirs and general infrastructure.

AKS is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company and has a state-of-the art laboratory that ensures all liner produced meets or exceeds quality standards. Our sales engineers, with a wealth of knowledge, will assist and provide you with longlasting solutions for your project.

Representative: Peter Hardie T: +27 (0)21 983 2700 E: aksmarketing@aks.co.za W: www.aks.co.za Stand: 18

BODOTEX

BOSCH PROJECTS (PTY) LTD

Bosch Projects is a proud South African-owned, Level 1 B-BBEE contributor that provides innovative engineering solutions to the infrastructure and industrial sectors – from planning and design stages, through to construction supervision and commissioning. With client relationships being central to our business, we offer professional services in several disciplines, including water and wastewater, roads and land developments, human settlements, agriculture and irrigation, energy, as well as sugar equipment and building services.

Our key clients include municipalities, parastatals, sugar, other food producers and property developers. Since 1961, we have focused on integrity, trust and respect, boasting a proud record of technical excellence, which includes awards from IMESA, CESA, SAICE and SASTA. Representative: André Naudé T: +27 (0)41 363 0598 E: naudea@boschprojects.co.za W: www.boschholdings.co.za Stand: 30

BVI CONSULTING ENGINEERS (PTY) LTD

BODOTEX- SUPPLIER OF PIPELINE REHABILITATION TECHNOLOGY Sewer | Potable Water | Pressure | Fuel | Sludge | Oil & Gas The BODOTEX team has over 100 years of international experience in trenchless pipeline rehabilitation. Bodotex brings multiple strategic partnerships, engineering, equipment and materials from the top pipeline rehabilitation manufacturers in Europe to the leading pipeline rehabilitation contractors in Southern Africa. Our successful involvement in rehabilitation projects ranges from securing irrigation water supply in Cape Town’s Kirstenbosch Gardens to the largest project on the African continent, UV Curing CIPP Glass Fibre Liners of 2.1 km in pipeline diameter 1450 mm in Durban.

Representative: Leandri Osborne T: +27 (0)82 581 5634 E: marketing@bodotex.co.za W: www.bodotex.co.za Stand: 62

Celebrating 55 years of engineering excellence, BVi prides itself on providing professional services in identifying and implementing engineering projects for medium to large corporations, in South Africa and internationally. BVi is once again setting high standards with regard to transformation. We are extremely proud to have achieved a 55% majority black-owned shareholding and the status of a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor yet again. 100% of BVi shares are owned by South African citizens.

This makes BVi one of the largest black-owned consulting engineering firms in South Africa. BVi has a management structure that is based on broad shareholding by the owner-managers of our company. This ensures high level involvement, for delivering successfully completed projects to our clients.

BVi – “Big enough to make a difference, small enough to care.”

Representative: Premala Singh T: +27 (0)12 940 1111 E: ps1@bvi.co.za W: www.bvi.co.za Stand: 19

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CONSULTING ENGINEERS SOUTH AFRICA(CESA)

ECM TECHNOLOGIES & MABEY BRIDGE

Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) is a voluntary association of consulting engineering firms with a member base across the country totalling in excess of 580 companies. CESA is the custodian of the well-being of the industry supported by member firms who employ approximately 19 000 people.

Mabey Bridge is a leading international provider of high-quality modular steel bridging solutions. We specialise in rapid-build, pre-engineered modular steel bridges to enable accelerated bridge construction and improve connectivity in urban and rural areas. We also deliver bridging solutions for the transport, construction, oil and gas, and mining sectors, as well as for specialist military applications, humanitarian emergencies and disaster relief.

Member companies offer consulting engineering services that include a comprehensive range of planning, design and project delivery services across all engineering disciplines including civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, industrial, mining, etc.

Represented by ECM Technologies in South Africa, Mabey Bridge’s modular solutions can help enable municipalities to provide vital access for local communities by simplifying construction and expediting project timeframes to ultimately reduce overall project costs.

Representative: Bonolo Nkgodi T: +27 (0)11 463 2022 E: bonolo@cesa.co.za W: www.cesa.co.za Stand: 34

Representative: Martin Venter T: +27 (0)12 329 4116 E: Martin@ecmtech.co.za W: www.ecmtech.co.za W: www.mabeybridge.com Stand: 33

DYNAMIC FLUID CONTROL (DMC)

From humble beginnings in 1947, DFC has developed into a world-class black-owned and managed valve manufacturer, sourcing from and supporting economic growth in our local communities.

At DFC we have a global mindset and reach, built on our South African heritage.

Our engineering and innovation platform harnesses our global talent from our wholly owned international operations in South Africa, the USA, Finland, Brazil and Australia.

DFC has an established track record of high performance, reliability and longevity in service. We pride ourselves on our product quality, service and technical support throughout DFC's product brands and the company.

Representative: Charon Maseka T: +27 (0)10 300 4900 E: charon.maseka@dfc.co.za W: www.dfc.co.za Stand: 56

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ENGINEERING COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA (ECSA)

The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is a statutory body established in terms of the Engineering Profession Act (EPA), 46 of 2000. ECSA’s primary role is the regulation of the engineering profession in terms of this Act. Its core functions are the accreditation of engineering programmes, registration of persons as professionals in specified categories, and the regulation of the practice of registered persons.

Consequently, ECSA is the only body in South Africa that is authorised to register engineering professionals and bestow the use of engineering titles, such as Pr Eng, Pr Tech Eng, Pr Techni Eng, Pr Cert Eng, on persons who have met the requisite professional registration criteria.

Representative: Basetsana Khoza T: +27 (0)11 607 9575 E: Basetsana@ecsa.co.za W: www.ecsa.co.za Stand: 23

EXHIBITOR PROFILES

EDAMS TECHNOLOGY - A DIVISION OF HYDRO-COMP ENTERPRISES SOLUTIONS

ENVIROSAN SANITATION SOLUTIONS (PTY) LTD

EDAMS Technology is an international Information technology specialising in designing, developing, and supporting industry specific, extensively functional and parameterized, fully integrated management systems, committed to solving critical water and energy infrastructure challenges for utilities, municipalities and government departments.

Envirosan Sanitation Solutions is a Level 2 B-BBEE black-owned enterprise that provides a turnkey solution for the research, development, manufacturing and installation/construction of a comprehensive range of safe, dignified and sustainable water-efficient sanitation solutions to rural and peri-urban schools and households.

EDAMS Products encompass best business practices and engineering methods, integrating the commercial, technical, and planning functions enabling our customers to meet their clients' needs, enhance performance, cost efficiency and sustainability.

With more than two million toilets successfully delivered and installed worldwide since our inception in 2006, Envirosan continuously strives to not only meet but exceed our customers’ expectations.

The company’s head office is in Cyprus with offices in South Africa, Botswana and Egypt. Operations in 3 diverse regions, with more than a 1 000 active users across 5 vertical industries (Water & Sanitation/Solar Industry/Electricity Distribution/Municipalities/Government).

Representative: Mapula Aphane T: +27 (0)11 234 9404 E: info@edams.co.za W: www.edams.com Stand: 31

ENSYNC ENGINEERS (PTY) LTD

ENsync Engineers are multi-disciplinary consulting engineers recently formed by the merger of the combined speciality business lines of Escongweni BPH Engineers and PHB Engineers.

Through our offices in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, ENsync Engineers are able to provide a national footprint. This is evident through our current projects throughout South Africa and neighbouring countries and our ongoing marketing initiatives in the diaspora.

Our services include Structural & Bridges, Advisory, Water, Telecommunications, Roads & Mobility and Civil/Urban Engineering.

ENsync Engineers are certified as a Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor, with over 76.8% black ownership.

Representative: Stewart Smetherham T: +27 (0)31 700 1866 E: stewart@envirosan.co.za W: www.envirosan.co.za Stand: 27

ERWAT

Consistent excellence in water care As a leader in water care and resource recovery, ERWAT provides sustainable, affordable, quality water care and resource recovery services through partnerships and collaborative initiatives with external role players, utilising smart organisational practices.

ERWAT provides bulk wastewater conveyance and treatment to thousands of industries and more than 3,5 million people. It currently operates 19 water care works that release some 1000 megalitres of wastewater, both domestic and industrial, per day.

ERWAT’s Commercial Business wing services municipalities, government and state-owned entities, as well as markets such as mining and minerals, food and beverage and manufacturing.

ERWAT Laboratory Services offers a wide range of ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing methods.

Representative: Mpho Ntsekhe T: +27 (0)11 929 7000 E: mpho.ntsekhe@erwat.co.za W: www.erwat.co.za Stand: 11+12

T: +27 (0)31 003 0920 E: info@ensync.africa W: www.ensync.africa Stand: 20

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FLOWTITE SA

GLS CONSULTING

Flowtite South Africa is the sole manufacturer of FLOWTITE™GRP (Glass fibre reinforced polyester) pipes and fittings within SubSaharan Africa. All products are manufactured locally at our Gauteng facility in Germiston. The production method is a continuous filament winding process.

GLS Consulting is the leader in infrastructure master planning in South Africa.

Over 30 years ago, GLS commenced its service offerings with water and sewer infrastructure and has recently added electricity and fibre.

Our vision is for Flowtite GRP pipes to be a household brand in the piping market within sub-Saharan Africa for civil, mining, agricultural, and industrial applications.

Our mission is to remain at the cutting edge of technological development in the piping market. We therefore remain devoted to high-quality standards, excellent customer service, reliability, accountability, and transparency in order to provide superior value to our customers’ infrastructure requirements. The ultimate goal is to create an enduring legacy for our communities.

FLOWTITE™ GRP PIPES are the first choice for Engineers because they are corrosion-free and have a proven resistance to acidic environments in water and sewage systems.

Representative: Vanessa Khathwane T: +27 (0)10 055 7229 E: info@flowtite-sa.co.za W: www.flowtite-sa.co.za Stand: 51 + 51a + 52

GABION BASKETS

Gabion Baskets, a specialist manufacturer and supplier of gabion systems, has extensive experience in providing expert advice and design recommendations for the erection of retaining walls and river structures to reduce water flows and prevent soil erosion in the civil engineering, mining and architectural building industries.

The wide range of services offered include on-site practical assistance or experienced gabion installation trainers for your sites.

Our solutions are based on natural environment principals, tending to use locally available construction materials to blend in with the soils and vegetation where possible.

Representative: Clinton Cheyne T: +27 (0)83 988 5154 E: clint@gabionbaskets.co.za W: www.gabionbaskets.co.za Stand: 26

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Underpinning the master planning process is proprietary software. Albion GIS, WADISO, SEWSAN, HYDROSWMM and EDISAN enable hydraulic and electrical modelling in a GIS environment, with web maps services in the background.

The master planning sees all current city infrastructure captured in GIS and converted to models. Unit water demands and electrical loads are determined from billing data. Models are loaded and system performances are used to design and cost future expansions.

Representative: Mmaphuthi Nkwana T: +27 (0)21 880 0388 E: info@gls.co.za W: www.gls.co.za Stand: 41

HALL LONGMORE INFRASTRUCTURE (PTY) LTD

Hall Longmore can trace its history to 1924 and is now owned by the South Africa-based Barnes Group of Companies.

To better position the company in terms of BBBEE requirements, Hall Longmore Steel Solutions and Hall Longmore Infrastructure were formed, with Solutions catering for the local pipe retail market and Infrastructure involved in Southern African infrastructure development projects.

Hall Longmore is recognised worldwide as a leader in the manufacture of electric resistance welded (ERW) and spiral welded (H-SAW) steel pipe and casings.

Hall Longmore’s products are used in a wide range of applications including, the transportation of raw and potable water, gas and petrochemicals, slurries and tailings, piling, structural fabrication and solar installations.

Representative: Callum Storar T: +27 (0)11 874 7315 E: callum.storar@hall-longmore.co.za W: www.hall-longmore.co.za Stand: 35

EXHIBITOR PROFILES

HERRENKNECHT AG

Herrenknecht is a technology and market leader in the area of mechanised tunnelling systems. Herrenknecht is the only company worldwide to deliver tunnel boring machines for all ground conditions and in all diameters – ranging from 0.10 m to 19 m – and continues to make inroads into the South African market, especially on the municipal level. The product range includes tailor-made machines for traffic, supply and disposal tunnels, technologies for trenchless pipeline installations, as well as drilling equipment for vertical and inclined shafts and deep drilling rigs.

Under the umbrella of the Herrenknecht Group, a team of innovative specialists has formed to provide integrated solutions around tunnel construction with project-specific equipment and service packages upon request.

Representative: Swen Weiner T: +49 7824 302 0 E: info@herrenknecht.com W: www.herrenknecht.com Stands: 53 + 54

HONEYWELL/ELSTER KENT METERING (PTY) LTD

IMIESA MAGAZINE

IMIESA is the official magazine of the Institute of Municipal Engineering of Southern Africa (IMESA). After outsourced publishing for more than 40 years, the Institute has purchased the full rights to publish the magazine inhouse. This will enhance the Institute’s platforms for communication with all industry stakeholders and ensure that IMIESA continues as the definitive magazine on all infrastructure related topics, giving you access to a wide range of experts and decision-makers in the construction and municipal engineering sectors.

To grow and thrive in a fast-paced digital age, we know that a multiplatform approach is essential. Our content is published on different media platforms to organically maximize our reach. These include: • Printed magazines, digital magazines, newsletters • Websites, webinars, media releases, online and onsite events • LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter The digital version of IMIESA magazine is fully downloadable, shareable and hyperlinked which extends our audience beyond the confirmed distribution statistics. Your message is delivered on a platform that is optimally formatted to both desktop and mobile devices.

Managing Editor: Alastair Currie C: +27(0)82 491 5759 E: alastair@infraprojects.co.za W: www.imesa.org.za Stand: IMESA Information

IMQS SOFTWARE (PTY) LTD

Honeywell/Elster Kent Metering (Pty) Ltd has for over 180 years been an industry leader and world-class provider of metering and advanced metering productss and intelligent metering solutions in the water industry.

From its heritage of innovation andquality by combining high-quality, accurate water meters with information technology solutions and wireless communications, Honeywell/Elster Kent Metering (Pty) Ltd is taking metering to the next generation.

Representative: Jacques van der Linde T: +27 (0)12 643 5880 E: jacques.l@honewell.com W: www.elster.com Stand: 57

iMQS is a trusted partner for asset-intensive organisations by providing cutting-edge advice, technology and support to transform management practice. Through a structured process of engagement solutions are tailored to the unique needs of the organisation, its objectives and asset portfolios. And are scalable to facilitate a journey of ongoing improvement, building on current competencies.

The company leverages over 20 years of industry knowledge and experience with both government and private organisations as well as network of strategic partnerships to conceptualize and deliver solutions in a range of geographies.

Representative: Shemine Adams T: +27 (0)21 880 2712 E: info@imqs.co.za I shemine.adams@imqs.co.za W: www.imqs.co.za Stand: 58

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EXHIBITOR PROFILES

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KABE CONSULTING ENGINEERS

KCS CONSULTANTS

KABE Consulting Engineers has over 18 years of experience in civil, structural engineering and project management. We are a level B-BBEE 1, ISO 9001: 2015 Certified company, committed to the development of infrastructure, social & economic projects to the benefit of people and advancement across Africa.

KCS Consultants provides civil and structural engineering, housing and land solutions, project and asset management, as well as allied engineering software development. The Civil Suite Engineering Design Software Suite incorporates Terrain, CAD, Road, Sewer, Water, Pipeline and Stormwater design modules with GIS functionality.

Our services and solutions are geared towards Municipal Infrastructure, Water Authorities, Water, Transport, Public Works, Education and Health Departments. Our emphasis is on the investigation, planning, design, implementation, and project management, with a track record of successfully implementing complex projects. Our skills mix and experience of over 20 years makes KABE your ideal implementing partner.

Our services include: • Water/Sewer Reticulation • Roads/Stormwater • Pumpstations and Master planning • Structural design including Water retaining structures • Contract Documentation/Administration/Construction Monitoring • Project Management • Software Development and Support • GIS/CAD Integration • Asset Management

Representative: Kabefa Moloisane T: +27 (0)87 809 0982 E: moloisane@kabe.co.za W: www.kabe.co.za Stand: 48

Some of our product web sites are: • www.civilsuite.com • www.projects.kcs.co.za • www.elidzprojects.kcs.co.za • www.validatedfiles.com • www.tenderdocuments.co.za Visit our stand for more information.

Representative: Keith Simon T: +27 (0)87 809 0982 E: admin@kcs.co.za W: www.kcs.co.za Stand: 60

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KHANYISA PROJECTS

LESIRA-TEQ

Khanyisa Projects designs, tests and implements water and sanitation solutions for municipalities, government departments and private organisations. One of these being the Khanyisa Projects Ops App. In the twenty-first century, no municipality can operate efficiently without intelligent data.

Lesira-Teq is an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) company that designs, manufactures and supplies smart water meters globally. Our company’s track record spans over 20 years with a remarkable installation base and is testament of a company that has made strides in the innovation and development of water meter technology.

The Ops App is an innovative mobile and web application designed to transform data collection, quality assurance, process efficiency and project management. It utilises smart phones to collect field data and provides an intuitive web portal to access and analyse the data. This leverages the skills of underutilized resources by transforming smartphones into data collection devices.

By simplifying the water meter system, we have managed to put the power back into the consumer’s hands and at the same time build a strong sense of conservation, teaching users that water is our most precious resource.

The end user is now able to get daily update on usage or leakages, which will allow them to manage their consumption.

Representative: Karlin Naidoo T: +27 (0)31 201 3005 / +27 (0)83 594 3621 E: karlin@khanyisapr.co.za W: www.khanyisapr.co.za Stand: 49

Representative: Edwin Sibiya T: +27 (0)12 333 3707 E: info@lesira.co.za W: www.lesira.co.za Stand: 38

KTN CONSULTING ENGINEERS & PROJECT MANAGERS

M & C CONSULTING ENGINEERS (PTY} LTD

M & C Consulting Engineers (Pty} Ltd is the civil and structural consulting engineers and project managers company with extensive technical and administrative projects experience. M & C Consulting mission provides professional civil engineering services to clients in all project stages with highly skilled professional team.

KTN Consulting Engineers and Project Managers: Defining Engineering Excellence Since 2009.

Established in 2009, KTN Consulting Engineers and Project Managers stand as a hallmark of premium engineering consulting and project management. Under the seasoned guidance of Kulani Mayayise (Pr. Tech. Eng., Pr. CPM) with 24 years of industry experience, KTN Consulting excels in efficient planning, design, and construction supervision of built environment projects.

Our ISO 9001 accreditation signifies our unwavering commitment to quality – it's not just a promise, it's our standard. With a track record of projects valued over a billion rand, KTN is your trusted choice for unparalleled engineering solutions.

Company is owned by a female professional who have been involved in several strategic infrastructural projects which impacted positively on lives of people living in South Africa. The company promotes use of local labour and has assisted the local upcoming Technologists and Technicians in fulfilling the ECSA requirements.

Representative: Sinenhlahla Chamane T: +27 (0)35 550 0231 E: info@mcconsulting.co.za W: www.mcconsulting.co.za Stands: 17

Representative: Kulani Mayayise T: +27 (0)11 805 0981 E: ktn@ktnconsulting.co.za W: www.ktnconsulting.co.za Stand: 61

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MACCAFERRI

Maccaferri SA (Pty) Ltd manufactures hexagonal woven steel wire mesh, commonly referred to as double twist mesh, used in Gabions, Mattresses, and other engineering products. Maccaferri SA is a subsidiary of Maccaferri Officine, founded in the second half of the 19th century, and has been a trailblazer in the civil engineering industry, introducing the revolutionary invention of Gabions that reshaped landscapes across the globe.

The Maccaferri Group is committed to providing superior solutions to clients worldwide in the Civil Engineering, Geotechnical, and Environmental Construction markets. Researching, designing and developing sophisticated high-quality products used for solving problems related to environmental preservation.

Representative: Nombuso Nondabula T: +27 (0)11 010 0651 E: n.nondabula@maccaferri.com W: www.maccaferri.com/za Stands: 24

N&Z INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROL

N&Z Instrumentation & Control specialises in water demand management: Our ‘plug and play’ WaMSS software collects flow, level and water quality data, analyses it and automatically presents actionable information. This turnkey single-supplier solution includes Isoil battery-powered magflow meters, ATI remote battery-powered water quality sensors and FLP4 battery-powered smart loggers. Automatic meter reading (AMR), water balance/water loss and reservoir level management are typical applications of the WaMSS solution. Our on-site services include verification of flow meters, flow surveys, commissioning, maintenance contracts and flow logging.

T: +27 (0)11 435 1080 E: info@NandZ.co.za W: www.nz-online.co.za Stands: 14 & 15

NATIONAL TREASURY

MAGALIES WATER

Magalies Water is one of the 8 water boards in South Africa mandated to provide bulk water and sanitation services. The Board provides potable water to municipalities, mines and other private consumers within, but not limited to North West, Limpopo and Gauteng provinces. Magalies is an organ of state reporting to the Minister of Water and Sanitation and currently stretched over the Pienaars and Crocodile rivers which are the two major catchment areas. With a total staff compliment of +- 700, Magalies Water owns and operates four water treatment plants, namely, Vaalkop (Rustenburg), Klipdrift, Wallmansthal and Cullinan (Pretoria) with the combined capacity of 340 Ml/d, as well as a state-of-the-art scientific services laboratory in Brits.

Stakeholder & Communications Officer: Bulelwa Mbali-Khoele T: +27 (0)14 597 4636 | +27 (0)71 642 0698 E: bulelwamk@magalieswater.co.za W: www.magalieswater.co.za Customer Care Line: 0860 000 720 customerservices@magalieswater.co.za Stands: 42 & 43

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The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa mandates the National Treasury to introduce uniform norms and standards to enable transparency and expenditure controls in the public sector. Guided by National Development Plan, PFMA and MFMA, among others, National Treasury has put in place guidance including the Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS).

The IDMS guides, directs and empowers infrastructure practitioners to deliver infrastructure in an efficient manner to achieve public value. Infrastructure delivery knowledge products available includes Generic IDMS, Cities-IDMS, Framework for Infrastructure Delivery and Procurement Management, and LG IDMS Toolkit currently being development and testing.

Representative: Nobuntu Sibuyi T: +27 (0)12 395 6725 E: Nobuntu.Sibuyi@treasury.gov.za W: www.treasury.gov.za Stand: 37

EXHIBITOR PROFILES

NELSON MANDELA BAY MUNICIPALITY

PRECISION METERS (PTY) LTD

Nelson Mandela Bay is located on the southern coast of South Africa, on the shores of Algoa Bay, midway between Cape Town and Durban and 1058 km from Johannesburg. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is one of two metropolitan municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province. It incorporates Gqeberha (was Port Elizabeth), Kariega (was Uitenhage) and Despatch, with their surrounding agricultural areas, and occupies an area of 1959,02 km².

Precision Meters was established in 2004. We are a South African manufacturer that supplies a full range of high-quality water meters, AMR, Smart products, and ancillaries. Our products comply fully with the requirements of the Legal Metrology Act 2014 (Act 9 of 2014.)

(SANS 1529/NRCS Type Approval.}

Named after South Africa's former President, humanitarian and icon to the world, Nelson Rolihlaha Mandela, as Madiba was born and spent his formative years in the Eastern Province. The Metro is home to the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, the only international air access point in the Eastern Cape Province. The City’s maritime entry point showcases its monumental developmental aspirations and capabilities, boasting the most modern deep-water port in the Southern Hemisphere, the Port of Ngqura.

Nelson Mandela Bay is the hub of the automotive industry on the African continent, with many major international vehicle and component manufacturers based in the city. It is a preferred region for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, flour, meat, frozen veggies, soft drinks, chocolates, cheese, yoghurt, ice-cream, paper and leather products.

The Vision of the NMBM is ‘To be a globally competitive and preferred Metropole that works collectively with the people to improve lives, boost the economy, advocating zero corruption, and to have a transformed administration aimed at enhancing service delivery.’

Representative: Clive Lingham T: +27 (0)41 506 5379 E: clingham@mandelametro.gov.za W: https://www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za/ Stand: 44 + 45

Precision Meters is one of only two manufacturers in South Africa with SANAS Accredited facilities to perform legally required accuracy testing/verification of both domestic and bulk water meters.

Precision Meters is based in Maitland Cape Town with a branch in JHB and official regional representation in all main centres.

Representative: Lloyd Van der Merwe T: +27 (0)21 510 4266 E: info@precisionmeters.co.za W: www.precisionmeters.co.za Stand: 39 + 40

SOUTH AFRICAN BUREAU OF STANDARDS (SABS)

The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS anno 1945) a founding member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), SABS has built a reputation globally as a long-standing and widely respected role player in international standardisation, and the leading standardisation body in Africa.

SABS is a statutory body that was established in terms of the Standards Act, 1945 (Act No. 24 of 1945) and continues to operate in terms of the latest edition of the Standards Act, 2008 (Act No. 8 of 2008) as the national standardisation institution in South Africa, mandated to: • Develop, promote and maintain South African National Standards (SANS) • Promote quality through in connection with commodities, products and services • Render conformity assessment services and assist in matters connected therewith.

Standards and the methods used to assess conformity to standards are unquestionably critical to our national development and wellbeing. South Africa's technology infrastructure hinges on it, whether for industry and commerce, health and safety or the nation's economic performance.

T: +27 (0)12 428 7911 E: info@sabs.co.za W: www.sabs.co.za Stand: 25

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SALGA

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) is constitutionally mandated with the responsibility of local government oversight. Its primary role is the ongoing journey of transforming local government to be at the service of the people.

SALGA’s primary transformation role requires thought leadership that inspires others with innovative ideas for sustainable change through meaningful engagements and best practice. The success of local government is vital to achieve the development agenda as in the National Development Plan (NDP), Vision 2030.

Delivery of SALGA’s multi-faceted mandate would not be possible without stakeholders beyond those in its inter-governmental role.

Representative: Valerie Setshedi T: +27 (0)12 369 8000 E: vsetshedi@salga.org.za W: www.salga.org.za Stand: 36a

SBS TANKS

SBS® Tanks has a proud history of over 25 years working with government, municipalities, and the commercial sector to deliver water and sanitation services to communities. The modular nature of SBS steel panel water storage tanks allows for easy delivery and installation on even the most remote site. SBS Tanks offers a range of over 500 tank sizes with capacities from 7000 litres to 4.2 million litres. They can be used in various configurations to achieve the required bulk storage capacity for water, process or effluent and are also suited for the storage of raw seawater as part of a desalination plant.

SBS Elevated Tanks assist with increased water pressure supply, our Engineered Solutions tanks provide extended storage and the SBS multitank solutions ensure continuous water supply to communities – even during maintenance.

Representative: Mfundo Ngcobo T: +27 (0)31 716 1820 E: mfundo@sbstanks.co.za W: www.thesbsgroup.com Stands: 36

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SOUTH AFRICAN WATER WORKS (SAWW)

South African Water Works (SAWW) is a proudly South African company that manages two 30-year water concessions, Siza Water in Ballito and Silulumanzi in Mbombela, delivering quality and reliable water services to communities. We have a proud track record, through our subsidiaries working as strategic partners with all stakeholders to improve quality of life.

We are a trusted utility delivering sustainable world-class service by applying innovative solutions and improving lives through the latest technology, competent staff, and best practices.

SAWW is committed to being an environmentally conscious, responsible, long-term partner to improve water and sanitation services in South Africa.

Representative: Lerato Mashua T: +27 (0)13 752 6839 E: lerato.mashua@silulumanzi.com W: www.saww.com Stands: 21 + 22

EXHIBITOR PROFILES

SCHIEBEL AFRICA

SEAPRO SA/IFS

We are the official sole agents in the Sub Sahara and East Africa for the Schiebel range. All Schiebel products are developed and produced at their company headquarters in Vienna. This ensures unsurpassed quality and adherence to all safety standards.

Established in 2018, Seapro SA has earned its reputation as the trusted and appointed distributor for the renowned Cla-val Control valve Brand in South Africa and the SADC region. Our dedicated team excels in providing comprehensive services, including technical support, refurbishment, and reliable supply of Cla-val and Nu-vent products and spare parts.

One of our strengths is to develop new innovations that always keep the company a step ahead of the overall market. Our development work focuses on user-friendly technology, high quality, safety, and appealing design.

With a focus on excellence, Seapro SA specializes in cutting-edge solutions for water demand management systems, flow control, pressure control, pump control, and level control valves, as well as Air-relief valves.

The unique Schiebel failsafe technology, in particular, is a favourite for use in sensitive applications. All Schiebel products can be expanded quickly and trouble-free with the already integrated software. This approach is less susceptible to errors and more economical.

We pride ourselves on our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional products and top-notch technical expertise to meet the diverse needs of our esteemed clients. Connect with Seapro SA today to experience innovative solutions and unparalleled service.

We work very intensively and closely with their customers, as they know the best what they need. To achieve optimum outcomes, each side brings its expertise to bear in the development process. Priority is given to customized solutions that guarantee the customer maximum safety and reliability as well as flexibility. This collaboration with customers has forged long-standing business relationships and given rise to countless innovation solutions.

Representative: Debbie Henning T: +27 (0)11 397 1126 | +27 (0)763785300 E: debbie@seaprosa.co.za W: www.seaprosa.co.za Stand: 10

SIKA SOUTH AFRICA

Representative: Anthony Redmond T: +27 (0)10 865 0131 | +27 (0)82 253 3254 E: anthony@schiebel.co.za W: www.Schiebel-actuators.com Stand: 9 Our world is constantly changing and facing numerous challenges unparalleled in history. Sika is here to challenge the status quo and make a positive difference for all of us. Sika South Africa was established in 1988.

Sika is a globally integrated specialty chemicals company, with a leading position in the development and production of the systems and products for waterproofing, bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry.

We always look beyond the immediate scope. Seeing the bigger picture of global megatrends such as climate change and urbanization, we strive to find sustainable solutions that have a positive impact on the environment today and for generations to come. That’s how we build trust: by always delivering beyond the expected.

Representative: Romaine Cloete T: +27 (0)31 792 6500 E: Cloete.romaine@za.sika.com W: www.sika.com Stand: 16

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SIZABANTU PIPING SYSTEMS (PTY) LTD

SMARTLOCK

SMARTLOCK was founded in 2007 and is a market-leading innovator in smart locking and access management solutions.

When Sizabantu was established in 2002, we were appointed as exclusive sales agents by various manufacturers for civil, industrial, mining and agricultural markets. Good market growth came from understanding and meeting the industry's piping solutions needs.

Sizabantu is a certified B-BBEE contributor and now has managed divisions in Durban (KwaZulu-Natal), Port Elizabeth (Eastern Cape), Cape Town (Western Cape), Bloemfontein (Free State), Klerksdorp (North West), Pretoria (Gauteng), Polokwane (Limpopo) and Nelspruit (Mpumalanga) as well as a dedicated Export Division.

Manufacturers, suppliers and exporters of PVC pipes & fittings, HDPE pipes & fittings, steel pipes & fittings valves, water meters and all related products.

Representative: Shaun Saraiva T: +27 (0)10 020 7858 E: proudly@sizabantu.com W: www.sizabantu.com Stands: 28 + 29

SKY HIGH CONSULTING ENGINEERS (PTY) LTD

Sky High Consulting Engineers was founded in 2008, by a group of individuals passionate about providing the highest level of service delivery, ensuring client satisfaction and the pursuit of dreams.

We are a vibrant South African multidisciplinary, consulting engineering company, humbled by a vision of greatness and belief in our Rainbow Nation’s capabilities. Our staff complement of 30 permanent staff comprises professional engineers, technicians, technologists and support staff.

Representative: Vuyo Mcebisi Booi T: +27 (0)11 317 3841 E: vuyob@shconsulting.co.za W: www.shconsulting.co.za Stand: 32

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We pride ourselves on our unique solutions, utilising our own patented technology, know-how and manufacturing facilities providing unparalleled capabilities in the following markets: • Utilities • Water • Wastewater & Sewage • Pump Stations & Kiosk Lock-in • Electrical.

The system allows for continuous monitoring of infrastructure, accurate asset management and efficient control of access by personal. It is realtime based and offers a full access monitoring platform, giving a full geolocated overview of their entire network.

SMARTLOCK Chamber Lids can be branded to client requirements.

The SMARTLOCK Solution supports real-time alarm monitoring within the network, offering lumen and vibration censoring and various other alarm options.

We strive to develop new and improve customer identified needs. We supply nationwide, as well as into Africa and the international market.

Representative: JP Alkema T: +27 (0)12 349 5301 E: jp.alkema@smartlock.net W: www.smartlock.net Stand: 47

EXHIBITOR PROFILES

STEWARTS AND LLOYDS PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS (PTY) LTD

STRUCTA TECHNOLOGY

Stewarts and Lloyds Projects and Contracts (Pty) Ltd was established on 01 August 2022. A subsidiary of Stewarts and Lloyds Holdings - a 120year established brand and a Level 2 B-BBEE company that is significantly changing the civil and construction projects industry across the nation.

Circotanks, manufactured by STRUCTA TECHNOLOGY, offers robust, reliable and cost-effective water storage tanks with liner for rural and industrial application. Tanks are easy to transport and quick to erect without cranes and can be mounted on stands. Liner replacement is possible thus resulting in ease of maintenance and longevity.

We are a certified provider of high-quality branded engineering, civil, mining, water, gas, steel, building construction, hardware, and plumbing materials through a strategically positioned distribution network throughout the Republic of South Africa and other African nations.

We offer over 20 000 product lines and fuse strong relationships with technical skills and a deep kinship to our craft.

Representative: Desmond Tladinyane T: +27 (0)12 800 9400 E: DesmondT@sltrading.co.za W: www.stewartsandlloyds.co.za Stands: 13

Tank designs were analysed using state of the art Finite Element methods.

Materials and joints were also thoroughly tested so as to bring a reliable and quality product to market.

Circotank is offered in a Maxi-range covering tank sizes of 100,000 litres up to 1,5 million litres and a Midi range covering a very user-friendly range of 5,000 – 20,000 litres.

Prestanks, manufactured by STRUCTA TECHNOLOGY, offers sectional water storage tanks that are hygienically safe, cost effective and a reliable way to store water for commercial sectors, private sectors and even for personalised storage. Pre-manufactured storage facilities can be provided for a vast variety of applications and range from 1,500 litres to 4,2 million litres. Choose from temporary or permanent installations.

Prestanks are fully customisable, high quality water storage solutions that are manufactured according to SANS guidelines and meet South African Hot Dipped Galvanizing requirements. It facilitates easier handling and transportation over long distances to remote areas. Assembly on site is quickly achieved without the need for sophisticated tooling methods and requires minimum maintenance.

Representative: Rodney Cory T: +27 (0)16 362 9100 E: watertanks1@structatech.co.za W: www.circotank.co.za | www.prestank.co.za Stands: 50 + 50a

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ULTRA CONTROL VALVES

XYLEM

Ultravalves is a privately owned specialist valve company with a full range of valves for the water, sewage and mining industries. Owners have over 70 years of combined experience and with an emphasis on control valves.

Ultravalves prides itself on superior service and making sure that the correct valves are supplied for the different applications.

Xylem is a leading water technology company committed to "solving water" by creating innovative and smart technology solutions to meet the world's water, wastewater and energy needs.

Valves are generally selected to prevent Water Hammer. For this purpose, Ultra can supply all the equipment to prevent Water Hammer, including Surge Relief Vessels.

Our technological strength across the life cycle of water is second-to-none.

From collection and distribution to reuse and return to nature, our highly efficient water technologies including pumps, water treatment application solutions, wastewater treatment, metrology and digital solutions that drive efficiency, reduce life-cycle costs and promote sustainability.

A seminar on Water Hammer has been developed and has been converted into a webinar. This will earn 1 CPD point. A Monthly technical newsletter is available with subscription at www.ultravalves.co.za and where all past newsletters are archived.

Xylem Africa has regional hubs in South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Côte d'Ivoire.

Representative: Peter Telle T: +27 (0)83 458 8053 E: peter@ultravalves.co.za W: www.ultravalves.co.za Stand: 1 + 2

UMNGENI-UTHUKELA WATER

uMngeni-uThukela is a new name for the former Umgeni Water, after the incorporation of Mhlathuze Water with effect from 01 July 2023. One of the fundamental drivers of this change is to join forces to enhance water and sanitation service delivery for all communities in KwaZulu-Natal. uMngeni-uThukela Water will provide water and waste water services and related services to other water services institutions and customers within its gazetted service area of 30 200 km2 (the entire province of KwaZulu-Natal), providing safe potable water to 6.7 million people and 1.9 million households.

Representative: Thokozani Hammond T: +27 (0)33 341 1368 E: thokozani.hammond@umgeni.co.za W: www.umgeni.co.za Stands: 3 to 8

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Representative: Clement Mpurwana T: +27 (0)82 497 3376 E: clement.mpurwana@xylem.com W: www.xylem.com Stands: 59

Speaker PROFILES

44 Paper 1: Nick Graham Paper 2: Neil Armitage Paper 3: Andriëtte Combrinck 45 Paper 3: James Harvey-Ewusi Paper 4: Ednah Mamakoa Paper 5: Prof Kobus du Plessis Paper 6: Johan Bester 46 Paper 7: Jean-Pierre Blignault Paper 8: Reudebaker Nel Paper 9: Philip de Souza Joseph Barnard

47 P aper 10: Oseni Amoo Kululwa Mkosana Paper 11: David Still Paper 12: Christopher Chinonge 48 P aper 13: Khothatso Hlalele Didier Ilunga Paper 14: Matt Braune 49 P aper 14: Nichal Rajnandan Paper 15: Luntu Ndalasi Lubabalo Luyaba 50 P aper 16: Chandre Barnard Paper 17: Phillip Majeke

SPEAKERS

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PAPER 1

PAPER 3

NICK GRAHAM

ANDRIËTTE COMBRINCK

PDG Consultants

Zutari

Nick Graham is a Director at PDG consultants, responsible for the Municipal Services Practice Area. He is an urban geographer and registered professional engineer with master’s degrees in civil engineering, environmental policy and urban geography.

Andriëtte is a qualified professional engineer specialising in the field of water resource management, development, planning, modelling and design. She has been with Zutari since 2014 and is currently holding a technical specialist position within the Water Resources unit. She has been involved in studies covering all phases of the full water resource development project cycle, i.e. reconnaissance, pre-feasibility, feasibility, decision support, design and construction.

As a consulting civil engineer, he gained design and construction experience in a range of municipal services, but for the past 10 years he has undertaken public policy research. He has public sector experience in the housing, water, sanitation, solid waste, transport and energy sectors, but has maintained a passion for informal settlement servicing over the past 20 years.

Nick has lectured postgraduate students at the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University and has acted as an external examiner for civil engineering undergraduates at the University of Cape Town.

PAPER 2 NEIL ARMITAGE University of Cape Town Originally from Zimbabwe, Neil Armitage is a registered professional engineer (PrEng) with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) with nearly 40 years’ experience – both as a consultant and an academic – in a wide range of water-related work.

He has served as both a Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, and as Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Currently he is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Deputy Director of the ‘Future Water’ research institute at UCT. He is also a Fellow of the SAAE, IMESA, SAICE, WISA, and IWA. His research interests include: Urban Water Management (UWM), Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD). He was the project leader for the South African SuDS, WSUD and, most recently, the Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) Guidelines.

He has collaborated with numerous local and overseas universities, supervised 28 Masters’ and 5 PhD students to graduation; and published 36 journal, 53 peer-reviewed conference papers, and 14 peer-reviewed research reports with a current Google Scholar h-index of 23 (1480 citations): https://scholar.google.co.za/ citations?view_op=list_works&hl=en&user=EIYfbegAAAAJ).

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Her water resource systems modelling experience covers almost two decades' work on complex river systems and reservoirs including rainfallrunoff, water quality, yield and planning & operations modelling.

Her in-depth involvement in feasibility studies has also provided her with extensive skill in the dam design field being fully or partly responsible for the conceptual design of two large reservoirs for the DWS. Further to this she has extensive experience in project management, fulfilling the role of project manager on various projects for government and private clients.

She has worked on projects in most provinces and WMA in South Africa, as well as the DRC, Kenya, Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana.

Andriëtte holds a BEng (Civil) degree from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She is a registered professional engineer with ECSA and a member of SAICE.

SPEAKERS

PAPER 3

PAPER 5

JAMES HARVEY-EWUSI

PROF KOBUS DU PLESSIS

Dente Civil Structural Engineering Western Cape Government: Department of Local Government

Stellenbosch University

‘James The Third’ matriculated at Queens College Boys High in Queenstown and obtained his National Diploma in Civil Engineering followed by BTech in Structures from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

He started his engineering career with Arcus Gibb, later GIBB in Cape Town in 2007 before moving onto roads and structural projects on site for GIBB in Ladysmith, KZN. He joined SiVEST SA in 2012 and continued to expand his experience in the civil engineering, project management and planning fields, leading to him obtaining his Professional Technologist registration in 2018.

Prof Kobus du Plessis has more than 35 years of experience in the field of water engineering in South Africa and is responsible for Hydrology and Environmental Engineering at the University of Stellenbosch for the past 21 years.

He has a special interest in integrated management of water resources as applied by local authorities, as well as flood hydrology. He obtained his PhD (Water Governance), M.Eng (Water Resource Management) and B.Eng (Civil) from the Stellenbosch University. He presently serves as an EXCO member of IMESA and on the Education and Training panel of SAICE. He is a fellow member of both SAICE and IMESA and is a professional registered engineer with the the Engineering Council of South Africa

In 2019 he started his own consultancy - Dente, before taking on construction work for Jamjo Civils on water infrastructure projects in Matatiele and Libode. He joined the WCG: Dept of Local Government in 2021 where he was the programme manager for water which included the 15yr WCIDWRP project that is being presented today.

Apart from being an avid sports fan, he also enjoys socialising, hiking, and reading. He also has an unmatched passion for service delivery and implementation.

PAPER 4

PAPER 6

EDNAH MAMAKOA

JOHAN BESTER

Water Research Commission (WRC)

iX Engineers

Ednah Mamakoa holds an MSc in Chemical Engineering from Northwest University. She has over 12 years’ experience in research and development, focusing mainly on Water and Sanitation sector.

Johan Bester obtained his B Eng (Civil) and MSc (Civil) from the University of Stellenbosch.

He is a professional engineer with nearly 30 years’ experience in the civil engineering and project management field. Johan has experience in the design and project management of water, storm water and wastewater projects. His experience covers field and feasibility studies, investigatory studies and project identification, master planning studies, project fund sourcing and applications, as well as condition assessment.

She started her career at the CSIR. She has been directly involved in sanitation infrastructure and innovation, integrated water resources management, and implementation and evaluation of water and sanitation projects.

She is currently the Technical Officer, providing research and project management/implementation support for the Water Research Commission’s accelerator programme SASTEP and managing the implementation of Non- Sewered Sanitation systems in public schools.

Johan is familiar with all aspects of multi-disciplinary projects including conceptualization, design documentation & implementation. Johan applies a risk-based approach to add value to multi-disciplinary projects.

He has worked for various clients including municipalities, industries, other consultants, and private developers in South Africa. He understands the unique requirements for different projects and emphasizes the client’s requirements. Johan also has good standing relationships with local authorities and understands what is needed when taking existing services into consideration to achieve successful implementation for an infrastructure project.

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25-27 October

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PAPER 7

PAPER 9

JEAN-PIERRE BLIGNAULT

PHILIP DE SOUZA

AfriCoast Consulting Engineers

Zutari

Jean-Pierre graduated with a B Tech degree in Civil Engineering from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth in 2014, following on a National Diploma in Civil Engineering from the same institution in 2011.

He has since gained 12 years of consulting engineering experience in the design, implementation and construction administration of infrastructure projects. Initial employment was with Mott Macdonald (Africa) (Pty) Ltd. until February 2017.

Philip de Souza is an associate at Zutari and is based in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a professionally registered engineer who has more than 20 years of experience with water supply and sanitation services in local government, benchmarking, water treatment, water quality management and associated risk management.

In March 2017, Jean-Pierre joined AfriCoast Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd and he is currently engaged as Manager: Roads, Transportation, Infrastructure and Engineering Services at AfriCoast Consulting Engineers.

Engagement on numerous projects over the years has equipped him to speak with authority on matters affecting the implementation of infrastructure projects.

Philip has a BSc Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Cape Town and an Honours degree-Cum Laude in Water Utilisation Engineering from the University of Pretoria.

Philip is the co-chair of the International Water Association (IWA) Water Safety Planning Specialist Group, and he also forms part of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global panel of water safety planning Trainer of Trainers. To relax, Philip enjoys nature, spending time with his family, reading, music, and a glass of good red wine.

PAPER 8

PAPER 9

REUDEBAKER NEL

JOSEPH BARNARD

eThekwini Municipality

Witzenberg Municipality

Reudebaker Nel obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007. He is a seasoned professional engineer with over 16 years of technical experience in the Wastewater Design Branch at the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit.

Joseph Barnard matriculated in Germiston and obtained his BTech (Civil Engineering) from the University of Technology (Orange Free State).

The early years of his career was spent with DWS. He spent 8 years as Project Manager responsible for various projects , of which the Project Management of the project for the design, rehabilitation, reconstruction and maintenance of coal haul roads(asphalt surfaced) in Mpumalanga with a contract period of 20 months and budget of R548 000 000-00 was the highlight. He has some 22 years of Municipal Service, serving as Director: Technical Services at various municipalities.

He is a Registered Professional Engineer with ECSA and his current position is the Acting Area Project Manager for the Western and Southern Regions of eThekwini Municipality. He has played a pivotal role in numerous projects in planning, design, management, construction supervision and administration of wastewater design infrastructure projects. He has contributed technical and policy input relating to design standards formulation, contractual documentation, and preparation of construction specifications.

Reudebaker was the Lead and Design Engineer for the 2021 Award of Excellence from the Southern African Society of Trenchless Technology for the Mahatma Gandhi Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 2.

He takes great pride in being a loving husband and father. In his free time, Reudebaker is an avid sports enthusiast, with a keen interest in football, rugby, tennis and technology. He also has a creative side, indulging in videography and photography, capturing moments that matter on his travel YouTube channel 'Wandering SA Explorer’. Please LIKE SHARE & SUBSCRIBE.

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The Witzenberg municipality, current employer has a clean audit record of 10 years of continuous clean audits. The Witzenberg municipality also recently obtained a third place at the Imesa Excellence award for its zero waste to landfill pilot project. For a number of years the Witzenberg Municipality were ranked high for its green & blue drop performance as measured by DWS and was awarded the best performing municipality in 2021 for green drop. In 2014, the Witzenberg Municipality obtained second place for its blue drop performance.

His interest include camping at rural destinations and doing alterations at home.

SPEAKERS

PAPER 10

PAPER 11

OSENI AMOO

DAVID STILL

WSM Group

Partners in Development

Dr. Oseni Amoo is a trained Civil Engineer who matriculated in Nigeria and obtained his Ph.D. (Civil Engineering) from the Durban University of Technology, South Africa. The early years of his career were spent in both the private and public sectors as a consultant in Nigeria. He has been instrumental in many developmental projects sponsored by NRF, in South Africa, both at the industrial scale and in the experimental design.

David Still is a professional civil engineer specializing in the field of water supply and sanitation. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1984, later earning a GDE from Wits and an MSc from UCT. After working for the Department of Water Affairs and the CSIR’s Division of Water Technology, he founded the Pietermaritzburg based engineering and research consultancy Partners in Development, or PID, in 1993.

Dr. Amoo progresses in his academic career as a post-doctoral fellow with WSU. The post he held before joining the WSM Group Pty Ltd as a research manager where he had been involved in the execution of capital projects, ranging from conception, planning, design and construction here in South Africa.

He has been involved with a number of Water Research Commission projects in the water supply, sanitation and stormwater management field, either as reference group member, researcher or project leader.

PID’s recent WRC research work has dealt mainly with faecal sludge management (FSM), pour flush sanitation and school sanitation. He is a past Chairman of the Water Institute of Southern Africa’s Community Water Supply and Sanitation Division, KZN branch. He is the founder and has been since 2006 the chairman of the Duzi-uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT), which champions the environmental health of the uMsunduzi and uMngeni Rivers.

He has authored over 25 academic publications in both locally and internationally reputable journals and conference proceedings. He enjoyed athletics and football playing. He is a registered Engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN); an associate member of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), South Africa Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)-A Pan Africa Chemistry Network Association.

He has been a member of the DWS team that has drafted the Faecal Sludge Management Strategy for South Africa and he has experience with FSM in several other African countries.

PAPER 10

PAPER 12

KULULWA MKOSANA

CHRISTOPHER CHINONGE

Walter Sisulu University

IMQS Software

Kululwa Mkosana has worked for the Department of Water and Sanitation in the Republic of South Africa, directorate Water Resource Support in the Eastern Cape and her focus has been Protection of Water Resources such as Rivers, Wetlands etc.

Christopher Chinonge obtained his BScEng(Civil) degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2015. His first appointment was at the Joburg Market, an entity of the City of Joburg, as a project manager manging infrastructure projects for a flagship program called “Market of the Future”.

She has had an opportunity to work on Water Quality assessment of both Surface Water and Groundwater and their interaction. She holds an Honours degree in Environmental Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA), and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from MANCOSA. She is about to complete her Master’s Degree (MSc) at Walter Sisulu University (WSU).

Chris went on to work for Sasol on a special PPP project aimed at improving municipal service delivery. Following that he decided to consult independently for a few emerging contractors. He then accepted a role as an asset management engineer at IMQS Software. In this role he was responsible for managing key asset management projects. He developed asset management plans and assisted in the assessment, maintenance and improvement of municipal asset management practices.

Chris is certified by the PMI as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and registered with the SACPCMP as a Professional Construction Project Manager (Pr.CPM). His career ambition is to make noteworthy contributions to the improvement of service delivery in South Africa.

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PAPER 13

PAPER 14

KHOTHATSO HLALELE

MATT BRAUNE

Rand Water

Bio Engineering Africa Consulting

Khothatso Hlalele holds a B-Tech Degree in Civil Engineering from the Central University of Technology, Free State.

Matt Braune Graduated in 1982 with Bsc Civil Eng. He worked at SRK Consulting from 1985 till 2016 before opening Bio Engineering Africa Consulting and Training Academy (Pty ) Ltd in 2016.

She held various positions in government and private sector in the planning, design, construction and project management of water and sanitation infrastructure for over 12 years including trainee at Makhaotse, Narasimulu and Associates, and a Design Engineer at Johannesburg Water.

She is currently a Senior Pipeline Technologist at Rand Water in the Strategic Asset Management Department.

She is also currently pursuing her master’s degree at University of Johannesburg and is professionally registered with ECSA and a member of SAICE.

PAPER 13 DIDIER ILUNGA Rand Water Didier Ilunga is an Engineer by Profession and has spent more than 15 years in the Water Sector and internationally. He previously worked as Project Manager at Rand Water in Johannesburg, RSA, and in the D.R. Congo and currently with increased responsibility as a Senior Pipeline Engineer in Pipeline Asset Department, under Strategic Asset Management Division at Rand Water in Johannesburg (RSA).

Didier is currently completing his PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering at University of Johannesburg (RSA). His area of interest includes the Effect of Pressure on Leakage and Structural Behaviour of Pipe Material in Water Distribution Systems. He has a Master’s Degree of Engineering in Civil Engineering from University of Johannesburg (RSA) and has published many papers related to the behaviour of longitudinal cracks in pressurised pipes. Didier also holds a Bachelor degree in Applied Science in Mining Engineering and a Bachelor degree in Engineering in Mining, both degrees from University of Lubumbashi (D R Congo).

Didier ILUNGA is registered as a Professional Engineer with ECSA (Engineering Council of South Africa), and also as a member of SAICE (South African Institution of Civil Engineer). He fluently speaks French, English and Swahili.

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Highlights and achievement’s over 35 years: Started his career in the construction industry at Concor Construction in 1983. Went into the Consulting industry in 1985 at SRK consulting. Became Professional Registered Engineer in 1988. Became a director of the company in 1995. Joined the Institute of Municipal Engineers during 1988 and became associate member. Became a registered ECSA Mentor in 2016. Obtained the Best Technical Paper 1st Prise award from the Institute of Municipal Engineering ( IMESA ) for a technical paper “Best Management Practises applied to layout planning and stormwater control in the new South Africa “ Specialised in Urban stormwater management and municipal Engineering over the next 35 years which included the following projects: • Compiled integrated stormwater master plans for all major Metropolitan councils within Southern Africa; • Carried out several river upgrading projects throughout South Africa; • Initiated the application of Best Management Practices ( BMP’s ) within most local municipalities; • Has applied the SUDS principle to assist in implementing cost effective and environmentally friendly stormwater control measures • Carried out several dam safety studies as well as flood risk and floodline studies; • Carried out several asset management projects included detailed field surveys, visual inspections and asset registers.

SPEAKERS

PAPER 14

PAPER 15

NICHAL RAJNANDAN

LUNTU NDALASI

PrEng, CAMA

Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent

Nichal graduated in 2004 and started his career at NETGroup SA where he gained exposure in various projects involving from electrical studies to masterplans to asset registers. In 2011, he joined Aurecon and transitioned to a Technical Director with various projects during this time and across borders in Nigeria and Australia. He has led multidisciplinary teams in the successful delivery of projects. In 2021, he left Aurecon (now known as Zutari) and became a director at AAEC (Advanced Asset Engineering Consulting).

Luntu Ndalasi matriculated in Mdantsane, East London and went on to acquire his BTECH from Port Elizabeth Technikon (now Nelson Mandela University). The early years of his career were spent with consultants Engineering Advise and Services (EAS) and Goba Consulting Engineers (now Hatch) both Port Elizabeth offices and majority of experience were gained in municipal services for various developments around the region.

At AAEC, Nichal has worked in collaboration with National Treasury and CoGTA across several government structures (national, provincial and municipal) on the service delivery (Electricity, Water, Sanitation, Waste, Community, Operational and ICT) pillar to bring sustainability and viability to these organisations but he still retains his interest in the technical electrical designs getting involved in projects when the opportunities arise.

Nichal always strives for improvement and embraces new ways of doing things. He also dabbles in programming and data analytics.

Nichal’s focus is and has always been continuous improvement of standards and practices in asset management with the understanding that the solutions are multifaceted involving more than just technical or financial pillars. Knowing this and understanding what the end solution is, he crafts a roadmap to achieving the outcomes in practical, bit sized chunks.

Nichal has over 17 years of experience and other than being a professional registered engineer, he is a Certified Asset Management Assessor (WPiAM) and an associate of IWMSA. He has also engaged with various programs such as Infrastructure Delivery Management and Digital Transformation with MiT.

In 2007, he then joined Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in the Transport Planning division and later headed the Project Management & Implementation unit of the municipality before bolting to join Transnet National Ports Authority in 2012. In 2017, local government sector came calling and he then joined Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) where he occupies a position of Chief Director for Infrastructure Delivery, Maintenance and Stakeholder Coordination, which is a unit responsible for providing technical support to municipalities through deployment of professional civil and electrical engineers and Town Planners to various municipalities across the country. He has been assigned to relook the entire value-chain of municipal infrastructure service delivery and introduce reforms.

His out-of-office interests includes motorsport racing as an avid motorcycle rider and enjoys a good outdoor outing with family.

PAPER 15 LUBABALO LUYABA South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Lubabalo Luyaba is a senior public infrastructure development practioner with over a decade of public and private sector experience.

Lubabalo holds a BSc (hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Cape Town, a BEng Hons in Water Utilisation Engineering from the University of Pretoria and as a professionally registered engineer (PrEng) with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).

Lubabalo has held various key positions and led various municipal infrastructure programmes and projects at a national scale. He was most recently the Director for Project Management and Coordination at the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent [MISA]; in this role he was responsible for various national key national programmes, focused on building municipal infrastructure capacity and capability and municipal turnaround through various mechanisms. Lubabalo is currently the water and sanitation senior manager at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). He is tasked with driving the SALGA water and sanitation programme which centers around representing, advocating for, lobbying for, supporting and advising municipalities.

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CONFERENCE Gqeberha (PE) R

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PAPER 16

PAPER 17

CHANDRE BARNARD

PHILLIP MAJEKE

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality

Water Research Commission (WRC)

Chandre Barnard completed his B Tech: Civil Engineering degree at Nelson Mandela University.

Phillip completed BEng Chemical Engineering degree from University of Pretoria (UP) in 2012 and followed on to obtain BEng Honours in Environmental Engineering at UP in 2015. He has over 10 years of experience in water sector mainly involved process designs, optimisation and upgrading of water and wastewater treatment plants.

He holds the position of Deputy Director: Bulk supply & reservoirs with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. He has more than 13 years experience throughout the water supply value chain.

Chandre is registered with ECSA as a Graduate Technologist

Currently, Phillip is the Commercialisation Manager for the South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP) at Water Research Commission. SASTEP is a national system of innovation platform that seeks fast-track the adoption of innovative and emerging sanitation technologies in South Africa through fostering local manufacturing and commercialization. Phillip’s role involves initiating and overseeing intellectual property advisory, market reviews, partnership development and commercialisation programmes for innovative and emerging sanitation technologies.

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Abstracts & PAPERS Abstracts 52 Paper 1: Nick Graham Paper 2: Neil Armitage 53 Paper 3: Andriëtte Combrinck & James Harvey-Ewusi Paper 4: Ednah Mamakoa 54 Paper 5: Prof JA du Plessis Paper 6: Johan Bester 55 Paper 7: Jean-Pierre Blignault Paper 8: Reudebaker Nel 56 Paper 9: Philip de Souza & Joseph Barnard

Paper 10: Oseni Taiwo Amoo & Kuluwa Mkosana 57 P aper 11: David Still Paper 12: Christopher Chinonge 58 Paper 13: Khothatso Hlalele & Didier Ilunga Paper 14: Matt Braune & Nichal Rajnandan 59 P aper 15: Luntu Ndalasi & Lubabalo Luyaba Paper 16: Chandre Barnard 60 P aper 17: Phillip Majeke 61 Index to Papers

ABSTRACTS

CONFERENCE Gqeberha (PE) R

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PAPER 1 Nick Graham

Legal impediments to providing water services to informal settlements on private land The majority of South Africa’s backlogs in the provision of water and sanitation are those in informal settlements which are concentrated in urban areas. One of the major barriers to providing services in these areas is the perception that there are legal impediments to municipalities providing water and sanitation on privately held land, particularly where the private landowner is unwilling to recognise the settlement.

However, the precise legislation that prohibits this has never been identified, nor tested through the courts. There is no legislation expressly covering this scenario, nor is there directly relevant case law. There are also conflicting legal opinions on the issue. All of this results in legal uncertainty for municipal engineers and undermines service delivery to informal settlements.

Research undertaken by the authors for the Water Research Commission sought to identify any legal impediments, if any, and propose policy measures to resolve this issue definitively. The research included a legislative review, primary research with municipalities and key informants, and a stakeholder workshop. The research found that municipalities have a powerful duty to provide basic services, regardless of the lawfulness of occupation, according to s27 of the Constitution (amongst other Constitutional and statutory duties). It is lawful to install fixed water services in permanent or semi-permanent settlements on private land (Categories A, B1, B2). There are no outright legal impediments to installing fixed services were identified, although some anomalies may arise in specific cases.

The paper unpacks each of the perceived legal impediments and provides the reasoning behind these important conclusions. The findings of the study are significant for the practice of municipal engineers and should provide them with the necessary confidence to provide these much-needed services. The paper also presents policy recommendations in order to improve certainty for municipal officials.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Municipalities have a powerful duty to provide basic services, regardless of the lawfulness of occupation, according to s27 of the Constitution.

2.

It is lawful to install fixed services in informal settlement located on private land, but the categorisation of the settlement is important - services can legally be provided to permanent or semipermanent settlements on private land (Categories A, B1, B2).

As a result of this finding, a process of categorisation and notification of the land owners is recommended.

3.

No outright legal impediments to installing fixed services were identified, although some anomalies may arise in specific cases.

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PAPER 2 Neil Armitage

The new SA Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) Guidelines Urbanisation has resulted in much land becoming impervious owing to the construction of roads, parking lots, driveways, and buildings. Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) promote the infiltration of stormwater runoff through the wearing course with temporary storage and some treatment in the underlying aggregate layers. Unfortunately, inspections carried out since 2017 by Universities of Cape Town (UCT) and the Witwatersrand (Wits) at numerous sites in Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg have shown that many have failed.

The Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC) thus funded a two-year study, 2021-2023 (C2021/2022-00436), by UCT and Wits into the reasons for failure in PICP that will shortly be published in a report: ‘Clogging in Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP)’, and separate ‘Guidelines for the design, construction and maintenance of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) in South Africa’.

The research showed that on many sites there was clear evidence of poor design, poor construction and/or lack of adequate maintenance.

Considerable effort was put into understanding the clogging phenomenon and methods to slow down and potentially reverse this threat. Aspects that received attention were: the impact of various environmental factors such as proximity to unstable slopes, overhanging trees, planters, or sources of wind-blown sand; the impact of Run-on-Factor (RoF) - the ratio of the impermeable area that drains to the PICP to the PICP area itself; the impact of traffic movement; the impact of paver design; the impact of paver installation; the selection of the gritstone between the pavers; the possible impact of the upper geotextile on clogging; and the efficacy of different maintenance techniques.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1.

Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) is a potential solution to the increasingly extensive impervious areas caused by urbanisation.

2. Sadly, many SA PICP installations have failed.

3. The WRC funded a two-year study into the reasons for PICP failure leading to new SA guidelines.

4. On many sites there was clear evidence of poor design, poor construction and/or lack of adequate maintenance.

5.

Considerable effort was put into understanding the clogging phenomenon and methods to slow down and potentially reverse this threat.

ABSTRACTS

PAPER 3

PAPER 4 Andriëtte Combrinck & James Harvey-Ewusi

Ednah Mamakoa

Regional-scale planning for municipal water to support tranformative adaptation

Next Generation Sanitation Technologies, a solution for in informal settlements

Municipal water supply planning is traditionally done on a local scale and often does not consider system interconnectivities, interdependence on water resources and competition between various water users. In addition, the use of inconsistent information sources (e.g. non-aligned population and economic growth projection models) and different water resources and municipal planning models can lead to vastly different responses to water supply and drought planning across a single region. The 2015-2020 drought in the Western Cape highlighted the need for an integrated, inter-disciplinary, and pro-active approach to water supply planning across the whole province with a specific focus on municipal supply. It emphasised the necessity to proactively consider and incorporate all aspects of integrated water resources management within a catchment, whilst appreciating the local dynamics and unique challenges of each municipal system. To address this need, the Western Cape Government - Department of Local Government in collaboration with Zutari endeavoured to develop a Western Cape Integrated Drought and Water Response Plan (WCIDWRP), to support municipalities within the province.

The main objective of the WCIDWRP is to deliver a costed, prioritised and sequenced action plan that would support a water secure province. This plan includes both ‘hard’ engineering interventions to be implemented by the municipalities (i.e. water resource augmentation and bulk water infrastructure needs) and ‘soft’ interventions to be facilitated by national, provincial and local government (i.e. policy and programmatic responses). To inform the water resources augmentation and bulk infrastructure needs for each system, four decision-support tools were developed: (i) two Surface Water Availability tools confirming dam and system yields and run-of-river water availability under various scenarios, (ii) a Municipal Information Tool providing the status quo of water supply in each system, and (iii) an interactive Water Balance Tool supporting water resources augmentation and infrastructure project planning.

Prioritisation of ‘hard’ interventions was guided by a regional vulnerability assessment that analysed each system’s susceptibility to drought through the lens of seven key risk indicators. These include the probable impacts of climate change, the state of non-revenue water, water availability versus water demand, the extent of Invasive Alien Plants, the system’s current water resource dependence and diversification, the unit consumption, the state of infrastructure and the municipality’s institutional capacity. The regional and integrated approach followed in the compilation of the WCIDWRP allows for multi-criteria decision-making that will enable the province to strategically focus their efforts to becoming water-resilient over the next 15-years.

The South African government has been focusing on eliminating service delivery backlogs since 1994, mostly through the employment of conventional solutions. However, indigent communities remain marginalized because most conventional solutions are not easy to implement due to the settlement topography and density.

Furthermore, rapid urbanization means municipalities and water service agencies, who are responsible for service delivery are always playing catchup. Municipalities continually face challenges in meeting the costs and logistics of delivering free basic sanitation services, as informal settlements, which, by definition, are expected to be transient with no long-term CAPEX investment. As such only temporary or ad-hoc solutions such as chemical toilets and other container-based sanitation solutions are provided, which are expensive, unsustainable, potentially have adverse effect on the environment and have poor user acceptance. A shift in the current paradigm is long overdue if the SDG target for 2030 is to be achieved.

In South Africa, approximately 13% (7.27 million) of the population live in informal settlements (Danti, 2018). According to StatsSA, 68% of households living in informal dwellings are forced to share toilet facilities and approximately 6.8% rely on the ‘bucket system’, which speaks to the scale of the problem. The emergence of next generation sanitation (NGS) technologies such as non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSS) and other innovative sanitation offers a viable solution to meeting current sanitation challenges including in informal settlements.

This paper uses case studies where NSSS were successfully implemented in informal settlements in South Africa and provides lessons for governments and development agencies to prioritize the implementation of non-sewered sanitation systems in informal settlements to improve public health and hygiene in these communities.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Using innovation to provide equitable sanitation for all including in informal settlements

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Regional-scale planning for municipal water to support transformative adaptation 2.

Integrated, inter-disciplinary and pro-active approach to water supply and drought 3.

Costed, prioritised and sequenced action plan to ensure a water secure province 4. Practical and interactive decision-support tools 5. Regional vulnerability assessment 6.

Multi-criteria decision-making to enable strategic focus over planning horizon

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PAPER 5 Prof JA du Plessis

An early warning approach for droughts, using the Standardise Precipitation Index Droughts are significant climate events, that can have severe consequences and impacts on the planning and operation of municipal water supply systems. The drought experienced in Cape Town, during 2015 – 2020 saw storages rapidly depleting and severe restrictions needing to be implemented to ensure that water supplies did not fail. Additional information to understand the onset and severity of the drought being experienced as early as possible could have assisted with initial water resource management decisions.

This research focus on the development of an early warning system to assist municipalities in the decision-making process related to the planning of their water resources, using the Western Cape Water Supply System as a case study. The research approach used the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI), which allows for the occurrence, duration, and magnitude of historical droughts, to provide an early warning through the setting of threshold precipitation values, which allows for the onset and end of droughts to be determined from rainfall measurements only. Severity, duration, and frequency (SDF) curves were produced, after deriving SDF relationships for each rainfall station used in the case study area. The SDF curves allow for the probability of a drought with a certain severity and duration to be determined.

Maps of the data were also produced to allow drought properties to be determined spatially across the South-Western Cape region. This information can then be used to highlight the onset and severity of a drought to be expected.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Early warning for drought.

2. Support to Water resource planning 3. Drought Severity-Duration-Frequency curves 4. Drought rainfall threshold values

PAPER 6 Johan Bester

How to get a realistic Operations and Maintenance budget in place to prioritise essential maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure WHY the obvious lack of prioritized expenditure on essential maintenance and operations? Most Municipalities show expenditure on capital projects and development of new opportunities, but an obvious lack of expenditure on O&M. How should the usual excuse “Insufficient O&M budget” be addressed?

Get a feasible maintenance prioritisation plan in place. This paper will entail a value-add Maintenance Prioritisation Plan to provide the municipality with the necessary information for strategic planning regarding the capacity and O&M requirements for these infrastructure systems. Audit reports need to be compiled for each asset/system which included the findings of a condition assessment, a scope of refurbishment works required and a scope of works required to upgrade the asset to meet future demands. The replacement values of assets, as well as refurbishment and upgrade costs for each asset need to be estimated. Based on the findings of each audit report, an asset register update and a Grading and Prioritization Matrix can be populated. The outputs of the matrixes will inform a Maintenance Prioritisation Plan to be utilised by the municipality as tool to track progress on maintenance.

1. Assess value and performance Detailed condition assessment and performance testing of assets pertaining existing bulk conveyance water and sewerage infrastructure were categorised as follows: Civil: • Site works (e.g access, fencing, general site conditions); • Water retaining structures, channels, sumps, retaining walls, bunds, etc.

• Buildings (pump stations, MCCs, Generator room, Security hut, etc.)

• Security Mechanical: • Inlet works – screens, degritting • Arrangement of the infrastructure (P&ID for pumps; valves and pipework) • Logging operational parameters and recording of flow records and HVAC Electrical: Bulk supply; Backup Generator; MCC,VSD’s, PLC, HMI; Telemetry; Lighting 2. Review existing asset register 3. Update Replacement Values and refurbishment costs to inform the Maintenance and Operation budget 4. Compile a Maintenance Prioritization Plan Compile a Grading Matrix and Prioritization Matrix from the information gather during assessments.

Three main asset classes are split up into sub-categories and given gradings; Sub-categories are given weightings to provide and overall asset grading to determine which areas to prioritise and what it will cost. Four Categories (e.g Grading, Environmental Impact, Security, Strategic Importance) calculates a Priority Score and can be used to schedule a refurbishment and/or maintenance plan.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Operational and Maintenance Budgets; 2. Asset Registers and Replacement Values; 3. Maintenance Prioritisation Plan

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ABSTRACTS

PAPER 7 Jean-Pierre Blignault

Emerging Micro Enterprise (EME) Engagement: Insights through Practical Experience The practical application of the Emerging Micro Enterprise Development Support Policy (EMEDSP), implemented by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and other local authorities and public entities, is explored by revisiting practical experiences gained by AfriCoast Consulting Engineers on actual construction projects where EME's were engaged in construction activities.

The pursuit of "resilience" to meet the future demands of infrastructure provision in the municipal environment, is intricately linked to the development and improvement of EME (or SMME) engagement in construction projects. It is common knowledge that the engagement of communities, local labour, SMME's and EME's is currently one of the most controversial subjects in South Africa. The engagement of these small enterprises is based on sound laws and policies, but the actual implementation is wrought with loopholes and snares. Incorrect, or insensitive application of the policies and principles involved on numerous projects countrywide, has apparently lead to suspicion and fear and has opened the door to corruption. The term "construction mafia' has become very common in the media and discussions, and is used by politicians at high level.

The paper endeavours to look into the successes and failures, with respect to EME engagement, on actual construction projects. AfriCoast Consulting Engineers has provided professional services as Employers's Agent on various projects engaging EME's. Amongst these are the Nooitgedagt Coega Low level Supply Scheme implemented for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the Nsezi Raw Water Pipeline implemented for the Mhlathuze Water Board in Richards Bay and the Concordia Road Rehabilitation Project in Knysna. These projects, amongst others, are scrutinised to determine how the EME's were engaged, how the local policy was implemented and how this practically played out on the actual construction site. Problems experienced, which include strikes, intimidation and threats by local community members, are discussed and solutions proposed to these and other problems encountered. The focus is on lessons learnt and proposals for future improvement.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Current policies and legislation regulating EME engagement.

2. Common problems in policy implementation.

3. Practical on-site experience in dealing with EME's.

4. Avoiding loopholes and snares.

5. Lessons learnt.

6. Proposals towards developing solutions

PAPER 8 Reudebaker Nel

A case for trenchless technology - Mahatma Gandhi Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 2 The project is a good example of a use case for Trenchless Technology (Cured in place Pipe) in comparison to open trench construction in an urban area with difficult site conditions. The project at the time of construction was the longest and biggest diameter of cured in place pipe installed in Africa and was the winner of the 2021 award of excellence from the Southern African Society for Trenchless Technology. The existing 1350mm diameter concrete trunk sewer pipeline in Mahatma Gandhi Road Durban Central was constructed in 1954 (69 Years Old) has a total length of 1.85km and carries most of the city’s central sewage catchment and is approximately 7.5m deep at its deepest point. After an investigation the pipeline was found to be severely corroded, to an extent that it was close to collapse and required immediate attention.

Scope of the project included rehabilitation of the existing 1350mm diameter sewer 1850m long using Cured in place pipe (CIPP) cured by UV light as the method of rehabilitation. In addition, 80m of 1250mm diameter HDPE was laid at depths of 6.0m using open trench construction required to complete the rehabilitation project in severe waterlogged conditions. Rehabilitation of 300mm diameter Asbestos cement pipe using CIPP by Thermal Curing was also part of the project scope.

The catchment of the pipe required to be rehabilitated had incoming sewer pipes of 860,1050 and 1100mm diameters at various locations that were required to be diverted to facilitate the rehabilitation by UV cured CIPP. The diversion of flows from different points along the 1350mm diameter pipeline presented a unique challenge due to the volumes of flow involved and the effect any diversion of flow will have on the rest of the sewer network in the area. In addition, there were four smaller lateral incoming flows on the line which needed to be diverted. The liner was designed based on a fully deteriorated condition with onsite measurement of the ovalties along the pipeline. The liners thickness installed varied from a 10.8mm to 14.9mm using a reinforced UV cured liner supplied by Reline Europe based in Germany. Numerous challenges were experienced in the installation mainly due to the weight of the liners (up to 15 tonnes) into a manhole access point inside a large diameter pipe. Seventeen liners were installed in total with the longest liner being 139m long.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Project Scope 2. Background 3. Diversion of Flow 4. Cleaning of Host Pipe 5. Liner Design 6. Installation 7. Liner Testing 8. Open Trench vs Trenchless Comparison

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PAPER 9

PAPER 10 Philip de Souza & Joseph Barnard

Oseni Taiwo Amoo & Kuluwa Mkosana

Advancing Water Supply and Sanitation System resilience through improved Risk Management Approaches

Effects of Rainfall Temporal Variability on Groundwater Physio-Chemical and Microbial Quality

In recent years there has been a significant increase in hazards to providing water and sanitation services within local municipalities, with a number of unexpected hazards materialising through shocks and stresses like the COVID pandemic, extreme weather events (droughts, heatwaves and floods) and the national energy crisis. The mushrooming of informal settlements and vandalism of infrastructure has been accelerated since the onset of the COVID pandemic.

The recent drought conditions in Witzenberg Municipality contributed to a wildfire event that severely damaged raw water supply pipelines and the associated water treatment facility. When loadshedding resulted in twelve (12) hours per day of power outages, the operation of both water and sanitation systems were severely affected, which took a heavy toll on operational staff for whom crisis management became the daily norm for weeks. Such shocks and stresses test the resilience of water systems to provide safe drinking-water whilst also protecting the environment.

Risk management tools such as Water Safety Plans (WSP) and Wastewater Risk Abatement Plans (W2RAP) are essential in understanding the impact of hazards on the municipal water supply and sanitation systems, and enabling resiliency. Witzenberg Municipality, supported by Zutari, recently completed the review and updating of the municipality's risk management tools for all their water systems, and with a particular focus on climate change related risks.

The outcomes of the risk assessment and mitigation actions identified will be presented, and will provide key insights to other municipalities facing similar challenges.

Further, the paper will highlight: 1) the considerations and adaption of the nascent World Health Organization (WHO)/International Water Association (IWA) guidelines on Water Safety Plan (WSP) and Sanitation Safety Plan (SSP), 2) features of such plans that increase the utility and practicality of it for systems operators and mangers, and 3) l essons learnt that can be translated to other municipalities.

The state of water quality in the Mthatha River Catchment (MRC) in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, continues to be degraded by nature and anthropogenic activities of municipal wastewater discharge, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff. Thus, the assessment of groundwater quality in the area is a major step toward ensuring a clean and healthy state of the available water in the aquifer for pumping.

This study aims at evaluating the rate of the change in groundwater quality with respect to monthly rainfall temporal variability (RTV) at the MRC. It employed a systematic sampling method in selecting ten (10) sampled borehole sites used for the study. Consequently, standard laboratory analysis was used to determine the measured twenty-seven (27) water quality parameters concentration collected on a monthly basis between the period 2002 to 2020. These boreholes sampled were analysed for their physio-chemical and biological trends variation, thereafter, the effects of temporal rainfall variability were evaluated using the autocorrelation statistical technique with the normalized probability test statistic (Zs) to determine the significance level exhibited in identifying the catchment trend pattern.

The RTV results in relation to the water quality parameters show a dilution autocorrelation factor range of positive 0.653 – 0.993 for all the parameters for a good fit relationship between WQ and rainfall magnitude in the area while Mann Kendall (MK) trend analysis of turbidity, Iron, dissolved oxygen, total viable count, and total Coliform counts parameters were the most profound problematic parameters with increasing trends observed along the MRC. In general, groundwater may not always be of pure quality as perceived, various factors may be responsible for the fluctuating quality in the catchment.

This study would be greatly useful for various decision managers in monitoring and detecting the quality of groundwater in the aquifer for pumping.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Understanding key municipal water supply and sanitation challenges and how additional hazards impact on effective service delivery 2. Understanding the root causes resulting in the current status quo 3.

Understanding typical water supply and sanitation system risk management approaches used by municipalities 4. Understanding how risk management approaches can improve resilience 5.

Other municipal practitioners gaining practical insights through municipal case study with shared observations and lessons learnt

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Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Is groundwater of pristine quality as perceived?

2. Groundwater physio-chemical and biological parameters trends 3. Relationship between the boreholes’ location and the groundwater quality parameters 4.

Factors responsible for varied groundwater quality parameters at Mthatha River Catchment

ABSTRACTS

PAPER 11 David Still

PAPER 12 Christopher Chinonge

Faecal Sludge Management - What do you need to know?

Data Modelling and Infrastructure Profiling in Local Municipalities

According to DWS data, in 2021 South Africa had 2.7 million VIP toilets and 498 000 septic tanks. A further 1.7 million households were served by substandard pit toilets, which should be upgraded to an acceptable form of improved sanitation as soon as possible. South Africa has a much lower percentage of its population using on-site sanitation than most other countries in Africa, but these numbers are still large and the chances of most of these toilets being connected to a sewer network within the foreseeable future are zero.

Pits and septic tanks ultimately fill up, which means that from time to time they must be emptied, or the toilets must be abandoned and replaced.

When pits and tanks are emptied, the result is faecal sludge (as opposed to wastewater treatment plant sludge) which requires handling, possibly transport, possibly treatment and either disposal or conversion into a product that has a beneficial use, such as compost. Whose responsibility is this, what are the pros and cons of the various options for getting the job done, and what should Water Services Authorities do to ensure that all sanitation in their jurisdictions is, in the words of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 6.2, “Safely Managed”?

The Department of Water and Sanitation is currently finalising a national Faecal Sludge Management Strategy and when this has been adopted it will be mandatory for all Water Services Authorities in South Africa to develop a detailed understanding of their FSM obligations and to adopt policies, plans and budgets to meet those obligations.

With the introduction of MSCOA and GRAP compliance, many municipalities ensure that they have an asset register in place. These registers are compiled in such a way that certain mandatory calculations are possible. Calculations such as depreciation, useful life adjustments and condition grading are obtainable. Some municipalities also have geospatial data available for their assets. It has been found that many of the asset registers that are developed function as compliance mechanisms to satisfy audit requirements and result in significant shortfalls in terms of infrastructure profiling and reporting.

Using examples from practice, this paper presents the benefits of adopting appropriate asset data models for compiling asset registers and the implications of having inadequate data models. The impact of a data model on depreciation, useful life and condition grading are discussed, as well as the impact on infrastructure planning and maintenance.

Developing and maintaining resilient infrastructure requires an accurate view of existing infrastructure and future needs.

The importance of the involvement of engineers in developing asset data models and assembling asset registers is underscored. Engineers are critical to the development of models that are fit for purpose. The nature of infrastructure asset data modelling requires a knowledge of the component parts of assets and their relationship to each other. It also requires a knowledge of deterioration mechanisms in order to accurately predict remaining useful life and condition grading. Examples from practice are used to demonstrate the advantages of having engineers being intimately involved in developing asset registers and specifically the data models that guide the componentisation of assets.

It is found that the application of appropriate data models can lead to the production of accurate information on asset condition, project cost estimation, maintenance scheduling and accounting practice. The aim of this paper is to motivate engineers to get involved in tasks that are ordinarily left to accountants, but have major implications on the work of engineers. Municipalities that have established good data models are able to develop better asset management plans and have a more solid basis to motivate for increased budgets, while satisfying audit and regulatory requirements.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. 35% of South Africa's population uses on-site sanitation, and in many other countries the figure is closer to 90%.

2. Septic tanks and pit latrines must be emptied from to time, producing faecal sludge which must be transported, treated and disposed of.

3. South African engineers and scientists have always prided themselves on the country's world class expertise with wastewater treatment, but when it comes to faecal sludge management, or FSM, we are well behind the curve.

4. FSM is however about to become mandatory for all Water Services Authorities. What does one need to know to get it right?

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Asset Registers 2. Asset Accounting 3. Componentisation 4. Depreciation 5. Useful Life 6. Planning 7. Maintenance

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PAPER 14 Khothatso Hlalele & Didier Ilunga

Matt Braune & Nichal Rajnandan

Causes of leaks and leakage management in water distribution network

Improved Municipal asset data capture and management using GIS applications

This paper presents the distribution outcomes of simultaneous application of various leakage management strategies. The study is aimed at investigating the causes of leaks in Rand Water distribution network and exploring effective and economical methods of mitigation to reduce the avoidable Non- Revenue Water.

A large amount of potable water is lost through leakage in water distribution in South Africa and globally. Water leakage in distribution networks is normally classified into background and burst related leakage.

There are many contributing factors to the physical mechanism failure of distribution networks which are the root causes of leaks namely: age of pipes, operational pressure in relation to design pressure, excessive pressure, and pressure surges, quality of pipe materials, corrosion, poor construction, ground conditions and ground movement, vibration and traffic loading, depth of pipe installation, defects in pipes, damage due to excavations, poor quality of joints, and changes in temperature due to climate change. Common to all these is the development of defects that create water leakage.

As part of managing Non-Revenue Water, a programme of leak detection and repairs was established using piloted leak detection technologies in discrete water pipelines. Different methods and techniques were used to prevent pipe from leaking, and other methods to identify leakages, and appropriate methods of repairs were applied. The avoidable NonRevenue Water in Rand Water network is 5 %, and it reduced to 4 % after the mitigations, which will save the organisation R 325 million annual loss.

In terms of the Municipal Financial Management Act (Section 63), the Municipal Manager should ensure that the provisions in terms of specific duties of Asset Management (safeguarding, Maintaining, internal controls, register) are implemented. The accounting of assets in a municipality is in terms of Generally recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) standards. Failure to account for these assets accurately leads to qualifications and adverse options raised by the Auditor General.

You can only manage what you know. This is the common problem in all municipalities. Have you accounted for all your assets and do you know the condition thereof? With the various amalgamations, different ways for accounting for assets, not all required information is available nor is it updated and in a useable format.

A further drawback is the often non-existing visual information of the type and condition of the asset. The information is either non-existent or it is in a photo folder without any geographic reference or link to the asset. This in turn makes it very difficult to have a complete and up-todate asset register and a historical record of the asset condition and functionality. Implementing sound asset management principles is the way forward toward sustainability.

In view of the above a GIS based software application has been used to assist the asset manager and municipal official to obtain both numerical and as well as visual information of all assets .The GIS application allows the field inspector to capture both the condition as well as type and locality of the asset in a geo-database .The geo-database has links to every photo taken of the asset and hence makes it very easy to on a virtual basis inspect all asset components with a geo-referenced and linked photo of the asset. A interface between the geo-database and the SAP system was then developed allowing a direct import of the GIS database and its attributes.

This paper presents a case study on the above GIS based approach of a recent asset management project undertaken for the CTMM wastewater department.

Key Presentation Impact Points: Keywords: Leaks, water distribution networks, leak detection technologies, non-revenue water.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Improved asset data collection approach using GIS tools.

2. Improved and more efficient virtually based visual assessment of the asset-by-asset managers and municipal officials 3. Application of GIS based software to assist in linking photographic records to a asset component.

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ABSTRACTS

PAPER 15

PAPER 16 Luntu Ndalasi & Lubabalo Luyaba

Chandre Barnard

Revising the Municipal Infrastructure Grant to Improve Expenditure Outcomes

The Bulk water supply journey

Municipalities are key agents of service delivery in South Africa, tasked with the provision of basic infrastructure such as: solid waste management, roads, stormwater, electricity, water and sanitation to mention a few. Many municipalities are dependent on the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) to fund the development of this infrastructure. Notable progress has been made in increasing access (not reliability) to basic infrastructure, but three key problems plague municipal infrastructure development: 1: Continued under expenditure on the MIG. 2: Inappropriate and inefficient expenditure of the MIG. 3: Poor expenditure on repairs and maintenance of existing infrastructure, leading to infrastructure reliability issues.

Though these challenges are related, this paper focuses on the last of these challenges, with particular emphasis on water and sanitation infrastructure. Proposing alternatives to better use allocation mechanisms to ensure sustainable municipal infrastructure development. With an allocation of R14,8 billion for 2019/2020, the MIG is the largest conditional grant available to qualifying municipalities. The MIG is a schedule 5(B) grant in terms of the Division of Revenue Act (DoRA), who's transferring department is the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).

Implicit in the grant conditions is the assumption that municipalities have the requisite capacity to effectively utilise the grant, a 5% provision is availed as relief for under capacitated municipalities. This assumption is confirmed, in part by the use of reallocations and stoppages, as the sole consequence management measure, for poorly spending municipalities.

This consequence management measure has not yielded any desirable outcomes. MIG expenditure has not exceeded 91% in the last seven financial years, with nearly R4,4 billion stopped in the same period. Closer analysis shows that many municipalities end up spending for the sake of spending (a form of fiscal dumping) to avoid under expenditure, often delivering infrastructure that is not fit for purpose or value for money, if the money is not spent on unapproved projects. Other municipalities have their funding stopped or reallocated, but in both cases the grant outcomes are undermined and the intended recipients (the poor) short changed.

All this presents a clear case for the evaluation of the current framework, and the proposition of innovative alternatives to ensure that government expenditure has the intended and desired impact.

The then city of Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha, developed its first water source roughly 60 years after its settlement. This would be a well which was sunk during the 1880s. It was 5 feet deep and 6 feet wide. This, along with local streams and rainwater harvesting quickly proved insufficient for an expanding city.

All efforts were then directed west, towards surface water development.

For the next century the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality (NMBM) would be almost exclusively dependent on these sources.

Following this period, the NMBM would then spend three decades to greatly diversify water sources. Most of the development driven by fierce droughts. The current drought started in 2015 and has entered its eighth year with some of the lowest rainfall measured in recorded history. These events would accelerate the diversification even more with the municipality becoming less dependent on the sources it relied on for so long.

A majority of the NMBM’s water would now be coming from the east, which also meant big changes in infrastructure to convey this water.

An infinite work stream branded internally as the “Maximisation of Nooitgedagt”. This project was a conglomeration of new developments and modifications to existing infrastructure. It highlighted how institutional knowledge of infrastructure allows a municipality to repurpose existing assets for maximum benefit.

This paper will explore the journey of NMBM’s bulk water supply. How pipelines built 60 years ago for gravity supply are now the rising main life veins of the city with their flow in reverse. How old forgotten assets were brought to life and are now indispensable for the continued existence of the city.

NMBM is moving towards a sustainable system that will be more responsive to the visible effects of climate change experienced in South Africa.

Key Presentation Impact Point: 1. Asset management 2. Institutional knowledge 3. Technical aspects of a bulk water supply system 4. Reuse and repurpose of old infrastructure 5. Building a resilient water system where droughts will have smaller future impacts

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. Maximising the impact of government infrastructure investment.

2. Improving municipal infrastructure development.

3. Building municipal capacity to develop infrastructure.

4. Designing appropriate consequence management tools.

5. Standardization of processes.

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PAPER 17 Phillip Majeke

Building climate resilience in the sanitation value chain through innovative technologies towards circular economy In South Africa, the majority of those with access to sanitation services use the flush toilet and are connected to vast sewerage network. However, many areas across country are water scarce and do not have access to the sewage network, preventing the development of full waterborne systems. Also there is an increasing recognition that poorly managed sanitation and wastewater systems are not only a big contributor to carbon emissions, but also that climate change threatens existing sanitation systems and public health gains made over the years.

There is a need to research, develop and demonstrate alternative sanitation technologies that are climate resilient and promotes circular principles within sanitation value chain through water efficiency, water reuse and nutrients recovery from human waste. The Water Research Commission has conducted technology scan of existing late-stage development innovations which were shortlisted for demonstration and localization: These technologies are categorized as follows: • Recycles water • Beneficiate sludge (fertilizer, energy, biogas, etc.)

• Recovers nutrients from urine • Recovers water and beneficiate sludge WRC has demonstrated various innovative sanitation technologies that fast tracks achieving circular economy in the sanitation value chain.

These technologies are climate adaptive and resilient and they have been demonstrated in various settings such as schools, informal settlements and rural areas. However, the uptake still low currently. Water has been an easier resource to recover from human excreta and the recycled water is mostly used for flushing.

Key Presentation Impact Points: 1. How climate change affects water security and sanitation 2. A need to move towards climate resilient and circular sanitation solutions 3. Progress towards climate resilient and circular sanitation solutions 4. Way forward

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PAPERS

INDEX TO PAPERS PAPER 1 PAPER 2 PAPER 3 PAPER 4 PAPER 5 PAPER 6 PAPER 7 PAPER 8 PAPER 9 PAPER 10 PAPER 11 PAPER 12 PAPER 13 PAPER 14 PAPER 15 PAPER 16 PAPER 17 STANDBY 1 STANDBY 2

Legal impediments to providing water services to informal settlements on private land

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Presented by Nick Graham The new SA Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) Guidelines

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Presented by Neil Armitage Regional-scale planning for municipal water to support transformative adaptation

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Presented by Andriëtte Combrinck & James Harvey-Ewusi Next Generation Sanitation Technologies, a solution for in informal settlements

82

Presented by Ednah Mamakoa An early warning approach for droughts, using the Standardise Precipitation Index

87

Presented by Professor JA du Plessis How to get a realistic Operations and Maintenance budget in place to prioritise essential maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure

Presented by Johan Bester Emerging Micro Enterprise (EME) Engagement: Insights through Practical Experience

92 97

Presented by Jean-Pierre Blignault A case for trenchless technology - Mahatma Gandhi Trunk Sewer Rehabilitation Phase 2

103

Presented by Reudebaker Nel Advancing Water Supply and Sanitation System resilience through improved Risk Management Approaches

111

Presented by Phillip de Souza & Joseph Barnard Effects of Rainfall Temporal Variability on Groundwater Physio-Chemical and Microbial Quality

119

Presented by Oseni Amoo & Kuluwa Mkosana Faecal Sludge Management - What do you need to know?

127

Presented by David Still Data Modelling and Infrastructure Profiling in Local Municipalities

134

Presented by Christopher Chinonge Causes of leaks and leakage management in water distribution network

139

Presented by Khothatso Hlalele & Didlier Ilunga Improved Municipal asset data capture and management using GIS applications

144

Presented by Matt Braune & Nichal Rajnandan Revising the Municipal Infrastructure Grant to Improve Expenditure Outcomes

149

Presented by Luntu Ndalasi & Lubabalo Luyaba The Bulk water supply journey

153

Presented by Chandre Barnard Building climate resilience in the sanitation value chain through innovative technologies towards circular economy

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Presented by Phillip Majeke How to become mentally resilient in a world of disruption

165

Presented by Gerhard Fritz The impact of invironmental legislation and social responsibility on the infrastructure maintenance

172

Presented by Langeriwa Mthombeni & Tshipane Mashiloane

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PAPER 1

LEGAL IMPEDIMENTS TO PROVIDING WATER SERVICES TO INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS ON PRIVATE LAND Victoria Johnson¹ and Nick Graham² Victoria Johnson Public Law Consulting¹ PDG Consulting² ABSTRACT The majority of South Africa’s backlogs in the provision of water and sanitation are those in informal settlements, which are concentrated in urban areas. One of the major barriers to providing services in these areas is the perception that there are legal impediments to municipalities providing water and sanitation on privately held land, particularly where the private landowner is unwilling to recognise the settlement. However, the precise legislation that prohibits this has never been identified, nor tested through the courts. There is no legislation expressly covering this scenario, nor is there directly relevant reported case law. There are also conflicting legal opinions on the issue. All of this results in legal uncertainty for municipal engineers and undermines service delivery to informal settlements.

Research undertaken by the authors for the Water Research Commission sought to identify any legal impediments and to propose policy measures to resolve this issue definitively. The research included a legislative review, primary research with municipalities and key informants, and a stakeholder workshop. The research found that municipalities have a powerful duty to provide basic services, regardless of the lawfulness of occupation, according to section 27 of the Constitution (amongst other Constitutional and statutory duties). It is lawful to install fixed water services in permanent or semi-permanent settlements on private land (Categories A, B1, B2). No outright legal impediments to installing fixed services were identified, although some anomalies may arise in specific cases.

The paper unpacks each of the perceived legal impediments and provides the reasoning behind these important conclusions. The findings of the study are significant for the practice of municipal engineers and should provide them with the necessary confidence to provide these muchneeded services. The paper also presents policy recommendations to improve certainty for municipal officials.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and undertaken by a larger team including PDG, Victoria Johnson and Isandla Institute. The inputs of the Reference Group, and Mr Mark Misselhorn and Mr Faisal Seedat in particular, are gratefully acknowledged. A full version of the research report is available on the WRC website.

INTRODUCTION Background to the problem The majority of water and sanitation backlogs in South Africa are those in urban informal settlements, which are growing daily. One of the major barriers to providing services in these areas is the perception that municipalities are legally unable to provide services on privately owned land, particularly where the private landowner is unwilling to recognise the settlement. However, the precise legislation that prohibits this has never

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been identified, nor tested through the courts. There is no legislation expressly covering this scenario, nor is there directly relevant reported case law. There are also conflicting legal opinions on the issue. All of this results in legal uncertainty for municipal engineers and undermines service delivery to informal settlements.

The Water Research Commission (WRC) commissioned a research project to provide clarity on the legal framework that governs the provision of services to informal settlements located on private land, to identify the circumstances in which municipalities may, or may not provide, services to informal settlements on private land, and to identify what legislative amendments may be necessary if legislative barriers exist. The intention is to provide municipalities with a clear view of the applicable legal framework and provide municipal engineers with the necessary confidence to provide these much-needed services. The research included a legislative review, review of three senior counsel legal opinions on the issue, primary research with municipalities and key informants, and a stakeholder workshop.

The research focused on a narrow, but common circumstance: informal settlement residents unlawfully occupying private land, where there is no contractual relationship between the residents and the landowner, and where the landowner does not consent to the provision of services by the municipality. The defined situation therefore excludes informal settlements on state-owned land, and farm workers in informal dwellings.

An assumption is also made that the municipality is not willing or able to acquire the land in the short term; if this was the case then much of the legal uncertainty can be resolved. The situation also assumes settlements of reasonable scale and age, excluding small clusters of recently erected dwellings. The focus is on the installation of fixed water and sanitation services (e.g. pressure pipes, fittings, chambers, taps, sewers, manholes, toilet blocks and pumps), but many of the arguments will apply to other services as well. Temporary or mobile service mechanisms, such as water trucks, JoJo tanks or portable toilets, which are not fixed services, are excluded.

The paper makes reference to the Department of Human Settlements’ National Upgrading Support Programme (NUSP) informal settlement categorisation framework to describe the various types of informal settlement: • Category A (full upgrade): Permanent settlements on viable sites appropriate and ready for full upgrading; • Category B1 (interim basic services): Permanent or semi-permanent settlements on viable sites but where full upgrade or other permanent solution will be delayed (e.g. because of the need to acquire the land or install bulk services); • Category B2 (emergency basic services): Sites not suitable for full or incremental upgrading but where immediate relocation is not possible (i.e. ‘semi-permanent’ settlements). Relocation will eventually occur when time and resources permit; • Category C (imminent relocation): Sites not viable for upgrade where there is an urgent need to relocate due to serious health and safety threats and an alternative site is available.

PAPERS

CURRENT MUNICIPAL PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES All interviewed metros acknowledge their moral obligation and constitutional mandate to provide services to informal settlements, but the treatment of informal settlements on private land differed from one metro to the next. Most metro officials believed that permission from the owner was required to install fixed services. In the absence of this permission, one metro would not install any services, while others provided only temporary services. These temporary services varied from Jojo tanks and portable toilets on the property, or fixed services installed just outside the property boundary. Temporary services are unlikely to meet the standards required for basic water and sanitation services and are expensive to operate.

Two metros used classification systems to determine which settlements would receive what services. These classification systems are variations of the NUSP classification system, but may include tenure status, likelihood of land purchase and age of settlement. eThekwini Metro Municipality has been trying to address the issue of informal settlements located on private land longer than the other metros. Previously the municipality used a ‘Permission to Occupy (PTO)’ certificate, a legally binding document, to enable the municipality to provide water and sanitation services. The municipality believed that the PTO meant there would not be any repercussions down the line should the owner sell the piece of land. However, the metro is now embarking on a more programmatic strategy following two legal opinions, which is broadly aligned to the proposals made in this paper.

While most municipal respondents had a vague sense of the legal impediments being related to the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003 (MFMA) and the use of grant money on private land, others expressed concern about the precedent being set and then being unable to service all the settlements on private land, or even incentivizing private land invasion. All interviewees agreed that further clarity and direction from national government is required on this issue.

LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK There is little debate that municipalities have a powerful duty to provide water services to all citizens. Sections 27(1)(a) and (2) of the Bill of Rights provide that everyone has the right to have access to sufficient water, and that the state (which includes a municipality) must take reasonable measures, within its available resources, to achieve progressive realisation of that right. Schedule 4 Part B of the Constitution gives local government executive authority for water and sanitation services. Municipalities have additional powers and duties relevant to water services under other statutes, including the Water Services Act 108 of 1997, the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000, the Housing Act 107 of 1997 and the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013 (SPLUMA). In the aforementioned legislation, no distinction is made between formal and informal residents and the tenure circumstance of the residents.

Under the constitutional scheme, we believe a municipality has original constitutional powers to install services on private land to deliver basic services, provided it does not do so in a manner that is inconsistent with the Constitution and does not conflict with national and provincial legislation.

However, the constitutional duty to provide services is in tension with the constitutional protection of private property rights, in section 25. The landowner has a constitutional right not to be deprived of their property, except in terms of law of general application, and no law may permit arbitrary deprivation of property. Property may only be expropriated in terms of law of general application and only for a public purpose or in the public interest and subject to compensation, the amount of which and the time and manner of payment of which have either been agreed or decided or approved by a court.

However, under South Africa’s constitutional dispensation, a landowner no longer has unfettered power to demand vacant possession of its land. The Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act 19 of 1998 (PIE) sets out the legal framework for eviction of unlawful occupiers, but also protects the rights of these residents under certain circumstances.

There is no guarantee a landowner will be able to evict people from their property, regardless of the unlawfulness of the occupation. Where PIE applies, the owner may only evict unlawful occupiers if a court finds it is just and equitable to do so. Thus, arbitrary eviction is prohibited both under the Constitution and PIE. If a court orders that eviction is not just and equitable the informal settlement effectively becomes ‘permanent’, and the landowner is forced to tolerate the ongoing deprivation of their land.

It is clear that at the heart of this issue is the inevitable tension between the constitutional rights of an informal settlement community (housing and basic services) and the landowner’s constitutional property rights.

Determining what is lawful in the context of these competing rights can be a complex and fact-dependent exercise. The result is that installing services on private land may be lawful in one scenario but not another. The following section will outline the arguments for the legal provision of water services to informal settlements located on private land.

ADDRESSING THE PERCEIVED IMPEDIMENTS Conflict between right to basic services and property rights A municipality is constitutionally obliged to respect, promote and fulfil all rights, including both the landowner’s constitutional property rights and the unlawful occupiers’ rights to basic services and housing. The court in Fischer noted with respect to the rights of unlawful occupiers and landowners that: ‘…there is no distinction between the state’s obligation to respect, promote and fulfil the rights of both the occupiers and the applicants. That obligation remains the same. The fact that the state should give effect to these rights is undisputed.’ (Fischer 2017 at [177]) There is no automatic ‘hierarchy’ of rights obliging a municipality to prefer one constitutional right over the other.

The court has found that it is the landowner’s responsibility to take reasonable measures to protect their property against unlawful invasion. In Mkontwana, the Constitutional Court noted that the owner is responsible to safeguard the property, take reasonable steps to ensure it is not unlawfully occupied and, if it is, take reasonable steps to evict. The courts do recognise, however, that a landowner may effectively be powerless to withstand a large-scale land invasion, as was the case in Modderklip.

Although we believe a municipality has authority to install fixed services on private land to deliver basic services by virtue of the powers it derives from the Constitution, when exercising these powers and functions, a municipality cannot act in a manner that is inconsistent with the Constitution.

A landowner may argue that installing fixed services on its land, even if it is to deliver basic services, is a violation of its property rights, and the conduct is thus unlawful.

The Constitutional Court has noted that weighing up the rights of landowners and unlawful occupiers is not a mechanical exercise and the specific factors in each case need to be considered: ‘…the Constitution imposes new obligations on the courts concerning rights relating to property not previously recognised by the common law…The expectations that ordinarily go with title could clash head-on with the genuine despair of people in dire need of accommodation. The judicial function in these circumstances is not to establish a hierarchical arrangement between the different interests involved, privileging in an abstract and mechanical way the rights of ownership over the right not to be dispossessed of a home, or vice versa. Rather it is to balance out and reconcile the opposed claims in as just

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a manner as possible taking account of all interests involved and the specific factors relevant in each particular case.’ (Port Elizabeth Municipality at [23]) Also relevant is the evolving nature of ownership in South African law.

Boggenpoel (2019) discusses the limitations of property ownership under South Africa’s constitutional dispensation and observes that it is a common perception that ownership gives the holder of the right unfettered, absolute power to trump any other right or interest that may confront ownership.

However, recent judgments confirm this perception of an owner’s rights has become untenable and ownership as a ‘trump’ right has been challenged when other constitutional rights are at stake. In Daniels, Froneman J held that the approach of seeing ownership as the pinnacle right, with all other rights subordinate to it, is not feasible under the Constitution. He observed that ownership has a social dimension to it that cannot be ignored. The protection of ownership cannot be accepted without recognising the injustices of the past.

It is apparent from the above that a landowner’s property rights do not automatically trump those of unlawful occupiers on its property and courts are recognising a social dimension to property ownership.

In considering whether a landowner’s property rights have been violated by the installation of fixed services, a key question is the permanence, or otherwise, of the informal settlement. We believe a settlement can be regarded as effectively permanent if a court has declared it is not just and equitable to evict the unlawful occupiers. This means the landlord is forced to tolerate the unlawful occupation indefinitely. Alternatively, it may be self-evident from the nature of the settlement itself that it can be regarded as permanent or ‘semi-permanent’. For example, the scale, duration, or other features of the settlement may make it clear that relocation is either impossible, or only possible in the medium to long term. In terms of classification, we would regard Category A, B1 and B2 settlements, by definition, as being permanent or semi-permanent for these purposes.

In the case of a permanent or semi-permanent settlement, it is hard to see how a landowner could argue that by installing fixed services it has been further deprived of its property in violation of section 25 of the Constitution.

The landowner has already been wholly deprived of the use and enjoyment of the property by the unlawful occupation itself. The installation of underground pipes and some above-ground infrastructure, such as taps and toilet blocks, arguably has no effect on the deprivation the landowner has already suffered. To comply with its administrative law duties, the municipality would, in our view, be obliged to give the private landowner notice of its intention to install the services and the opportunity to provide written comments. If the landowner can demonstrate that it would suffer further deprivation or other prejudice by the installation of services, it would no doubt notify the municipality of this fact in its written representations.

The municipality would be obliged to take these comments into account before making a final decision.

Thus, in the context of a permanent or semi-permanent settlement we do not believe installing fixed services would constitute a property deprivation for purposes of section 25 of the Constitution. Nor do we consider installing such services infrastructure to constitute an effective expropriation (if there is such a thing) requiring the payment of compensation. With regard to a Category B2 ‘semi-permanent’ settlement, after relocation we assume the infrastructure, to the extent it may constitute a ‘deprivation’ (which is debatable), can be removed or remediated so as to no longer deprive the landowner of the use and enjoyment of the property. We doubt it would be legally justified for a municipality to install fixed services infrastructure to a Category C settlement (where relocation is imminent) and assume in any event this scenario is unlikely to occur, provided that relocation was indeed imminent, as per the definition of a Category C settlement.

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Condoning illegal conduct One of the concerns of municipalities is that installing services condones illegal land invasion. The rule of law is one of the founding values of the Constitution. Land invasions undermine the rule of law and property rights and may constitute a criminal offence under trespass legislation. In Modderklip, the landowner suffered unlawful occupation of its property on a massive scale (approximately 40 000 people). The Constitutional Court noted that land invasions should always be discouraged and that: ‘Land invasions on this scale are a matter that threatens far more than the property rights of a single property owner. Because of their capacity to be socially inflammatory, that have the potential to have serious implications for stability and public peace. Failure by the State to act in an appropriate manner in the circumstances would mean that Modderklip, and others similarly placed, could not look upon the State and its organs to protect them from invasions of their property. This would be a recipe for anarchy’.

(Modderklip at [45] and [49]) A landowner may argue that by installing fixed services on its land to service unlawful occupiers, the municipality is actively condoning and entrenching illegal conduct. While this argument may have merit in other circumstances, in the case of permanent or semi-permanent settlements we believe this argument falls away. A municipality is self-evidently unable to prevent the ongoing unlawful occupation if the settlement is legitimately regarded (or ordered by court) as being effectively permanent.

Unlawful access to property A landowner may argue that the act of entering private property to install, maintain or repair the fixed infrastructure without express statutory authority or consent to do so is unlawful. Under the Water Services Act municipalities have entry and inspection powers over private land. These powers mostly relate to checking existing water works, but a municipality may, after reasonable notice, enter property ‘to establish the suitability of any….site for the construction of a water services work’. A municipality could, by virtue of this power, lawfully enter private property to assess the suitability of installing services to an informal settlement on that land.

Municipal bylaws may include similar powers. These powers in the Water Services Act do not, however, extend to the construction, installation and maintenance of infrastructure on the land.

The Mshengu case is support for the view that a landowner should not unreasonably impede the municipality in the process of installing infrastructure. Mshengu concerned the provision of services on private land to lawful occupiers regulated under the Extension of Security of Tenure Act 62 of 1997. The municipality argued that it cannot enter private property to install a connection. However, the court found the municipality had a duty to ensure the landowner provided access to basic services to those ‘living legally on their land’ and the landowner was obliged to act reasonably in reaching agreements with the municipality for the provision of services.

The court held that the landowner ‘cannot unreasonably deny the municipality access to his farm in order to install necessary infrastructure to ensure the provision of services’. Arguably this principle could, or should, in appropriate circumstances be extended to unlawful occupiers on private land who are constitutionally entitled to basic services.

Servitudes are typically used to establish the rights of a municipality to install and access infrastructure located on private land, so the question arises whether a municipality needs to register a servitude for these purposes. A servitude is a limited real right in land registered in the Deeds Office. It does not involve the transfer of ownership. Servitude rights could be temporary or permanent. Depending on the nature of the settlement and the contemplated infrastructure, the normal process of registering a

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servitude may be difficult or impractical. For example, the location and nature of pipes, taps and other infrastructure may make surveying and registering a servitude impractical (e,g, where the informal settlement is not re-blocked and pipes will not be laid in a neat grid-like pattern). In addition, a servitude is usually concluded by agreement. Assuming the landowner does not agree to a servitude, the question arises whether the municipality may proceed to install the infrastructure based on its original powers under the Constitution, or whether it would be obliged to expropriate a servitude in terms of the Expropriation Act and pay compensation to the landowner.

The Rand Water case concerned water pipelines installed over private land under now-repealed legislation (Rand Water Board Statutes (Private) Act 17 of 1950). The landowner claimed Rand Water had laid pipes over its land without its consent and without any servitude or other limited real right being registered over the property. The landowner argued this infringed its rights to the exclusive use of its property. The Supreme Court of Appeal noted that at the time of laying the pipes, Rand Water had the power to lay pipes over private land without registering a servitude (under the aforementioned Rand Water Act), but this was before the Water Services Act was promulgated and ‘the procedures for exercising that power may now be different, and may require it to expropriate servitutal rights over the property’. The Rand Water case can be interpreted to suggest that under the current legislative regime a municipality is expected to register a servitude if it wishes to lay services infrastructure over private land.

The question of whether a servitude is necessary in these circumstances is a complex one and it appears there are different views on this issue.

It is possible a court would find that a municipality can install fixed infrastructure based on its original powers under the Constitution and that a servitude is not required in these circumstances. However, given the complexity of this issue and the developing law, we believe the riskaverse approach would be for the municipality to either attempt to agree or expropriate a servitude or, as suggested in one of the senior counsel opinions, to promulgate a bylaw to permit ‘statutory servitudes’. A statutory servitude would entitle the municipality to lay pipes and other services infrastructure over private land in clearly defined circumstances, without the need to register a servitude. This is similar to the power granted to licencees under section 22 of the Electronic Communications Act 36 of 2005. This could be a practical solution to a potentially complex issue, and we believe it should be explored by municipalities as one of the mechanisms to de-risk the installation of services on private land.

Impact on landowner’s right to evict under PIE The installation of services on private land could theoretically impact on a landowner’s ability to apply for eviction under PIE, and if so, the landowner could argue this constitutes a further unconstitutional deprivation of its property rights. This situation only arises if the landowner has not already instituted proceedings under PIE. This aspect was considered by the various Constitutional Court judges in Joe Slovo. In this case, the municipality decided to provide basic services to unlawful occupiers on its own land, while not conceding the lawfulness of the occupation. The question arose whether by providing such services, the municipality was impliedly consenting to the unlawful occupation. If so, this would mean the occupiers no longer fell within the definition of ‘unlawful occupiers’ under PIE and could not be evicted. The judges expressed different views on this issue. Yacoob J held that the intention not to concede right of occupation is wholly consistent with provision of services and noted: ‘All the City was doing here was carrying out its constitutional mandate and moral duty with responsibility and care. If this conduct were to result in

an inference that an enforceable right of occupation had been conceded, it would mean that the performance of a constitutional duty by the City would inexorably lead to the concession of a right of occupation’. (Joe Slovo 2009 at [78] and [79]) Moseneke J considered the provision of services a relevant factor, pointing to acknowledgement and acceptance of the occupation of the residents.

He said the ‘provision of basic services (with other factors) lead to the irresistible inference that the City had tacitly given its permission for the occupation’.

Sachs J held that by providing services, the municipality was not giving charitable assistance; it was functioning as government itself, fulfilling its specific constitutional and statutory duties. He noted that if this case were brought by private landowners, it may have been possible to contend the evidence fell short of showing anything other than conduct of a good Samaritan but went on to say: ‘Yet even in relation to a private landowner, I believe the prolonged character of the occupation, coupled with the creation of infrastructure to provide water and electricity, would have indicated to any objective observer that there was actual consent to the occupation.’ (Joe Slovo 2009 at [151]) In the later judgment of Odvest, with reference to the Joe Slovo judgment, the court addressed the differing facets to tacit consent on the part of landowners, holding that ‘[w]hile an owner’s failure to take action against occupiers over a lengthy period may in appropriate circumstances justify an inference of consent, the mere lapse of time does not suffice’ (Odvest 2016 at [57]). The court concluded that if the owner ‘tolerated’ the occupation, it was because it did not have the resources or inclination to take legal action.

Based on the above, it appears at least possible that if a landowner consents to the installation of services infrastructure on its land, or even if it does not actively oppose the municipality doing so, this could be construed as tacit consent to the unlawful occupation itself. If so, the landowner would lose its right to evict the unlawful occupiers under PIE. While we flag this as a possible consequence of installing fixed services on private land, we think the risk of this arising is probably quite remote.

Assuming a municipality would only install fixed services to informal settlements that can be regarded as permanent or semi-permanent, one would expect a landowner to have long before exercised its rights under PIE, if it had any intention or prospects of successfully doing so.

MFMA fruitless and wasteful expenditure The MFMA defines fruitless and wasteful expenditure as ‘expenditure that was made in vain and would have been avoided had reasonable care been exercised’ (MFMA section 1). Accounting officers have a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent fruitless and wasteful expenditure. Municipal officials are guilty of financial misconduct if they deliberately or negligently make or permit such expenditure. They may also become criminally liable.

Given these powerful provisions, municipal officials are understandably cautious about incurring expenditure that may risk being classified as fruitless and wasteful.

A reported concern from municipalities is that installing fixed infrastructure to service an informal settlement that will ultimately be relocated (Category B2 or C settlements) may constitute fruitless and wasteful expenditure. This is because, after relocation, the infrastructure will be redundant and need to be pulled up. The concern does not arise for a Category A or B1 settlement where relocation is not planned.

We understand that services delivered by way of fixed infrastructure are inevitably preferable to those delivered by temporary mechanisms, which are less convenient and efficient for consumers, and very often more expensive (PDG, 2017). However, the risk of expenditure being classified as

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fruitless and wasteful is a valid concern if relocation is imminent (Category C).

In that case alternative, temporary service delivery mechanisms may well be more appropriate. However, if relocation is only planned in the medium or long term (Category B2), we do not believe it can be ‘fruitless and wasteful’ to incur expenses in providing basic services to the desperately poor. It would, in our view, be anomalous for such expenditure to be regarded as ‘fruitless’ when it is incurred in fulfilment of a municipality’s central constitutional mandate.

To assess a potential fruitless and wasteful expenditure risk in a Category B2 context, the municipality will have to consider the expected relocation date in the context of the cost of installing (and possibly removing) the services infrastructure versus the costs of alternative services mechanisms.

Research by the WRC indicates that temporary sanitation solutions are more costly than permanent solutions after 3-6 years (PDG, 2017). Municipalities could undertake a similar costing exercise to inform the decision to provide services to Category B2 or Category C settlements. There is a sliding scale of legal risk - the less imminent the relocation date, the more appropriate it is to install fixed services. We believe if relocation is only likely to occur in the medium to long term, an MFMA fruitless and wasteful expenditure risk does not arise. This risk could also be mitigated by providing only essential fixed services to informal settlements scheduled for relocation and, if technically feasible, installing infrastructure that can be easily removed and possibly even used elsewhere.

The findings above do not relate to ‘irregular’ expenditure, which the MFMA defines as expenditure incurred in contravention of supply chain management requirements, the MFMA and certain other statutes.

Municipalities must ensure that expenditure on infrastructure services to informal settlements is planned and budgeted for in terms of the requirements of the MFMA and follows proper supply chain management process in order not to be classified as ‘irregular’.

and the like over the private land. It is not our understanding that the infrastructure thereby loses its status as a municipal capital asset.

When a municipality removes a water services work from land not owned by it, the owner or occupier may require the municipality to restore any physical damage caused to the property by the removal, as far as reasonably possible. Other than that, the owner or occupier has no other claim against the municipality. In addition, municipal bylaws typically provide that water and sewerage reticulation infrastructure required to deliver services vests in the municipality.

Some of the confusion on this issue may derive from the 2003 Strategic Framework for Water Services which states under the heading ‘Investments on private land, in the case of intermediaries’: “There is no legal impediment to the use of government grants to fund infrastructure for a poor household on private land not owned by that household, provided that the intermediary (private land owner) makes a financial contribution. (This is because the intermediary becomes the owner of the infrastructure once it is installed).”. (DWAF, 2003:28) However, if the residents are occupying the land without the owner’s consent, the owner does not qualify as a water services intermediary in terms of the Water Services Act. A ‘water services intermediary’ is a person obliged to provide water services to another in terms of a contract.

In conclusion, we believe ownership of infrastructure installed in good faith on private land to deliver basic water and sanitation services will vest in the municipality by virtue of the Water Services Act and possibly also by virtue of municipal bylaws. Any legal issues triggered by a deemed passing of ownership, including a contravention of section 14 of the MFMA, should thus not arise. However, unless the municipal bylaw already provides as such, we recommend the municipality promulgates a bylaw that specifically provides that ownership of the services infrastructure placed on private land when servicing an informal settlement remains vested in the municipality.

Creating assets on private land A possible concern when installing fixed infrastructure on private land is the risk the infrastructure accedes to the land and so vests in the private landowner. This would be undesirable for many reasons. Capital expenditure, by definition, is expenditure to create or acquire physical or non-consumable assets and the Generally Recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) Standard for Property Plant and Equipment (GRAP 17) requires that the value of the assets created or purchased be disclosed in the municipality’s financial statements. The municipality also needs to operate, control and manage the infrastructure to fulfil its constitutional mandate. Section 14 of the MFMA prohibits a municipality from transferring ownership or otherwise disposing of a capital asset needed to provide the minimum level of basic municipal services. Water and sanitation services infrastructure required to provide basic services to an informal settlement would classify as capital assets for purposes of section 14.

However, the Water Services Act defines ‘water services works’ as infrastructure ‘built, installed, or used by’ the municipality to provide water supply and sanitation services (including pumphouses, pipelines, meters, fittings or other apparatus). Section 79(1) provides that: ‘Any water services work placed in good faith by a water services institution in or on property not owned by it, remains the property of that water services institution, whether the work is fixed to any part of that property or not, and may be removed by it’.

A municipality routinely runs pipes and services infrastructure over private land, with its rights to access and maintain that infrastructure registered by way of servitudes. Subdivision applications are typically approved subject to the registration of services servitudes for municipal sewers, water pipelines

Municipal funds used to increase value of private land Another reported municipal concern is that it is impermissible to use municipal funds to increase the value of private land. The argument, as we understand it, is that the installation of services infrastructure on private land increases the value of that land, and this (for unclear reasons) is not permissible. We cannot find an MFMA or other statutory provision that directly deals with this issue.

This issue was considered by senior counsel in an opinion on installing services to backyard dwellers. Even if factually the value of the owner’s premises were enhanced by the installation of services, counsel concluded this did not constitute a contravention of the MFMA nor was it otherwise unlawful. Counsel noted, and we agree, that if a municipality invests public funds on private land for a legitimate purpose and particular individuals are enriched, this in itself does not impact on the legality of the activity. Many municipal decisions have the effect of increasing the value of private land (for example rezoning decisions or decisions to provide public infrastructure or amenities in a particular area that makes that area more desirable). This does not make those decisions unlawful.

It is in any event questionable whether installing infrastructure in this context increases the value of the land. What is the value of land that is already subject to permanent or semi-permanent unlawful occupation? A landowner will hardly be able to sell the land on the open market. The landowner’s only hope for realising the value of its land is if the municipality purchases or expropriates it. It is hard to see how installing fixed services infrastructure in this context would increase the property value. We do not believe this is a legal impediment to installing fixed infrastructure on private land.

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Local Government: Municipal Systems Act section 118 prevents transfer of ownership The Municipal Systems Act prohibits the transfer of immovable property unless the municipality issues a certificate confirming all amounts due for municipal services, rates and other municipal taxes for the past two years are fully paid. If a municipality imposes service fees on the residents of the informal settlement located on private land, and these charges are unpaid, this could impact on the owner’s ability to transfer the property. Typical practice is for municipalities not to charge for services in informal settlements, but it is at least possible the municipality could charge a fee for services in some cases (e.g. a flat rate per household for individual services).

In Mkontwana the Constitutional Court confirmed section 118 applies even in the case of unlawful occupiers. However, as is apparent from other cases, the reality is that land may be subject to large-scale invasion and unlawful occupation despite the best attempts of the landowner. And, even if a landowner brings an eviction application, the court may find it is not just and equitable to evict.

The effect of section 118 of the Municipal Systems Act is that if a municipality intends imposing charges for services provided to residents of an informal settlement on private land, the owner becomes liable for settling any unpaid charges if it wants to sell the land (otherwise it cannot get the necessary certificate to effect transfer). This will constitute a further deprivation of the owner’s property, albeit according to the courts not an ‘arbitrary’ one. A landowner may raise this as part of its argument against permitting the installation of services on its property without its consent, as it seems anomalous that the owner could be held liable for debts in the face of a large-scale informal settlement.

This scenario will only arise if the municipality imposes services charges and in the unlikely event the landowner finds a third party willing to buy its land. This would presumably only occur if the informal settlement were scheduled for relocation or has been relocated (Category B2 or C).

Presumably in this case the municipality can find a practical solution to mitigate this risk, for example by writing off the debts or imposing charges in a manner that they do not constitute services in connection with the property or are not deemed ‘due’ as contemplated in section 118. If the municipality itself acquires the land, we assume it could take similar steps to avoid prejudicing the landowner. Thus, we consider the likelihood of this situation arising as remote and, even if it does, we expect a practical and fair solution can be found to address it.

Unintentional barriers created by municipal water bylaws Water bylaws often provide that water will only be supplied to a premises if the owner makes written application for supply. This is naturally anomalous in the case of an informal settlement on private land. The bylaws may also place specific burdens on the owner when applying for a service connection, for example, having to pay a fee for a pipe connection. The Mshengu case involved the failure of the municipality to provide services to farm labourers and tenants on private land. The municipality argued in defence of not providing the services, that under its bylaws the landowner is obliged to apply for the connection of water services, which it had not done. The court held that a municipality cannot shift the obligation to the landowner to make applications for water supply and found the municipality’s failure to supply services contrary to its constitutional obligations. The Joseph case also confirmed the municipality’s obligation to provide services to occupiers, regardless of whether there is a contract for service provision as contemplated in the municipal bylaw.

Bylaws will typically place various obligations on owners of premises to which services are delivered, including duties relating to the physical water installations on their premises. These provisions are typically drafted to assume a household with internal plumbing which vests in the owner and assumes the owner wants services delivered to the property.

The owner may also be deemed to be the ‘consumer’ for certain purposes under bylaws. Some bylaws make the owner jointly and severally liable for services charges on the owner’s property. Many of these provisions are anomalous in the case of an informal settlement on private land.

The fact that a bylaw only contemplates service delivery if the owner applies for services, does not in our view detract from the municipality’s constitutional duty to provide basic services. However, a municipality may be reluctant to provide services in the absence of clear authority under its bylaw to do so, or if providing such services creates anomalies under the bylaw. This may pose at least a perceived legal impediment to the installation of services on private land without consent.

CONCLUSIONS Municipalities have a powerful duty to provide basic services, regardless of the lawfulness of occupation, according to section 27 of the Constitution.

The findings of the research lead us to conclude that there are no outright legal impediments to installing fixed services on private land, although some anomalies may arise in specific cases.

It is lawful to install fixed services in informal settlements located on private land, but the categorisation of the settlement is important - services can legally be provided to permanent or semi-permanent settlements on private land (Categories A, B1, B2).

In our view, a municipality can lawfully install fixed services infrastructure on private land without the landowner’s consent, where: a) a court has ordered it is not just and equitable to evict the unlawful occupiers or in any other case where the settlement is otherwise justifiably regarded as permanent or semi-permanent (Categories A, B1 and B2); and b) the landowner has been given prior notice and opportunity to comment on the proposed installation.

The above conclusions assume the municipality has reasonably and realistically categorised the informal settlements as Categories A, B1, B2 or C. We understand, for example, some municipalities may classify settlements as Category C when relocation is in fact not imminent or not possible.

RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations for municipalities As a matter of urgency, if municipalities have not done so, they must categorise settlements (realistically) as required by SPLUMA. Municipalities may wish to amend the Municipal Property Rates Policy to enable rates rebates to owners whose land is unlawfully occupied to provide some form of compensation to the landowner for the ongoing deprivation of its land. It is anomalous for a landowner to have to pay property rates for land which is subject to permanent unlawful occupation, particularly where the municipality has not acquired to expropriated the land as, we believe, it is obliged to do.

Municipalities should promulgate a bylaw that expressly provides for installation of services in the context of informal settlements located on private land, including specifying when and how such services will be installed and the rights and duties of the municipality and landowner in the process. This would include the duty to give the landowner prior notice and the opportunity to comment before fixed services are installed. Such a bylaw should also do away with anomalies that arise in existing bylaws,

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such as only contemplating provision of water services on contract. The bylaw should also permit ‘statutory servitudes’ entitling the municipality to lay pipes and other services infrastructure over private land in clearly defined circumstances, without the need to register a servitude in the Deeds Office.

Municipalities could also consider identifying an appropriate test case to take through the courts to obtain clarity on the parameters of a municipality’s authority and duty in these circumstances.

Recommendations for national government National government should provide clear direction to municipalities on the lawfulness of installing services on private land. Further clarity could be provided using existing legislative instruments. For example, the Minister of Human Settlements could gazette additional principles for housing development under section 2(2) of the Housing Act, to clarify the housing development principles applicable to informal settlements on private land and the duty to provide access to basic services to such persons regardless of the lawfulness of their occupation. The Department of Human Settlements could also amend the Housing Code on upgrading of informal settlements to make it clear that grants can be used to install fixed services on private land and other existing legal instruments.

National Treasury should issue an MFMA circular or practice note to clarify the accounting treatment and financial consequences of investing capital expenditure on private land. National Treasury should also clarify with the Auditor-General of South Africa that expenditure on basic services to informal settlements on private land should not be classified as fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

REFERENCES Boggenpoel ZT 2019. ‘(Re) defining the contours of ownership: moving beyond white picket fences’. Stellenbosch Law Review 234.

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). 2003. Strategic Framework for Water Services: Water is life, sanitation is dignity. September 2003. DWAF: Pretoria PDG 2017. ‘A review of the challenges and constraints associated with the provision of sanitation services in urban informal settlements’.

Water Research Commission Report No. K5/2486. Water Research Commission: Pretoria.

CASES REFERRED TO Iris Irelda Fischer and Others v City of Cape Town and Others (case numbers 9443/14, 11705/15, 14422/14) judgment of the High Court of SA Western Cape Division judgement delivered on 30 August 2017 Mkontwana v Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and Another 2005 (1) SA 530 (CC) President of RSA and Another v Modderklip Boerdery (Pty) Ltd and Others 2005 (8) BCLR 786 (CC) Port Elizabeth Municipality v Various Occupiers 2002 (1) SA 217 (CC) Daniels v Scribante and Another 2017 ZACC 13 Jordaan v City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality 2017 (6) SA 287 (CC) Mshengu and Others v uMsunduzi Local Municipality and Others 2019 (4) All SA 469 (KZP) Rand Water Board v Big Cedar 22 (Pty) Ltd 2017 (1) All SA 698 (SCA) Residents of Joe Slovo Community, Western Cape v Thubelisha Homes and Others 2009 (9) BCLR 847 (CC) Joseph and others v City of Johannesburg and Others 2010 (4) SA 55 (CC)

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THE NEW SA PERMEABLE INTERLOCKING CONCRETE PAVEMENT (PICP) GUIDELINES Neil Armitage & Motlatsi Monyake University of Cape Town ABSTRACT Urbanisation has resulted in much land becoming impervious owing to the construction of roads, parking lots, driveways, and buildings. Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) promote the infiltration of stormwater runoff through the wearing course with temporary storage and some treatment in the underlying aggregate layers. Unfortunately, inspections carried out since 2017 by Universities of Cape Town (UCT) and the Witwatersrand (Wits) at numerous sites in Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg have shown that many have failed.

The Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC) thus funded a two-year study, 2021-2023 (C2021/2022-00436), by UCT and Wits to carry out research leading to the development of South African PICP guidelines that has recently been published in two volumes: ‘Guidelines for Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) in South Africa (TT 913) – Volume 1: Clogging in Permeable Interlocking Pavement (PICP)’, and ‘Volume 2: Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Maintenance of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) in South Africa’.

The research showed that on many sites there was clear evidence of poor design, poor construction and/or lack of adequate maintenance.

Considerable effort was put into understanding the clogging phenomenon and methods to slow down and potentially reverse this threat. Aspects that received attention included the impacts on clogging of: age of pavement; Run-on-Factor (RoF – the ratio of the impermeable area that drains to the PICP to the PICP area itself ); paver type; the upper geotextile; various environmental factors such as proximity to unstable slopes, overhanging trees, planters, or sources of wind-blown sand; paver type and installation; the selection of the gritstone between the pavers; the possible impact of the upper geotextile on clogging; and the efficacy of different maintenance techniques. All insights were incorporated in the guidelines.

INTRODUCTION Rapid urbanisation since the commencement of the industrial age has resulted in much land becoming impervious owing to the construction of roads, parking lots, driveways, and buildings. This has resulted in an increase in stormwater runoff and a corresponding decrease in infiltration. The traditional approach to urban drainage in South Africa (SA) is to convey stormwater runoff in pipe and canal networks to the nearest receiving water bodies as quickly as possible. This, however, leads to increased runoff velocities and volumes resulting in the erosion and consequent siltation of watercourses whilst stormwater pollutants – such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons from motor vehicles, faecal matter from inadequate or failing sanitation, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus – cause a deterioration in the water quality. There has been reduced groundwater recharge leading to the dropping of the water table in some areas (CSIR, 2019).

In many countries, including SA, a more sustainable approach to stormwater management termed, inter alia, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), has been increasingly adopted in recent years to mitigate the

potential damage from stormwater. As one of the source controls in SuDS, Permeable Pavement Systems (PPS) offer a potential solution to the problem of increased surface runoff and decreased stream water quality from roads and parking areas by promoting the infiltration of the stormwater through the wearing course into the underlying layers which are specially designed to store water prior to infiltration and/or downstream discharge – thereby overturning the conventional road design approach which sees the wearing course as a waterproof surface to protect the pavement layers from water. PPS can be adapted to make effective stormwater harvesting and storage devices for fit-for-purpose water re-use. Alternatively, the stormwater could be used to enhance groundwater supplies. Even if the stormwater ultimately drains from the site, the flow rates will have been massively reduced and the water quality improved. Overall, this will increase the resilience of the systems to the impacts of development.

Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) are the most widely used PPS both internationally and in SA – with the first example in SA being constructed in 2008. PICP consists of specially designed concrete block pavers placed on the single-sized stone base layers. Specially designed grooves create gaps between the pavers, termed ‘joints’, that allow surface water to pass through the surface. Specially selected coarse sand in the 2-5 mm range, termed ‘gritstone’, is placed between the paving blocks to hold back sediment (ASCE, 2018). Geotextiles may be placed between the bedding layer and the top-most base layer, and between the bottom and sides of the lowest base layer and the in-situ material, to separate the layers, improve the runoff water quality, and prevent migration of underlying soil material into the pavement structure. Stormwater is temporarily stored in the base layers where it may undergo some improvement in water quality as a consequence of sedimentation and bacteriological activity (Sehgal et al., 2018). Ultimately, the stormwater infiltrates into the subgrade and/or is removed by sub-surface drains (Woods Ballard et al., 2015; ASCE, 2018).

FIGURE 1: Typical PICP section (After ICPI, 2020) Unfortunately, despite increasing experience in PICP construction in SA and a growing international body of expertise including the development of both British (BS 7533-13:2009) and American (ASCE/T&DI/ICPI 68-18)

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Standards, infiltration tests carried out between 2017 and 2022 at numerous sites in Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg showed that nearly all of them were either clogged or nearly clogged i.e., the socalled permeable paving had ceased to be permeable. In some places, the pavers had been dislodged. On many sites, there was clear evidence of poor design, poor construction and/or lack of maintenance. Factors that appeared to be contributing to PICP failure included: • Loose fine soils from surrounding areas transported by wind or runoff onto the PICP surfaces.

• High run-on of sediment-laden stormwater onto the PICP from adjacent impermeable surfaces.

• Poor construction practices leading to premature failure such as the use of inappropriate filling material such as sand, dirty aggregates, or the lack of suitable edge restraints.

• Little or no maintenance that might have slowed the inevitable clogging of the PICP. In many instances, there was little evidence of the gritstone between the pavers thus allowing the accumulation of fine sediment material in the lower parts of the openings between the pavers.

• Rutting or differential settlement of the PICP structure owing to the settling of the underlying base layers.

• Unsuitable environmental conditions such as proximity to vegetation with high leaf or pollen drops or unacceptable sediment exposure.

Clogging usually comes about as a consequence of the build-up of fine material between the joints of the pavers and within the pavement sublayers.

Severe clogging inhibits runoff surface infiltration (Støvring et al., 2018).

While the source of this fine material is usually from local environmental conditions, laboratory tests have shown that considerable quantities are also introduced through the use of unwashed aggregates (Biggs, 2016). Concerns have also been raised about the potential blockage of any geofabric placed between the bedding and base-course layers due to the migration of fine material from the bedding aggregate or surface. Typical practice in the UK is to install geotextiles to improve the quality of runoff (Charlesworth et al., 2017). Further, geotextile protects the underlying pavement layers from possible migration of fine material from the surface (DPLG, 2010). However, various USA guidelines and ASCE/T&DI/ICPI 68-19 (ASCE, 2018 – the US standard for Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement) warn that it may increase the risk of premature PICP clogging through the trapping of fine material on its surface (Hein & Smith, 2015).

The SA construction industry currently adapts various international guidelines and standards for the design, construction and maintenance of PICP. This has resulted in inconsistent PICP practices across the country

as different designers have taken different approaches. It appears highly likely that PICP is failing because of the lack of understanding by local designers of the chief mechanisms involved in PICP clogging and how these can be mitigated.

In 2021, the Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC) awarded a two-year contract (Project No. C2021/2022-00436) to researchers at the Universities of Cape Town and the Witwatersrand to: 1. Identify the most appropriate PICP designs for SA conditions.

2. Identify effective maintenance equipment and methods.

3. Develop ‘User-friendly’ guidelines for the design, construction and maintenance of PICP in SA. METHOD The study had four main components: 1. Literature review of the design, construction, and maintenance of PICP through the consideration of journals, case studies, conference papers, books, websites, student dissertations, seminars, standards and guidelines.

2. Collection of data from existing PICP installations in Cape Town and Gauteng.

3. Laboratory investigations into the role of geotextiles and pavers in possible PICP clogging.

4. Input from a specially created PICP Working Group comprising experts from academia (inclusive of the USA and UK), local authorities, consultants, and suppliers.

PICP site selection criteria It was thought that the best way to understand how PICP is performing in SA would be to inspect and test a range of installations in the field.

A list of PICP sites was compiled with the assistance of local authority representatives, paving suppliers, and consultants. Most of the sites were situated in and around Cape Town and Johannesburg. Representative sites were then selected for possible investigation considering their: geographical location, pavement design, environmental factors such as vegetation and sediment proximity, site slopes, run-on factors, traffic loading, method of construction, known state of clogging, age, and known maintenance. Permission to perform infiltration and pavement investigative tests on these sites was then requested. Overall, eleven test sites were examined: nine in Cape Town, a coastal, winter rainfall situation, and two in Gauteng, an inland, summer rainfall situation (Table 1).

The selection of potential test spots at each site was guided by the characteristics of the PICP sections. Typical TABLE 1: Existing PICP installations used for the field investigations (all parking areas and considerations included: the proximity of associated access roads; see Motlatsi & Armitage, 2023 for further details) vegetation and debris sources, traffic loading, Age at time of Maintenance trials and and probable clogging state as determined Location Infiltration test sites testing (years) diagnostic assessment? by visual inspection. The number and location Blue Route Mall, Tokai 9 Yes of the test spots was largely governed by UCT New Engineering Building (NEB) 7 Yes the size of the site. Surface infiltration tests UCT School of Economics 10 Yes were then performed using the Modified ASTM single-ring infiltrometer (Mod-ASTM) UCT Irma Stern Museum 8 No and/or the Modified Stormwater Infiltration 12 Yes Cape Town Grand Parade, CBD Field Test (Mod-SWIFT). The infiltration MyCiti Bus Rapid Transport Depot, CBD 10 Yes results were compared with previous Stor-Age Facility, Milnerton 10 No data when available to give an indication Hirsch’s Appliances Milnerton 9 Yes as to how the PICP performance was Nirvana Residential Complex, Bloubergstrand 2 No deteriorating over time. Maintenance trials Wits First years’ parking area, Johannesburg 13 Diagnostic assessment only and diagnostic assessments were carried Gauteng Bosun Brick Pavers, Midrand 2 No out at selected sites.

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The Modified ASTM single-ring infiltrometer (Mod-ASTM) test There is currently no universally accepted PICP infiltration test method. The most commonly adopted method appears to be the ASTM C1701/1701M: Standard Test Method for Infiltration of In Place Pervious Concrete, sometimes called the Single-Ring Infiltrometer Test (SRIT) because it only uses one ring as opposed to the Double-Ring Infiltrometer Test (ASTM D3385:2009) which is preferred for the measurement of soil infiltration rates (ASCE, 2018). There are, however, problems with the SRIT when used to measure infiltration rates in PICP. These include: leakage, marking of the surface, excessive water use, and the unacceptably long test time for partially blocked PICP. Most PICP testing in this project was carried out using ASTM C1701/1701M / SRIT with some minor modifications which was thus termed the Modified ASTM (Mod-ASTM) test (Figure 2).

dropped through a distance of 60 mm from a bucket after a 40 mm diameter plug is pulled, and linking this to the possible need for maintenance (Lucke et al., 2015). Its strength lies in the reduced water requirement, its speed, and its ease of use. Its weakness is that pavers come in different sizes and shapes and counting fully-wetted bricks as per the method is tedious.

FIGURE 3: Mod-SWIFT test apparatus (not situated on a PICP)

FIGURE 2: ASTM C1781 test apparatus (left) and Mod-ASTM test apparatus (right) The modifications included: • The steel ring was replaced with a 500 mm long x 315 mm diameter unplasticized vinyl chloride (uPVC) pipe weighted down with small concrete blocks when in use.

• 10 and 15 mm head marks were made at the bottom of the ring to help guide the rate at which water was poured into the apparatus.

• The plumbers putty normally used to reduce water loss out of the bottom of the ring was replaced with a 10 mm neoprene foam strip glued to the bottom of the pipe.

• After experiencing unacceptably long test periods where it appeared that significant quantities of water were leaking out of the apparatus via the gaps between the pavers that could not be completely plugged with small neoprene pieces, the maximum testing time was limited to 15 minutes after which no further water was added. The timer was stopped when all the remaining water in the apparatus had infiltrated into the test spot. The total quantity of water infiltrated into the PICP was then determined by subtracting the remaining water determined with the aid of a measuring cylinder from the initial 18 L prescribed for the full test.

• ASTM-C1781-14a states that 3.6 L of water should be used for prewetting, however, when the Mod-ASTM test was carried out in combination with the Mod-SWIFT test, the latter was performed first which wetted the surface making the pre-wetting stage for the ModASTM test redundant.

Otherwise, the test procedure followed the method described in ASTM C1701/1701M. Determining surface infiltration rates using Modified SWIFT The other test that was used to determine the PICP surface infiltration rate was the Modified Stormwater Field Test (Mod-SWIFT, Figure 3). The Stormwater Field Infiltration Test (SWIFT) infiltration capacity is normally determined by counting the number of bricks wetted by 6 L of water

In a bid to make the SWIFT test both more general as well as more informative, the counting of fully-wetted pavers was replaced with an approximation of the wetted surface area by assuming that it is roughly elliptical (circular if the surface is flat). Noting the constant ratio between an ellipse and a rectangle bounding it, the calculations were then further simplified by relating the wetted area to this rectangle. The infiltration rate could then be related to that measured by the Mod-ASTM through the use of Equation 1 determined from a plot of data points from previous PICP research conducted at UCT (Figure 4).

(1) Where: I = Infiltration rate (mm/hr) a = Length of longest wetted section (m) b = Length of the longest wetted section perpendicular to a (m) The test procedure for the Mod-SWIFT is similar to that for the SWIFT described by Lucke et al. (2015). The Mod-SWIFT was particularly helpful in the field when there was limited access to test water. The Mod-ASTM test was, however, preferred in the laboratory or where adequate supplies of test water were available to allow comparisons with published data.

FIGURE 4: Mod-ASTM infiltration rate versus representative wetted area for the Mod-SWIFT test The PICP maintenance trials The long-term performance of PICP is determined to a large extent by its maintenance, particularly with respect to reducing the clogging process.

There are effectively three types of maintenance: routine, restorative and reconstruction. Routine maintenance is the regular maintenance designed

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to identify and slow down the rate of clogging and potential structural a bid to understand where the clogging was taking place. The general failure (Woods Ballard et al., 2015). Restorative maintenance attempts procedure was as follows: to remove the material causing the clogging. Reconstruction is required • The pavers were carefully lifted, and the joints and bedding inspected for signs of clogging. when the PICP become so clogged – generally defined as a measured infiltration capacity of less than 250 mm/hr (ASCE, 2018; Hein, 2018) – • The infiltration rate through the bedding was determined using the Mod-ASTM test. that the only sensible remedy is to remove the pavers and the underlying • The bedding was carefully scooped away to expose the upper geotextile bedding material, clean and reinstate them (Sehgal et al., 2018). or base course (no upper geotextile design). All observations were At the time the research was carried out, the only maintenance of PICP recorded. Another Mod-ASTM was carried out on the geotextile or base being carried out in SA was at a limited number of sites in Cape Town course as applicable. where the joints were regularly blown out to remove clogging material.

Compressed air was directed along the joints and the dislodged material • If the geotextile – if present – was clogged, a piece was carefully cut out and the underlying aggregates inspected – all the way down to the swept by a hand broom to the edge of the pavement from where it was lower geotextile or sub-base as applicable. collected. Gritstone that was removed with the gross pollutants from the joints was sieved, washed, and re-used for filling the joints. The joints were • Once the location and type of clogging had been identified, the paving was reinstated taking care to compact each layer and fill the joints topped up by new clean gritstone where required. Attempts were made to between the pavers with washed gritstone. investigate the maintenance performance of: • The post-maintenance infiltration rates of the pavers were measured 1. Blowing followed by sweeping (the current practice) upon completion of the re-gritting.

2. A street sweeper truck, 3. A vacuum truck, and Laboratory investigation into the link between the upper geotextile, 4. An industrial vacuum cleaner.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to secure street sweepers or vacuum different pavers, and clogging trucks as they were being fully utilised over evaluation period, however, Research in Australia, the USA, and SA suggests that fine material can an effort was made to investigate the maintenance combination of the propagate into the permeable pavement system and potentially clog any compressed air blower and a 2000 W wet/dry industrial vacuum cleaner – geotextile present (Fassman & Blackbourn, 2010; Biggs, 2016; Winston et but this proved ineffective. Some researchers (e.g., Drake & Bradford, 2013; al., 2016). The fine material originates from both the PICP surrounds as well Nichols et al., 2014) contend that blowing followed by vacuuming is the as from within the pavement structure owing to the use of dirty aggregates most effective method to maintain PICP but it is likely that this requires and/or from their crushing under the impact of traffic. In a bid to better a much more powerful vacuum machine than that was available for this understand the potential for clogging in various different geotextile and project. On the other hand, Hein (2018) notes that if the vacuum is too paver combinations, accelerated laboratory experiments were designed powerful there is a risk of the bedding and/or pavers being lifted causing and conducted in four HDPE test cells situated in the University of Cape failure of the surface. In the end, maintenance trials were carried out at Town (UCT) laboratory to investigate: six sites in Cape Town (Table 1). The general procedure for the trials was 1. The link between different geotextiles and clogging with pavers installed (Thando Peyi, unpublished data; Joshua Blackshaw, unpublished data), as follows: • Permission to perform maintenance trials was first obtained from the 2. The link between the paver opening and clogging using the same geotextile throught (Thobani Mqadi, unpublished data), and site owners.

• Mod-ASTM surface infiltration rates were conducted on the identified 3. The link between different geotextiles and clogging without pavers installed (James Morritt-Smith, unpublished data).

PICP test spots. These results were recorded as base infiltration rates.

• The test spots were surrounded by a TABLE 2: Summary of laboratory experiments shade-cloth fence to protect adjacent property Experimental run Test cell Paver type Geotextile or people from flying debris. The workers wore appropriate Personal Protective Equipment A Control (No geotextile) (PPE).

B Fibertex F25® (Nonwoven, heat treated) Experiment 1a Permaflow® • Maintenance was performed on the test spot C Kaytech Bidim® (Nonwoven, non-heat-treated) using a 700 kPa compressed air blower attached D Kaytech Kaytape® (Woven, non-heat-treated) via a flexible hose to a steel ‘wand’ with an 8 mm Control (No geotextile) A nozzle. The minimum area of cleaned surface B Fibertex F25® (Nonwoven, heat treated) was 2 m x 2 m. The blown-out debris was blown Experiment 1b Aquaflow® C Kaytech Bidim® (Nonwoven, non-heat-treated) to one side and collected for removal and/or D Kaytech Kaytape® (Woven, non-heat-treated) recycling (in the case of the joint gritstone).

• The post-blowing and post-maintenance A Aquaflow® infiltration rates were then measured to B Aquapave® Kaytech Bidim® (Nonwoven, non-heat-treated) Experiment 2 determine the effectiveness of the maintenance.

C Permaflow® PICP diagnostic assessments Diagnostic assessments were performed on selected pavement test spots that did not show significant signs of surface infiltration improvement during the maintenance trials in

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Permealock®

A Experiment 3

B C D

Control (No geotextile) Not used

Fibertex F25® (Nonwoven, heat treated) Kaytech Bidim® (Nonwoven, non-heat-treated) Kaytech Kaytape® (Woven, non-heat-treated)

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The first experiment was performed twice, once with Aquaflow® and once with Permaflow® pavers at slightly different loading rates – all with three different geotextiles plus one control without any geotextile to explore the impact of the different geotextiles. The pavers are both commonly used in South Africa. The three geotextiles types were chosen to represent: a non-woven heat-treated (Fibertex F25®), a non-woven non-heat-treated (Kaytech Bidim A®), and a woven non-heat-treated (Kaytech Kaytape S120®) geotextile. Although Inbitex® – a nonwoven heat-treated geotextile – has been extensively used in SA, it was unavailable at the time of the research so Fibertex F25® was used as a substitute as it has similar properties. The second experiment was performed using four different pavers (Aquaflow®, Aquapave®, Permaflow® and Permealock®) commonly used in SA, each laid on a non-woven, non-heat treated geotextile – Kaytech Bidim A1® – to explore the impact of different joint openings on clogging.

The third experiment was designed similarly to Experiment 1 but with no pavers and relatively higher sediment loading rates. The aggregates laid in the PICP cells were washed before being laid and compacted. In Experiments 1 and 3, Cell A was not supplied with a geotextile to serve as a control. A summary of the laboratory experiments is presented in Table 2.

RESULTS Clogging typology Four types of PICP clogging (Figure 5) were identified in the course of the diagnostic assessments: • Type I clogging – the most common type – is when fine material fills the joints, typically the first 20 to 30 mm depth from the surface.

• Type II clogging takes the form of a sediment ‘wedge’ on the bedding layer immediately under the joints and usually looking like a silhouette of the paving pattern.

• Type III clogging is when the bedding layer and the top of any geotextile have been filled with sediment.

• Type IV clogging sees sediment throughout the full depth of the PICP layers (complete failure).

These are also in the rough order of occurrence – with Type I clogging being not only the first to take place but is also the most common by far, while Type IV clogging is the least common although it can be ‘built in’ during construction.

Clogging and age All PICP surface infiltration rates start off extremely high – typically between 7000 and 20,000 mm/hr (ASCE, 2018), but they rapidly decrease with the age of the installation. Some sites’ surface infiltration rates however drop at a faster rate than others (Borgwardt, 2015). For example, Nguyen et al., (2022) reported PICP still recording significant infiltration capacity (800 mm/hr) after 20 years in operation, while other sites may fail within days as a consequence of poor design, construction and/or (lack of ) maintenance. The gritstone placed in the gaps between the pavers acts like a filter trapping fine particles. While this is of considerable benefit for downstream water quality, these fine particles ultimately clog the pavement (Type I clogging), unless removed. The particles can only go in one of two directions: i) through physical removal onto the surface e.g., through air blowing and subsequent sweeping and/or vacuum removal, or ii) by being driven further into the layers where they tend to collect at the base of the openings between the pavers where they form a ‘wedgeshaped’ mass that inhibits infiltration (Type II clogging). Traffic movement – particularly on poorly restrained pavers that can move laterally – combined with runoff can redistribute some of the fines into the bedding layer and clog any geotextile present (Type III clogging) (Mullaney & Lucke, 2014).

Ultimately, fine particles may find their way into the base layers where they fill the openings and reduce the overall porosity and permeability (Type IV clogging). All of this takes time.

FIGURE 5: Different types of clogging: I (top left), II (top right), III (bottom left), IV (bottom right) Given the clear link between the clogging mechanisms and time, it would be expected that the field research would show a clear trend linking age with lower infiltration rates. Unexpectedly, this was not the case. The research showed very little correlation between age and measured infiltration rates for the eleven sites that date back to the Wits parking area which had been in operation for 13 years at the time of testing. This suggests that other factors are far more significant than pavement age in accounting for the deterioration of PICP infiltration performance.

Clogging and Run-on Factor (RoF) The Run-on Factor (RoF) is the ratio of the impermeable area that drains to the PICP to the area of the PICP itself. The higher the RoF, the more the runoff volume is generated and the greater the quantity of sediment deposited on the PICP per storm. For this reason, many authorities recommend limiting the RoF – for example, a RoF of 2 (ASCE, 2018; Interpave, 2018), or 3 (WDNR, 2021), however, much higher RoFs have been reported, e.g., 27.6 (Tirpak et al., 2021). Clearly, a RoF = 0 (no contribution from impermeable surfaces) is likely to result in the best performance.

It was expected that the higher the RoF, the low the infiltration rates will be due to surface clogging. However, no particular pattern was evident in the relationship between the RoF and the infiltration rates measured in the field. Thus, it can be concluded that RoF alone also does not fully explain the clogging rate.

Clogging and paver type Various paver types are available on the market. Tests carried out in the UCT laboratory showed that the rate of clogging largely correlates inversely with the void ratio i.e., the larger the joint openings, the slower the clogging rate.

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Clogging and the upper geotextile Geotextiles are geosynthetic fabrics that are used in pavements to separate, filter, drain, and protect the subgrade. The most commonly used upper geotextile seen in the field investigations was Inbitex ® – a heat-bonded non-woven geotextile – installed between the bedding layer and the base layer. In most instances, there was no sign of clogging. Where there was evidence of clogging, this was associated with heavy traffic loading and movement of the pavers. Furthermore, the geotextiles that were installed in high-traffic situations, even when unblocked, were frequently found to be severely damaged even after only a relatively short period (e.g., eight years) of the PICP in operation, and thus unlikely to be fulfilling any function in the system. On the other hand, geotextiles installed in parking bays were generally intact even after more than 13 years of service. Research carried out in the laboratory showed no evidence whatsoever of geotextiles clogging, but this may have simply been because of the experimental method and/or material used.

Instances of both clogged and punctured upper geotextiles have been reported in the literature (Pezzaniti et al., 2009; Woods Ballard et al., 2015).

This research suggests that geotextiles can be confidently used most of the time but should be avoided in high-trafficked sections – where, in any case, any type of PICP should probably be avoided.

Clogging and environmental factors Since clogging in PICP is largely due to the trapping of sediment, it was unsurprising that there was a strong correlation between the position of the PICP and clogging. Typical ‘danger’ areas are proximity to unstable slopes, overhanging trees, planters of various shapes and sizes, or sources of windblown sand.

Clogging and poor paver installation If pavers are not properly installed with adequate edge restraint, they will move – particularly if subject to high turning movements near busy intersections. This allows sediment to easily enter the widened gaps between the pavers from where it is ‘worked’ under the pavers layer and into the bedding layer. If a geotextile is present, Type III clogging is likely. If not, the PICP will eventually fail with Type IV clogging.

Clogging and maintenance Like any pavement, PICP must be maintained if it is to provide the desired level of serviceability over a long period of time. It was apparent from the site investigations that this – at a minimum – requires: • Immediate attention to any structural issues such as widening openings between pavers, rutting, broken pavers etc.

• Keeping the surface as clean as reasonably possible.

• Ensuring that the gritstone is regularly ‘topped-up’ to trap sediment before it gets into the underlying layers.

• Periodically blowing out the contaminated gritstone (Type I clogging) and replacing it with clean gritstone.

• Since some material will inevitably find its way to the bedding, it will eventually become necessary to temporarily remove the pavers and bedding, clean them, and replace them – taking care to add new (clean) gritstone in the voids between the pavers.

THE SA GUIDELINES Input from the literature review, the collection of data from existing PICP installations, the laboratory investigations into the role of geotextiles and pavers in possible PICP clogging, and the collective wisdom of the specially created PICP Working Group that eventually included

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28 professionals and 31 students – all overseen by the WRC Reference Group of six – culminated in the development of two documents: ‘Guidelines for Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) in South Africa (TT 913) – Volume 1: Clogging in Permeable Interlocking Pavement (PICP)’ (Monyake & Armitage, 2023), and ‘Volume 2: Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Maintenance of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) in South Africa’ (Armitage & Monyake, 2023).

The guidelines cover the following topics: 1. Introduction: the purpose of the document; supporting documents; general description; main application; and the three distinct phases involved in PICP systems.

2. PICP Design: 2.1 Introduction: how PICP may be recognised; how it works; site considerations; proprietary computer packages; areas where it should ideally not be used; the importance of limiting the RoF. 2.2 Preliminary Design: optimal sites; physical inspection; determination of the likely hydraulic loading; draft layout drawings; geotechnical investigation. 2.3 Structural design; standards and guidelines to follow; paver selection; selection of aggregates; selection of geotextiles; edge constraints; link to hydraulic loading; design life. 2.4 Hydraulic Design; data collection; the determination of the Water Quality Volume (WQV); the significance of the different joint design offered by competing pavers; the joint gritstone; the bedding layer; the upper geotextile; the ‘choke(r)’ layer if required; the significance of high water table and subgrade on PICP design; underlying base and subbase layers; the relationship between water table and subgrade and the potential for infiltration; how to handle sloping ground; the lower geotextile / geomembrane; underground services.

2.5 Additional design considerations: water table; leaves and pollen; sediment traps; building structures; intersections; RoF; Life-Cycle Cost analysis; Maintenance Plan.

3. PICP Construction: 3.1 Workflow plan. 3.2 During construction: standards; aggregates and their storage; handling of geosynthetics and drainage pipes; washing the aggregates before use; compaction of the subgrade; laying of geosynthetics; compaction of the stone layers; protection of the pavers in-between construction activities; handling vehicular traffic during construction; inserting the gritstone into the paver joints; testing; monitoring of adjacent areas to ensure they do not impact the PICP; details of the installation and approved Maintenance Plan. 3.3 During the Defects Liability Period: checking for sources of dirt; the addition of more gritstone; testing for both structural integrity and hydraulic capacity.

4. PICP Maintenance: 4.1 Introduction; Maintenance Plan; classification of maintenance types; the inspection report. 4.2: Routine maintenance: inspection; types of clogging; testing; repair; trimming of vegetation; cleaning hydraulic structures; maintenance techniques available; gritstone; documentation. 4.3 Restorative Maintenance: maintenance techniques available; gritstone; disposal of contaminated material; documentation; reconstruction.

The Appendices include: the Modified ASTM single ring infiltrometer (Mod-ASTM) test method; the Modified SWIFT (Mod-SWIFT) test method; a template for Details of PICP installation; a template for PICP testing; Instructions for diagnostic assessments; and a template for a PICP inspection report.

It is a ‘living document’ – meaning that it can be periodically revised to account for new understanding of the performance of PICP in field and users are encouraged to communicate with the principal author in this regard.

Overall, it is hoped that its adoption will lead to an improvement in the performance in PICP that will, in turn, increase the resilience of stormwater drainage systems to the impacts of development.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The work was funded by the Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC) through Project No. C2021/2022-00436. Considerable advice was provided through the PICP Working Group comprising experts from academia (inclusive of the USA and UK), local authorities, consultants, and suppliers. A small ‘army’ of students gathered the data. The WRC Reference Group provided guidance. The Universities of Cape Town and Witwatersrand provided material support. The owners and operators of the eleven study sites bravely allowed the students to disrupt their activities; test the PICP; and, in seven instances, rip up sections (which were repaired!) to see what was going wrong. Thanks to all who contributed.

REFERENCES Armitage, Neil & Motlatsi Monyake (2023). ‘Guidelines for Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) in South Africa (TT 913) – Volume 2: Guidelines for the Design, Construction and Maintenance of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) in South Africa’. WRC Report No. TT 913/2/23, ISBN 978-0-6392-0404-8, May 2023. TT 913 Vol 2 final.pdf (wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net) ASCE. (2018) ASCE/T&DI/ICPI Standard 68-18, Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement. American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston: USA, 2010. http://doi.org/10.1061/9780784415009.

ASTM C1701/C1701M-17a. Standard Test Method For Infiltration Rate Of In Place Pervious Concrete. https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/astm/ astmc1701c1701m17a.

ASTM D3385-09. Standard Test Method For Infiltration Rate Of Soils In Field Using Double-Ring Infiltrometer. https://webstore.ansi.org/standards/astm/ astmd338509.

Biggs, B. (2016). The Impact of Unwashed Aggregate on Water Quality Emanating From Permeable Pavements. MSc(Eng) Dissertation, University of Cape Town. https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/ handle/11427/23016/thesis_ebe_2016_biggs_benjamin%20%281%29. pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. (Accessed 06 June 2023) Borgwardt, S. (2015). In-Situ Infiltration Performance of Permeable Concrete Block Pavement – New Results. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Concrete Block Pavement (ICCBP). 1–16. September 2015, Dresden. http://www.bwb-norderstedt.de/iccbp_2015_21_eng_final_ borgwardt.pdf.

Charlesworth, S.M., Beddow, J. & Nnadi, E.O. (2017). The fate of pollutants in porous asphalt pavements, laboratory experiments to investigate their potential to impact environmental health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 14(6). http://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph14060666.

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). (2019). Stormwater: 1st ed. Pretoria: CSIR. Department of Planning and Local Government (DPLG). (2010). Water Sensitive Urban Design Technical Manual for the Greater Adelaide Region.

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Drake, J. & Bradford, A. (2013). Assessing the Potential For Rehabilitation of Surface Permeability Using Regenerative Air and Vacuum Sweeping Trucks. Journal of Water Management Modeling. (June). 303-317. http://doi. org/10.14796/jwmm.r246-16.

Fassman, E.A. & Blackbourn, S. (2010). Urban Runoff Mitigation by a Permeable Pavement System over Impermeable Soils. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering. 15(6):475–485. http://doi.org/10.1061/(asce) he.1943-5584.0000238.

Hein, D.K. (2018). Maintenance Guidelines For Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement Systems. In: Proceedings of the Environmental & Water

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Hein, D.K. & Smith, D.R. (2015). Development of an ASCE Standard for Permeable Pavement. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Concrete Block Pavements, October 2015, Dresden.

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Lucke, T., White, R., Nichols, P. & Borgwardt, S. (2015). A simple field test to evaluate the maintenance requirements of permeable interlocking concrete pavements. Water (Switzerland). 7(6):2542–2554. https://doi. org/10.3390/w7062542.

Monyake, Motlatsi & Neil Armitage (2023). Guidelines for Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICP) in South Africa (TT 913) – Volume 1: Clogging in Permeable Interlocking Pavement (PICP). WRC Report No. TT 913/1/23, ISBN 978-0-6392-0403-1, May 2023. TT 913 Vol 1 final.pdf (wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net).

Mullaney, J. & Lucke, T. (2014). Practical review of pervious pavement designs : a review. Clean – Soil, Air, Water 42(2) 111-124. http://doi. org/10.1002/clen.201300118.

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Evaluating the Field Performance of Permeable Concrete Pavers. Water 14(2143):1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14142143.

Nichols, P.W.B., Lucke, T. & Dierkes, C. (2014). Comparing two methods of determining infiltration rates of permeable interlocking concrete pavers.

Water (Switzerland). 6(8):2353–2366. http://doi.org/10.3390/w6082353.

Pezzaniti, D., Beecham, S. & Kandasamy, J. (2009). Influence of clogging on the effective life of permeable pavements. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Water Management. 162(3):1–10. http://doi.og/10.1680/ wama.2009.00034.

Sehgal, K., Drake, J., Van Seters, T. & Linden, W.K. Vander. Linden. (2018).

Improving restorative maintenance practices for mature permeable interlocking concrete pavements. Water (Switzerland). 10(11):9–13. http:// doi.org/10.3390/w10111588.

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Tirpak, R.A., Winston, R.J., Simpson, I.M., Dorsey, J.D., Grimm, A.G., Pieschek, R.L., Petrovskis, E.A. & Carpenter, D.D. (2021). Hydrologic impacts of retrofitted low impact development in a commercial parking lot. Journal of Hydrology. 592. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125773.

Winston, R.J., Al-rubaei, A.M., Blecken, G.T., Viklander, M. & Hunt, W.F. (2016).

Maintenance measures for preservation and recovery of permeable pavement surface infiltration rate – The effects of street sweeping , vacuum cleaning , high pressure washing , and milling. Journal of Environmental Management. 169:132–144. http://doi.org/10.1016/j. jenvman.2015.12.026.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). (2021). Permeable Pavement (1008) Technical Standard. Madison: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

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REGIONAL-SCALE PLANNING FOR MUNICIPAL WATER TO SUPPORT TRANSFORMATIVE ADAPTATION Andriëtte Combrinck1, Anya Eilers2 and James Harvey-Ewusi3 1 Zutari Gqeberha 2 Zutari Cape Town 3 Department of Local Government: Municipal Infrastructure, Western Cape Government ABSTRACT Municipal water supply planning is traditionally done on a local scale and often does not consider system interconnectivities, interdependence on water resources and competition between various water users. In addition, the use of inconsistent information sources and different water resources and municipal planning models can lead to vastly different responses to water supply and drought planning across a single region. The 2015-2020 drought in the Western Cape highlighted the need for an integrated, interdisciplinary, and pro-active approach to water supply and drought planning across the whole province with a specific focus on municipal supply.

To address this need, the Western Cape Government in collaboration with Zutari endeavoured to develop a Western Cape Integrated Drought and Water Response Plan (WCIDWRP) to support municipalities within the province. The main objective of the WCIDWRP is to deliver a costed, prioritised and sequenced action plan that would contribute to a water secure province by 2035. The plan includes both conventional and unconventional technical engineering interventions as well as programmatic and policy interventions.

To inform the water resources augmentation and bulk infrastructure needs for each of the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities comprising the Western Cape, various digital decision-support tools were developed including: (i) a Water Requirement Projection Tool that projects water requirements under various scenarios, (ii) two Surface Water Availability Tools confirming dam yields and run-of-river water availability under various scenarios, (iii) a Groundwater Availability Tool summarising potential groundwater development, (iv) an Unconventional Technical Engineering Interventions Tool that analysed the potential yield from ‘alternative’ water resources, (v) a Municipal Information Tool providing the status quo of water supply, (vi) an interactive Water Balance Tool supporting water resources augmentation and infrastructure project planning, and (vii) a Costing Tool for calculating and escalating capital expenditure costs for all identified interventions.

Prioritisation of technical interventions was guided by a regional vulnerability assessment that analysed each system’s susceptibility to drought through the lens of seven key risk indicators including probable impacts of climate change, non-revenue water, water availability versus demand, Invasive Alien Plants, current water resource dependency and diversification, unit consumption, state of infrastructure and institutional capacity.

The regional and integrated approach followed in the compilation of the WCIDWRP allows for multi-criteria decision-making that will enable the province to strategically focus their efforts to becoming water-resilient over the next 15-years.

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INTRODUCTION Municipal water supply planning is traditionally done on a local scale and often does not consider system interconnectivities, interdependence on water resources and competition between various water users. In addition, the use of inconsistent information sources (e.g. non-aligned population and economic growth projection models) and different water resources and municipal planning models can lead to vastly different responses to water supply and drought planning across a single region.

The 2015-2020 drought in the Western Cape highlighted the need for an integrated, inter-disciplinary, and pro-active approach to water supply and drought planning across the whole province with a specific focus on municipal supply. It emphasised the necessity to pro-actively consider and incorporate all aspects of integrated water resources management within a catchment, whilst appreciating the local dynamics and unique challenges of each municipal water supply system.

To ultimately build additional adaptive capacity and ensure water resilience within the Western Cape Province, the Western Cape Government - Department of Local Government in collaboration with Zutari endeavoured to develop a Western Cape Integrated Drought and Water Response Plan (WCIDWRP), to support municipalities within the province. One of the main aims of the WCIDWRP was to deliver a costed, prioritised and sequenced action plan that would support a water secure province over a 15-year period (up to 2035).

The action plan includes both conventional and unconventional technical engineering interventions to be implemented within each of the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities comprising the Western Cape Province (i.e. water resource augmentation and bulk water infrastructure needs) and programmatic and policy interventions to be facilitated by national, provincial and local government (i.e. policy and programmatic responses). The focus of this paper is on technical engineering interventions. Municipalities included in the plan are shown in Figure 1.

FIGURE 1: Study area

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APPROACH To derive the costed, prioritised and sequenced action plan for the Western Cape Province, in terms of technical engineering interventions, it was necessary to identify the water resource and bulk infrastructure needs of all of the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities comprising the Western Cape Province.

The approach, as illustrated in Figure 2, was based on an interrogation of both the supply and demand side of the water cycle in each of the individual water supply systems, but also taking into consideration the integrated nature of the FIGURE 2: Approach followed in the development of a costed, prioritised and sequenced catchments in which each action plan for the WCIDWRP resides. The status quo as well as future projections in terms of water demand and supply informed: source-by-source basis as informed by data obtained from the • A water balance exercise to determine water resource augmentation, Green Book: Adapting South African settlements to climate change and (CSIR, 2019).

• A capacity assessment to determine water infrastructure augmentation • Water resource interventions were revised based on focused For this purpose, not only conventional water resource and infrastructure assessments which included: development was considered but also unconventional interventions o Surface water: Based on recent detailed water resource studies or to diversify water resources, guarantee water efficiency and ensure institutional knowledge within the DWS. resilience across the province. o Groundwater: Based on detailed groundwater assessments.

Special care was taken to ensure that the data aligned with information o Catchment management interventions such as clearing of invasive from municipal planning processes, as well as with the latest information alien plants: Possible increase in yield as a result of Invasive Alien from the Department of Water and Sanitation.

Plant clearing calculated on a source-by-source basis as informed by data obtained from recent work conducted by DC le Maitre WATER RESOURCE AUGMENTATION NEEDS (DC Le Maitre, July 2000), (JDS Cullis, January 2007), (DC le Maitre, The following process was followed to develop lists of augmentation October 2016), (DC Le Maitre, 2020). projects, per water supply system, from a water resource perspective: o Wastewater reclamation: Based on a portion of billed • The latest reports from the All Towns Study (DWS, 2011, 2015) were consumption water sales data per town as obtained from the obtained from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and various municipalities. the water availability figures as well as the latest list of water resource o Desalination: Assessed as a suitable intervention for all coastal towns. interventions (both on the supply and demand side of the water cycle) o Rainwater harvesting: Based on percentages of the weighted mean were extracted from these. annual precipitation over a selected rainfall period (i.e. 5 months) • Water resource availability figures were updated based on either evaluated on a town-by-town basis. focused assessments, or information that became available since the o Urban stormwater harvesting: Based on a portion of the mean last update of the All Towns Study (DWS, 2011, 2015). These included: annual runoff on the settlement area (i.e. urban area) evaluated on o Surface water yields (run-of-river abstractions and dams): Calculated a town-by-town basis. at a 98% Level of Assurance (1:50 year recurrence interval), with o Possible integration of wastewater reclamation and urban developed Surface Water Availability Tools or obtained from recent stormwater harvesting with Managed Aquifer Recharge (MARe): detailed water resource studies.

Based on indications of the likelihood of MARe evaluated by the o Groundwater yield: Taken as either the sustainable yield obtained groundwater specialist on a town-by-town basis. during borehole testing, or the estimated long-term yield (assuming • Recommended interventions were discussed with the DWS, as zero recharge over 2 years) collected via a detailed groundwater well as with the relevant municipalities, to confirm water resource survey, or obtained from recent detailed water resource studies. interventions needed to be implemented from 2020/2021 up to o Allocations: Updated allocation and water use licence information 2034/2035 to ensure sustainable supply. obtained from the DWS. • As a last step, the final list of projects was costed by either escalating o Impact of climate change on water availability: Calculated on a existing costs or applying developed unit or generic costs.

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BULK WATER AND WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS The following process was followed to develop lists of augmentation projects, per water supply system, from a bulk water and wastewater infrastructure perspective: • The latest Water and Sewer Master Plans were obtained from either the municipality or the relevant Consultants. Bulk water and Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) projects currently being planned were identified from these.

• The list of Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) projects was obtained from the Western Cape Department of Local Government. The registered bulk water and sewer (WWTW only) projects for each Municipality were identified and the status of each established.

• The latest list of Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant (RBIG) and Water Services Improvement Grant (WSIG) projects and budgets was obtained from the DWS. The registered bulk water and sewer (WWTW only) projects for each municipality were identified and the status of each established.

• The latest Water and Services Development Plans (WSDP) - either the WSDP Integrated Development Plan Input report or the latest Audit report - were obtained from the municipalities and the future bulk water and sewer (WWTW only) projects identified in these. This ensured the alignment of the bulk infrastructure needs identified during this project and the budgets and projects included in the Municipality’s approved capital budgets (for bulk projects).

• Further to the above, the latest capacities of bulk water and sewer (WWTW only) infrastructure was obtained from the W&SMP as well as the WSDPs and a capacity assessment conducted to identify and confirm the additional capacity required for all components of the bulk water supply system up to 2035.

• The culmination of these projects was then discussed with the DWS, as well as the relevant municipality, to confirm the bulk water and sewer (WWTW only) projects needed to be implemented from 2020/2021 up to 2034/2035 to ensure sustainable supply.

• As a last step, the final list of projects was costed by either escalating existing costs or by applying developed unit or generic costs.

DIGITAL DECISION-SUPPORT TOOLS To inform the water resources augmentation and bulk infrastructure needs for each of the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities comprising the Western Cape, various digital decision-support tools were developed as follows: (i) a Water Requirement Projection Tool that projects water requirements under various scenarios (ii) two Surface Water Availability Tools confirming dam yields and run-of-river water availability under various scenarios, (iii) a Groundwater Availability Tool summarising characteristics associated with potential groundwater development, (iv) an Unconventional Technical Engineering Interventions Tool that analysed the potential yield from ‘alternative’ water resource augmentation methods, (v) a Municipal Information Tool providing the status quo of water supply, (vi) an interactive Water Balance Tool supporting water resources augmentation and infrastructure project planning, and (vii) a Costing Tool that assists with the calculation and escalation of capital expenditure costs for all identified interventions.

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(I) WATER REQUIREMENT PROJECTION TOOL The Water Requirement Projection Tool projects residential and nonresidential water requirements for the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities comprising the Western Cape. Projections, based on population amongst others, are done for low, medium and high growth scenarios. These scenarios adopt various assumptions in terms of economic and population growth, consumer behavioural changes, potential developments and uptake of alternative sources.

(II) SURFACE WATER AVAILABILTY TOOLS The Surface Water Availability Tools confirm dam yields and run-ofriver water availability under various scenarios. Both tools, built on the principle of a cascading water balance, incorporates runoff and landuse as well as water requirements for the whole of the Berg-Olifants and Breede-Gouritz Water Management Areas.

The Dam Surface Water Availability Tool allows a user to determine the yield at a 98% Level of Assurance of any proposed dam on a Western Cape river system through the use of dimensionless gross storagedraft-frequency characteristics. Similarly the Run-of-River Surface Water Availability Tool allows a user to determine the run-of-river water availability at a 98% exceedance probability at any point in a Western Cape river system based on the analyses of a flow duration curve at the required location.

Both tools also analyse the potential impact of climate change as well as the potential impact of clearing of existing Invasive Alien Plants, and/ or the risk associated with future spread of Invasive Alien Plants, on the yield of dams or run-of-river availability.

(III) GROUNDWATER AVAILABILITY TOOL The Groundwater Availability Tool determines the current groundwater yield and allocation and the potential for future groundwater development within each of the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities within the Western Cape. It provides a high-level tabled-output on a system-by-system basis describing, amongst others, the location of the potential groundwater development, its geological setting as well as the total potential borehole yield for the target area.

FIGURE 3: Water balance schematic included in Topic 5 of the Water Services Development Plan

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FIGURE 4: Framework used to guide discussions with local government officials within the various municipalities

(IV) UNCONVENTIONAL TECHNICAL ENGINEERING INTERVENTIONS TOOL The Unconventional Technical Engineering Interventions Tool analyse the potential yield from ‘alternative’ water resource augmentation methods for each of the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities within the Western Cape. This includes interventions such as desalination of seawater, direct and indirect re-use of treated effluent, rainwater harvesting, and urban stormwater harvesting and the possible integration with Managed Aquifer Recharge.

(V) MUNICIPAL INFORMATION TOOL The objective of the Municipal Information Tool is to provide a status quo of the current water supply situation within each of the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities within the Western Cape. This tool, roughly based on the water balance schematic included in Topic 5.2 of the Water Services Development Plan which municipalities are familiar with (Figure 3), were populated with available information from existing documents (such as Water and Sanitation Master Plans, Water Service Development Plans and others) and validated during one-on-one contact sessions with each municipality (Figure 4).

The Municipal Information Tool captures, amongst others, for each water supply system: • A basic system layout diagram • The current issues experienced by the specific municipality in terms of water supply • The current actions/interventions foreseen by the specific municipality in terms of water supply • The availability of the water resources supplying each water supply system (i.e. yield, allocation, current abstraction) • The capacities of the bulk water infrastructure within each water supply system (Raw bulk storage / Pump stations / Water treatment plants / Reservoirs / Wastewater treatment plants) • The current extent of non-revenue water for the 2019/2020 year Refer to Figure 5 to Figure 7 for some visual snippets from the Municipal Information Tool. The data is also linked to a large amount of valuable spatial, such as updated spatial bulk water and wastewater assets as can be seen in Figure 8.

(VI) WATER BALANCE TOOL The objective of the Water Balance Tool is to provide an interactive platform that incorporates all the information needed to make decisions

FIGURE 5: Snippet from the Municipal Information Tool (Example: Stellenbosch)

FIGURE 6: Snippet from the Municipal Information Tool (Example: Stellenbosch)

FIGURE 7: Snippet from the Municipal Information Tool (Example: Stellenbosch)

FIGURE 8: Spatial data linked to information contained within the Municipal Information Tool (Example: Stellenbosch)

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FIGURE 9: Interactive input sheet from the Water Balance Tool (Example: Swellendam)

FIGURE 10: Capacity assessment included in Water Balance Tool (Example: Swellendam)

FIGURE 11: Reconciliation graph included in Water Balance Tool (Example: Swellendam)

FIGURE 12: Final project list included in Water Balance Tool (Example: Swellendam)

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regarding water resource augmentation and water infrastructure projects for each of the 121 water supply systems across the 24 municipalities within in the Western Cape, up to 2035. The Water Balance Tool includes the following information for each water supply system: • Historic and current water requirements • Future water requirements (for a high, medium and low water requirement projection with and without Water Conservation and Water Demand Management) • Current water availability (i.e. yield and allocation) • Functionality to conduct a reconciliation exercise to determine water resource augmentation • Functionality to conduct a capacity assessment to determine water infrastructure augmentation • Costed and prioritised list of both water resource and water service augmentation projects needed up to 2035 Refer to Figure 9 to Figure 12 for some visual snippets from the Water Balance Tool.

(VII) COSTING TOOL The Costing Tool assists with the escalation of an existing capital expenditure cost (where information existed) or the calculation of a high-level capital expenditure cost (where no information existed) for all conventional and unconventional technical engineering interventions.

REGIONAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT Prioritisation of conventional and unconventional technical engineering interventions was guided by a regional vulnerability assessment that analysed each water supply system’s susceptibility to drought through the lens of seven key risk indicators. These include the (i) probable impacts of climate change, (ii) the state of non-revenue water, (iii) water availability versus water demand, (iv) the extent of Invasive Alien Plants, (v) each system’s current water resource dependence and diversification, (vi) the unit consumption, (vii) the state of infrastructure and (viii) the municipality’s institutional capacity.

Comparing the results of each of the key risk indicators across the province (refer to Figure 13 to Figure 18) enables decision-makers to strategically focus efforts and take appropriate prioritised action within ‘hotspots’ on their journey towards becoming a water-resilient province over the next 15 years.

COSTED, PRIORITISED AND SEQUENCED ACTION PLAN Collated information, processed with the various digital decision-support tools and used to guide the regional vulnerability assessment, enabled the compilation of a costed, prioritised and sequenced action plan both in terms of water resource augmentation and bulk water and wastewater augmentation per water supply system, which could ultimately be summarised per municipality for the whole of the province. This was done for both water resource and bulk water and wastewater augmentation (refer to Figure 19 and Figure 20).

Important to note that the project costs are based on specific assumptions adopted within the various tools (e.g. regarding a specific water availability scenario, demand projection, prioritisation sequence etc.). All of these are variables that can be changed manually within the tools to analyse the impact of it from a wider Provincial perspective.

CONCLUSIONS The Western Cape Integrated Drought and Water Response Plan (WCIDWRP) together with its associated digital decision-support tools, has equipped the Western Cape Province to pro-actively plan for and manage its water

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FIGURE 13: Climate change

FIGURE 14: State of non-revenue water

FIGURE 15: Water availability vs. water demand

FIGURE 16: Extent of Invasive Alien Plants

FIGURE 17: Water resource dependence and diversification

FIGURE 18: Unit consumption

resources and water and wastewater infrastructure in ways that supports lives and livelihoods. The integrated plan, that has now been adopted into the Western Cape Parliamentary Bill with the support of Premier Alan Winde and other key officials, will help the province to create long-term water resilience, balancing the needs of present and future generations, while protecting the environment.

FIGURE 19: Total project cost in terms of water resource augmentation for the Western Cape (up to 2035)

RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the digital decision-support tools that evolved as part of the development of the Western Cape Integrated Drought and Water Response Plan be used for multi-criteria decision-making that will enable the province to strategically focus their efforts to becoming water-resilient over the next 15-years. In addition, it is recommended that a similar approach be rolled-out to other provinces of South Africa to ultimately guarantee water efficiency within all water supply systems and municipalities and ultimately ensure resilience across the whole of South Africa.

REFERENCES CSIR, 2019. Green Book: Adapting South African Settlements to climate change, s.l.: Available at www.greenbook.co.za.

DC Le Maitre, D. V. a. R. C., July 2000. The impact of invading alien plants on surface water resources in South Africa: A preliminary assessment. Water SA Vol. 26 No.3, pp. p. 397 - 408.

DWS, 2011, 2015. Support on the Development, Updating and Review of Strategies to Reconcile Water Availability and Requirements in the Southern Planning Area, s.l.: s.n.

DWS, 2013, 2017. Development of Operating Rules for Water Supply and Drought Management of Stand-alone Dams, Schemes and Integrated Systems in the Southern Water Planning Area, s.l.: s.n.

FIGURE 20: Total project cost in terms of bulk infrastructure augmentation for the Western Cape (up to 2035)

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NEXT GENERATION SANITATION TECHNOLOGIES, A SOLUTION FOR INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS Ednah Mamakoa Water Research Commission 4 Daventry Street, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria, 0081 ednahm@wrc.org.za ABSTRACT The South African government has been focusing on eliminating service delivery backlogs since 1994, mostly through the employment of conventional solutions. However, indigent communities remain marginalized because most conventional solutions are not easy to implement due to the settlement topography and density. Furthermore, rapid urbanization means municipalities and water service agencies, who are responsible for service delivery are always playing catch-up.

Municipalities continually face challenges in meeting the costs and logistics of delivering free basic sanitation services, as informal settlements, which, by definition, are expected to be transient with no long-term CAPEX investment. As such only temporary or ad-hoc solutions such as chemical toilets and other container-based sanitation solutions are provided, which are expensive, unsustainable, potentially have adverse effect on the environment and have poor user acceptance. A shift in the current paradigm is long overdue if the SDG target for 2030 is to be achieved.

In South Africa, approximately 13% (7.27 million) of the population live in informal settlements (Danti, 2018). According to StatsSA, 68% of households living in informal dwellings are forced to share toilet facilities and approximately 6.8% rely on the ‘bucket system’, which speaks to the scale of the problem. The emergence of next generation sanitation (NGS) technologies such as non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSS) and other innovative sanitation offers a viable solution to meeting current sanitation challenges including in informal settlements.

This paper uses case studies where NSSS were successfully implemented in informal settlements in South Africa and provides lessons for governments and development agencies to prioritize the implementation of nonsewered sanitation systems in informal settlements to improve public health and hygiene in these communities.

to basic services since the advent of democracy in 1994. However, the implementation of conventional solutions has faced challenges in meeting the needs of marginalized communities, particularly those living in indigent areas. The topography and density of settlements in these communities often make it difficult to deploy traditional service delivery approaches. As a result, many indigent communities continue to face inadequate access to essential services.

According to a report by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), rapid urbanization poses significant challenges for municipalities and water service agencies in delivering basic sanitation services. The report highlights that municipalities are often overwhelmed by the increasing demands resulting from rapid urbanization. The costs and logistical difficulties associated with providing free basic sanitation services become particularly pronounced in informal settlements, which are expected to be temporary and lack long-term capital expenditure (CAPEX) investments. Consequently, temporary, or ad-hoc solutions such as chemical toilets and container-based sanitation systems are commonly deployed. These solutions, while providing immediate relief, come with various drawbacks. They are expensive to maintain, lack sustainability in the long term, potentially harm the environment due to inadequate waste treatment, and often face poor acceptance by users due to limited functionality and hygiene concerns (UN-Habitat, 2020).

In South Africa, approximately 13% (7.27 million) of the population live in informal settlements (Danti, 2018). According to StatsSA, 68% of households living in informal dwellings are forced to share toilet facilities

Keywords: next generation, sanitation, informal settlement INTRODUCTION The South African government has made efforts to address service delivery backlogs and improve access

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FIGURE 1: Location of the informal settlements

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TABLE 1: Key demographics within the selected sites Name

WSA/WSP

Population (households)

Average hh size

Slovoville

Johannesburg water

25

4

Mofolo North

Johannesburg water

75

4

and approximately 6.8% rely on the ‘bucket system’, which speaks to the scale of the problem. The emergence of next generation sanitation (NGS) technologies such as non-sewered sanitation systems (NSSS) and other innovative sanitation offers a viable solution to meeting current sanitation challenges including in informal settlements.

A study conducted by Smit and Pieterse (2019) explored the complexities of service delivery in South Africa, highlighting the limitations of conventional approaches in effectively reaching marginalized communities.

The research highlights the importance of context-specific interventions that account for the unique settlement characteristics and challenges faced by indigent communities. Additionally, a report by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) (2020) acknowledges the need for innovative and adaptive approaches in overcoming service delivery challenges, particularly in areas with complex settlement patterns and limited resources.

Site Selection This study is part of the Water Research Commission’s South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP), whose aim is to fast track the adoption of NGS technologies capable of addressing sanitation challenges. The programme prioritizes the demonstration of appropriate technologies to ensure their appropriateness within local context and works with capable local commercial partners to early adopters such as municipalities and water service providers to ensure uptake and adoption of these innovative solutions.

SASTEP is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and, has partnered with Johannesburg Water to demonstrate two (2) NSSS technologies at informal settlement sites that are not currently serviced by the city’s sewer reticulation system. Two informal settlements (Mofolo North and Timehouse in Slovoville) were selected by Johannesburg water.

The location of the sites is indicated on figure 1. Both sites were depending on the chemical toilets for their sanitation needs.

Summary of site demographics The sites are characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty.

Table 1 summarizes key demographics of each site.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The primary aim of the demonstration projects is to evaluate the technical performance and the community acceptance of the innovative sanitation technologies, NEWgenerator technology and Clear recirculating toilet in South African informal settlements which are currently not serviced by formal sanitation reticulation systems.

Objectives of the demonstration projects are: • To evaluate the technology performance • To assess social/user acceptability of the systems • To use the experience gained from the demonstration projects to assess the technologies for local manufacturing.

APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY Stakeholder Engagements Widespread consultations were conducted with the active role players

ranging from community leadership (political), community representatives, water service provider (JW), local NGOs and forums.

The municipality served as an entry point to the community due to its role of a Water Service Provider (WSP) and the project sites fall within its jurisdiction.

Field testing The technologies were field tested from November 2021 to date to obtain data on functionality and performance of the technologies. Field testing is a research method that entails carrying out tests or collecting data in realworld settings, outside of laboratory circumstances. It enables researchers to observe and study occurrences in natural or applied settings, providing insights into the practicability and efficacy of interventions or hypotheses (Yin,2017).

System design and configuration Both systems consist of a community toilet block, the treatment systems, ancillary water and sewage storage tanks, a mechanical screen in the case of new generator, and interconnecting pipework.

User Surveys User surveys was conducted to measure the satisfaction of the users with the technologies and get insights about the technologies. According to Sheffield & McClanahan (2017) user surveys are critical for getting important feedback and insights from people who interact directly with products, services, or experiences. These surveys enable researchers and businesses to better understand user preferences, needs, and levels of satisfaction. User surveys provide numerous important advantages in terms of informing decisionmaking and encouraging improvements.

Sample collection and analysis Monthly samples of the raw water and product water from the clear system and new generator system are taken and submitted to an accredited laboratory for analyses.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Two informal settlements were provided with NGS technologies to demonstrate and evaluate their technical performance and the user acceptance of the innovative sanitation technologies.

Mofolo North – Clear Recirculating Toilet System The Clear Recirculating Toilet System, installed at the Mofolo North informal settlement, The Clear toilet uses a full water recycling process for treatment of the sewage. An advanced unique “Biofilm MBR” treatment process is employed as the core technology for treatment, producing a stable and clean effluent that is further disinfected through ozone to ensure safety of the effluent for reuse. The system is modular and can be moved should the need arise.

The installation at Mofolo North informal settlement service 75 households.

The community was trained on the safe use of system as well as the benefits.

User acceptance in Mofolo North A total of 26 respondents were interviewed (10 males, 13 females and 3 janitors). The survey was conducted in December 2021. The users have indicated their satisfaction with the system and have agreed that the Clear system is an upgrade from the chemical toilets that they were using.

There is also community ownership of the system, where cleaners and security are from the area, and they all assist each other to look after the system.

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FIGURE 2: Clear recirculating system process (Left) and demonstration (Right) Operation and maintenance of the Clear system The system does not require constant water supply. Only the first fill water needs to be secured for the startup of the system, thereafter it continues to treat and recycle with no need for top up. This water can be secured from a potable water supply line, rainwater harvesting tanks or nearby springs or rivers or even stormwater drains. The water for handwashing needs to be provided via municipal supply line, borehole, or rainwater tanks. To run optimally, the system needs minor maintenance, which entails cleaning the membrane every 6 to 8 months and desludging (major service) is required every 18 months. Effluent quality results for the Clear Recirculating Toilets are presented in Table 2.

According to the results some parameters tested are within specification and comply with the DWS general discharge limits. Nitrate has a high reduction removal rate (>90%), and total phosphate has a reduction removal rate between 0% and 69%. Pathogen removal is in accordance with SANS limits and observed to be above the required limits. COD, TSS, pH and E coli complied with the performance requirements of SANS 30500. The salinity of the water and electrical conductivity are elevated due to accumulation of salts.

followed by a nanomembrane filter operated at subcritical water flux to extend the longevity of the membrane. Permeate from the filter is treated by electrochemical chlorine production from table salt for toilet flushing. The unit is equipped with solar panels to generate sustainable energy for the operation of the NEWgenerator system. The system services 25 households.

Slovoville – NewGenerator The NEWgenerator, installed at Time-house Informal Settlement, Soweto is a compact, portable, and modular resource recovery machine that eliminates waste while recovering fertilizer nutrients, renewable energy, and clean water. The system uses an anaerobic baffled reactor design

Operation and maintenance of the NEWgenerator The NEWgenerator also require water for startup and then it recycles the water for flushing. The system is Off Grid and Modular Design which can be moved easily. There is also remote monitoring & operation. The screen must be cleaned twice daily and major maintenance (desludging) is required every 12-18 months.

Effluent quality results for the NEWgenerator Toilets are Units of measure Raw Product presented in Table 3.

4,3 6,8 According to the results mS/m 285 208 all parameters examined mg/l 1909,5 1313 are within specification mg/l 1270 830 and comply with the DWS mg/l 99 4,7 general discharge limits. Total nitrogen has a high reduction Pt-Co 19 10 rate (>95%), but total NTU 14 2,8 phosphate has a reduction mg/l 88 60 removal rate ranging mg/l 8,5 8,4 between 0% and 69%. This is mg/l 73 6,9 because the NEWgenerator mg/l 0,3 <0.1 system was not designed for mg/l 78 191 phosphorus removal, which MPN per100ml 820 <1 can be linked to the system's

TABLE 2: Effluent quality result raw vs product vs DWS limits Parameters

DWS Limits General

Special

70 - 150mS/m

50 - 100 mS/m

25

10

75*

30*

15

1,5

Saline Ammonia as N free

3

2

E. coli

1000

0

pH Electrical conductivity Salinity Total dissolved solids TSS [Total Suspended solids] Colour Turbidity COD [Chemical Oxygen Demand] Dissolved oxygen Nitrates as NO3 Phosphate as P Ortho

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User acceptance in Slovoville The first survey was conducted after commissioning in November 2021 and the second survey was conducted in August 2022, the surveys were conducted to assess the community's satisfaction with the use of the toilet block. The first survey had 40 participants and the second survey had 39 participants. The surveys were conducted to identify any areas where improvements could be made and to assess the satisfaction of the users with the new toilets. The survey’s results showed that the community is pleased with the NEWgenerator system and that the toilets are still preferred to the previous chemical toilets. The NEWgenerator system is a significant improvement over the previous chemical toilets and is providing a much-needed service to the community.

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FIGURE 3: NEWgenerator system process (Left) and Slovoville demonstration (Right) low phosphorus reduction. The phosphorus removal performance was improved by treating the zeolite bed with calcium chloride. Pathogen removal in accordance with SANS limits is observed to be above the required limits. COD, TSS, TN, pH and E coli complied with the performance requirements of SANS 30500.

• The current suppliers of these NSSS technologies are being asked to look at innovative models to ensure O&M can be done correctly.

• At a sector level we are trying to encourage certification of O&M companies to ensure quality of service.

6. Social Engagement • Expectations need to be understood at start of project demo.

• During a testing and O&M phase it is useful to continue to collect social data on use, smell, cleanliness, and acceptance of the technology.

LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE DEMONSTRATIONS 1. Stakeholder engagements are key to ensure understanding and ownership.

2. Access to electricity • The next generation sanitation technologies are being designed to try CONCLUSION and reduce energy needs and these systems can be installed with solar It is concluded that the water treated by the NEWgenerator system panels but there are more sustainable options explored. meets the DWS general discharge standard limits and is safe for re-use • Risk of vandalism or theft and hence, for the demo itself security is in the multi-use toilet block and for irrigation purposes. The nutrient provided but this remains a massive collective burden for South Africa. rich liquid fertiliser will be used to water the new community garden, Thorough community engagements is required for the community The results indicate that the NEWgenerator system is performing as anticipated. The E coli and faecal coliforms also indicate that the water to be is free from any disease-causing bacteria. The effluent treated with Clear 3. Access to water recirculating toilet is also free from disease causing bacteria, therefore • Only the first fill water needs to be secured for the startup of the system, safe to re-use, however, the water has elevated salinity. thereafter it continues to treat and recycle with no need for top up.

From the user acceptance surveys conducted, both communities are This water can be secured from a potable water supply line, rainwater pleased with the next generation sanitation technologies and that the harvesting tanks or nearby springs or rivers or even stormwater drains. new toilets are still preferred to the previous chemical toilets they used.

• Water for handwashing will need to be provided via municipal supply line, borehole, or rainwater tanks.

TABLE 3: Effluent quality results for the NEWgenerator 4. Cleaning and Upkeep of toilets DWS Limits NewGen Slovoville Units of meaParameters • Janitorial services are a sure General Special Raw Product requirement for the upkeep Faecal coliforms 1000 0 MPN per100ml >100000 <1 of the systems, training on COD 75* 30* mg/l 418 44 hygiene and use of the toilets was done but there is no Free and saline Ammonia as N 3 2 mg/l 10 <0.1 guarantee of ownership and Nitrate as N 15 1,5 mg/l <0.1 14 proper use.

Free chlorine 0,25 0 mg/l 0 <0.1 • Hence, constant engagement TSS 25 10 mg/l 154 1,3 has shown some benefits but it’s challenging as it is Electrical conductivity 70 - 150mS/m 50 - 100 mS/m mS/m 45,3 52 linked to practice, behaviours, 1 (Median) and mg/l 4,8 3,4 Total phosphorus 10 2.5(maximum) and values.

5. Operations and Maintenance E-coli 1000 0 MPN/100ml >100000 <1 • Ideally a contract /SLA needs Turbidity NTU 100 0,6 to be put in place to operate Colour Pt-Co 180 60 and maintain the whole BOD mg/l <10 <10 system (inclusive of any TKN mg/l 36 2,8 energy supply system).

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REFERENCES Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach. Sage Publications.

Danti, N., 2018. Critical assessment of right to safe water and sanitation in a South African informal settlement: A Case Study of Marikana, Cape Town, University of Cape town accessed here chrome-extension:// efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/ handle/11427/27876/thesis_ebe_2018_danti_ntomboxolo%20 %281%29.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Africa. Journal of Public Administration and Governance, 5(3), 131-148.

Smit, W., & Pieterse, E. (2019). Reframing Informal Settlements in South Africa: From Problem to Potential. Development Southern Africa, 36(2), 149-164.

Sheffield, C. A., & McClanahan, P. (2017, August 3). BHL’s Feedback Tools and User Surveys: Investigating User Needs for Data in Digital Libraries. Proceedings of TDWG, 1, e20003. https://doi.org/10.3897/ tdwgproceedings.1.20003

Bank of Southern Africa. (2020). Infrastructure Barometer 2020/2021.

Retrieved from https://www.dbsa.org/Research/Publications/ Infrastructure-Barometer

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). (2020).

The State of African Cities 2020: The Geography of African Investment.

Retrieved from https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020/12/the_state_ of_african_cities_2020_-_the_geography_of_african_investment.pdf

Ntshangase, N., & Ndlovu, R. (2015). Water and sanitation challenges in informal settlements: A case study of KwaMashu Township in South

Yin, R. K. (2017). Case study research and applications: Design and methods. Sage Publications.

APE Pumps Multi-Stage Pumps Operating Range Flow - 50m³/hr up to 1300m³/hr Head - 10m up to 1600m

Applications - General liquid pumping - Boiler feed pumps - Bulk water - Highlift pumps - Dewatering pumps (mines) Material Construction Casing - Cast iron - Carbon Steel - Stainless steel (316) +27 1 1 82 4 4810 +27 5904 868 3 6 76IMESA

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PAPER 5

APPLYING THRESHOLD, SEVERITY, DURATION AND FREQUENCY DIAGRAMS FOR WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE WESTERN CAPE: SOUTH AFRICA J A du Plessis¹, PW Rhode² Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa ABSTRACT Droughts are significant climate events, that can have severe consequences and impacts on the planning and operation of municipal water supply systems. The drought experienced in Cape Town, during 2015 – 2020 saw storages rapidly depleting and severe restrictions implemented to ensure that water supplies did not fail. Provision of additional information as early as possible to understand the onset and severity of the drought could have assisted with the initial water resource management decisions. This research focuses on the development of an early warning system to assist municipalities in the decision-making process related to the planning of their water resources, using the Western Cape Water Supply System as a case study.

The research approach used the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI), which allows for the occurrence, duration, and magnitude of historical droughts, to provide an early warning through the setting of threshold precipitation values, which allows for the onset and end of droughts to be determined from rainfall measurements only. Severity, duration, and frequency (SDF) curves were derived for the case study region, enabling the determination of the probability of occurrence of a drought with a certain severity and duration. Maps were also produced to allow drought properties to be determined spatially across the South-Western Cape region. This information can then be used to highlight the onset and severity of a drought to be expected. The functionality of these SDF curves were demonstrated using the updated (till 2023) rainfall data at the Steenbras and Wemmershoek catchments in the case study region, highlighting the support provided to water resource managers when using SPI’s and SDF curves.

1. INTRODUCTION From 2015 to 2018, South Africa’s second largest city, Cape Town, and the surrounding region faced a water supply crisis resulting from an extended period of significantly below average rainfall. Cape Town’s water supplies rely mainly on surface water resources, and successive years of dry conditions resulted in rapidly declining water storages. To conserve and prevent supplies from running dry, restrictions were placed on water use, reaching 45% restriction on urban use and 60% on agricultural use, which had significant negative impacts on the city and region’s economy, environment, and amenities.

The rapid onset of a severe drought meant that decisions on water management and crisis planning needed to be made in quick succession by water planners and city management. The early accessibility of information related to drought occurrences and easy availability thereof could have supported the managers with informed decision making in taking early action and understanding the impacts thereof on the operation of the water supply and distribution system.

The experience in Cape Town prompted research to develop drought relationships and diagrams that can be used to easily identify the occurrence and severity of droughts in the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) supply area (Du Plessis and Rhode, 2023), as a case study. The approach illustrated serves as an example which can be used by all local authorities in support of the management of water security in their catchments. Using only monthly rainfall measurements, the onset and severity of droughts can be assessed rapidly without the need to understand drought theory and calculate these from first principles. Identifying the onset of a drought at an early stage, will enable water managers in local authorities to take appropriate steps to ensure water security, whether by means of water restrictions or reallocation of water to end-users from different sources.

The research presented in this paper uses rainfall station measurements from the Steenbras and Wemmershoek catchments, and the drought relationships and diagrams developed for the WCWSS supply area, to assess the occurrence and severity of droughts for the period from 2015 to 2023.

2. BACKGROUND & METHODOLOGY The main objective of the research presented as a case study in this paper, was to use available monthly rainfall data to develop threshold rainfall values which can be used as a tool to inform water resource management decision-making under drought conditions. To achieve this objective, a standardised precipitation index was used to develop threshold values, indicating the start of a drought, as well as the severity and frequency of occurrence.

2.1 Threshold precipitation values and severity, duration, and frequency diagrams Rahmat et al. (2015) proposed an innovative approach for assessing the occurrence and severity of droughts, using (1) drought precipitation mean and threshold values to determine the start and end of droughts; and (2) assessing the severity of a drought being experienced by using severity, duration, and frequency curves. Both use only rainfall measurements to assess droughts. Their research was focused on the state of Victoria, Australia.

Du Plessis and Rhode (2023) adapted the approach for the WCWSS supply area in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. This approach is outlined below.

2.2 Drought assessments in the WCWSS area The WCWSS consists out of a network of dams (Berg River, Steenbras Lower, Steenbras Upper, Theewaterskloof, Voëlvlei and Wemmershoek – with a total combined storage capacity of 898 million m3), pipelines, tunnels and pump stations that supply water to Cape Town and its surrounding region, including irrigation water for agriculture.

Cape Town uses approximately 60% of the water supplied by the WCWSS. The City of Cape Town uses its integrated network of treatment plants, reservoirs, and bulk supply pipelines to preferentially draw water

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from the different dams, which means it can maximise water availability depending on rainfall and different dam levels.

This is an important functionality during extended drought periods, which ensure that demand can be transferred onto dams that have more water available at the time and in doing so, preventing some dams from running dry. This illustrates the importance of having drought information available at a catchment level to inform decision-making.

Figure 1 illustrates the WCWSS area, including the 29 rainfall stations used to develop drought threshold, severity, duration, and frequency relationships (Du Plessis and Rhode, 2023).

2.3 The Standardised Precipitation Index Droughts are not the same as arid conditions. Arid climates are normally dry, whereas droughts are periods of lower-thannormal precipitation (Wilhite, 2000). The start, end, duration, and intensity of a drought is difficult to determine. A drought can often only be determined in hindsight. The onset of a dry period does not necessarily mean that a drought is occurring.

A dry period may only be classified as a drought once a certain low level of rainfall, compared to the long-term record, has occurred.

Drought indices are used to numerically quantify droughts.

Numerous drought indices have been developed since the mid-twentieth century; some are applicable for assessing droughts for certain uses or sectors of the economy, while others have become more widely used in specific countries or regions (Mishra and Singh, 2010).

In developing drought occurrence values and severity diagrams for Victoria, Australia, Rahmat et al. (2015) used the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) drought index. The SPI has the following advantages: • It only requires precipitation as an input value.

• It is a standardised index, which allows droughts to be spatially compared at different locations.

• It can be determined for different time scales appropriate for the type of drought being assessed, e.g., seasonal trends of 3 months, versus periods of 12-months that removes seasonality.

• It does not need to be calibrated for use in a specific geographical area.

• The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has recommended it as the standard index to be used by meteorological organisations globally (World Meteorological Organisation, 2012).

The SPI is a measure of the deviation of a precipitation data point in a record from the long-term mean of that record in terms of standard deviations, and is then transformed into a normal cumulative distribution function (CDF) with a mean of zero and standard deviation of one. The SPI calculation procedure first transforms the precipitation data to a two-parameter gamma cumulative distribution, and then transforms the gamma cumulative distribution into a standard normal

TABLE 1: SPI values and associated drought categories

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SPI values

Drought category

0 to -0.99

Mild drought

-1.00 to -1.49

Moderate drought

-1.50 to -1.99

Severe drought

≤ -2.00

Extreme drought

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FIGURE 1: WCWSS supply area distribution (around a zero mean) – which is referred to as the SPI value (McKee et al., 1993).

Table 1 lists the categories of drought severities using the SPI values.

These values are used to calculate the start, end, and severity of a drought. A drought begins with the SPI value of a precipitation record moves first below -1 and continues until the SPI value becomes positive (McKee et al., 1993).

Different averaging or cumulative periods of precipitation can be assessed; these can be any period, but are usually 3, 6, 12, 24 or 48 months.

Shorter drought periods will respond more quickly to changes in monthly precipitation and will move in and out of drought periods more frequently.

Alternatively, longer drought periods respond more slowly to monthly changes and periods in and out of drought will be longer. WMO (2012) recommends that averaging periods of 12 – 48 months are more suitable for assessing the impacts on water resource and supply systems. Rahmat et al. (2015) and Du Plessis and Rhode (2023) used a period of 12 months, as this smooths out seasonality and is generally the planning and operation of water resource and supply systems timeframe. The 12-month period is termed the SPI-12 value.

2.4 Threshold precipitation values While a drought index allows the start, duration, and end of a drought to be determined, it would be easier for water resource practitioners to be able to determine droughts using actual rainfall data. Rahmat et al. (2015) proposed an innovative approach of representing the SPI values of -1 (the

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FIGURE 3: Drought occurrence in the Steenbras catchment, based on 12-month running total rainfall.

FIGURE 2: SDF curves for the WCWSS dam catchments

onset of drought) and 0 (the end of drought) in terms of the precipitation depths of a rainfall station.

Edwards & McKee (1997) determined the cumulative probabilities of the SPI values of 0 and -1 as 0.500 and 0.158 respectively. Using the gamma distribution parameters from the calculation of the SPI-12 values, the precipitation depths associated with each of the cumulative probabilities can be calculated. These precipitation depths become the mean (for SPI = 0) and the threshold (for SPI = -1) values.

Using these values, a drought has started when the moving 12-month total precipitation for a rainfall station falls below the threshold value. The drought ends when the precipitation value moves back above the mean.

Du Plessis and Rhode (2023) developed mean and threshold precipitation values for 29 rainfall stations in the WCWSS. Table 2 lists these values for the catchments of the major dams of the WCWSS. 2.5 Severity, duration, and frequency curves The threshold precipitation values on their own does not indicate the severity of a drought being experienced. For this reason, severity, duration, and frequency curves are compiled which would allow drought severities to be determined without the need to calculate these from first principles. SPI-12 values were used to determine the severities, expressed as return periods.

TABLE 2: Mean and threshold 12-month total precipitation values.

WCWSS dam catchment

Mean SPI-12 (mm)

Franschhoek Robertsvlei

Berg River Dam

1 848

Rustfontein

Theewaterskloof Dam

764

Steenbras

Steenbras Dams

925

Rainfall station

Tulbagh

Voëlvlei Dam

469

Wemmershoek Dam

Wemmershoek Dam

965

FIGURE 4: Drought occurrence in the Wemmershoek catchment, based on 12-month running total rainfall.

Severity, duration, and frequency (SDF) relationships are developed through frequency analysis, involving the fitting of the record of drought events and associated magnitudes to a probability density function, and then calculating the estimated magnitude of droughts for non-exceedance probabilities of 0.2, 0.1, 0.05, 0.02 and 0.01, which corresponds to return periods of 1 in 5-, 10-, 20-, 50- and 100-years.

Du Plessis and Rhode (2023) developed SDF curves for the WCWSS dam catchments, shown in Figure 2.

3. RESULTS 3.1 A ssessing the occurrence of droughts directly from drought mean and threshold values To illustrate the application of the SPI-12 and SDF curves, two (Steenbras Dam and Wemmershoek Dam) of the five rainfall stations at the five main dams of the WCWSS (see Table 2) have been used, using their updated monthly rainfall records available up to April 2023. The mean and threshold SPI-12 values (in mm) used for these rainfall stations are shown in Table 2.

Using the updated rainfall data (till April 2023) for these two rainfall stations, the running 12-month total precipitation was compared to the mean and Drought threshold SPI-12 threshold values for each station respectively, (mm) and drought and non-drought periods from 1 455 January 2015 to April 2023 were identified as 587 an example.

734 Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the drought and 364 non-drought periods for Steenbras Dam and 746 Wemmershoek Dam.

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Droughts in the Steenbras catchment Figure 3 indicates that the Steenbras catchment has been experiencing drought conditions from June 2015 to April 2023.

However, there are a few periods during the drought conditions where rainfall was particularly low; these periods of lowest rainfall were centred around: • October 2015 • September 2017 • September 2019 • November 2022 Table 3 summarises the calculation of the most severe 6-month drought period, occurring at these dates.

FIGURE 5: Severity, duration, and frequency curves for the Steenbras catchment

FIGURE 6: Severity, duration, and frequency curves for the Wemmershoek catchment

3.2 Assessing the severity of droughts from severity, duration, and frequency curves The severity, duration, and frequency diagrams for the Steenbras and Wemmershoek catchments (Du Plessis and Rhode, 2023) are shown in Figures 5 and 6 respectively.

Using the series of running 12-month total precipitations, the cumulative six months periods with lower rainfall, from January 2015 to April 2023, were used to determine the severity of droughts being experienced from the above diagrams.

Droughts in the Wemmershoek catchment Figure 4 indicates that the Wemmershoek catchment has experienced two drought periods from June 2015 to April 2023: the first from August 2015 to April 2018, and the second from August 2022 to April 2023.

There are two periods during the drought conditions where rainfall was particularly low; these periods of lowest rainfall were centred around: • September 2017 • November 2022 Table 4 summarises the calculation of the most severe 6-month drought period, occurring at these dates.

4. DISCUSSION 4.1 Current occurrence of drought in the Steenbras and Wemmershoek catchments The rainfall records and threshold and mean SPI values derived by Du Plessis and Rhode (2023) were used to assess the occurrence of droughts in the Steenbras and Wemmershoek catchments. This analysis showed that: • For the Steenbras catchment, drought conditions started in 2015, and have continued till the end of the analysis period (end April 2023). The most sever period can be categorised as between a moderate and severe drought.

• For the Wemmershoek catchment, drought conditions started in mid2015, and ended in mid-2018. However, drought conditions started again in August 2022, and have continued through to the present. The most severe period can be categorised as a moderate drought.

4.2 Severity of drought conditions in the Steenbras and Wemmershoek catchments Analysis of the severity, duration, and frequency relationships for the

TABLE 3: Severities of drought periods in the Steenbras catchment, January 2015 – April 2023 Drought period 1

12-month period ending on

12-month running total rainfall (mm)

Sep 2019

482

Nov 2022

610

456

Oct 2019

531

Dec 2022

678

437

Nov 2019

515

Jan 2023

693

Oct 2017

443

Dec 2019

541

Feb 2023

693

Nov 2017

498

Jan 2020

561

Mar 2023

795

Dec 2017

505

Feb 2020

526

Apr 2023

869

3 679

Total

2 789

Total

3 156

Total

4 339

> 1:5

Estimated probability

~1:100

Estimated probability

~1:20

Estimated probability

> 1:5

608

Jul 2017

450

Sep 2015

607

Aug 2017

Oct 2015

602

Sep 2017

Nov 2015

622

Dec 2015

631

Jan 2016

610

Total

Aug 2015

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Drought period 4

12-month period ending on

12-month period ending on

Estimated probability

Drought period 3 12-month running total rainfall (mm)

12-month period ending on

90

Drought period 2 12-month running total rainfall (mm)

12-month running total rainfall (mm)

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TABLE 4: Severities of drought periods in the Wemmershoek catchment, January 2015 – April 2023 Drought period 1

Drought period 2

12-month period ending on

12-month running total rainfall (mm)

12-month period ending on

12-month running total rainfall (mm)

Jul 2017

601

Nov 2022

618

Aug 2017

618

Dec 2022

661

Sep 2017

577

Jan 2023

662

Oct 2017

615

Feb 2023

711

Nov 2017

682

Mar 2023

811

Dec 2017

676

Apr 2023

861

Total

3 768

Total

4 324

~ 1:5

Estimated probability

> 1:5

Estimated probability

Steenbras catchment indicate that there have been four periods of low rainfall. Of these, the more severe period has been July to December 2017, where the six-month cumulative 12-month running total rainfall is classified as a 1:100 year event, and similarly the period from September 2019 to February 2020 is classified as a 1:20 year event. The drought period from November 2022 to April 2023 is classified as a more moderate event, with a probability of occurrence of less than 1:5 year.

Analysis of the severity, duration, and frequency relationships for the Wemmershoek catchment indicate that there have been two periods of lower rainfall. Of these, the more severe period was between July and December 2017, where the six-month period is classified as a 1:5 year event. The drought period from November 2022 to April 2023 is a more moderate event, classified as an event with a probability of occurrence of less than 1:5 years.

Being able to quickly determine the occurrence and severities of droughts (as per the above examples), using only rainfall data, can give water resource managers valuable, almost real time, insights in the unfolding drought scenarios, which can inform water supply system planning and operational decisions.

resource managers should monitor the situation in the event that severities worsen and there is a need to act to reduce demand from the system.

Assessing all catchments of the WCWSS would also give a more complete picture of the current climatic position of the WCWSS and it is recommended that the research be extended not only to the WCWSS, but to South Africa as a country.

6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors express their thanks to the organising committee of the International Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering and Management conference for allowing a small part of the material presented at their Dubai conference to be included in this paper.

REFERENCES Du Plessis JA & Rhode PW 2023. Using threshold, severity, duration and frequency diagrams to identify the occurrence of drought conditions in the Western Cape: South Africa. International Journal of Advances in Mechanical and Civil Engineering. 10(1):24-29 Edwards DC & McKee TB 1997. Characteristics of 20th Century Drought in the United States at Multiple Time Scales. Climatology Report 97-2, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.

McKee TB, Doesken NJ & Kleist J 1993. The relationship of drought frequency and duration to time scales. 8th Conference on Applied Climatology, Anaheim, 17-22 January 1993, 179-184.

Mishra AK & Singh VP 2010. A review of drought concepts. Journal of Hydrology. 391(1–2):202–216.

Rahmat SN, Jayasuriya N & Bhuiyan M 2015. Development of drought severity-duration-frequency curves in Victoria, Australia. Australian Journal of Water Resources. 19(1):31–42.

Wilhite DA 2000. Drought as a natural hazard: Concepts and definitions.

Drought: A Global Assessment. 3–18.

World Meteorological Organization 2012. Standardized Precipitation Index User Guide. Geneva, Switzerland.

5. CONCLUSION Local authorities do have a constitutional obligation to provide water services to the people within their areas of jurisdiction. Limited funding and technical capacity force local authorities to be innovative in their approach to be resilient in the future in managing their water resources, which will most likely be further aggravated by climate change. The research presented in this paper has illustrated through the WCWSS case study, how historical monthly rainfall data can be used to assess the occurrence and severity of droughts using the rainfall data together with drought threshold values and severity, duration, and frequency relationships diagrams, derived only from the monthly rainfall. This can be done without the need to calculate any other climate parameters from first principles. These assessments can provide useful information to water resource managers when making decisions on operating the WCWSS as a case study, but the approach, if applied by local authorities, will also strengthen their resilience in the future to deal with the expected water resource challenges.

Using the SPI-12 values and associated developed SDF graphs, the analysis further illustrates that droughts are currently occurring in both of the 2 catchments of the WCWSS used in the case study, but that these droughts are fortunately generally only moderate. This indicates that water

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PAPER 6

HOW TO GET A REALISTIC OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE BUDGET IN PLACE TO PRIORITISE ESSENTIAL MAINTENANCE OF WATER AND SANITATION INFRASTRUCTURE Johan Bester iX Engineers George Municipality – case study

By implementing a Grading Matrix to inform a Priority Matrix the maintenance team can depart from a “Patch-and-Pray” situation, grow towards a “Find-andFix” scenario, and strive for a “Predict-and-Prevent” state.

ABSTRACT Why the obvious lack of prioritised expenditure on essential maintenance and operations? Most Municipalities show expenditure on capital projects and development of new opportunities, but an obvious lack of expenditure on O&M. How should the usual excuse “Insufficient O&M budget” be addressed?

A first step should be to get a feasible maintenance prioritisation plan in place.

This paper will entail a value-add Maintenance Prioritisation Plan to provide the municipality with the necessary information for strategic planning regarding the capacity and O&M requirements for these infrastructure systems.

Audit reports for each asset/system, which include the findings of a condition assessment, a scope of refurbishment works required and a scope of works required to upgrade the asset to meet future demands, need to be compiled.

The replacement values of assets, as well as refurbishment and upgrade costs for each asset need to be estimated. Based on the findings of each audit report, an asset register update and a Grading and Prioritisation Matrix can be populated. The outputs of the matrixes will inform a Maintenance Prioritisation Plan to be utilised by the municipality as a tool to track progress on maintenance.

2. STEPS BY THE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY TO PRIORITISE MAINTENANCE The municipality need to identify the various maintenance tasks. Categorising of these tasks is based on their urgency, the impact of the completed task and the available resources and skillsets in the maintenance teams.

Some basic steps and milestones should be to (i) update the asset register/ inventory; (ii) perform regular condition assessments of assets; and (iii) do performance testing of equipment thus, identify assets requiring immediate intervention. Furthermore, the municipality should rate the strategic importance of the asset (e.g., how critical is the asset to a functional system; what is the impact on essential service delivery). The municipality should consider (i) health and safety; (ii) legal requirements; (iii) environmental impacts, as well as (iv) end-user and community demand. The operations and maintenances teams should (i) compile incident reports; (ii) log customer complaints to address areas that require immediate attention; (iii) compile preventive maintenance schedules (activities and dates); and (iv) compile repairs close out reports.

All this valuable documented information advises data-driven decisions.

Following these steps can assist the municipality with prioritising maintenance tasks effectively and allocating resources (maintenance teams and funds) efficiently. Thus, enhancing service delivery and community satisfaction.

Taking the first steps to data-driven decisions: Assess the value and performance of existing assets. This entailed a detailed condition assessment and performance testing of assets pertaining existing bulk conveyance water and sewer infrastructure, categorised in the table 1.

Review the existing asset register and update replacement values and refurbishment costs to inform the Maintenance and Operation budget.

Compile a Grading Matrix and a Prioritisation Matrix from the information gather during assessments to yield a Maintenance Prioritisation Plan.

1. INTRODUCTION – WHY THE NEED FOR A MAINTENANCE PLAN This paper entails a value-add Maintenance Prioritisation Plan to provide the municipality with the necessary information for strategic planning regarding the capacity of infrastructure systems and the O&M requirements for these infrastructure systems.

Neglect of routine maintenance by local municipalities result in dire need for new infrastructure. Costly projects, focused on new infrastructure, bears funding challenges for the municipality. Hence the municipality prioritise co-founding for new infrastructure, leaving a fraction of the budget allocated towards maintenance. A well-defined maintenance plan is only a first step towards more sustainable operational and maintenance activities.

The main objective of the maintenance plan is to enhance the longevity, safety, and functions of the assets. Thus, the municipality can (i) maximize the value of the assets; (ii) minimize costly repairs; and (iii) ensure a satisfied community regarding service delivery.

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TABLE 1: Asset Categories Main Asset Category

Sub-Category Sump / Wet Well Building / Structure

Civil & Structural

Solids / Foreign Ingress Rising Main Capacity Grounds Pumps

Mechanical

Valves and Pipework Screening Ancillaries Main Supply Capacity Backup Generator MCC

Electrical

PLC & HMI Instrumentation Telemetry Lighting and General

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3. TYPICAL ASPECTS OF A WELL-DEFINED MAINTENANCE PLAN The Maintenance Plan for a municipality entails various maintenance aspects of infrastructure which is deemed assets of the municipality, including regular inspections, preventive measures, repairs and replacements.

Preventive maintenance entails the development of a schedule of routine diagnostic checks and inspections to inform possible servicing of equipment to address equipment deterioration proactively. These schedules are included in the Operational and Maintenance Manuals and data sheets from equipment suppliers. Following a routine/schedule prolongs the lifespan of equipment.

A break-down incident responsive system document valuable information regarding reactive maintenance. Reactive maintenance addresses unexpected equipment failure, or damages and emergencies. Reaction time regarding reactive maintenance serve as valuable mitigation measures in future risk assessment regarding operations.

Planned refurbishments (repairs and rehabilitation) yields from detailed condition assessments of infrastructure and should consider expected lifespan of equipment, as well as expected depreciation and deterioration of equipment.

Communication between operational and maintenance teams to inform clear reporting to inform and give feedback on progress to the end users are of essence. Documented maintenance activities, instrumentation data logs could contribute immensely to future machine learning and data-driven decisions.

Industry standards inform best practice. Regular training and development of maintenance staff is essential to the maintenance plan. Embracing further development and incorporation of emerging technologies, automation and machine learning will yield a “predict-and-prevent” scenario.

Community or end user engagement on social platforms raises awareness regarding these essential public assets and infrastructure. Collaboration and inputs from relevant stakeholders (department heads, maintenance staff) will align priorities with the holistic goals of the municipality and the community needs.

Realistic and feasible budget allocations form an integral part of any maintenance plan.

Continuous monitoring and evaluation will steer and improve future maintenance tasks and reassess priorities for a flexible and adaptable approach.

4. TYPICAL MUNICIPAL ASSETS RELATED TO THE WATER AND SANITATION DEPARTMENT The typical municipal assets which influence the M&O budget, specific to the Water and Sanitation department include items mentioned in table 2.

The specific assets and their associated costs may vary depending on the size of the municipality, local regulations, infrastructure conditions, and the level of service provided by the water and sanitation department.

5. MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONAL BUDGET INFLUENCERS The maintenance and operational budgets for different local municipalities vary and are influenced by various factors. The budget influencers include the size of the local municipality; the population within the municipality; as well as the priorities and backlogs within the municipality.

Common sources and references of the typical budget may include the previous annual budget reports; the annual expenditure reports; the revenue of the municipality; the relevant policies of the finance department; the Medium-Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework; %-based on capital budget; %-based on value of assets; as well as the strategic planning sessions to develop long-term maintenance plans.

Aspects out of control of the managers and teams, which might also influence the budget are unpredicted failures; temporary overload on equipment; loadshedding schedules; vandalism and/or sabotage; availability/ reliability of maintenance resource team; as well as availability/discontinue of replacement equipment/parts.

6. LOCAL MUNICIPALITY CASE STUDY George Municipality undertook a comprehensive assessment of the sewer pump stations within the George Municipality boundaries. The purpose of these assessments is to provide George Municipality with the necessary information for strategic planning with regards to the capacity and operational and maintenance requirements for these pump stations.

Sewer pump stations forms a key part of wastewater infrastructure in that they enable effective conveyance of sewage in the reticulation network. The effective functioning and operation of sewer pump stations are critical to the reliability of the reticulation network.

There are approximately 106 sewer pump stations within the George Municipal boundaries, of which approximately 80 of these pump stations are owned and operated by George Municipality. The other pump stations are privately owned and operated, but most of them feed into the municipal sewer network.

Water pump stations, reservoirs and water towers form a key part of a water infrastructure system. Reservoirs and water towers allow for back-up emergency supply storage, whilst pump stations can be used to effectively convey and transfer water within a water network. The effective functioning, operation and condition of these water related infrastructure items are therefore of critical importance to the reliability of a water supply system.

TABLE 2: Typical Municipal Assets Typical municipal assets related to water services

Typical municipal assets related to sanitation services

Water Treatment Works (Maintenance of equipment, Operational items like consumables, chemicals, energy, salaries)

Wastewater Treatment Works (Maintenance of equipment, Operational items like consumables, chemicals, energy, salaries)

Water distribution networks

Sewer collection systems

Water pump stations

Sewer pump stations

Reservoirs (storage facilities and balancing tanks)

Sewer sumps and balancing tanks

Flow meters: although advance metering systems have higher capital costs, it provides accurate data for improved revenue collection

Flow measurement structures

Water sources or abstraction points

Control and instrumentation systems: essential for efficient operation and data management systems

Control and instrumentation systems: essential for efficient operation and data management systems

Specialised equipment for maintenance (e.g., crane trucks; vacuum tankers)

Specialised equipment for maintenance

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FIGURE 1: Thembalethu Pump Station

FIGURE 2: Thembalethu Pumps

There are approximately 28 water pump stations, 41 Reservoirs and 3 water towers within the George Municipal boundaries.

The detailed assessments of the conveyance systems and storage infrastructure entailed photo summary report with observations and findings.

Figures 1-3 show a typical sewer pump station with the associated assets Furthermore, schematic layouts of assets; detailed and updated asset register; estimated status quo values of assets; potential refurbishment values;

FIGURE 4: Asset categories and sub-categories for sewer pump stations

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FIGURE 3: Thembalethu Generator

cost estimate of potential future upgrades; total replacement value of assets (relevant infrastructure, summarised within each respective engineering discipline) are included with the assessment to inform a comparative grading matrix. Additional to the grading of the assets a Prioritisation Matrix rank the priority of the asset and thus inform a maintenance prioritisation plan.

Audit reports were compiled for each asset/system which included the findings of a condition assessment, a scope of refurbishment works required and a scope of works required to upgrade the asset to meet future demands. Engineering specialists, each representing one of the following engineering disciplines, namely Civil, Structural, Mechanical and Electrical/ Electronic carried out these detail condition assessments.

Three main asset classes are split up into sub-categories and given gradings (refer to Figure 4). Sub-categories are given weightings to provide an overall asset grading to determine which areas to prioritise and what it will cost. Four categories (e.g., Environmental Impact, Security, Strategic Importance, and Asset grading) calculates a priority score and can be used to schedule a refurbishment and/or maintenance plan.

The replacement values of assets, as well as refurbishment and upgrade costs for each asset were estimated. Based on the findings of each audit report, an asset register was updated and a Grading Matrix and Prioritisation Matrix were populated. The outputs of the matrixes will inform a Maintenance Prioritisation Plan to be utilised by the municipality as tool to track progress on maintenance.

7. GRADING MATRIX AND PRIORITISATION MATRIX The Grading Matrix and Prioritisation Matrix are compiled by assessing the condition of the key infrastructure at the various water and sanitation infrastructure systems. The main asset categories (Civil & Structural, Mechanical and Electrical & CI) of the pump stations were assessed to grade the current condition/situation at each pump station. The main asset categories are divided into sub-categories, with weightings of importance to the overall condition of the main asset category given to each subcategory. The grading of each sub-category combined with its relevant weighting then provides a grading for the main asset category. Figure 4 illustrates the main asset categories, its sub-categories, as well as their weightings for sewer pump stations.

The overall grading of the asset is then determined by combining the grading of the three main asset classes.

Each asset is then given an overall priority score by using the overall grading, the possible environmental impact of the pump station, the security risks, and the strategic importance of the pump station. Each of these four categories are given relevant weightings to give a priority score for each pump station. Sewer pump stations are prioritised based on their

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FIGURE 5: Priority grading respective priority score. Figure 5 illustrates the weightings given to the four different categories.

The main asset categories, its sub-categories, with the associated weightings differ for the various types of assets (e.g., water pump stations do not have screens; reservoirs and water towers do not have pumps).

The maintenance prioritisation grading and accompanied cost estimates provided in the following section can be used by the George Municipality for planning purposes. The Grading Matrix and Priority Matrix are tools which can be used by George Municipality for maintenance and intervention planning at the various pump stations. The Maintenance Prioritisation Plan is seen as a live/work in progress document and is something that can be further workshopped with George Municipality to ensure that all aspects of importance and deemed influential to the grading are included in the matrix.

8. EXAMPLE USING THE MATRIX As an example, the Herold’s Bay PS 1 is ranked as No.1 on the Prioritisation Matrix. It is seen that the main contributing factors are “Environmental Impact” and “Strategic Importance”. “Strategic Importance” cannot be reduced by any upgrade or refurbishment works and will only reduce once the “role” the Pump Station plays in the overall catchment area reduces. This can only occur with alterations to the sewer system.

If action is taken to reduce the grading score of “Environmental Impact” by including more redundancy, such as upgrading backup supply or the

inclusion of an emergency storage sump, this will reduce the “Environmental Impact” grading. Furthermore, although an “Asset Grading” of 2.6 is fair, when reviewing the Grading Matrix, it is seen that the Electrical Grading of the pump station is 3.6.

For this example, it is assumed that the “Environmental Impact” is reduced to 3 by the inclusion of redundancy previously mentioned, and that an Electrical refurbishment was carried out which the changes an Electrical Grading to only 1. This has now changed the “Asset Grading of Herold’s Bay PS 1 to 1.7. When these assumed upgrades/refurbishment works is reflected in the Grading Matrix, it will be carried over to the Prioritisation Matrix, and Herold’s Bay PS 1’s Priority Grading is then recalculated as follows: 3×22.5% + 2×5% + 5×22.5% + 1.7×50% = 2.73 The Prioritisation Matrix allows the user to sort Pump Stations by rank of either “Priority Grading”, “Asset Grading”, or “Estimated Refurbishment Cost”. By making the changes as described in the previous paragraph, the Priority Rank of Herold’s Bay PS 1 has now changed from No.1 to No.27.

The user of the Prioritisation Matrix tool can also decide which categories are of higher importance than others, by changing the weightings given to the different categories. To show an example of the impact of these weightings, the weightings of the categories used to calculate the Priority Grading were changed to Environmental Impact =10%, Site Security Risk =10%, Strategic Importance =10 %, and Asset Grading =70%. With these adjusted weightings, the Priority Grading for Herold’s Bay PS 1 is then calculated as follows: 5×10% + 2×10% + 5×10% + 2.6×70% = 3.00 Herold’s Bay PS 1 would then have a Priority Rank of No.22. This is an indication of how crucial it is to ensure the correct weightings are assigned to the relevant categories, based on user preference.

The ideal way of using the Matrix is by following the steps as set out below: 1. Ensure that the weightings assigned to the relevant categories are representative of their importance to the user.

2. Evaluate the Prioritisation Matrix and rank pump stations by their respective Priority Grading.

3. Review the Grading Matrix to determine what aspects of the pump station requires attention.

4. Review the relevant Audit Report for the specific pump station for recommended refurbishment/upgrade works proposed.

5. Update the Grading Matrix based on the works carried out at a particular pump station.

FIGURE 6: Example of a Grading Matrix

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such as the estimated replacement value of each pump station, as well as the estimated refurbishment costs. By timeously updating the Grading Matrix, as and when refurbishments or replacements happen, the Municipality regrade the relevant infrastructure. This then influences the Prioritisation Matrix.

The Prioritisation Matrix combines the grading score calculated in the Grading Matrix, with other categories of relevance, to provide the Municipality with a list of ranked infrastructure in order of “priority”. The pump station at the top of the list will then have the highest priority in terms of the need for intervention to ensure functional operation. By regularly updating this matrix the municipality will have relevant information to update their Maintenance Plan regarding the infrastructure.

The use of the Grading Matrix and Prioritisation Matrix, with the added information provided in the Asset Register, will enable the Municipality to move away from a reactive approach and toward a proactive approach regarding the operation and maintenance of the infrastructure.

Furthermore, these tools inform planning and budgeting.

10. RECOMMENDATIONS Maintenance task should be prioritised at municipalities. It is recommended that municipalities do condition assessments of their existing sewer and water pump stations. The replacement value of these assets (to include short-term refurbishment costs) should be updated. The municipality should do a grading of the existing infrastructure to inform a grading matrix and the compile a Priority Matrix to inform a Maintenance Prioritisation Plan.

11. REFERENCES Two concurrent projects for George Municipality, namely: • Project 16 (Work Package 3): Sanitation Pump Station Audit • Project 16 (Work Package 6): Water Pump Station, Reservoir & Tower Audit

FIGURE 7: Example of Prioritisation Matrix 6. Evaluate the Prioritisation Matrix and rank pump stations by their updated respective Priority Grading.

9. CONCLUSIONS Maintenance budgets are not adequate at many local municipalities.

Regular maintenance tasks are not prioritised and mostly neglected due to lack of a well-defined maintenance plan. A maintenance prioritisation plan can enhance a data-driven decision-making process and allow for work team feedback to reassess and amend the plan for future maintenance activities.

Following basic steps can assist the municipality with prioritising maintenance tasks effectively and allocating resources (maintenance teams and funds) efficiently, thus enhancing service delivery and community satisfaction.

Grading of assessed infrastructure, together with prioritisation criteria, can be weighted to calculate a prioritisation score/grade. These grades inform a maintenance prioritisation plan.

The Grading Matrix provides the Municipality with the status of the condition of the sewer pump station assets. It entails additional data

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PAPER 7

EMERGING MICRO ENTERPRISE (EME) ENGAGEMENT: INSIGHTS THROUGH PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE Jean Pierre Blignault1, Gerrie van de Merwe2 AfriCoast Consulting Engineers1 AfriCoast Consulting Engineers2 ABSTRACT The practical application of the Emerging Micro Enterprise Development Support Policy (EMEDSP), implemented by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and other local authorities and public entities, is explored by revisiting practical experiences gained on actual construction projects where EME's were engaged in construction activities.

The pursuit of "resilience" to meet the future demands of infrastructure provision in the municipal environment, is intricately linked to the development and improvement of EME (or SMME) engagement in construction projects. It is common knowledge that the engagement of communities, local labour, SMMEs and EMEs is currently one of the most controversial subjects in South Africa. The engagement of these small enterprises is based on sound laws and policies, but the actual implementation is wrought with loopholes and pitfalls. Incorrect, or insensitive application of the policies and principles involved on numerous projects countrywide, has apparently led to suspicion and fear and has opened the door to corruption. The term "construction mafia' has become very common in the media and discussions, and is used by politicians at high level.

The paper endeavours to look into the successes and failures, with respect to EME engagement, on construction projects. The authors were involved in the provision of professional services as Employers's Agent on various projects engaging EME's. Amongst these are the Nooitgedagt Coega Low level Supply Scheme implemented for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the Nsezi Raw Water Pipeline implemented for the Mhlathuze Water Board in Richards Bay and the Concordia Road Rehabilitation Project in Knysna. These projects, amongst others, are scrutinised to determine how the EME's were engaged, how the local policy was implemented and how this practically played out on the actual construction site. Problems experienced are discussed and solutions proposed. The focus is on lessons learnt and proposals for future improvement.

INTRODUCTION The engagement of Emerging Micro Enterprises (EMEs) in the construction industry is an important aspect of promoting economic growth, job creation, and empowerment in South Africa. In order to develop resilience in meeting future demands of infrastructure provision, it is imperative that cognisance is taken of the reality of EME engagement in the construction industry and its impact on project success.

Rather than providing formulae and correct procedures in dealing with EMEs, this paper seeks to provide a general overview, based on practical experience and general knowledge, in order to sensitise and make recommendations. It explores the background and definition of EMEs, highlighting their classification and criteria for qualification. Policies and legislation relevant to EME engagement, including the Broad-

Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act, the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Act, the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA), and the Construction Sector Code are briefly considered.

Additionally, we discuss typical illegal practices reported in the industry and provide insights from practical experience on projects involving EMEs. Furthermore, we address the problems experienced and lessons learned, emphasizing the importance of effective communication, welldefined EME policies, experienced EME managers, and training programs.

Lastly, we examine the role of the social facilitator and community liaison officer in facilitating successful EME engagement.

BACKGROUND In the context of the construction industry in South Africa, the term "Emerging Micro Enterprise" refers to small-scale businesses that are relatively new and are starting to establish themselves in the construction sector. These enterprises typically have limited resources, a small number of employees, and operate at a micro-level in terms of project size and revenue. The concept is often associated with government initiatives and programs aimed at promoting economic growth, job creation, and empowerment within historically disadvantaged communities in South Africa. These initiatives are part of broader efforts to address historical inequalities and promote inclusive economic development.

To qualify as an Emerging Micro Enterprise in the construction industry, a business usually needs to meet specific criteria set by relevant authorities or programs. These criteria may vary but generally include factors such as: Business Size: The enterprise must be classified as a micro-enterprise, which means it has a limited number of employees and generates a relatively low annual turnover.

Business Age: The enterprise should be relatively new or in its early stages of operation, typically within a specified period (e.g., less than five years).

Ownership: The enterprise has a requirement for majority ownership or significant involvement of historically disadvantaged individuals, such as Black South Africans or other designated groups.

Skills Development: The enterprise may be encouraged or required to participate in skills development programs aimed at enhancing the capabilities of its workforce and improving overall productivity.

Compliance: The enterprise should meet legal and regulatory requirements for operating in the construction industry, including necessary licenses, permits, and adherence to health and safety standards.

Timeline associated with EME engagement in South Africa The timeline can be traced back to the early 2000s, following the democratic transition and the introduction of policies aimed at addressing historical inequalities and promoting inclusive economic development.

One significant milestone in the development and promotion of EMEs in South Africa was the enactment of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act in 2003. This legislation provided a

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framework for promoting the participation of historically disadvantaged individuals, including black South Africans, in various sectors of the economy, including the construction industry.

Over the years, the South African government, industry associations, and procurement regulations have further refined and reinforced the concept of EMEs in the construction sector. This includes setting specific targets and requirements for EME participation in construction projects, implementing preferential procurement policies, and providing support mechanisms such as capacity building programs, mentorship initiatives, and access to funding opportunities.

POLICIES AND LEGISLATION The South African Government promulgated specific legislation to promote economic growth, job creation, and empowerment within historically disadvantaged communities and the following policies and legislation are relevant to the engagement of Emerging Micro Enterprises (EMEs) in the construction industry: The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act provides a framework for promoting the participation of historically disadvantaged individuals, including EMEs, in various sectors, including construction. The Act includes provisions for preferential procurement, enterprise development, skills development, and ownership requirements to advance the economic empowerment of designated groups.

The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) is a statutory body established to regulate and develop the construction industry in South Africa. The CIDB Act provides guidance and regulations for the engagement of contractors, including EMEs, in public sector construction projects. The CIDB assigns grading levels to contractors based on their capacity and capability, and EMEs fall within the lower grading levels.

The Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) sets out the regulations and guidelines for the implementation of preferential procurement in South Africa. It includes provisions for preferential scoring and evaluation criteria that give preference to EMEs in the awarding of government contracts. EMEs are typically awarded a higher score in the evaluation process, which increases their chances of securing public sector construction projects.

The Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC) has issued sector-specific Codes of Good Practice that provide guidelines and criteria for B-BBEE compliance in various industries, including construction. The Construction Sector Code outlines specific targets and requirements for EME participation, skills development, enterprise development, and other empowerment initiatives within the construction industry.

The National Treasury issues regulations and guidelines for Preferential Procurement in government procurement processes. These regulations outline the preferential point systems, thresholds, and requirements for EME participation, subcontracting, and joint ventures in public sector construction projects.

TYPICAL ILLEGAL PRACTICES REPORTED IN GENERAL The introduction of legislation and policies to promote the engagement of SMMEs (QSEs and EMEs) in the construction industry, was initiated to promote economic growth, job creation, and empowerment.

Unfortunately, there is always the danger of misuse, corruption and devious practices aimed at self-enrichment by certain parties and individuals, that hinder effective implementation. The following devious practices are amongst those noted to surface within the South African construction industry:

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Fronting: Fronting is a common fraudulent practice where EMEs are used as a front to secure contracts or meet empowerment requirements without genuine participation or control by historically disadvantaged individuals. In these cases, EMEs are falsely represented as the primary contractors, while the actual work and decision-making are controlled by non-qualifying individuals or entities.

Tender Irregularities: Instances of corruption and bribery may occur during the tendering process for EME contracts. This can involve offering or accepting bribes, manipulation of bid documents, or collusion between contractors and EMEs to secure contracts unlawfully.

Non-Delivery of Services: Some EMEs may secure contracts but fail to deliver the contracted services or complete the projects. This can lead to financial losses for clients and project delays.

Ghost Employees: In certain cases, EMEs may fraudulently inflate their employee numbers by listing non-existent or "ghost" employees to meet empowerment criteria. This allows them to qualify for contracts and benefits while bypassing the intended economic empowerment goals.

Payment Fraud: Fraudulent practices related to payments can occur within EMEs. For example, the EME owner or manager may demand illegal kickbacks or payments from their own employees or subcontractors, reducing their rightful earnings.

Falsified Qualifications: Some EMEs may misrepresent their qualifications or experience to qualify for specific projects or tenders. This can involve presenting fraudulent documentation or false claims about their technical expertise, leading to compromised project quality.

Double Dipping: Double dipping occurs when an EME receives financial benefits or incentives from multiple sources for the same project or scope of work.

This fraudulent practice violates the intended allocation of resources and undermines fair competition.

It is important to note that while these criminal activities and fraudulent practices exist, they are not representative of all EMEs. Many EMEs operate with integrity and contribute positively to the construction industry. The examples mentioned highlight the need for robust oversight, ethical business practices, and strict enforcement of regulations to combat fraud and ensure genuine empowerment in the construction sector.

APPLICATION IN PRACTICE Practical experience on projects engaging EMEs The following projects are some where the authors gained personal practical experience from involvement in construction projects that engaged Exempted Micro Enterprises (EMEs). The insights shared lateron were gained from involvement in, inter alia, these projects.

Extracts from actual; sight meeting minutes were probed with respect to the comments under the project headings: Concordia Phase 1 - Rehabilitation of Concordia Road: During site meetings, it was noted that the contract required 0% of the contract value to be completed by EMEs. However, the contractor, agreed to assist and facilitate the payment of Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) through their contract. The selection and procurement of SMMEs were to be done by the Knysna Municipality.

Additionally, the Main Contractor committed to utilizing local

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labour as much as possible, emphasizing their focus on supporting the local community.

the contractor. Strict control of EMEs was highlighted to ensure smooth collaboration. Any disputes between EMEs and the contractor were to be escalated to the employer for resolution. The appointment of a social facilitator ensured effective communication and engagement with EMEs.

FIGURE 1: Concordia Road Phase 1 - EME’s digging holes for the erection of Guardrails posts.

FIGURE 3: Nooitgedagt WTW - EME’s assisting with steel fixing.

Nsezi WTW Raw Water Pipeline Construction: In this project, a significant effort was made to involve the local community. A total of 76 general workers were employed from the local community, working for the Main Contractor, a joint venture (JV) and its sub-contractors. The project aimed to achieve a community participation goal of 30% for the construction contract. This goal was successfully reached by utilizing sub-contractors and EMEs for various specialized works, such as concrete works, general construction and supply, cathodic protection, and sand supply. This approach not only provided employment opportunities but also contributed to the empowerment and development of local businesses.

Augmentation of Markman Sewer: This project aimed to involve EMEs to meet the requirement of 25% participation. Eleven EMEs were identified, with six from the ward and five from the municipality. Compliance checks were conducted, and compliant EMEs were selected for participation. A suitable Community Liaison Officer (CLO) was to be appointed once the work commenced to facilitate social facilitation. The project's approach emphasized the utilization of local EMEs and their contribution to the project's success.

FIGURE 4: Markman Sewer - EME’s assisting with pipe laying operations.

FIGURE 2: Nsezi Pipeline - EME’s assisting with fixing of formwork prior to the concrete pour.

Nooitgedagt Potable WTW Phase 3 Extensions: The requirement was that 25% of the value of the works be subcontracted to EMEs registered on the Nelson Mandela Bay Supplier Database and from the Sunday’s River Municipality. During the progress meetings, specific focus was placed on the engagement of EMEs and their interaction with

Road Upgrade at Flemming and MPT Area, Port Elizabeth: In this project, EME sub-contracting played a crucial role. Various EMEs were appointed for different tasks, such as asphalt surfacing, building of stormwater MH's, concrete works, and supply and installation of kerbs.

The selection of EMEs was based on compliance and their registration on the National Treasury Central Supplier Database. This approach allowed for the engagement of EMEs in specific areas of expertise, contributing to the project's overall success.

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FIGURE 5: Flemming Road - EME’s laying kerbs.

PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED AND LESSONS LEARNED This section discusses some of the problems experienced and the lessons learned from practical experience gained from the project involvement mentioned. These were compiled from general comments by the project managers involved and are not necessarily project specific.

Practical experience has shown that the following important elements should be incorporated into the EME engagement strategy on any construction project to facilitate successful implementation: a. Communication: One of the significant challenges faced is the need for effective communication and upfront engagement with the community. It is crucial to inform the community well in advance about the EMEs and their involvement in the construction projects. This helps in managing expectations, addressing concerns, and avoiding conflicts that may arise from miscommunication. A robust communication strategy that involves transparent and proactive engagement with the community to ensure their understanding and support for EME participation in construction projects is thus required. b. EME Policy: That the Employer should have a well-defined EME policy is crucial for successful implementation. One example of problems experienced when policies are not adhered to is when various community forums provide lists of EMEs, leading to the formation of splinter groups and new demands during the course of the construction project. The EME policy should be clearly understood by all stakeholders, including community forums, contractors, and EMEs. A strong and effective Social Facilitator who can address concerns, mediate disputes, and maintain alignment with the EME policy is of great assistance in this regard. c. EME Managers: EMEs require experienced individuals to manage their operations effectively. Contractors need knowledgeable EME managers who can navigate the challenges specific to EMEs on projects. Additionally, involving an independent quantity surveyor (QS) to adjudicate EME issues has proven beneficial in building trust between all parties involved. It has proven essential to employ experienced EME managers on contracts who can effectively manage EMEs' operations and address challenges. d. Training: Providing formal training sessions for EMEs, such as on the General Conditions of Contract (GCC), has been highly appreciated and beneficial. It helps EMEs enhance their understanding of contract

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terms and project requirements, improving their overall performance.

Both formal and informal training programmes, tailored to the specific needs of EMEs, including technical and managerial skills development, should be incorporated in construction projects.

Further challenges (with lessons learned), experienced in general on the sites mentioned before and compiled through interviewing the project managers involved, include: a. EME labourers may face underpayment or exploitation by EME owners/managers. The involvement of an independent party (like an independent quantity surveyor) can help resolve disputes and ensure fair treatment. b. Time management and effective project management within EMEs can be areas of concern that need attention and support. c. Ward-based EMEs demanding exclusive work opportunities within specific areas can create logistical and fairness challenges. Ensuring fairness in procurement processes is crucial. d. EMEs often lack necessary resources such as equipment and materials.

Contractors providing the required resources at a cost deducted from the EME's package can help overcome this hurdle. e. The percentage requirement for EME participation (e.g., 30%) should be applied practically, considering the nature of the work. Unrealistic demands can be addressed through effective communication and engagement. f. Instances of EME owners demanding payment to "go away" undermine the purpose of EME engagement. Strict measures and accountability should be in place to prevent such fraudulent practices. g. The engagement of EMEs on construction projects may create additional work for consultants/engineers. Consideration should be given to compensating them appropriately for the extra effort.

Recommended solutions based on practical experience may include a. Clients/Employers should have a well-defined EME policies that are correctly implemented. This may include upfront identification of work packages for EMEs. b. Establish proper tender processes for EME sub-contractors to ensure fair selection and participation. c. Set up EME advice centres with retired engineers or experienced contractors to assist EMEs with tendering and provide mentorship during construction management and administration. d. Require EMEs to register with relevant bodies such as the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), South African Revenue Service (SARS), and the Department of Labour. Verify their technical qualifications, experience, or relevant skills for the specific construction work.

ROLE OF THE SOCIAL FACILITATOR AND COMMUNITY LIAISON OFFICER The employment of Social Facilitators and Community Liaison Officers, on projects that engage EMEs, has proven to be of great value in addressing the problems experienced on construction sites. This is of particular importance with providing effective communication, highlighted as an important element of the EME engagement strategy on any construction project.

The Employer's Social Facilitator and the Contractor's Community Liaison Officer play crucial roles in the engagement of Emerging Micro Enterprises (EMEs). While their specific responsibilities may vary, their overall objective is to facilitate effective communication, build relationships, and address community-related concerns throughout the EME engagement process.

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Employer's Social Facilitator: The Employer's Social Facilitator acts as a liaison between the employer and the community.

Their responsibilities may include: • Engaging with the local community and stakeholders to understand their needs, concerns, and expectations related to the construction project. This involves conducting community meetings, consultations, and workshops to ensure open dialogue and transparency.

• Keeping the community informed about the project's objectives, timelines, potential impacts, and opportunities for EME participation.

This includes providing regular updates and addressing any queries or misconceptions related to EME engagement.

• Identifying and facilitating partnerships between the employer, EMEs, and relevant community organizations or forums. This can help in establishing effective collaboration, fostering trust, and maximizing the positive socio-economic impact of the project.

• Addressing conflicts or disputes that may arise during the engagement process. The Social Facilitator acts as a mediator, facilitating dialogue and finding mutually beneficial solutions to resolve issues between the community, EMEs, and the employer.

Contractor's Community Liaison Officer: The Contractor's Community Liaison Officer is responsible for managing the interface between the construction project and the local community.

Their roles and responsibilities may include: • Engaging with the community to establish rapport, understand their concerns, and communicate the contractor's commitment to responsible construction practices and EME engagement.

• Working closely with community forums, EME associations, and relevant stakeholders to identify and engage potential EMEs for participation in the project. This includes assessing their qualifications, capabilities, and compliance with project requirements.

• Coordinating training programs and capacity-building initiatives for EMEs to enhance their technical and managerial skills. This may involve arranging workshops, mentorship programs, or access to resources and expertise.

• Regularly monitoring the performance and progress of EMEs, ensuring adherence to project requirements, quality standards, and timelines. The Community Liaison Officer prepares reports on EME engagement, including the social and economic impact of the project on the local community.

• Building and maintaining positive relationships with EMEs, community leaders, and other stakeholders. The Community Liaison Officer serves as a point of contact for EMEs, addressing their concerns, providing guidance, and facilitating effective communication between the contractor and the EMEs. HOW TO AVOID LOOPHOLES AND PITFALLS Here are some measures that can help minimize risks and ensure a successful EME engagement process: a. Establish clear policies and procedures for EME engagement that align with relevant legislation, codes of practice, and company objectives.

These policies should outline the criteria for EME qualification, evaluation, selection, and ongoing monitoring. b. Conduct thorough due diligence and verification processes to ensure that EMEs meet the defined criteria for participation. This includes confirming their legal status, ownership, B-BBEE compliance, registration with relevant authorities, and technical capabilities.

c. Implement transparent and fair procurement processes that provide equal opportunities for qualified EMEs. Advertise tenders widely, ensure clear evaluation criteria, and establish evaluation panels with diverse representation to avoid bias or favouritism. d. Invest in skills development and capacity building programs for EMEs to enhance their technical and managerial capabilities. This can include providing training, mentorship, and access to resources to help them meet project requirements effectively. e. Maintain open and effective communication channels with EMEs, stakeholders, and communities. Ensure that EMEs are informed about project expectations, timelines, deliverables, and any changes that may arise during the engagement process. f. Implement regular monitoring and reporting mechanisms to track the progress and performance of EMEs. This includes regular site visits, quality inspections, progress reports, and adherence to contractual obligations. g. Establish a robust compliance and risk management framework to identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks associated with EME engagement. Regularly review and update policies and procedures to address emerging challenges and changes in regulations. h. Consider involving independent auditors or adjudicators to assess the compliance and performance of EMEs. This helps ensure impartiality and fairness in the evaluation of EME participation, adherence to contractual obligations, and resolution of disputes. i. Foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning by regularly evaluating the effectiveness of EME engagement strategies and implementing lessons learned from past experiences. Share best practices within the organization and industry to enhance the overall EME engagement process.

By implementing these measures, construction industry stakeholders can minimize loopholes, promote transparency, and maximize the positive impact of EME engagement in South Africa.

CONCLUSION In conclusion, the engagement of Emerging Micro Enterprises (EMEs) in the South African construction industry is a vital aspect of promoting economic growth, job creation, and empowerment within historically disadvantaged communities. The concept of EMEs originated as part of government initiatives to address historical inequalities and foster inclusive economic development. Various policies and legislation, such as the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Act, have been established to regulate and support the participation of EMEs in the construction sector. However, challenges and illegal practices, such as fronting, tender irregularities, and non-delivery of services, have been reported. These incidents highlight the need for robust oversight, ethical business practices, and strict enforcement of regulations to ensure genuine empowerment and combat fraud in the construction industry.

Effective engagement of EMEs in construction projects requires the incorporation of, inter alia, elements such as effective communication, a well-defined employer’s EME Policy, contractor’s employment of EME Managers and EME training in the implementation strategy. Social Facilitators and Community Liaison Officers play an important role in this regard.

In the endeavour to achieve resilience in meeting future demands of infrastructure provision it is important to seriously consider the engagement of EMEs and all factors involved.

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RECOMMENDATIONS Based on practical experience gained from involvement in construction projects that engaged Emerging Micro Enterprises (EMEs), the following recommendations can be made: 1. Establish clear and well-defined EME policies that are correctly implemented. This includes upfront identification of work packages for EMEs and ensuring fair selection and participation through proper tender processes.

2. Set up EME advice centres with retired engineers or experienced contractors to assist EMEs with tendering and provide mentorship during construction management and administration.

3. Require EMEs to register with relevant bodies such as the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), South African Revenue Service (SARS), and the Department of Labour. Verify their technical qualifications, experience, or relevant skills for the specific construction work.

4. Employ experienced EME managers on contracts who can effectively manage EME operations and address challenges specific to EMEs on projects.

5. Provide formal training sessions for EMEs, tailored to their specific needs, including technical and managerial skills development.

6. Ensure effective communication and upfront engagement with the community regarding the involvement of EMEs in construction projects.

7. Implement strict measures and accountability to prevent fraudulent practices such as fronting, tender irregularities, non-delivery of services, and payment fraud.

8. Address logistical and fairness challenges related to ward-based EMEs demanding exclusive work opportunities within specific areas.

Overall, these recommendations aim to promote the successful engagement of EMEs in the construction industry, ensuring their fair participation, economic empowerment, and contribution to the development of historically disadvantaged communities in South Africa.

DEFINITIONS The following explanation of the abbreviations SMME, QSE and EME commonly used in the South African construction context are provided to clarify the terms used in this paper: SMMEs (Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises) refer to a broad category of businesses that fall within the small, medium, and micro size range. The classification of SMMEs is based on various factors such as annual turnover, number of employees, and asset value.

QSEs (Qualifying Small Enterprises) are a specific subset of SMMEs that meet certain criteria to qualify for specific benefits and incentives.

In the South African context, QSEs are defined by the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Codes of Good Practice. QSEs typically have higher annual turnover and employee thresholds compared to micro-enterprises, but they are still considered smaller in scale compared to larger enterprises. Currently in South Africa, a company with an annual turnover between R10 million and R50 million may qualify as a QSE if all the criteria are met.

EMEs (Exempted Micro Enterprises) are the smallest category of enterprises within the SMME framework. These entities have the smallest annual turnover and employee thresholds and enjoy certain exemptions and benefits under the B-BBEE legislation. EMEs are subject to simplified requirements for B-BBEE compliance and are granted automatic Level 4 B-BBEE recognition. Currently, a company with an annual turnover less than R10 million may qualify as an EME, if all criteria are met.

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REFERENCES Qaba, A., (2018)., Emerging Micro Enterprise Development Support Policy.

Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

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PAPER 8

A CASE FOR TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY - MAHATMA GANDHI TRUNK SEWER REHABILITATION PHASE 2 Reudebaker Nel eThekwini Municipality, Water and Sanitation Unit, Professional Engineer BSc Pr.Eng. ABSTRACT The project is a good example of a use case for Trenchless Technology (Cured in place Pipe) in comparison to open trench construction in an urban area with difficult site conditions. The project at the time of construction was the longest and largest diameter of cured in place pipe installed in Africa and was the winner of the 2021 award of excellence from the Southern African Society for Trenchless Technology. The existing 1350mm diameter concrete trunk sewer pipeline in Mahatma Gandhi Road Durban Central was constructed in 1954 (69 Years Old) has a total length of 1.8km and carries most of the city’s central sewage catchment and is approximately 7.5m deep at its deepest point.

After an investigation the pipeline was found to be severely corroded, to an extent that it was close to collapse and required immediate attention.

Scope of the project included rehabilitation of the existing 1350mm diameter sewer 1850m long using Cured in place pipe (CIPP) cured by UV light as the method of rehabilitation. In addition, 80m of 1250mm diameter HDPE was laid at depths of 6.0m using open trench construction required to complete the rehabilitation project in severe water logged conditions. Rehabilitation of 300mm diameter asbestos cement pipe using CIPP by Thermal Curing was also part of the project scope. The sewage catchment of the pipe required to be rehabilitated had incoming sewer pipes of 860,1050 and 1100mm diameters at various locations. The sewage from these incoming pipes were bypassed to facilitate the rehabilitation of the existing 1350mm diameter concrete pipe. The diversion of flows from different points along the 1350mm diameter pipeline presented a unique challenge due to the volumes of flow involved and the effect any diversion of flow will have on the rest of the sewer network in the area.

In addition, there were four smaller lateral incoming flows on the line which needed to be diverted. The liner was designed based on a fully deteriorated condition with onsite measurement of the ovalties along the pipeline. The liners thickness installed varied from a 10.8mm to 14.9mm using a reinforced UV cured liner supplied by CIPP liner supplier based in

FIGURE 1: Corrosion inside existing 1350mm diameter concrete pipe

Germany. Numerous challenges were experienced in the installation mainly due to the weight of the liners (up to 15 tons) into a manhole access point inside a large diameter pipe.

The project demonstrated the capacity of rehabilitation of a sewer pipe in difficult conditions offers a resilient solution to infrastructure repair for projects now and in the future.

1. INTRODUCTION This paper gives a contextual background, planning, design, and installation of a case for trenchless technology for rehabilitation of sewage pipelines in a built-up central business district metropolitan coastal city of South Africa using cured in place pipe liner for a1350mm diameter concrete pipe (which the paper primarily focuses on). The rehabilitation of a 300mm diameter asbestos cement pipe using the thermal method of curing is also discussed.

The paper details why trenchless technology was considered due to the urban environment, significant number of underground services and the difficult in-situ ground conditions with a high-water table that made open trench construction comparatively more expensive, difficult and time consuming and discusses all elements of the project.

2. BACKGROUND- WHY TRENCHLESS WAS CONSIDERED The existing 1350mm diameter concrete trunk sewer in Mahatma Gandhi Road which was constructed in 1954 has a total length of 1.8km and carries most of the central business district (CBD) sewage in Durban. Cracks and subsidence appeared on the road surface above the pipe, which eThekwini Water and Sanitation Unit suspected was due of the concrete sewer pipe and conducted closed circuit television (CCTV) of the 1350mm diameter pipeline.

The pipeline was found to be severely corroded, to an extent that it is close to collapse and required immediate attention.

Work was started on Phase 1 of the project for a length of 640m, however, due to budget constraints, only 560m was completed. Phase 1 comprised the installation of a new 1250mm diameter Structured wall HDPE pipeline at a depth of 7.7m at its deepest point located well below sea level with the water table being 1.1m below the road surface. Phase 1 Construction was conducted using an open excavation method of construction, requiring sheet

FIGURE 2: Phase 1 open trench construction with deep shoring and dewatering

FIGURE 3: Phase 1 open trench construction with high water table below sea level

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metal shoring and extensive dewatering to work at these depths. The new pipeline was constructed parallel to the old pipeline, enabling minimal disruption to the sewage flow in the existing pipe until the new pipe could be connected into the existing tie-in manholes. It was a slow process due to the ground conditions and it affected traffic and the surrounding business significantly during the 18-month construction duration.

Phase 2 of the project which is the subject of this paper was required to complete the work started in Phase 1 (80m of open trench method of construction), however using the lessons learnt from Phase 1 and to avoid major disruption to the public caused by open trench construction the alternative method of pipe rehabilitation was the preferred option.

3. SCOPE OF PHASE 2 OF THE PROJECT IS DETAILED BELOW: • Installation of cured in place pipe liner for 1800m long inside an existing 1350mm ∅ concrete pipe.

• Construction of 80m of 1250mm ∅ structured wall HDPE sewer pipe by means of open trench method of construction to complete phase 1.

• Rehabilitation of 210m of 300mm ∅ uPVC sewer pipe by cured in place liner (cured by hot water) method of construction in Mahatma Gandhi Road between Camperdown and Browns road • Construction of a concrete Tie-in Chambers • Diversion and accommodation of existing sewer flow during construction.

• Removal of detritus/silt material inside existing pipelines where required.

• Rehabilitation of concrete walls of the existing tie-in chamber at the intersection of Mahatma Gandhi Road and Bay Terrace.

• Rehabilitation of 9m of the existing 900mm ∅ concrete pipe at the intersection of Mahatma Gandhi Road and Bay Terrace by open trench method of construction.

• Connections into existing live sewer lines and accommodation of flow.

FIGURE 4: Plan showing overall project scope of work 5. SELECTION OF CIPPL AS THE METHOD OF REHABILITATION The prevailing conditions of the existing pipeline in a road reserve with many underground services, in close proximity to businesses, variance in trench depth of 5 to 7.7m and a high water table (below sea level) the replacement of the pipeline by conventional open trench methods of construction would cause serious disruption to the public and have a higher construction cost and duration (phase 1 construction time was 18 months for 540m) relative to rehabilitation of the pipeline by a trenchless method. The method of cured in place pipe was selected for the following main reasons: - Installation would cause significantly less disruption to the public due to

4. WHAT IS A CURED IN PLACE PIPE LINER (CIPPL)?

Before getting into detail of the rehabilitation of the existing pipe by CIPPL the method of rehabilitation is briefly defined. CIPPL is the use of a fabric tube reinforced with glass fibers impregnated with polyester or epoxy resin. The tube is inserted into an existing pipeline and inflated by compressed air against the pipe wall, then cured either by hot water or steam (thermal cure) or by ultra-violet light to cure the resin to form a new pipe inside the existing pipe. The CIPPL creates a close fit pipe against the existing pipe which has structural strength that can be designed to take the loading of the pipe as if the host pipe was not there.

FIGURE 5: Diagram showing the cured in pipe liner instillation process cured by UV light

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FIGURE 6: Typical UV light train inside a pipe during curing

FIGURE 7: Typical UV light train inside a pipe during curing

the method of installation requiring minimal to no open trench method of construction.

- The CIPP liner would cost less when compared to open trench construction for the equivalent length and be completed faster than open trench method of construction.

- The CIPP liner can meet the structural loading conditions required for the pipeline.

- The smooth inner surface of the CIPP will result in a low hydraulic roughness, ensuring better flow through the pipe.

6. CURED IN PLACE PIPE – METHOD OF CURING A cured in place pipe liner is cured by either circulated hot water or Steam (Thermal Methods) or by Ultraviolet Light (UV). The two types of curing have two different types of tube liner material. Thermal cured tube liners are needled polyester felt fibres material and a UV cured liner uses a glass fibre reinforced tube liner material. It must also be noted that this is an overall generalisation and installers/suppliers of CIPPL do have propriety combinations of liner with methods of curing for each installation, depending on prevailing conditions, the tube material is chosen for the method of curing.

For this project the method of ultraviolet curing a glass reinforced tube liner was the preferred liner curing combination for the following reasons (this specific project for a large 1350mm diameter pipe):

FIGURE 9: CIPPL Sample Design calculation sheet showing inputs for the design calculations

FIGURE 8: Cured in Placed liner cured by UV light on the project

• The construction footprint is relatively smaller than the thermal method, thus causing less disruption to the public. During instillation one vehicle lane width was used.

• The liner strength and the flexural modulus of a UV cured liner is higher than thermal cured liner which was the essential criteria considering the pipe depth of 7m.

• Due to the large diameter of 1350mm a UV cured liner thickness will be thinner thus allowing for more pipe capacity and lesser weight for each liner which has a practical installation advantage.

• In terms of construction the UV liner has an advantage over thermal cured CIPP in that the installer can see the liner that has been pulled in place before it is cured thus ensuring better quality control.

• UV CIPP requires minimal energy and water consumption during curing process and refrigeration of the uncured liners is not required as per thermal cured CIPP. • UV cure time is much faster than thermal cure.

• Cure time for a section of a liner occurs once a light train passes at a programmed speed opposed to thermal cure where the entire length must be brought up to temperature for cure to occur.

• UV cured liner can be installed during the day as opposed to a thermal cured liner that can be only installed in the night which presented a programme advantage.

FIGURE 10: CIPPL Sample Design calculation sheet showing different liner thickness output from equation parameters

FIGURE 11: CIPPL Sample Design calculation sheet

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FIGURE 12: Onsite ovality measurement after flow diversion and pipe cleaing

FIGURE 12: Onsite ovality measurement after flow diversion and pipe cleaing

• UV cured liner has a significantly longer shelf life than a thermal cured liner which was essential for this project in terms of ordering of materials ahead of installation to match the installation program.

NB: As latter detailed in this paper there is use cases for both thermal and uv cured in place pipe. For this project for a smaller diameter of 300mm thermal cure was the preferred option due to cost and being practically reasonable to install. Thus, each pipe rehabilitation requires an assessment to select the preferred method of curing or rehabilitation method.

7. DESIGN OF CIPPL The CCTV investigation of the existing pipeline indicated severe corrosion along the length of the pipeline, thus the proposed lining thickness was treated as fully deteriorated gravity pipe condition. This essentially means that the liner is designed to take all external and internal loads and not rely on the host pipe.

Thus, the CIPP required liner thickness was calculated using ASTM F1216 (Standard practice for rehabilitation of existing pipelines and conduits by the inversion and curing of a resin impregnated tube) Appendix X1.2.2(ASTM F1216) which details equations for the calculation of a liner thickness. The thickness calculated was then checked for each length of pipe between manholes for loading at invert, minimum thickness for ovality measured on site and for hydraulic, soil and live loads at the top of the pipe, which is generally the check that governs the required thickness. The ovality of the pipe was obtained by physical measurement on site and proved a critical critea in the design process for the determination of the appropriate thickness by a process of iteration for cost and liner thickness. Largest ovality observed from physical measurement was 5% and the liner thickness installed varied from 10.8mm to 14.9mm thick of glass reinforced UV cured liner imported from the supplier in Germany.

8. FLOW DIVERSION OF EXISTING FLOW FOR REHABILITATION A major constraint of the project was the diversion of flow and the critical sequence of the flow diversion. The ordering of the liner from Germany was subject to onsite measurement before the liner could be ordered thus flow diversion and pipe cleaning where critical items on the critical path of the project. For the existing 1350mm diameter concrete pipe to be rehabilitated

by CIPPL the existing flow was required to be diverted into the adjacent trunk sewer pipe, namely Shepstone Road Trunk Sewer (860mm diameter) and Quayside Road Trunk Sewer (1050mm diameter). An investigation of the sewage flow in the adjacent pipelines and the existing 1350mm diameter pipelines that was required to be rehabilitated was carried out using an ultrasonic level transducer located inside different manholes. The flow results

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FIGURE 14: Onsite ovality measurement after flow diversion and pipe cleaing

indicated that the adjacent pipelines namely 860mm ∅ down Shepstone road and the 1050mm ∅ down Quayside road had sufficient reserve capacity to cater for the diverted flow of 410l/s peak flow from the existing 1350mm concrete pipe, subject to the removal of silt from these pipelines. Lateral pipelines were also diverted into these adjacent pipeline sequenced with cleaning the pipe, measurement and ordering the liner with a lead time to match the critical path for instillation.

9. CLEANING OF THE 1350MM DIAMETER CONCRETE PIPE For the facilitation of the instillation of the CIPPL and creating additional capacity in the adjacent pipelines during the diversion of flow, detritus silt material was removed from the pipelines. The cumulative amount of silt that was removed during the project was 437m3 which equated to approximately 20% of the volume of the pipe. Since the affected pipelines were not desilted for a long period of time, the silt in the pipe was compact and cementitious in consistency, thus difficult to remove which posed a challenge to the contractor during construction. The nearest waste management facility that would accept the silt material was the Dolphin Coast Waste Management facility which was 50km from the site.

10. INSTALLATION OF THE CURED IN PLACE LINER Numerous challenges were experienced in the installation mainly due to the weight of the liners (up to 15 tonnes) and large diameter.The existing manhole shaft top slabs needed to be removed to facilitate the installation of the liner and limited space in these manholes made working conditions very difficult.

In some cases sheetpiled shoring had to be deployed to get access to the manhole reducer slabs.Liners were winched into place and then blown up and cured in terms of the manufacturers strict protocols. A total of 17 liners were installed. To ensure additional quality control during construction specialist instillation technicians from the supplier, in Germany was part of all instillations.

Below is a brief general process for illustration purposes the method the contractor employed to install the cured in place liners inside the existing 1350mm diameter concrete pipe: 10.1 Preparation: - All flow was diverted ensuring no water/liquid in the pipe, and the pipe was cleaned sufficiently to identify any obstructions/intrusions, which could obstruct or damage the liner.

10.2 Installation of CIPP Liner: - The liner was transported to site by truck, still in its protective packaging (See figure 18).

- The liner was then inserted into the receiving manhole using a conveyor unit (see figure 17) with roller installed to guide the liner inside the

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FIGURE 15: Flow diversion schematic and sequence of flow diversion to facilitate rehabilitation.

FIGURE 16: CIPPL being inserted into a manhole

FIGURE 17: CIPPL being inserted into a manhole using a conveyor belt

FIGURE 18: CIPPL arriving on site in protective packaging

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FIGURE 19: Folding packer with strapping bands

FIGURE 20: Folding packer with pressure nozzles for inflating the liner

FIGURE 22: UV Light train on site

FIGURE 23: UV Light train inside the pipe during curing

manhole and pulled into the pipe using the winch. The liner was pulled onto a mobile ramp to assist with fitting the strap around the packer in both manholes.

10.3 Packers: - After instillation two strapping bands were placed around the ends of the liner. The folding packer (see figure 19 and 20) is then inserted into the liner end and the liner inflated slowly to position it (see figure 21).

10.4 Light Assisted Curing/hardening of Liner by Ultraviolet light: - Once the liner is in position, the pressure is released, and the UV light source/train is inserted into the pipe (See figure 23).

- Once the light is activated it was then pulled through the liner at a nominal speed depending on the strength of the light source and as per manufacturers recommendations.

FIGURE 25: 1350mm diameter pipe before rehabilitation

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FIGURE 21: CIPPL liner being inflated after packer installed

FIGURE 24: UV Rig used to control the curing of the UV Light train

- During the hardening process the pressure, position and progress of UV light, the functioning of the UV tubes and reactive temperature where recorded.

- On completion of hardening the liner is cooled for a few minutes and the UV light source removed.

- Samples were then cut from the sections removed, labelled, and sent for testing to an approved materials laboratory in Germany.

- After curing process is complete CIPP CCTV was recorded and submitted to the engineer for the section that was lined.

10.5 Testing of the liner After each liner was installed two samples (see figure 28) of the installed liner (labelled with unique verified QR codes) was taken to an independent lab in Germany to get tested for its properties to determine

FIGURE 26: 1350mm diameter pipe after rehabilitation with cured in place pipe liner

FIGURE 27: 1350mm diameter pipe after rehabilitation with cured in place pipe liner

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FIGURE 28: Sample of CIPP liner cut out for testing after curing

FIGURE 29: CIPP liner sample undergoing flexural strength lab tests

FIGURE 31: CIPP liner arriving on site in refrigerated unit at night

FIGURE 32: CIPP liner being installed by the inversion process cured by hot water using a boiler

if it complied with the document specification requirements. The tests conducted (see figure 29) by the laboratory was to determine the Shortterm Flexural (Bending) Properties and wall thickness in accordance with applicable ASTM standard of the document specification.

11. EMPOWERING OF LOCAL CONTRACTORS During the project 20% of the project scope was subcontracted to the local contractors and during construction the local contractors received training from the German supplier on the installation of cured in place pipe liner and they also were involved in the instillation of the CIPP liner.

FIGURE 30: Sample lab reslults of installed cured in place liner

FIGURE 33: CIPP liner installed inside the existing 300mm diameter pipe

12. CHALLENGES FACED DURING CONSTRUCTION The project experienced many challenges during construction below a few are noted: • Sharing the site with other contractors on different project raising issues of access which caused delays to the project.

• Business forum work stoppages • Performance of local contractors • Pumpstation downstream of the pipe required to be rehabilitated consistently was not working resulting in the pipeline filling which caused delays to the program.

TABLE 1: Time and Cost Comparison of phase 1 and phase 2 of the project for the 1350mm diameter pipe.

Open Trench Construction (Phase 1) Length completed Duration of completion Cost of construction/per meter

Trenchless method CIPPL (Phase 2)

Difference between CIPP and Trenchless

556m

1856m

20 months and 13 Days

15 Months 13 days

5 months

R58 885,73

R43 117.74

R15 768/m (26.7%)

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13. REHABILITATION OF 300MM ∅ AC SEWER PIPELINE BY CIPP USING THERMAL CURING An existing 300mm ∅ AC sewer pipeline 210m long in Mahatma Gandhi Road between Browns Road and Camperdown Road was broken in places and needed to be replaced in sections and rehabilitated. Due to the proximity of an existing large diameter water main and other services the relatively cheaper cost of rehabilitation of the pipeline was selected.

Sections of the pipe that was broken, point repair replacement was carried out by open trench construction.

Once the point repairs were complete and the sewage diverted by bypass pumping, the pipeline was rehabilitated by cured in place pipe liner cured by the thermal method of hot water. The liner was designed for fully deteriorated gravity pipe condition with the CIPP required liner thickness of 6mm selected, calculated using ASTM F1216 Appendix X1.2.2. The CIPP liner was fabricated in Cape Town transported to Durban and fully installed in one night.

CIPPL cost detailed in table 1 above includes the liner per meter, flow diversion, open trench at manholes for access of the liner and apportioned percentage P&G cost related to CIPPL scope.

14. CONCLUSIONS The paper clearly shows how depending on the site conditions and myriad of constraints trenchless technology can be considered to a be a part of the engineer’s solution “toolbox” to replace or rehabilitate sewage pipeline infrastructure. During the project as detailed in the paper the method of rehabilitation of cured in place pipe for a large diameter and a smaller diameter pipe using different methods of curing clearly shows two distinct use cases for both UV cured liners and thermal cured liners.

The paper demonstrates that during the project the selection of the method of rehabilitation/replacement of pipeline infrastructure considered many factors such as site conditions, location, cost, effect on the public, accommodation of existing sewage flow, available contractor experience for proposed rehabilitation method and local community participation which resulted in a relative cost and time saving compared to open trench construction.

The skill and experience of the contractor was critical to the successful completion of the project on time and within budget. Project programming and timeous implementation of the programme by the contractor was central to the project as sewage diversion, pipe cleaning, ordering of liners from Germany, cash flow constraints and instillation of the liner all had to have a well-timed sequential critical path to ensure the project success. With many technical and practical onsite challenges, the project was a great learning curve for future projects for all parties involved when implementing trenchless technology for pipeline rehabilitation.

15. Acknowledgments I hereby acknowledge the valuable inputs of Mr. Rob Van Vuuren and Mr. Hannes Coetzee from CSV Construction / Tuboseal services Joint venture.

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PAPER 9

ADVANCING WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SYSTEM RESILIENCE THROUGH IMPROVED RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACHES De Souza, P.F. 1, Barnard, J.2, Abraham, D.1, Jacobs, N.2 and Farmer, S.2 1 Zutari, 1 Century City Drive, Century City, Cape Town, South Africa 2 Witzenberg Municipality, 50 Voortrekker Street, Ceres, South Africa ABSTRACT In recent years there has been a significant increase in hazards to providing water and sanitation services within local municipalities, with several unexpected hazards materialising through shocks and stresses like the COVID pandemic, extreme weather events (droughts, heatwaves and floods) and the national energy crisis. The mushrooming of informal settlements and vandalism of infrastructure has been accelerated since the onset of the COVID pandemic and the rapid growth of the agricultural sector in rural towns. The recent drought conditions in Witzenberg Municipality contributed to a wildfire event that severely damaged raw water supply pipelines and the associated water treatment facility. When loadshedding resulted in twelve (12) hours per day of power outages, the operation of both water and sanitation systems were significantly affected, which took a heavy toll on operational staff for whom crisis management became the daily norm for weeks. Such shocks and stresses test the resilience of water systems to provide safe drinking-water whilst also protecting the environment. Risk management tools such as Water Safety Plans (WSP) and Wastewater Risk Abatement Plans (W2RAP) are essential in understanding the impact of hazards on the municipal water supply and sanitation systems and enabling resiliency. Witzenberg Municipality, supported by Zutari, recently completed the review and updating of the municipality's risk management tools for all their water supply systems, and with a particular focus on climate change related risks.

The outcomes of the risk assessment and mitigation actions identified will be presented and will provide key insights to other municipalities facing similar challenges. Further, the paper will highlight: 1) the considerations and adaption of the nascent World Health Organization (WHO)/International Water Association (IWA) guidelines on Water Safety Plan (WSP) and Sanitation Safety Plan (SSP), 2) features of such plans that increase the utility and practicality of it for systems operators and mangers, and 3) lessons learnt that can be translated to other municipalities.

Keywords Climate resilience; water safety plan; wastewater risk abatement plan 1. INTRODUCTION South Africa, like many developing countries, faces significant challenges in the sustainable provision of adequate and safe water and sanitation services.

It is well known that South Africa is facing a long-term security of water availability. Recent droughts and floods experienced in parts of the country have exacerbated the challenges that municipalities and water utilities face in delivering sustainable drinking water and sanitation services. Municipalities, however, struggle to interpret and incorporate climate data/information into their planning activities as in some cases data/information is not available at a local scale. Additionally, there is very little guidance on accessing, interpreting, and incorporating climate data/information in planning activities. Given the urgency of climate change impacts to the Western Cape region, this project was an ideal opportunity to test and implement an easy to use, robust methodology developed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) that can empower municipalities to take the necessary first steps to build climate resilience. This methodology helps municipalities (and other stakeholders) to access, analyse and interpret climate change related datasets to enable enhancement of risk management approaches (such as water safety plans (WSP) and wastewater risk abatement plans (W2RAP)) currently utilised by municipalities) through introducing climate resilience aspects and thereby enabling a more holistic long-term planning approach.

2. RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACHES COMMONLY UTILISED FOR WATER AND SANITATION SYSTEMS 2.1 Water Safety Planning A Water Safety Plan (WSP) is a systematic approach that comprehensively assesses and manages risks throughout the water supply system. The WSP process covers all aspects of the water supply system, from catchment to consumer, and was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Water Association (IWA). Since then, the WSP process has been well received by many countries and has been adopted and

FIGURE 1: WHO/IWA/WRC WSP/W2RAP/SSP manuals

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implemented at various levels in 93 countries around the world (WHO, 2017). In South Africa, the WSP process is a requirement of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) Blue Drop Certification programme and is contained within both the Drinking Water Quality Framework and SANS 241 drinking-water quality standards.

2.2 Wastewater Risk Abatement Planning A wastewater risk abatement plan (W2RAP) is a risk-based assessment that aims to identify wastewater related risks and ensures that effective plans are put in place to reduce the impact of these risks, thus ensuring that wastewater is adequately “collected, treated and discharged or reused” (vd Merwe-Botha and Manus, 2011). Simplistically, the W2RAP process could be considered like a WSP, but for wastewater. In South Africa, the W2RAP process is a requirement of the DWS Green Drop Certification programme (vd Merwe-Botha and Manus, 2011). There are three essential components to the W2RAP process including: (i) wastewater system assessment, (ii) risk assessment, and (iii) risk management.

There is a strong link to the WSP and W2RAP processes and they have similar steps in common.

2.3 Sanitation Safety Planning In May 2015, WHO launched the Sanitation Safety Planning (SSP) manual.

SSP is a step-by-step risk-based tool to ensure that sanitation systems are safety managed. As the sanitation sector moves towards "safely managed sanitation" under the SDGs, actors in faecal sludge management need to consider what “safely managed” means for service delivery model and how to incorporate this into daily operations with all actors along the sanitation chain. SSP assists users to systematically identify and manage health risk along the sanitation chain and prioritises system improvements and monitoring based on health risks. It provides assurance to authorities and the public on the safety of sanitation-related products and services based on sound management and monitoring processes. Importantly, SSP coordinates efforts of stakeholders along the sanitation chain.

NOTE: At the time of writing, Witzenberg have not yet completed the update of their wastewater risk abatement plans. The remainder of this paper will therefore focus on water safety planning aspects. Suffice to note that water safety planning, wastewater risk abatement planning and sanitation safety planning principles are very similar, and that the water supply and water safety planning experiences presented in this paper are also applicable to sanitation/wastewater services.

3. EVOLUTION OF THE WSP PROCESS The WSP process has evolved since its inception in 2009. Initially, many practitioners only focused on water quality related issues, ignoring, for example, issues related to the quantity of water supplied or water security for an area. With time, some practitioners expanded their risk assessment to include these and other stresses or shocks to the water supply system. The WHO, IWA and other organizations also provided specific guidance including additional considerations related to, for example, climate resilience and equity.

3.1 Climate resilience considerations In 2017, WHO and IWA released the guideline “Climate-resilient water safety plans: Managing health risks associated with climate variability and change” which placed a greater emphasis on ensuring that municipalities and water utilities consider and incorporate climate resilience into their WSP activities. The inclusion of climate resilience into the WSP process is to ensure continued sustainability of safe drinking water, under current and future climate conditions. Climate change is expected to introduce changes in temporal and spatial distribution of climate and weatherrelated events; as well as an increase in severe climate and weatherrelated events (such as floods, droughts, storms, etc.). This is expected to

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bring about challenges to water resources, as well as the ability of water utilities to provide adequate safe drinking water to consumers. Water scarce countries such as South Africa may be most affected as climate change will only worsen the current water scarcity issues. In the context of WSPs, the impacts from climate change may: (i) introduce new hazards to the system, and (ii) change the risk associated with pre-existing hazards (i.e. existing control measures may no longer be effective or change the likelihood or severity of the hazards). It is therefore essential that municipalities and water utilities in South Africa include climate resilience into their planning processes and prepare for such impacts.

There is also a need for the WSP (and W2RAP) processes to include climate resilience, as the uncertainty of climate change may result in systems being under- and/or over-capacitated and unable to respond effectively (e.g. to an increased/reduced hydraulic load; increased concentration of contaminants, etc.).

3.2 Enhancing water safety planning and climate resilience in South Africa Through engagements with municipalities, it was noted that it is often challenging for municipalities to understand the relevance of climate data and information for planning their water and sanitation systems.

Furthermore, some municipalities found it difficult to interpret the available information and incorporate the findings into their existing WSP (and W2RAP) processes and day-to-day activities. This was either due to a lack of knowledge, expertise, or financial resources. Consequently, the WRC funded a project to develop a methodology that helps municipalities (and other water and sanitation sector stakeholders) to (i) interpret climate related data/information, and (ii) integrate climate change considerations into their existing WSPs/W2RAPs. The WRC methodology was based on the leading best practice methodology developed by the WHO and IWA, and which was amended to meet South African local conditions and experience. The methodology highlights the need to consider various sources of climate data and information, including (Damons et al, 2022): • Working with stakeholders, expert groups to understand key climate risks • Accessing existing climate reports (e.g. Climate Vulnerability Assessments) • Working with existing web-based tools • Accessing/analysing historical climate-related data Most importantly, the methodology includes the provision of a detailed list of climate related data/information sources that municipalities can use to continue to refine their climate summaries or develop a climate summary for a different area. Ultimately, the methodology helps municipalities to draw basic climate impact conclusions, and then guides the user how to incorporate these findings into their water safety planning and wastewater risk abatement planning processes.

The inclusion of climate resilience into the WSP process is to ensure continued sustainability of safe drinking water, under current and future climate conditions. Climate change is expected to introduce changes in the temporal and spatial distribution of climate and weather-related events; as well as an increase in severe climate and weather-related events (such as floods, droughts, storms, etc.). This is expected to bring about challenges to water resources, as well as the ability of municipalities to provide adequate safe drinking water to consumers.

The process of incorporating climate resilience builds on seven (7) of the traditional 11 WSP modules. Modules 1 to 5, 8 and 9 have been identified as those that need to be revised to include consideration of the impact of climate change. When incorporating climate resilience into these

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modules, municipalities should consider which hazards and hazardous events are likely to worsen under the effects of climate change, and what climatic conditions are likely to cause them. This requires municipalities to source various datasets (e.g. rainfall, temperature), analyse and interpret the data, and importantly reach conclusions that allow appropriate action (Damons et al, 2022).

Importantly, the WRC study also emphasised that climate resilience needs to be built and coordinated at both the catchment and local government/water board levels to ensure adaptation measures for water and wastewater systems are effective and integrated (Damons et al, 2022).

The study aimed to promote climate change resilient water services institutions and communities by increasing understanding of climate change and improving planning and co-ordination at local and catchment level, thereby facilitating implementation of required investments in climate change adaptation and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the specific goals of water (SDG6) and climate action (SDG13). Responding to climate change is also one of the key elements of the Department of Water and Sanitation National Water and Sanitation Master Plan (DWS, 2018). The study provided local government with access to easily interpretable climate information that can be used to improve their planning, and thereby facilitate increased local resilience through appropriate climate change adaptation investments.

3.3 WHO/IWA WSP manual (second edition) The second edition of the WSP manual was released in 2023 and reflects the practical water safety planning experiences gained from around the globe. Water safety planning fundamentals remain, and the major changes include (WHO, 2023): • Clarification on water reliability and water quantity issues • Enhanced guidance on equity considerations • Inclusion of aspects relating to water safety planning for climate resilience • Greater emphasis on a progressive improvement approach to WSP development • Expansion of the section on challenges in each module, reflecting key issues commonly encountered by water suppliers when developing and implementing WSPs, with addition of a section on practical solutions • More emphasis on the sustained and effective implementation of water safety planning, through development of a ‘water safety planning in action’ concept (requiring continuous cycles of WSP development,

operation, verification and review), and a greater focus on monitoring and other modules important for WSP implementation • Inclusion of a toolbox section, which provides practical templates and tools to support completion of the modules by early-stage WSP practitioners The manual emphasises that practitioners should use the WSP review process to progressively include the noted changes to their WSP processes and activities.

Use of effective risk management approaches such as WSP provides municipalities with a proactive, flexible and robust approach to assess and manage current and future risks (both climate and non-climate related).

4. WITZENBERG MUNICIPALITY: AN OVERVIEW 4.1 Background Witzenberg Local Municipality (WLM) is a located about 150 kilometres North-East of Cape Town, in the Western Cape Province. The municipality has a population of approximately 167,258 consisting of 45,618 households of which approximately 53% are in urban settlements and the remaining in rural settlements. The Municipality includes five (5) towns, namely Ceres, Op-Die-Berg, Prince Alfred’s Hamlet, Tulbagh and Wolseley, which are surrounded by agricultural activity in the rural areas within the municipal boundary. The Witzenberg Municipality is both the Water Services Authority (WSA) and Water Services Provider (WSP) within its municipal area.

There are five (5) distinct water supply and wastewater systems, each system centred around the five (5) towns, that delivery water and sanitation services in the municipal area. The source water for each water supply systems is local surface water resource(s) except for one system, whose source is groundwater.

4.2 Climate overview According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification most of Witzenberg experiences Mediterranean climate. Witzenberg experiences hot dry summers, and cool wet winters. Typical climate related hazards for Witzenberg include droughts, fires and floods.

Temperatures indicate an increasing trend for the Western Cape Province (Figure 3, top half). Increases over the past decade indicate an increase of about 1°C. Trends in ocean currents also indicates an increase with the Agulhas current temperature having increased by 1.5°C since 1980.

Rainfall data for the Western Cape indicates a decrease in the number of rainfall days and that the rainy season is starting later each year (Figure 3,

FIGURE 2: WHO/IWA CR-WSP, WRC Guideline, WSP version 2

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FIGURE 3: Temperature and rainfall trends: Witzenberg bottom half). Implications of the above is that there is increased risk of insufficient water being available for consumption.

Under the RCP4.5 scenario, temperature is expected to increase between 1.67°C – 2.26°C, whereas under the RCP8.5 scenario temperature is expected to increase between 2.19°C – 2.69°C. (NOTE: RCP4.5 represents a scenario whereby greenhouse gas emissions have stabilized before 2100, while RCP8.5 represents a scenario whereby greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase over time, and results in high concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases.) Under both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, rainfall is projected to decrease. These

changes are expected to be well out of range of present-day climate variability. The major implication of the above is there will be decreased water availability. Other implications include the increased occurrence of wild fires.

In terms of adapting for climate change, Witzenberg water systems will therefore need to be more robust. Increased skills will be required from water managers and long-term water projections are required. Increased variability in the climate and frequency of extreme events, as well as increased temperature and wind could have an impact on water sources, particularly surface waters. Almost all the bulk water supplied

TABLE 1: Witzenberg Local Municipality Overall Blue Drop Status Year

Blue Drop Score

Comments

2009

62.4%

No Blue Drops achieved.

2010

93.3%

Blue Drop achieved for 2 out of 5 systems (Ceres and Prince Alfred Hamlet)

2011

97.56%

Blue Drop achieved for 5 out of 5 systems (Ceres, Op Die Berg, Prince Alfred Hamlet, Tulbagh and Wolseley)

2012

97.63%

Blue Drop achieved for 5 out of 5 systems (Ceres, Op Die Berg, Prince Alfred Hamlet, Tulbagh and Wolseley)

2014

95.77%

Blue Drop achieved for 5 out of 5 systems (Ceres, Op Die Berg, Prince Alfred Hamlet, Tulbagh and Wolseley)

2022

114

Blue Drop Risk Rating (BDRR) 25.3%

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All 5 water supply systems (Ceres, Op die Berg, Prince Alfred Hamlet, Tulbagh and Wolseley) fell into the LowRisk category.

NOTE: In 2022, and after a long hiatus, Blue Drop was re-introduced. For the 2022 round, a Blue Drop Risk Rating (BDRR) score was developed. This is different to a Blue Drop score and should not be compared with one another. In essence, a low percentage score indicates a low risk (i.e. desirable).

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to the towns in Witzenberg Municipality’s Management Area is from surface water sources, with limited use of groundwater resources.

It is necessary for WSAs to develop climate response strategies and include these in their WSDPs, implement WC/WDM and reduce levels of non-revenue water. Water-related climate change adaptation and mitigation planning should be considered through water safety planning and incorporated into all WSDPs and IDPs. The implementation of WC/WDM is a critical element of adapting to climate change.

Witzenberg Municipality has a defined role to play in the mitigation of and adaptation to the impacts of climate change. The Western Cape is particularly vulnerable to climate change and the hotter drier conditions predicted for the West Coast could have far reaching impacts. The Municipality’s local economy is driven by agriculture and there is concern about the negative impacts of climate change on the agriculture sector which will turn impact on the local economy.

4.3 Department of Water and Sanitation: Blue Drop Certification Witzenberg has been one of the top Blue Drop Certification performers since the programme’s inception in 2008. The Blue Drop results indicate a proactive municipality with an impressive Blue Drop Certification performance record.

The most recent Blue Drop Progress Report (DWS, 2022) notes that, in general, WSP status in South Africa is currently far from ideal with only 9% of supply systems having excellent WSPs in place (i.e. comprehensive WSPs with all required components), and 81% of supply systems having inadequate or no WSPs in place. The average compliance for WSP is 24.5%, indicating a poor understanding of the WSP process amongst WSAs. This indicates that although South Africa might have quickly adopted development of WSP (through, for example, inclusion thereof in SANS 241 and the DWS Blue Drop Certification process), the lack of monitoring by the Regulator for a

FIGURE 4: WSP a continuous and iterative process (WHO, 2023)

lengthy period resulted in the WSP process not being prioritised, and resulting in a gradual deterioration in the quality of the WSP processes implemented.

5. APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY The recent iteration of the WSP not only aimed to incorporate climate resilience considerations, but also served to develop and document the WSP for each system anew. This necessitated that the approach taken by the project team address nine (9) of the ten (10) WSP modules, in line with the latest edition of the manual (as illustrated in Figure 4).

The methodology to develop the WSPs for the various water supply systems is briefly described below: • Gather and review data/information and previous WSPs to understand the various water supply systems and key issues of concern.

• Conduct site assessments to: o Identify and confirm the respective components of the water supply systems o Identify and list all known hazards and hazardous events o Interview operational staff to determine operational constraints, if any • Conduct a risk assessment, using the WHO risk management matrix, to: o Determine the raw risk without any control measures o Determine if any control measures are in place and the effectiveness thereof o Determine the residual risk with existing control measures in place o Recommend measures to improve the status quo • Draft the WSP with consideration of the following sections (as per the proposed 10 modules defined in the WHO/IWA WSP Manual – 2nd Edition): 1. Assembling the WSP Team 2. Describing the system 3. Identifying hazards and hazardous events 4. Validating existing control measures and assessing risks 5. Planning for improvement 6. Monitoring control measures 7. Verifying the effectiveness of water safety planning 8. Strengthening management procedures 9. Strengthening WSP supporting programmes 10. Reviewing and updating the WSP • Workshop the draft WSP with the WSP team • Finalize the WSP for implementation An overview of the methodology taken to complete the different modules is noted below: • Module 1: To ensure that all aspects are considered and addressed, it was necessary to identify and assemble a multidisciplinary team with a thorough understanding of WLM’s drinking water systems. The WSP team consisted of WLM’s Water and Sanitation department’s managerial team and operational staff for each system, which forms the core implementation team for each WSP. The core implementation team was supported by an extended team of water engineers, who were tasked to develop and document the new WSP for each system.

• Module 2: Reviewing the existing WSPs provided the team with a head start in describing the system concisely. However, site visits and validation from the core implementation team was needed to ensure that the system description was appropriately accurate.

• Module 3: Considering the similarity between all five (5) systems, a master schedule of hazards and corresponding hazardous events was developed (including climate change related hazards).

• Module 4: The site inspection to each system formed the basis for

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FIGURE 5: Risk matrix and associated definitions (WHO, 2023) identifying existing control measures, validating their effectiveness, identifying were gaps existing and assessing risks. The WSP team adopted a dual-stage risk assessment approach which considers both “raw risk” (sometimes referred to as the “inherent risk” – the risk before including consideration of the impact of the existing control measures) and “residual risk” (with consideration of the impact of existing control measures). That is, not all existing control measures are 100% effective, and additional control measures may need to be identified and implemented. The risk assessment was conducted by the WSP team and considered information gathered from municipal records, staff and stakeholder engagements and site inspections, and aimed to identify what could go wrong and where it could go wrong. The risk associated with each hazardous event is determined based on the product of likelihood and consequence (or severity). This assists in determining which risks are more important and which are less important. The WSP team has adopted a 5x5 risk matrix to determine WSS risks, as illustrated

by Figure 5.

• Module 5: An improvement/upgrade plan is needed where additional control measures are required to address remaining significant risks. A significant amount of funds and time might be required to successfully implement appropriate control measures, and it is therefore sometimes more appropriate to consider stepwise implementation to enable incremental improvement (i.e., what is required for phase 1, what is required for phase 2, etc.). This required the WSP team to also consider and implement low/no cost control measures in the short-term while the necessary funds are secured to enable implementation of long-term control measures. A participatory process was followed between the

core WSP implementation team and the extended WSP team to ensure that the appropriate improvement plan was developed per each water supply system.

• Module 6: Considering that WLM had in place a mature operational monitoring plan, the task required of the extended WSP team was in the main to identify any areas of improvement.

• Module 7: The overall effectiveness of the WSP was verified by assessing the adequacy of its compliance monitoring programme, auditing of the WSPs and consumer satisfaction surveys.

• Module 8: Considering that WLM had in place a mature management protocols in place, the task required of the extended WSP team was in the main to identify any areas of improvement.

• Module 9: Considering that WLM had successfully implemented water safety planning, the task required of the extended WSP team was in the main to identify any areas of improvement.

6. DISCUSSION The table that follows provides a summary of the “raw risks” (the risk before including consideration of the impact of the existing control measures) and “residual risk” (with consideration of the impact of existing control measures) for each of the 5 water supply systems. The 2-step risk assessment approach highlighted the importance and efficacy of existing control measures, and emphasised the importance of ensuring that these existing control measures are in place and remain functional.

Both climate related risks and non-climate related risks were identified through the WSP process. In summary, key issues of concern in the Witzenberg water supply systems are noted below:

TABLE 2: Raw and residual risks identified for the 5 water supply systems Raw Risks

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Residual Risks

System

Low

Medium

High

Low

Medium

Ceres

101

20

5

110

15

High 1

Op die Berg

100

23

3

113

13

0

Prince Alfred Hamlet

97

24

5

107

18

1

Tulbagh

99

20

7

108

17

1

Wolseley

98

24

4

112

14

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• The Western Cape drought had highlighted certain deficiencies in water availability in the municipality. Subsequently, Witzenberg investigated additional and alternative water sources and various demand side activities to ensure an adequate supply of water (including for example, new and diversified water sources, improved non-revenue water management, water restrictions, consumer education).

• Vandalism is one of the biggest challenges, breaking down the system and limiting efficient operation, degrading water quality and decreasing water quantity.

• At the time of the site inspections, there was a supply shortage of chlorine gas to disinfect the drinking-water. Although Witzenberg were able to immediately implement short-term disinfection using granulated chlorine, this was a manual disinfection process with limitations related to adequate control and dosing accuracy. The incident identified an area of weakness that needed to be urgently addressed to avoid long-term water quality issues.

• Although the municipality had put some measures in place to circumvent loadshedding issues, the municipality was not prepared for the scale of loadshedding, and this put excessive strain on both water and sanitation infrastructure and the ability of water and sanitation systems in the municipality to successfully operate. In the short-term, the municipality were not able to address shortcomings at all water and sanitation pump stations, water treatment works, etc. and had to prioritise providing back-up power to infrastructure having a direct and immediate impact on the health of the community or the environment.

• The above three key challenges have a negative impact on staffing, as the systems consequently need to be manually operated by the staff.

This could lead to staff fatigue and burnout.

The above findings highlight that significant water supply (and sanitation) challenges exist even at municipalities such as Witzenberg that are considered well-resourced and well managed. By way of example, when loadshedding resulted in twelve (12) hours per day of power outages, the operation of both water and sanitation systems were significantly affected, which took a heavy toll on operational staff for whom crisis management became the daily norm for weeks. Such shocks and stresses test the resilience of water systems to provide safe drinking-water whilst also protecting the environment. The frequency of water supply system stresses and shocks (due to climate change and other unforeseen incidents/events such as pandemics, loss of consistent electricity supply, cyber-terrorism, etc.) are likely to increase, and municipalities need to be able to readily adapt to changing circumstance. It is anticipated that incorporating resilience thinking, “worst-case scenario” planning, and “out-of-the box” thinking will help municipalities to identify and address possible water and sanitation system vulnerabilities. These approaches are likely to play a key role in ensuring an appropriate mindset and a state of readiness to address the challenges of the changing world. This will help to continue to close the gap (and not widen the gap) and reaching a desirable state of water and sanitation service delivery.

7. CONCLUSIONS This project has helped to promote climate change resilience in the municipality and associated communities by increasing the understanding of climate change and improving planning and co-ordination at both local and catchment level. This will help with facilitating implementation of required investments in climate change adaptation and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The updating of water safety plans in Witzenberg has: • Created improved awareness of the requirements for incorporating

climate variability and change data/information into existing risk management approaches • Emphasised the importance of and requirements for effective water quality monitoring and management • Driven improvement in water safety planning processes and activities (and will also assist the W2RAP process) • Enabled improved planning and early intervention in areas facing immediate public health threats • Provided strategic data and information related to the sustainability of water (and sanitation) services Considering the success of this project, Witzenberg Municipality is eager to also review and update their W2RAPs to incorporate climate resilience and other relevant stresses and shocks.

This work has stressed the need for an enhancement to current risk-based management approaches and methodologies, and feedback received by on the ground municipal teams to the initiative has been positive. Of importance to note, however, is that Witzenberg, despite being a relatively well resourced and well managed municipality, is not immune to challenges and weaknesses. The municipality has (i) leadership and management buy-in, commitment and support, (ii) are systematically and continuously addressing key issues of concern, and (iii) are proactively planning improvements. A combination of these elements is essential to help ensure that Witzenberg’s water and sanitation systems remain successful now and in the future.

Improved risk management approaches alone cannot solve issues, and several key factors are also required, including inter alia awareness and prioritisation (from Mayor to Technician), on-going communications between role players, operational test equipment and proficiency therewith, water quality data collection and assessment, regular on the ground checks and assessments, and ongoing support and interaction.

Witzenberg’s Blue Drop performance over the years is an indication of a good system that is well supported. Witzenberg has not, however, been immune to recent extraordinary shocks and stresses such as COVID-19 and loadshedding, and these events have highlighted additional vulnerabilities and risks that the municipality might not ordinarily have considered within their risk management plans (e.g. staff fatigue due to manual operations because of vandalism). Indeed, the world is a different place, and municipalities need to be able to quickly adapt to changing circumstance. This is not always easy within the municipal environment.

Using a risk management approach, municipalities (and water utilities) are made more aware of issues of concern which therefore assists with directing limited resources to areas of need. Thus by using the approach, significant improvements in both water quantity and quality can be achieved despite little or no additional capacity. By simply using a structured risk-based management approach and working “smarter” with better information, municipalities (and water utilities) become more effective and thus make better use of the capacity it already has. Using these risk management approaches to their full potential will empower municipalities to master water supply and sanitation services.

Finally, climate resilience needs to be built and coordinated at both the catchment and local government/water board levels to ensure adaptation measures for water supply and sanitation systems are effective and integrated. The project has successfully improved understanding, planning and co-operation at both municipal and catchment level, but also highlighted the need for improved alignment, collaboration and communication between Witzenberg Municipality and the CMA. Therefore, although good progress has been made, there is still much work to do.

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8. RECOMMENDATIONS Through this project, Witzenberg have gained access to easily interpretable climate information that can be used to improve their planning, and thereby facilitate increased local resilience through appropriate climate change adaptation investments. It is recommended that municipalities, CMAs/ WMAs and other sector stakeholders use the WHO/IWA and WRC approach and methodology to improve their risk management and resilience planning and help contribute to catchment wide strategies and plans.

By showcasing the achievements of Witzenberg, we hope to encourage and inspire other municipalities to do similar.

Finally, the water and sanitation risk management approaches described in this paper can easily be adopted or adapted to other municipal services including energy/electricity, solid waste or roads and transport, thus allowing for more municipal-wide resilient planning. These approaches will help municipalities to be more adaptable to the stresses and shocks of a changing world.

9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special acknowledgement is given to the many contributors to the afore described project; including but not limited to Witzenberg municipal engineering staff, and water services and water resources specialists at Zutari.

10. REFERENCES Damons, M., de Souza, P., Manxodidi, T. and Moorgas, S. (2022) Integrating Climate Information in Water Safety Planning and Wastewater Risk Abatement Planning: A Guidance Note, Water Research Commission, WRC Report No. TT 876/2/22, ISBN 978-0-6392-0343-0, May 2022.

Department of Water and Sanitation (2018) National Water and Sanitation Master Plan Volume 2: Plan to Action Final Draft (Version 3.3), 31 March 2018.

Department Water and Sanitation (2022) Blue Drop Progress Report 2022 Department Water and Sanitation (2022) Green Drop National Report 2022 SABS (2015) South African National Standard SANS 241-1:2015, Drinking water – Part 1: Microbiological, physical, aesthetic and chemical determinands, Edition 2. ISBN 978-0-626-29841-8 SABS (2015) South African National Standard SANS 241-2, Drinking water – Part 2: Application of SANS 241-1, Edition 2. ISBN 978-0-626-31245-9 vd Merwe-Botha, M. and Manus, L. (2011) Wastewater Risk Abatement Plan - A W2RAP Guideline to Plan and Manage Towards Safe and Complying Municipal Wastewater Collection and Treatment in South Africa, WRC Report No. TT 489/11, ISBN 978-1-4312-0116-7, June 2011 Water Safety Portal: https://wsportal.org/ WHO and IWA (2009) Water safety plan manual: Step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers. ISBN: 978 92 4 156263 8 WHO and IWA (2016) A practical guide to auditing water safety plans.

ISBN: 978 92 4 150952 7 WHO and IWA (2017) Global status report on water safety plans: A review of proactive risk assessment and risk management practices to ensure the safety of drinking-water WHO and IWA (2023) Water safety plan manual: step-by-step risk management for drinking-water suppliers, second edition. ISBN 978-924-006769-1 (electronic version) WHO (2012) Water safety planning for small community water supplies: Step-by-step risk management guidance for drinking-water supplies in small communities. ISBN: 978 92 4 154842 7 WHO (2014) Water safety plan: A field guide to improving drinking-water safety in small communities. ISBN 978 92 890 5007 4

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WHO (2015) Sanitation safety planning: manual for safe use and disposal of wastewater, greywater and excreta. ISBN 978 92 4 154924 0 WHO (2017) Guidelines for drinking-water quality (fourth edition incorporating the first addendum). ISBN: 978-92-4-154995-0 WHO (2017). Climate-resilient water safety plans: Managing health risks associated with climate variability and change. ISBN 978-92-4-151279-4 WHO (2018) Strengthening operations and maintenance through water safety planning: A collection of case studies. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. WHO (2022) A field guide to improving small drinking-water supplies: water safety planning for rural communities. ISBN: 9789289058414 WHO (2022) Sanitation safety planning: step-by-step risk management for safely managed sanitation systems. ISBN 978-92-4-006288-7 (electronic version)

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PAPER 10

EFFECTS OF RAINFALL TEMPORAL VARIABILITY ON GROUNDWATER PHYSIO-CHEMICAL AND MICROBIAL QUALITY: A CASE STUDY OF THE MTHATHA RIVER CATCHMENT K. Mkosana¹, O. T. Amoo²* and M.D.V. Nakin³ 1 Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa.

MkosanaK@dws.gov.za¹; amoo@wsu.ac.za²; mnakin@wsu.ac.za³ ABSTRACT Water quality in the Mthatha River Catchment (MRC) in the Eastern Cape Provinceof South Africa, continues to be degraded by nature and anthropogenic activities of municipal wastewater discharge, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff. Improving the health status of water bodies, represents good surveillance in minimising the public health entities for groundwater quality assessment. This study aimed at evaluating the variability of groundwater quality with respect to monthly rainfall temporal changes at the MRC. A systematic sampling method in selecting 10 sampled borehole sites in the area was employed. Consequently, a historic data comprising 21physico-chemical parameters were collected monthly between the period 2000 to 2020 and analysed. Autocorrelation statistical technique was used to evaluate the effects of rainfall temporal variability (RTV) on the groundwater physio-chemical and microbial quality. The normalized probability test statistic (Zy) was used to determine the level of significance exhibited while the Mann-Kendall (MK) tool was used in identifying trend patterns. The RTV results on the water quality parameters showed a positive autocorrelation range of 0.010 – 0.538 for all the parameters with a good fit analysis while MK concentration of turbidity, Iron, dissolved oxygen, total viable count, and total coliform counts parameters revealed increasing trends along the MRC. In general, the groundwater was not always of pure quality as perceived and various factors may be attributed to the fluctuating water quality in the catchment.

These maybe very useful to decision-makers or managers in monitoring and detecting the quality of groundwater in the aquifer for pumping.

Keywords: aquifer scale, contaminants, groundwater, temporal variability, water quality.

1. INTRODUCTION Groundwater may not always be as pure as perceived in many areas.

Several phenomena affect the continuous health entities of groundwater quality either through contaminants from a variety of places including municipal wastewater, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff resulting in degrading the groundwater quality (Diamantini et al., 2018; Rey et al., 2018; Kumar et al., 2020). Also, understanding a catchment's underlying geomorphometric and physical mechanism impacts the natural processes of precipitation, runoff, and effluent discharge of a place at a particular time (Liu et al., 2022). Moreso, with a changing climate, incidents such as droughts and human migration will exacerbate the pressure to tap into groundwater resources as an alternate source of water. Therefore,

the evaluation of the variability of the groundwater quality parameters witnessed in an area will assist in monitoring and improving the quality of groundwater available in the aquifer for pumping permission.

Groundwater pollution is a critical problem worldwide (Makungo & Odiyo, 2018), and South Africa is not an exception (Le Maitre & Colvin, 2008; Mokoena et al., 2020). The country is classified as a water-stress country. Moreso, most of the country’s terrain is made up of hard rock formations that do not contain major aquifers that can be used for storage on a national scale (Mpofu & Gwavava, 2020). Thus, understanding the conjunctive uses of surface water and groundwater was necessary to get the best management of the resources. Although several groundwater studies have been carried out previously in South Africa and the area by private and government organisations that are aimed at enhancing the rural and municipal water supply augmentation scheme (Fatoki et al., 2001; Fatoki et al., 2002; Zamxaka et al., 2004; Mofokeng, 2017; Owolabi et al., 2020; Owolabi et al., 2020a; Gintamo et al., 2021). However, most of these studies either focused on the quantification of the resource or assessed the quality, but rarely on both. Most previous studies had contributed significantly to the background information on groundwater development and its potential as an alternate source of water for the area (MRC). Among the notably employed methods for monitoring the groundwater are the aquifer tests, recharge estimation, geophysical and geological logging which had been carried out at several sites as part of the method to model the groundwater quality and for the recharge estimation (Xu & Beekman, 2003; Sibanda et al., 2009; Mpofu et al., 2020; Owolabi et al., 2020). Most of the employed methods for monitoring the groundwater resources had assessed climatic impacts on groundwater quantity while paying little attention to other determinant factors that affect the quality or control the groundwater interaction with pollutants (Sibanda et al., 2009; Simmers 2013; Li et al., 2016; Kumar et al., 2019; Mepaiyeda et al., 2020). Moreso, there is currently no consensus on how varied external catchment systems inputs such as recharge and/or base flow variation, drainage area, average daily maximum temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, land-use type, topography, slope, and percentage of sand in the soil impact groundwater quality (Kumar et al., 2019; Kumar et al., 2020; Mepaiyeda et al., 2020). With a changing climate incident, factor like frequency, intensities of precipitation affect flow patterns (Lisboa et al., 2020), sinequano other morphometric factor contributes to flow regime impacts in characterising the water quality abstraction status in a given site. In addition, scholars differ on how temporal variability of rainfall impacts and propagates through the complex hydrogeological systems of the aquifer. Therefore, it is critical to understand both the general and specific impacts of varying rainfall magnitude on pollutants’ strength in characterising any river catchment and assessing their impact on groundwater quality. Thus, this study analysed the trends in the monthly monitored groundwater quality;

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assess the effects of rainfall temporal variability on groundwater physiochemical and microbial quality.

The remaining sections of this paper are arranged as follows. Section 2 describes the materials and methods, section 3 presents the results and discussions while section 4 presents the conclusion and recommendations.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Study area description The Mthatha River rises in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa's plateau region, roughly halfway between the Drakensberg escarpment and the Indian Ocean. The river's catchment is 100 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide (Amoo et al., 2023). The Ngqungqu River is the main tributary of the Mthatha River, and it enters the main river on the right bank around 27 kilometers from the coast. With a steep cliff near the headwaters, the watershed is generally undulating, hilly, and broken towards the shore.

The river flows through a vast plain with a flat grade in the neighbourhood of Mthatha. Between Mthatha Dam and Mthatha town, the Cicira River meets the Mthatha River from the west (DWAF, 2009; DWS, 2018). Figure 1 depicts the map of the study area.

for the area. The year 2000-2020 represents the common base for the available data (monthly rainfall (depth), streamflow data, and water quality parameters) which were used for this study. However, it was observed that the month of April till June has missing data for all years used. The water quality parameter was collected from the Department of Water and Sanitation, Mthatha while the meteorological data (rainfall) was sourced from the South Africa Weather Services (SAWS). In all, 21 water quality parameters consisting of TBD=turbidity, pH at 25ºC, NH4=Ammonia, Ca=Calcium, Cl=Chloride, Fl=Fluoride, Mg=Magnesium, K=Potassium, Na=Sodium, SO4=Sulphate, Zn=Zinc, Al=Aluminium, Cu=Copper, Cyanide, Fe=Iron, Pb=Lead, Mn=Manganese, Ni=Nickel, E. coli=EC, total Coliforms, and TDS=total dissolve solid were carefully analysed to show the effects of rainfall variability shift on the catchment's mean monthly water quality parameters.

Since water quality data is frequently not normally distributed due to intra-annual variations, outliers, and undetected missing data. The nonparametric tests: Mann-Kendall, Sen slope, and Spearman correlation were used to explore the water quality and hydro-climatic data trends in the catchment. The non-parametric approach- the Mann-Kendall test for trend is functionally identical to Kendall's (tau) test for correlation and with the associated slope estimate were usually adopted (Li et al. 2014; Rravichandran, 2003; Singh et al. 2004; Tabari et al.2011). It is mostly used for identifying trends and patterns in time series data. It compares the relative magnitudes of sample data rather than the data values. The major benefit of this test is that the data need not conform to any particular distribution.

Thus, if X1, X2,…, Xn represents n data points where Xj represents the data point at time j. then the Mann-Kendall statistic (S) is given by (1)

(2)

FIGURE 1: Map of the study area (DWS, 2018) The Mthatha River is divided into three branches (upstream, midstream, and downstream). There are three Plantation forests, which help to quantify plantations and settlements upstream that have an impact on river water quality. Likewise, In the Tabase area, there are exist additional informal communities with their various human activities that have impacted the quality of the River water. The Mthatha Dam, located in the middle of the river also negatively impacts the river's water quality. Finally, there is a Norwood Bridge and the Mthatha Sewage Works effluent discharge point at downstream length which also have a significant negative impact on the quality of the river's water (Fatoki et al. 2001). Domestic, and agricultural i.e livestock watering, aquatic ecosystem use, and recreational swimming water use are some of the main users of water in the catchment with irrigation water that constitutes the most frequent user of conjunctive water for the area.

2.2 Research Methodology This study uses a descriptive research approach which allows for large research data collection which is to be analysed in a systematic manner that sheds more light on greater scrutiny of the information (Lynn,2017).

The choice of the selected ten (10) boreholes sample points was based on a strategic desktop selection that entails a 5km radius distance along the Mthatha River on both sides to depict fair uniform boreholes site selection

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Then, the computed probability associated with S and the sample size n is used to statistically quantify the significance of the trend (Ndione et al.

2017). The quantification of the variance of S, is computed by using Equation 3 (3) Where n is the number of data points, g is the number of tied groups (a tied group is a set of sample data having the same value), and tp is the number of data points in the Pth group.

Computation of a normalized test statistic Zy is shown in Equation 4

(4)

The test statistics Zy is used as a measure of trend significance. In fact, this analysis is used to test the null hypothesis, Ho: that there is no monotonic trend in the data if Zy| is greater than where represents the chosen significance level (usually 5% with ), thus, the null hypothesis is invalid meaning that the trend is significant which implies that the trend has a causative factor and did not occur by chance.

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TABLE 1: The Pettit’s SNHT Test for sample.

Variables

K

(S)

p-value (Two-tailed)

99% confidence interval on the p-value

MaxT

2221.000

279

0.597

[0.584,

0.609]

MinT

3311.000

98

0.158

[ 0.148,

0.167]

Rain

5358.000

148

0.003

[ 0.001,

0.004]

Streamflow

-0.234

92586

<0.0001

[ 0.627,

0.651]

where MaxT-maximum temperature, MinT-minimum temperature

Hence, preliminary tests for normal distribution and other internal consistency tests were performed to identify the possible reliability of the datasets, which were performed in the XLSTAT statistical software and Microsoft Excel tools. The effects of rainfall pattern shift on the catchment's mean monthly water quality parameters were analysed graphically by correlations. Thereafter, the coefficient of autocorrelation was used to evaluate the effects of rainfall temporal variability (RTV) on the groundwater physio-chemical and microbial quality. The normalized probability test statistic (Zy) was used to determine the significance level exhibited, while Mann Kendall was used to determine the trend pattern.

3. RESULTS The results of the preliminary data analysis for the homogeneity, and consistency tests are as presented in Table 1. A Pettit Standard Normal Homogeneity Test (SNHT) is used to check whether two samples are from the same population, likewise for the detection of change point or abrupt points in time series. The Pettit’s Homogeneity test indicates that the meteorological data is uniformly distributed and that there exists no date in which the data exhibit anomaly since their p-value exceeds the significance level alpha=0.05 except for rainfall and streamflow which exhibits a non-significant decreasing trend.

The effects of rainfall temporal variability on the borehole water quality physio-chemical and microbial were hereby presented.

3.1 Datasets and Analyses Table 2 depicts the 21-year monthly summary of the hydrometeorological data (2000- 2020) while Table 3 depicts the descriptive statistical summary of the catchment’s water quality parameters.

The minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation in the water quality parameter is 2.00, 6.00, 3.667, and 1.966 for pH (unit). This depicts a sample means with heterogeneous variability. The various water quality mean samples have lower standard deviation values of 1.97, 3.46, 0.55, and 3.25 for pH, turbidity, Zinc (Zn), Magnesium (Mg), and Total Coliforms to indicate the sample is more diverse.

FIGURE 2: MRC water quality correlation maps with rainfall

3.2 Autocorrelation Trend and Discussions Figure 2 depicts the Spearman autocorrelation matrix plot for the borehole water quality parameters with rainfall. The correlation coefficient value range from positive 0.010 – 0.538 for all the parameters with a good fit analysis. This implies a weak correlation for most of the physiochemical and biological parameters observed in the area. The bold value indicates strong autocorrelation while the positive sign depicts dilution with rainfall and vice versa. This also corresponds with core principles of hydrogeology and other hydro-climatic changes (Kourakos et al., 2019; Gintamo et al., 2021).

TABLE 2: A 20-years synopsis of meteorological data (2000- 2020) Variables

Unit

Maximum

Minimum

Std. dev

Mean

MaxT

°C

33.170

14.400

3.442

4.408

MinT

°C

20.620

-5.000

4.942

10.392

Rain

mm

353.200

0.000

61.918

64.394

Streamflow

m³/s

123.639

2.018

26.216

26.217

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TABLE 3: Descriptive statistics of MRC-monthly selected water quality parameters (2000- 2020)

3.3 Mann-Kendall and Sen’s Slope Water quality parameters Units Minimum Maximum Mean Std. deviation Autocorrelation Results Conductivity at 25º C mS/m 5.00 170.00 116.00 83.68 Table 4 depicts the results of the water pH at 25º C pH units 2.00 6.00 3.67 1.97 quality statistics summary with the MannTotal Dissolved Solids mg/L 1.50 1200.00 404.75 616.01 Kendall trend analysis. The Mann-Kendall (S) analysis identifies the trend pattern.

Calcium mg/L 1.50 1000.00 303.48 391.81 A Kendal's tau of zero (0) indicates that Chloride mg/L 100.00 1200.00 500.00 477.49 no trend exists. Likewise, by implication, Fluoride mg/L 1.50 500.00 117.42 193.54 a significantly high positive value of Potassium mg/L 1.50 2000.00 1056.92 1034.93 the Mann-Kendall test is a sign of an Sodium mg/L 1.00 1200.00 317.00 448.79 “increasing trend” whilst a very low negative value signals a “decreasing trend”.

Sulphate mg/L 1.50 1000.00 416.92 342.66 If the probability normalized test statistic Aluminium mg/L 1.00 2000.00 436.83 779.14 (Zy) is (Z0.025=1.96), this means that the Turbidity NTU 1.00 10.00 6.00 3.46 trend is significant. A positive statistical Ammonia mg/L 1.00 300.00 52.50 121.30 significance (Zy) illustrates the likely trend Zinc μg/L 0.90 10.00 5.15 2.89 to continue. A Sen’s Slope value is less significant when it is closer to zero, while a Manganese mg/L 10.00 400.00 218.33 157.53 positive Sen’s Slope signifies an increasing Copper mg/L 1.50 2000.00 816.92 923.68 trend and vice versa.

Iron mg/L 300.00 2000.00 1550.00 731.44 As the computed p-value is greater Magnesium mg/L 1.00 2.00 1.50 0.55 than the significance level alpha=0.05, we conclude that ties have been detected Cyanide mg/L 10.00 1200.00 470.00 571.80 in the dataset. This implies that most Lead mg/L 8.00 400.00 74.67 159.38 of the physio-chemical and microbial Nickel mg/L 0.90 200.00 65.30 73.10 parameters exhibit varied significant Nitrate mg/L 0.90 500.00 170.63 255.17 trends composition for the groundwater E-coli Count per 100 mL 1.00 200.00 38.83 79.09 parameters. Thus, the varied changes observed in the water quality parameters Total Coliforms Count per 100 mL 1.00 10.00 7.17 3.25 depict the response of the aquifer to rainfall percolation. A strong positive correlation among water quality but at different the months. The month of January and March witnessed a parameters exposed the weathering of carbonate rocks, evaporites, soil high percentage of turbidity that is witnessed over the catchment. An salts, and the interaction of halite with groundwater as the common sources average value of 100 NTU Turbidity occur in December and July with a of increase in values of these ions in groundwater (Edokpayi et al., 2020). minimal low value of less than 50.

Conversely, negative values indicate the items tend to be monotonic in trend correlation and vice versa.

3.4 RAINFALL VARIABILITY CORRELATION WITH WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS A frequency trend analysis of the water quality parameters variation of the catchment helps in understand the prevailing underlying physio-chemical mechanism occurring in the catchment. Figures 3-13 depict the different water quality mean monthly value correlation with minimum and maximum rainfall depth.

FIGURE 4: TDS and Sulphate water quality parameter for different months between the years (2000- 2020) Figure 4 explains the TDS and sulphate water quality patterns. Most of these parameters exhibit a Zig-zag linear plot from the beginning of the year (January) till July before the gradual decline in magnitude values.

FIGURE 3: pH and Turbidity water quality parameter for different months between the years (2000- 2020) Although, figure 3 witnessed a similar pattern of observation both in pH and turbidity but at different magnitude. The pH follows the same pattern with maximum rainfall, while turbidity relate well with the minimum precipitation

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FIGURE 5: Depicts the chloride and Fluoride plots.

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TABLE 4:The autocorrelation Mann Kendall’s trend nature and trend significance Kendall's tau

p-value

Sen's slope

Trend nature

Trend significance (Zy)

Min. Rain

-0.255

0.454

-4.309

Decreasing

Yes

Max.Rain

0.000

1.000

-0.950

Decreasing

Yes

Conductivity

0.178

0.667

0.000

Decreasing

Yes Yes

Series\Test

pH at 25º C

-0.154

0.700

-0.071

Decreasing

Total Dissolved Solids

-0.591

0.070

-90.107

Decreasing

No

Calcium

0.265

0.447

43.950

Increasing

Yes Yes

Chloride

-0.222

0.530

-36.500

Decreasing

Fluoride

0.386

0.248

14.600

Increasing

Yes

Potassium

0.000

1.000

0.000

Decreasing

Yes Yes

Sodium

-0.222

0.530

-13.679

Decreasing

Sulphate

-0.371

0.258

-68.690

Decreasing

Yes

Aluminium

-0.309

0.369

-44.881

Decreasing

Yes Yes

Turbidity

0.000

1.000

0.000

Decreasing

Ammonia

0.038

1.000

0.000

Decreasing

Yes

Zinc

0.403

0.232

1.125

Increasing

Yes

FIGURE 7: Aluminium and manganese water quality parameter for different months (2000- 2020)

Figure 7 is quite different from the preceding graphs. The Aluminium figure depicts a high Decreasing Yes Manganese -0.519 0.102 -46.190 value of 2000 (mg/l) witnessed in March and a Decreasing Yes Copper -0.386 0.248 -181.768 relatively uniform value was witness across the rest months (July to December). This could be Decreasing Yes Iron 0.356 0.316 0.000 due to the low rainfall that is usually witnessed in Increasing Yes Magnesium 0.477 0.170 0.225 this period while the Manganese concentration Increassing Yes Cyanide 0.113 0.800 1.000 is relatively related to the trend and pattern of Decreasing No Lead 0.081 0.894 0.000 maximum precipitation across the months.

Figure 8 correlation plot explains how the Increasing Yes Nickel 0.038 1.000 0.000 ammonia and zinc suggests an increasing Increasing Yes Nitrate 0.340 0.311 110.025 trend with the climax in August month for Yes E-coli 0.371 0.258 0.929 Increasing ammonia and July, November accounting for Yes Total Coliforms -0.309 0.371 -0.500 Decreasing Zinc. Although, there is strong influence of maximum rainfall occurrence. Figure 9 depicts the copper and iron monthly trend variation.

Figure 5 explains how chlorine follows the same monthly pattern as fluorine. The months of March and October are the highest. A greater percentage of the observed month’s maximum rainfall does not relate well with chlorine except in Nov-Dec and January to July for fluoride. Figure 6 depicts the monthly plotted potassium and calcium value data.

FIGURE 8: Ammonia and Zinc water quality parameter for different months

FIGURE 6: Potassium and Calcium water quality variables observed for different months (2000- 2020) The calcium water quality parameters follow a linear plot from the beginning of the year (January) till July before the irregular. This could be a result of high rainfall which usually occurs in the months while the potassium with high failure values for the drinking water occurs intermittently in the catchment. Figure 7 depicts the plotted monthly Aluminium and Manganese pattern and trend.

FIGURE 9: Copper and Iron water quality parameters monthly trend variation observed for different months The figures differ in trend for the parameters but follow the same trend for both minimum and maximum rainfall observed for the years of

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observation. Both copper and iron parameters follow the same monthly pattern with the months of July and November being the lowest. Figure 10 depicts the magnesium and cyanide monthly trend variation.

FIGURE 13: Conductivity and Nitrate parameter for different months between the year (2000- 2020)

FIGURE 10: Magnesium and Cyanide water quality parameter across the different months of the years Figure 10 depicts the magnesium and cyanide parameter variation trend.

The magnesium plot is quite different from the cyanide graphs with a high value of 200mg/l witnessed in March and November. This could be due to the low rainfall that is usually witnessed in this period. However, cyanide has a relatively uniform value for both maximum and minimum rainfall across months July to October. Figure 11 depicts the lead and nickel concentrations value with rainfall magnitude in groundwater.

FIGURE 11: Lead and Nickel water quality parameter across the different months of the years (2000- 2020)

The lead trend results value is noted to be higher in October (the month with minimum rainfall depth) than in the month of September (the month with maximum rainfall depth) while Nickel relates well with maximum rainfall (Figure 11). Figure 12 depicts the E-coli and total coliform (microbial concentrations) in the boreholes.

FIGURE 12: E-coli and total coliforms water quality parameter for different months (2000- 2020) The microbial concentrations for the E-coli and the total coliforms value in the boreholes is noted to be higher in August - October (the month with minimum rainfall depth) than in the month of March (the month with maximum rainfall depth).

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Figure 13 reveals a fluctuating conductivity and Nitrate parameter with the lowest record between January to July and a gradual sharp increase from October before a gradual decline from November to December while Nitrate in particular witness irrational sharp increase from August to November before sharp decrease in December (the month with both minimum and maximum rainfall depth). In general, the lower region of the MRC has been experiencing a decline in water quality concentration with the lowest record values recorded between June and October with a gradual increase that usually occurred from November until January.

This may be due to the minimum rainfall witnessed during the period, while the pH of most locations was found to be alkaline except for some downside sections, which may be due to the mixing of waste reactions.

4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS In summary, this study evaluates the effects of rainfall temporal variability (RTV) on groundwater physio-chemical and microbial quality. The study has highlighted the essence of maintaining acceptable standards for water quality even during unfavourable conditions. The correction to various groundwater quality parameters with RTV shows a weak correlation (0.010-0.537) value to the monthly rainfall magnitude. This implies there is a low chance that the physio-chemical and biological parameters react with the rainfall process. Hence, it can be deduced that most of the borehole contaminants variable occur monthly with a high-risk likelihood when recharge water carries dissolved pollutants down to the aquifer. Also, the primordial perception that groundwater/ boreholes are pure and pristine in nature, should not be generalised for all catchments without consideration to limiting factors such as topography terrain, underlying geological formation, and the varying climatic inputs variables. In all, decision-makers and water resource managers will find this study useful in recognizing the complexities of measuring boreholes/ groundwater quality as concerns for immediate attention and intervention. Hence, the study advocates government and non-governmental intervention in adequate finance of borehole water quality assessment and the need for a standardized routine monitoring programme for groundwater quality assessment.

5. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY The study has ignored the complex strata of borehole nature and mechanisms like pollution retention, and/or dilution reaction of cleaner tributaries entering the aquifer. Furthermore, the study has disregarded changes in rainfall qualities in duration, intensity, frequency and seasonal pattern impact on boreholes’ water quality. More research into these limitations would have been good, especially how they impact over the long-term. In general, the use of statistical hypothesis may be deceptive to subjective reasoning, thus real-time correlation of water quality parameters comparison with rainfall magnitudes may suggest a safe groundwater quality model's applicability for causes and mitigation suggestions.

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Acknowledgments The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Department of Water and Sanitation -Mthatha office for providing the data needed for this study. The Walter Sisulu University and the National Research Foundation through the Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre is greatly appreciated for its financial as well as infrastructural support. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful critiques and remarks.

Conflict of interest There are no conflicts of interest declared by the authors.

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DWAF, 2009. Department of Water Affair and Forestry, Integrated water quality management plan for the Vaal River system. Task 8: water quality management strategy for the Vaal River system. South Africa: Directorate National Water Resource Planning.

Edokpayi, J.N., Enitan-Folami, A.M., Adeeyo, A.O., Durowoju, O.S., Jegede, A.O. & Odiyo, J.O., 2020. Recent trends and national policies for water provision and wastewater treatment in South Africa. In Water conservation and wastewater treatment in BRICS nations (pp. 187-211). Elsevier.

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PAPER 11

FAECAL SLUDGE MANAGEMENT – WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW? David Still* *Partners in Development (Pty) Ltd ABSTRACT According to DWS data, in 2021 South Africa had 2.7 million VIP toilets and 498 000 septic tanks. A further 1.7 million households were served by substandard pit toilets, which should be upgraded to an acceptable form of improved sanitation as soon as possible. South Africa has a much lower percentage of its population using on-site sanitation than most other countries in Africa, but these numbers are still large and the chances of most of these toilets being connected to a sewer network within the foreseeable future are zero. Pits and septic tanks ultimately fill up, which means that from time to time they must be emptied, or the toilets must be abandoned and replaced. When pits and tanks are emptied, the result is faecal sludge (as opposed to wastewater treatment plant sludge) which requires handling, possibly transport, possibly treatment and either disposal or conversion into a product that has a beneficial use, such as compost. Whose responsibility is this, what are the pros and cons of the various options for getting the job done, and what should Water Services Authorities do to ensure that all sanitation in their jurisdictions is, in the words of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 6.2, “Safely Managed”?

The Department of Water and Sanitation is currently finalising a national Faecal Sludge Management Strategy and when this has been adopted it will be mandatory for all Water Services Authorities in South Africa to develop a detailed understanding of their FSM obligations and to adopt policies, plans and budgets to meet those obligations.

1. INTRODUCTION In historical terms, fully sewered sanitation is still a relatively recent phenomenon. The sewer systems of London and Paris were only constructed in the second half of the 19th century, less than 160 years ago.

It is estimated that 60% of the world's population today still relies on some form of on-site sanitation, and for Africa, the continent with the world’s highest population growth rate, only 8% have sewer connections (Unicef and WHO, 2020). For the most part, those without the benefit of sewers use septic tanks, leach-pits and pit latrines, all of which accumulate what is known as faecal sludge. Faecal sludge is simply the accumulation in the septic tanks and pits of human waste and anything else which is discarded

in the toilet. It is not the same as fresh faecal waste in that it has gone through an anaerobic digestion process which typically reduces its volume by as much as 90% (Still and Foxon, vol 2. 2012). It is also different from the sludge produced by sewage treatment plants in that it is less uniform, is more hazardous and it contains a variable amount of non-organic waste (domestic solid waste and sand).

With the exponential growth of the world’s population over the last hundred years and the rapid growth of towns and cities, many of which have very low sewerage cover, the need for the safe management of faecal sludge has emerged as an international priority. For example, two faecal sludge management conferences organised by South Africa’s Water Research Commission and hosted in Durban in 2011 and 2012 led to the formation of the international Faecal Sludge Management Alliance (fsm-alliance.org) and the holding of biennial “FSM” conferences which have alternated between Africa and Asia since 2012. The World Health Organisation and Unicef’s Joint Monitoring Project not only tracks countries’ progress towards the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6.2) of achieving improved sanitation for all, but they also track progress to achieving “safely managed sanitation”. Safely managed means not only that wastewater is properly treated but also that faecal sludge is properly managed (WHO and Unicef, 2021). Faecal Sludge Management encompasses all stages of the service chain, starting with containment, then emptying, transport, treatment and re-use/disposal (Figure 1). At present South Africa does not have data on what percentage of our sanitation is safely managed. We only have data on the breakdown of the different types of sanitation.

2. THE STATUS OF SANITATION AND FAECAL SLUDGE MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA Table 1 shows sanitation data for South Africa drawn from Statistics SA’s 2011 Census and its 2016 Community Survey, as well as from the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation’s Water Services Knowledge System (wsks). The latter is aligned with Statistics SA data but also draws data from the Water Services Development Plans submitted by Water Services Authorities (Behrmann, 2022).

According to the 2011 Census, 8.2 million households, 57% of the population in South Africa, were served with sewer connections at that time. A further 4.6% were served by chemical toilets or bucket toilets. The contents of chemical toilets and bucket toilets is discharged into sewage treatment plants, which means that the faecal waste of 61.6% of the

FIGURE 1: The stages of the Faecal Sludge Service Chain (Containment, Emptying, Conveyance, Treatment and Disposal)

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TABLE 1: Sanitation Statistics for South Africa

population was at the time processed at sewage plants. The 2011 Census counted 4.5 million households using some form of on-site sanitation: 0.44 million with septic tanks; 1.3 million with ventilated, improved pit latrines; and 2.8 million with unimproved pit latrines. Thirty one percent of the population was using on-site sanitation in 2011. According to the Department of Water and Sanitation’s estimates, by 2021 the number of households using some form of on-site sanitation had increased to 4.9 million, although by that time this constituted only 25.4% of the population. Between 2011 and 2021 the number of VIPs more than doubled, from 1.3 million to 2.7 million (Behrmann, 2022).

Broadly speaking, the places where on-site sanitation is used can be categorised as: unsewered urban areas, peri-urban areas and rural areas: • While most parts of South Africa’s towns and cities are served with sewers, there are notable exceptions. These include affluent suburbs on what were once the fringes of the cities, such as parts of Sandton in Johannesburg and the outer western suburbs of Durban, and the many informal settlements which are scattered throughout our cities and towns. In the affluent areas sewage is piped to septic tanks and conservancy tanks. Sanitation arrangements in the informal settlements vary from city to city and encompass the full range from chemical toilets or portable toilets, to pit latrines (formal and informal, shared and private) to sewered communal ablution blocks.

• Peri-urban areas are places in transition from rural to urban. They may be served with electricity and water, but the settlements are not formally laid out, the roads are typically not surfaced and there are no sewers. Unlike informal settlements within the towns, peri-urban settlements tend to be more spread out. People use pit latrines or septic tanks according to what they can afford. In many of these areas government has provided VIP toilets to most homes, or in Durban’s case, double-vault urine diversion toilets.

• South Africa’s rural areas are a mix of farmland, dispersed settlements and small towns. The more affluent generally use septic tanks and the less affluent generally use pit latrines. Parts of some of the small towns are served with waterborne sanitation. Owner built pit toilets tend to be of a poor standard (unsanitary and unsafe) and are broken down and moved when they have become too full to use. Over the last 20

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years approximately 3 million homes have been provided with VIP toilets, mainly in rural areas, as part of the South African government’s drive to provide universal access to decent sanitation.

The current construction cost of a VIP toilet is approximately R15 000. The value of the 3 million VIP toilets that have been built in the last 20 years is therefore in the order of R45 billion. However, most pits are designed with capacity for 8 to 12 years use (Still and Foxon, Vol 2. 2012), which means many of those 3 million VIPs are now full or close to full, and once they are full they are no longer usable.

3. DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION NATIONAL FAECAL SLUDGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY As far as sanitation is concerned, the focus for the last 20 years has been on the eradication of sanitation backlogs, by which is meant the number of households who do not have at least a VIP level of sanitation. Little to no attention has been given to the question: what happens when the pits are full? Ten years ago, it was hard to find a municipality which had a policy, plan or budget for FSM management (Still and Foxon, 2012, vol 1), and there are no indications that this has changed since then. However, the Bill of Rights in the South African Constitution includes the provision that “Everyone has the right … to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing” (Clause 24 (a)). Furthermore, in 2001 the South African government introduced the policy of Free Basic Services for the indigent. The implications of Free Basic Sanitation were touched on by the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation (and its predecessors) in the White Paper on Basic Household Sanitation in 2001, expanded on in the Strategic Framework for Water Services in 2003 and developed further in the National Sanitation Policy in 2016. The 2016 policy states that: • Free Basic Sanitation refers to the cost associated with the ongoing operation and maintenance of any type of sanitation system as well as the ongoing Hygiene Education. Free Basic Sanitation will be targeted to indigent households.

• Free Basic Sanitation provides support of water for flushing of waterborne systems and for ongoing operation and maintenance of on-site systems.

• Free Basic Sanitation should be provided as part of the basket of social services available to support and assist indigent households.

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The implication of Clause 24 (a) in the Bill of Rights and the Free Basic Sanitation policy is that all Water Services Authorities must make provision for Faecal Sludge Management. For this reason the Department of Water and Sanitation has developed a National Faecal Sludge Management Strategy. The Strategy identifies short (1-3 year), medium (4 to 7 year) and long term (8 to 10 year) priorities for the development of functional faecal sludge management systems in South Africa.

4. WATER SERVICE AUTHORITY RESPONSIBILITIES Among the primary stakeholders identified in the National Faecal Sludge Management Strategy are Water Services Authorities (WSAs). It is the responsibility of WSAs to know the basic details of all on-site sanitation facilities in their areas. They should know where they are located, what their operational requirements are and how those requirements are met.

They should have a policy for providing services to indigent families and must budget accordingly. WSAs in South Africa, particularly those that serve our more rural areas where most of the VIPs are located, are typically very stretched financially, and may balk at this responsibility.

The National Treasury will however point out that these WSAs receive grant funding every year which includes significant funding for sanitation provision to the poor.

A useful planning tool which the Strategy recommends is used by all WSAs is the Shit Flow Diagam (SFD). The SFD is a schematic representation of the way that all faecal waste is managed within a given jurisdiction, and combines data for all forms of sanitation, from open defecation (i.e. no sanitation) to full waterborne sanitation. The output of a SFD is the percentage of faecal waste in the area which is safely managed (green) and the percentage which is not safely managed (red). Figure 2 shows an example of an SFD for a city which combines both waterborne sanitation and on-site sanitation, where 25% of the waste is considered to be safely managed. The SFD can be carried out at different levels ranging from a high-level desk top assessment where lots of assumptions are made, all the way to a comprehensive assessment. A comprehensive assessment requires a great deal of field work and ground level verification, but is a very useful management tool once it is compiled (see https://sfd.susana. org/ and https://www.fsmtoolbox.com/ for more information).

FIGURE 2: Illustration of the Shit Flow Diagram (SFD) concept from https://health.bmz.de/stories/uncomfortable-truths-how-shit-flowdiagrams-expose-the-gaps-in-urban-sanitation-systems-and-helpto-close-them/ Another critical task for Water Services Authorities is to plan, construct and operate Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants. South Africa has 850 publicly

owned Wastewater Treatment Plants (Green Drop Report, 2022), but we have no dedicated Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants. Such facilities will be required in the future.

5. CONTAINMENT OPTIONS As shown in Table 1, in 2021 DWS estimated that in South Africa there were 4.9 million households using on-site sanitation: 0.5 million with septic tanks; 2.7 million with ventilated, improved pit latrines; and 1.7 million with unimproved pit latrines.

On sites where there is no sewer connection and where a functional seepage bed or pit can be maintained, septic tanks are a standard sanitation solution. Most septic tanks belong to relatively affluent families who have the means to maintain them. However, septic tanks are used in some low-income housing projects in South Africa and in these cases the local authority may need to make provision for their emptying and maintenance.

The overwhelming majority of on-site sanitation in South Africa (4.4 million households) comprises some type of pit latrine. Pit latrines are classified either as unimproved or improved. Unimproved pit toilets have typically been built with cheap or freely available materials (Figure 3). They are temporary structures which are broken down and moved when the pits are too full to use. While unimproved pit toilets are often unpleasant and may even be unsafe to use, they do not pose a faecal sludge management problem. After the structure is moved the pits are covered over and the faecal sludge is left in place.

FIGURE 3: Typical unimproved pit latrines, built from cheap or freely available materials. While these toilets are generally unpleasant and sometimes unsafe to use, they do not present a faecal sludge management challenge. When the pits are full the structures are moved and the pits are covered.

FIGURE 4: Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines (VIPs) in South Africa are typically of masonry or precast concrete construction. In the last 10 years the latter type has become standard, due to their speed and ease of construction. To ensure stability the underlying pits must be partially or preferably fully lined. The pits should not, however, be sealed, as that will turn the pits into conservancy tanks which require much more frequent emptying.

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The standard term for an improved pit latrine is a VIP, which stands for Ventilated Improved Pit latrine. The term originated from work done at the Blair Research Institute in Zimbabwe in the early 1980s and was adopted worldwide (Unicef, 1983). There are many variations in VIPs and one can argue the pros and cons of different aspects of design, but the essential characteristics of a VIP is that it is well-designed, well-built and well-maintained, resulting in a structure that is safe to use, easy to keep clean and relatively fly and odour free. It is a simple, robust form of sanitation which has no moving parts and requires no water to operate. Figure 4 shows two types of VIP: a concrete block structure over a concrete block lined pit; and a precast concrete structure over a concrete block lined pit. Over the last 20 years most local authorities in South Africa have adopted some form of precast structure for their VIP building programmes. The factors that have influenced that decision are threefold. Firstly precast structures are cheaper than masonry structures; secondly they are quicker to build; and thirdly they can, in theory, be dismantled, moved and re-erected when the toilet pits are full. No municipalities have to date engaged in large scale pit relocation programmes, as the cost of relocating a precast toilet is likely to be significant, particularly when one remembers that it requires a new pit of exactly the right dimensions to be dug and lined before the structure can be re-erected.

Pit latrines have become controversial in South Africa in recent years, most notably due to a number of well publicised tragic incidents where small children have drowned in pit latrines at schools. These incidents have resulted in political pledges to “eradicate pit latrines” at schools, and possibly everywhere else, and there is widespread interest in alternate forms of sanitation which offer a higher level of service. It should be noted, however, that most of the pit latrines which have been “eradicated” from schools have been replaced with blocks of VIP toilets, admittedly designed and built to a high standard, but pit latrines all the same (National Education Infrastructure Management System, 2021). A key design consideration is the choice of pedestal. It must be easy to clean and it must be designed in such a way that it is impossible for a small child to fall through the pedestal. Pedestals that meet those requirements have been available on the market for more than 20 years and they simply need to be specified. The reason that VIP toilets are still being built at schools is the poor reliability of water supplies in many rural areas. A flush toilet with no water, particularly in a public toilet setting, quickly becomes completely unusable and a serious health hazard. However, with improvements in water supply reliability, the provision of sufficient back-up water storage, improvements in the maintenance of school toilets and the use of low-flush toilets, it is possible to upgrade to flush toilets without condemning children to dysfunctional sanitation.

Worldwide there has been much interest in developing alternate forms of sanitation which do not involve either pits or sewers. Perhaps the best known of these is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, which commenced in 2011. In South Africa research, testing and development of “next-generation” sanitation technologies is championed and supported by the Water Research Commission’s South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Progamme (SASTEP).

More information on those technologies can be found on the SASTEP and Gates Foundation websites. The main obstacles to the adoption of innovative sanitation technologies is cost and complexity, and these must be overcome in any large scale programmes where the ultimate responsibility for maintenance lies with municipalities which are stretched both financially and in terms of human resources.

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The simplest form of upgrade to the VIP is a low-flush toilet with an offset leach pit, or a set of two leach pits which can be alternated. With offset pits the waste is much easier to access for emptying. With a water seal the toilet is more pleasant to use and it can be installed in the house if so desired. Another advantage of the water seal is that, unlike the case with pit latrines, users limit the amount of solid waste which they dispose of in the toilet. If alternating pits are used then the waste can be allowed to dry and decompose into an inoffensive compost like material before emptying is needed. In the last ten years a large number of these low-flush toilets have been built in South Africa and the acceptance of this technology is good in areas where people are accustomed to using pit latrines or VIPs and have no expectations of being served with full waterborne sanitation (Neethling & Still, 2018). The Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality is currently considering switching to this type of toilet as their basic level of sanitation (Neethling et al, 2023).

A very common concern with pit latrines and the soakpits which serve septic tanks is that they contaminate the groundwater. A review of research into this topic, however, shows that such concerns are, in general, based on misperceptions. While pathogens and contaminants such as nitrates do move limited distances through soil and can move larger distances under specific conditions such as gravelly soil, fractured rock fissures and shallow soil on sloping rock, these conditions are more the exception than the rule. For example, van Ryneveld et al in a study of the movement of contaminants in the unsaturated zone of the subsurface from a low flush on-site sanitation system in Ivory Park, Johannesburg observed that within 3m, levels of contaminants (chemical and bacterial) were the same as background levels (van Ryneveld et al, 2016). Graham and Polizzotto reviewed 11 studies of migration of pathogens and nitrates from pit latrines and found that in most cases the impact was not observed further than 15m (Graham and Polizzotto, 2013). One case included in their review concluded that there was evidence of viruses travelling 50m from pit latrines, but a review of that paper shows that the conclusion was based on the testing of unprotected community wells, so the researchers were actually not testing the groundwater but rather water which had been exposed to the buckets used by villagers collecting water (Verheyen et al 2009). Flawed logic like this sustains a level of concern regarding the contamination of groundwater by on-site sanitation which is not sustained by the facts.

The possibility of groundwater contamination from pit latrines and septic tanks should not be ignored, but neither should it be overstated.

Sensible precautions should be taken, such as siting boreholes and wells used for potable water supply upslope, preferably at least 30m from pits and testing and disinfecting water used for potable supplies.

6. EMPTYING OPTIONS A septic tank has three distinct layers: sludge which settles at the bottom of the tank, a liquid layer above the sludge and a floating layer of scum above the liquid. Ideally the tank should be emptied when the sludge occupies more than a third of the tank. If the tank is allowed to fill up completely with sludge it will malfunction and moreover the sludge may ultimately become too dense to be emptied using a vacuum tanker. Most septic tank owners do not check the depth of sludge in their tanks, and therefore it is good practice to empty the tank every three to four years as part of routine maintenance. It is becoming increasingly common for cities elsewhere in the world to mandate scheduled emptying of septic tanks (Blackett and Hawkins, 2017) and the DWS Faecal Sludge Management Strategy recommends that Water Services Authorities in South Africa follow that example.

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The contents of pit latrines differs from the contents of septic tanks in that it is denser, has a lower moisture content and a higher solid waste content. It can be emptied by a vacuum tanker, but generally not before most of the larger trash items have been removed and before the sludge has been mixed, usually with some water added, to allow the sludge to flow. Suction pumping is not possible if the sludge cannot flow. Depending on the sludge characteristics it is often more practical to empty the pit manually using long handled tools (Figure 5). A common problem is access to the pit. If the pit design does not include a removable slab, then the only access may be through the pedestal opening, which limits the emptying options to suction pumping unless a hole is broken into the side of the pit lining to give the emptiers access.

FIGURE 5: Often the only practical way to empty pit latrines is manually. The use of suitable personal protective equipment and long handled tools makes the job less unpleasant and less hazardous.

FIGURE 6: A portable vacuum pumping machine such as the Pitvaq is useful for suction pumping in places where vacuum tankers are either not available, or unable to access the site.

Emptying pit toilets is an unpleasant and hazardous occupation.

However, with the right tools, training and the right personal protective equipment the risk is significantly reduced (Louton et al 2018). In some cities, such as Kigali in Rwanda, a large number of pit latrines are unreachable by vacuum tankers (Rutayisire, 2022) and portable vacuum pumping machines such as the Pitvaq have proved useful for pit emptying (Figure 6).

7. TRANSPORT OPTIONS Faecal sludge contains pathogens and therefore falls under the classification of hazardous waste. The sludge must therefore be transported either in a vacuum tanker, or it must be transported in closed drums (Figure 7). Vacuum tanker hoses must be wiped clean and capped before they are transported otherwise they may spill sludge. Where drums are used for the transporting of sludge they should be supplied with covers that screw or clamp in place, to prevent the spillage of sludge while in transit. In the event that sludge is spilled on the outside of the drum it should be wiped clean with a disinfectant soaked rag before being loaded onto the truck.

A major consideration with transport is obviously distance. Ideally vehicles should not have to make round trips of more than 50km to and from sludge treatment sites, otherwise the costs of Faecal Sludge Management become exorbitant. For this reason, simple technologies for faecal sludge treatment and disposal such as Deep Row Entrenchment should be considered where there are no other convenient options (see Section 9).

FIGURE 7: Pit emptying contractors in Lusaka, Zambia, use a combination of manual/mechanically assisted emptying and vacuum tankers. When they empty pits manually they use drums which are sealed and transported by truck.

8. TREATMENT OPTIONS Compared with other developing countries a relatively high percentage of South Africa’s population (71%) is served by a sewer network, directly or indirectly (see Table 1). This means there is a significant existing capacity for wastewater treatment in South Africa, probably in the order of 7 000ML/d.

Only 3% of South Africa’s population use septic tanks, and whereas an average household will produce 700ℓ of wastewater per day, the same household using a septic tank will produce only 2 000ℓ of septage every 4 years. One would therefore expect that there is plenty of capacity within the country’s wastewater treatment plants to treat the septage produced by those with septic tanks, and in very general terms, that is true. However, the concentrations of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and solids in septage is typically anywhere from 10 to 100 times higher than it is in sewage, and most of the COD in septage cannot be reduced in a wastewater treatment plant, which means that in reality the mixing of septage and sewage needs to be done with some understanding (US EPA, 1984). A small wastewater treatment plant in a rural town which receives a significant amount of septage (say 1% or 2% of the plant’s hydraulic capacity) may find that it is overloaded and unable to meet the DWS effluent standards.

There are a few basic measures that reduce the impact of septage on treatment plants. The most essential measure is that the septage should be discharged not directly into the head of works, but into a septage holding or equalisation tank. The outflow from the holding tank can be set to a more or less steady rate so that the works is not impacted by large nutrient load spikes when septage is discharged from tankers. Apart from the use of a septage equalisation tank, treatment plants which are equipped with primary clarifiers, or which use pond systems, are much more able to process septage than facilities that do not incorporate these features.

What of the sludge accumulating in VIPs which serve 14% of the population? The least cost, most sensible thing to do with pit sludge is to bury it on site, if there is enough space. From an environmental impact perspective burial of the sludge on site does not change the status quo, as the sludge was already in a pit on the site before the emptying. Once buried the sludge dries out and decomposes into soil like material within a few years (Neethling and Still, 2022). However, on-site burial is not always possible or acceptable, in which case the sludge must be taken off site and treated. While septage is typically 10 to 100 times more concentrated than sewage, pit sludge is typically 10 times more concentrated than septage.

The implication is that the contents of a single pit toilet can be the equivalent of more than 500kL of regular sewage in terms of nutrient and solids load, and yet much of the COD in the sludge is not biologically degradable so an

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activated sludge treatment plant will not be of much use in treating it. It therefore does not make sense to discharge such concentrated waste into the headworks of a standard wastewater treatment plant, even though that might be the most convenient thing to do.

Dedicated faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) are being built in increasing numbers in other parts of the world, especially South Asia, where a high percentage of the population uses on-site sanitation. On a per capita served basis, they are much less expensive to build and operate than sewage treatment plants. Standard features at most FSTPs are: • An intake screen where solid waste (trash) is screened out as faecal sludge, particularly that derived from pit latrines, tends to have a high trash content. The trash has to be disposed of at a landfill site.

• A balancing and settling tank.

• Sludge drying beds, which may or may not be planted with vegetation.

Plants absorb some of the nutrients in the sludge and help with the process of converting it to a compost like material.

Some FSTPs use ponds, which are simple and robust treatment systems, but require enough space and cannot be too close to residential areas.

Constructed wetlands are also used for improving the quality of the effluent.

FIGURE 8: Faecal sludge drying beds at a Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant in Shinyanga, Tanzania There are a number of innovative ideas for faecal sludge treatment. Some of these have been shown to be technically feasible, but the business case is somewhere between unproven and definitely non-feasible. If any innovative sludge processing technology is to be adopted, then the benefit/cost ratio must be greater than the benefit/cost ratio for the established options described above, and it must also not be too technically complex. Ethekwini has experimented with Black Soldier Fly treatment as well as the Latrine Dehydration and Pasteurization (LaDePa) system. In East London a test facility for conversion of sludge to biochar has also been tested. None of these systems have gone past the pilot testing phase. Sanergy, however, has constructed a Black Soldier Fly plant in Kenya which is designed to process 200 tons of sludge per day.

9. DISPOSAL/REUSE OPTIONS The outputs from wastewater treatment works as well as FSTPs are effluent (water) and dried sludge. In the case of sewage works which are working well the effluent can be discharged into the nearest watercourse. In the case of FSTPs, while the effluent may be free of pathogens it will usually have a nutrient content higher than that which can be legally discharged into a watercourse. The volume of effluent is however typically orders of magnitude less than the effluent for a sewage plant serving a similar number of people. This effluent can be used for irrigation of non-food crops, or subjected to further treatment, or simply discharged into a soakpit or seepage bed.

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Sludge derived from an FSTP contains small but still useful amounts of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as a certain amount of carbon. There are various options for deriving benefit from the resource value contained in the sludge: • Co-composting with supplementary organic waste. The most straightforward method for producing compost is windrowing (turning).

Windrowing requires either machinery or a large amount of labour.

Unless the heaps are properly turned the compost will not be pathogen free. Also unless other organic waste such as garden waste, animal manure or wood chips is added to the sludge the compost produced will be of a low quality.

• Deep-row entrenchment. Sludge which still contains pathogens can be safely disposed of by burying it beneath the soil surface. Evidence indicates that this practice makes a long-term improvement to soil fertility, and sludge disposal does not have to be limited to the agronomic rate. (Neethling and Still, 2022) • Use of dried sludge for fuel. Dried sludge, ground into a powder and mixed with sawdust or charcoal dust, can be made into fuel briquettes of quality comparable to or better than briquettes made from charcoal only.

The process is fairly labour and capital intensive but can be financially feasible if it is done at scale.

10. CONCLUSION According to Department of Water and Sanitation estimates, approximately 4.9 million families in South Africa are served by some form of on-site sanitation. Of particular concern are the 3 million families with Ventilated Improved Pit Toilets (VIPs), most of which have been constructed over the last 15 years and many of which are full or nearly full. When a pit is full it must be emptied, otherwise it becomes unusable. Municipalities have been focused on sanitation backlog eradication and have not given priority to the ongoing management of sanitation. The Free Basic Sanitation Policy, which was adopted in 2001 and has been further developed since, requires all Water Services Authorities to provide for the ongoing operation of sanitation facilities for the indigent, and part of the funds disbursed to Water Services Authorities as part of the Equitable Share is intended to provide for the cost of that work.

While there is interest in alternate forms of sanitation, it is likely that pit latrines, or at least Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines, will be around for some time to come. If they are well-designed, well-built and well-maintained they do provide decent basic sanitation, and unlike most other forms of sanitation they are robust and inexpensive to build and maintain. There is a widespread belief that septic tanks and pit latrines contaminate the groundwater, but research that has been done into the effect of pit latrines and septic tanks on groundwater shows that the impact is much more limited than is generally thought. This does not mean, however, that sensible precautions should not be taken, such as not siting wells less than 30m from pits and testing and disinfecting any groundwater which is used for a potable water supply.

Emptying of pits can be made less unpleasant and less hazardous if pit emptiers are properly equipped and trained. Where space permits on-site burial of pit contents is the least cost, most sensible disposal option, and it has no greater environmental impact than the status quo (i.e. on-site sanitation). Where on site disposal is not possible or not acceptable, the sludge must be transported off site to a treatment plant. While sewage treatment plants can take small amounts of septage, it is counterproductive to discharge the contents of pit latrines into sewage plants.

Dedicated Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) are needed. Fortunately the technology for treating faecal sludge is very simple, comprising mainly

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screens, settling tanks, drying beds and wetlands or ponds, and is much less expensive than sewage treatment. The end-products of faecal sludge treatment, apart from a relatively small volume of water, is dried sludge which is suitable for making compost or fuel briquettes. Other types of faecal sludge treatment have been tested, but none have yet been found to be economically viable.

Unicef and WHO. State of the World’s Sanitation: An urgent call to transform sanitation for better health, environments, economies and societies. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization, 2020

11. REFERENCES Behrmann D. Personal Communication. Dennis Behrmann tracks all water and sanitation service data for the Department of Water and Sanitation. 2022.

van Ryneveld, MB, Fourie AB and Palmer IH. 2016. Movement of contaminants in the unsaturated zone of the subsurface from a low flush on-site sanitation system in Ivory Park, Johannesburg. Water SA vol 42

Blackett I and Hawkins P. FSM Innovation: Case Studies on the Business, Policy and Technology of Faecal Sludge Management. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. ISBN 978-1-5136-2513-3. 2017 Department of Water and Sanitation. Green Drop Report. 2022

US EPA. Handbook: Septage Treatment and Disposal. 1984

WHO and Unicef. Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2020: Five years into the SDGs. Geneva: World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2021.

Verheyen J, Timmen-Wego M, Laudien R, Boussaad I, Sen S, Koc A, Uesbeck A, Mazou F, and Pfister H. Detection of Adenoviruses and Rotaviruses in Drinking Water Sources used in Rural Areas of Benin, West Africa. Applied And Environmental Microbiology, p. 2798–2801 Vol. 75, No. 9. 2009

Graham JP and Polizzotto ML Pit Latrines and Their Impacts on Groundwater Quality: A Systematic Review, Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 121, Number 5. 2013.

Louton B, Beukes L, Naidoo D and Still D. Understanding and addressing the exposure of workers, the public, and the environment to pathogens during pit emptying Water Research Commission Report 2134/1/18. ISBN No. 978-14312-975-0. 2018 Neethling J and Still D. Demonstration and Scaled Up Implementation of Pour Flush Sanitation in South Africa. Water Research Commission Report 2203/1/18. ISBN No. 978-1-4312-0011-8. 2018 Neethling J and Still D. Long-term impacts of entrenchment of pit latrine and wastewater sludge. Water Research Commission Project K5/2899. ISBN No. 978-0-6392-0156-6. 2022 Neethling J, Kubheka N, Still D, Mazeka B and Sutherland C. EWS Alternative Sanitation Evaluation Final Report. UZN Wash R&D Centre. 2023 National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS) Report, April 2021 Rutayisire B, Wolter D, Kuria N and Sklar R. Time and motion assessment of pit-emptying operations in Kigali, Rwanda. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. 2022 Still D and Foxon K. Tackling The Challenges Of Full Pit Latrines - Volume 1: Understanding Sludge Accumulation in VIPs and Strategies For Emptying Full Pits. 1745/1/12 978-1-4312-0291-1. 2012 Still D and Foxon K. Tackling the Challenges of Full Pit Latrines - Volume 2: How Fast do Pit Toilets Fill Up? A Scientific Understanding of Sludge Build Up and Accumulation in Pit Latrines. WRC Report Number 1745/2/12. ISBN Number 978-1-4312-0292-8. 2012 Unicef Water and Environmental Sanitation Team. Unflappable Crap Trap.

Waterfront No. 31. 1983.

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PAPER 12

DATA MODELLING AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROFILING IN LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES Christopher Chinonge Asset management engineer, IMQS Software ABSTRACT With the introduction of MSCOA and GRAP compliance, many municipalities ensure that they have an asset register in place. These registers are compiled in such a way that certain mandatory calculations are possible. Calculations such as depreciation, useful life adjustments and condition grading are obtainable. Some municipalities also have geospatial data available for their assets. It has been found that many of the asset registers that are developed function as compliance mechanisms to satisfy audit requirements and result in significant shortfalls in terms of infrastructure profiling and reporting.

Using examples from practice, this paper presents the benefits of adopting appropriate asset data models for compiling asset registers and the implications of having inadequate data models. The impact of a data model on depreciation, useful life and condition grading are discussed, as well as the impact on infrastructure planning and maintenance.

Developing and maintaining resilient infrastructure requires an accurate view of existing infrastructure and future needs.

The importance of the involvement of engineers in developing asset data models and assembling asset registers is underscored. Engineers are critical to the development of models that are fit for purpose. The nature of infrastructure asset data modelling requires a knowledge of the component parts of assets and their relationship to each other. It also requires a knowledge of deterioration mechanisms in order to accurately predict remaining useful life and condition grading. Examples from practice are used to demonstrate the advantages of having engineers being intimately involved in developing asset registers and specifically the data models that guide the componentisation of assets.

It is found that the application of appropriate data models can lead to the production of accurate information on asset condition, project cost estimation, maintenance scheduling and accounting practice. The aim of this paper is to motivate engineers to get involved in tasks that are ordinarily left to accountants, but have major implications on the work of engineers.

Municipalities that have established good data models are able to develop better asset management plans and have a more solid basis to motivate for increased budgets, while satisfying audit and regulatory requirements.

INTRODUCTION Municipal audit outcomes receive a lot of attention in the media. Much has been said about the need for financial audit compliance. It is perceived that poor financial management is a major contributor to the lack of municipal service delivery. The government has put in place a number of measures to ensure that municipalities achieve sound financial management.

Annual audits are part of the established activities that take place in every municipality. Local government entities are required to comply with Generally Recognised Accounting Practice(GRAP) requirements.

GRAP 17 requires that municipalities establish asset registers. These asset registers are expected to contain certain minimum fields.

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It has been found that mere compliance with GRAP does not necessarily result in improved infrastructure planning and service delivery. In other words, it is possible for a municipality to achieve financial compliance and emerge with a “clean” audit with regards to its asset accounting and yet have a register that does not enable it to practice good asset management.

Assets are designed, developed and maintained by engineers. It would then follow that engineers should have a significant role to play in the establishment and maintenance of municipal asset registers. This paper will go through the steps involved in developing an asset data model, its application to an asset register and the influence of the final outcome on infrastructure planning and management.

The approach proposed for componentisation is based on the City Infrastructure Delivery Management System Toolkit( National Treasury and I@ Consulting, 2018) afterwards referred to as CIDMS. Finally, the paper demonstrates that the activity of developing asset registers and their data models can be identified as engineering work according to ECSA’s definitions.

ASSET REGISTER DEVELOPMENT STEPS An asset register is simply a list of the municipalities assets and different columns reflecting the details of that particular asset. Many asset registers are presented in Microsoft Excel and maintained that way.

Some municipalities have software that stores the asset data in SQL based databases.

In order to develop a good asset register, practitioners need to consider certain minimum requirements.

The following steps are recommended as a good approach to the development of an asset register.

1. Determine the level of component detail 2. Decide on the condition and asset performance grades to be used 3. Establish estimated useful life of the components 4. Determine the unit rates for each component Each of these steps will be further elaborated below.

LEVEL OF COMPONENT DETAIL The most important feature that makes an asset register worth the effort from an asset management perspective is the principles behind componentisation. Componentisation refers to the breaking down of infrastructure assets into their smaller constitutive parts.

The component detail should be guided by the level at which assets can be maintained or refurbished. In one municipality it was found that the practice of the operations staff was to refurbish an entire pump by sending it to a service provider whenever there was a problem. This practice presented a number of challenges as it was not known which components were replaced and what the remaining useful life of the asset would be. The representation of this asset on the asset register would not be reflective of its actual status with regards to condition and financial value.

It was decided that the pumps would be componentised to a level of detail that separated the Pump as a whole from the motor. Each motor would have a life of its own. It was found that some pumps are so small

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FIGURE 1: Componentised Pump

FIGURE 2: Individual Pumps that it was impractical to componentise them further.

It was the engineering team that needed to decide at which size a pump would be defined as large enough to need componentisation. It was a technical decision and not merely a managerial or financial choice.

This is an example of the value that an engineer would add to the development of an asset register.

Determining the component detail for the pumps requires engineering knowledge. It requires a knowledge of the operation and maintenance of pumps and motors. An accountant or administrative professional may not be able to determine some of these factors without assistance. Yet in many municipalities they are custodians of asset registers and engineers are not involved since asset registers are considered to be a financial reporting tool.

In deciding on the component detail, one would also need to be guided by a hierarchy. For infrastructure assets the following hierarchy is suggested (CIDMS):

FIGURE 3: Asset Hierarchy (Source: CIDMS)

Engineers are key role players in defining which asset types specific infrastructure components belong to. Inappropriate classification can result in incorrect reporting and funding allocation for maintenance and capital investment.

Another example of the effects of using an insufficient level of componentisation is presented in the case of a fire station. A certain municipality reported its fire station as a complete unit on the asset register.

This means, that the condition of the facility was reported on a facility level.

It was found that there was a problem with the pipes on the facility and the auditors required that the facility should be impaired. The financial impact of such an impairment is significant and affects the municipality’s financial reporting and status.

The municipality used the asset hierarchy in Table 1, we will refer to this as hierarchy A. A more practical hierarchy would include more components as part of the facility. The hierarchy for these would look more like the table 2 and we will call this hierarchy B. Hierarchy B allows for more accurate reporting on whichever level the municipality chooses. It is particularly useful for reporting at asset group level. The benefit however goes beyond reporting.

The componentised level allows the municipal engineer to define condition grades that are specific to different asset types.

IMPACT ON DEPRECIATION, CONDITION AND USEFUL LIFE Consider the facility with the hierarchy defined in hierarchy A. The replacement value of the facility was based on an estimate related to the size of the facility. Simply size(m2) x rate/m2. The rate was obtained from the AECOM building and pricing guide.

For a facility that uses hierarchy B, the cost of the facility is the sum of individual unit rates for the different components.

This approach enables the municipality to request a maintenance budget that is realistic and addresses the specific components in need of maintenance. Further to that, as discussed in CIDMS, there are a number of benefits that emerge from componentising assets.

The most significant of these are: 1. Capex and Opex can be more accurately defined 2. Lifecyle renewal needs are easier to plan for each facility and facility type 3. The review of the useful life of the components in a facility become more meaningful and accurate.

The impact on depreciation is illustrated in the figures below from CIDMS. It can be seen that Hierarchy A would produce a depreciation that is not consistent with the reality of what is happening at the facility.

TABLE 1: Hierarchy A with single component for a facility Accounting Group Property, Plant and Equipment

Asset Category Community assets

Asset Sub Category Community facilities

Asset Group Fire / ambulance stations

Asset Type Buildings

Component Type Building - complete installation

TABLE 2: Hierarchy B with componentised facility Accounting Group

Asset Category

Asset Sub Category

Asset Group

Asset Type

Property, Plant and Equipment

Community assets

Community facilities

Fire / ambulance stations

External facilities

Carport

Component Type

Property, Plant and Equipment

Community assets

Community facilities

Fire / ambulance stations

Land

Land

Property, Plant and Equipment

Community assets

Community facilities

Fire / ambulance stations

External facilities

Perimeter protection

Property, Plant and Equipment

Community assets

Community facilities

Fire / ambulance stations

Pavements

Road surface

Property, Plant and Equipment

Community assets

Community facilities

Fire / ambulance stations

Pipe work

Plumbing

Property, Plant and Equipment

Community assets

Community facilities

Fire / ambulance stations

Brickwork

Walls

Property, Plant and Equipment

Community assets

Community facilities

Fire / ambulance stations

Civil structures

Floor

Property, Plant and Equipment

Community assets

Community facilities

Fire / ambulance stations

Civil structures

Roof

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DETERMINE CONDITION AND ASSET PERFORMANCE GRADES TO BE USED ondition data is used to determine a organisation’s infrastructure capital and maintenance requirements. Condition data can be very useful in timing and optimising infrastructure expenditure.

There are numerous condition grading scales that can be used on infrastruture projects. The choice of condition grading is determined by the level of complexity that is desired and that would perhaps bring more value for money in terms of the municipality’s available resources.

The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA, 2010) gives examples of the following grading scales:

FIGURE 4: Depreciation of a componentised Facility( Source: CIDMS)

FIGURE 7: Condition grading system for a simple approach(IPWEA) FIGURE 5: Depreciation of a facility represented as a single asset (Source CIDMS) INFRASTRUCTURE PROFILING When assets are broken down into components the maintenance and capital planning and scheduling can be more detailed and take on a wholistic view of the organisation’s assets. The figure below presents the all the wastewater treatment assets of a metropolitan municipality for the year 21/22. It can be seen that the treatment works have bioreactors that need attention within the 10-year planning period. These bioreactors represented a noticeable proportion of the total replacement cost of the treatment works of the entire city.

Due to this level of componentisation, the municipality is able to prioritise the maintenance of those specific assets in the 10-year period and budget for the rest of the assets appropriately. The focus is shifted from reactive maintenance to planned and routine maintenance. An engineer is best suited to decide how to componentise a waste water treatment facility appropriately and define its functional areas.

FIGURE 6: Remaining useful life of components for metropolitan Waste Water Treatments Works for all facilities

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FIGURE 8: Condition grading system for an intermediate approach(IPWEA) The choice of grading scale is a technical decision that would require the knowledge of the deterioration mechanisms and and the most important failure modes of the assets under consideration.

For asset management purposes, the condition grading should be augmented by other criteria such as performance, utilisation and criticality. Each of these measures should have a grading scale. The following measures are recommended by IPWEA: • Business and Technical Performance • Capacity or Utilisation • Functionality/Suitability The engineering professional should select the metrics that are appropriate for the municipality. The choice will affect future condition assessments and the deliverables that will be required from experts who are appointed to conduct annual asset “verification”, which involves a condition assessment.

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ESTABLISH ESTIMATED USEFUL LIFE OF THE COMPONENTS The useful lives of assets is an estimate that is often based on manufacuturer's specification or industry norms. Various assets such as pumps and motors have useful lives that can be based on make, model and capacity. Other assets such as civil infrasturcture would be based on the construction materials used and their exposure or loading conditions. Concrete deterioration presents a good example. Alexander and Beushausen (2019) and others have demonstrated that service life of concrete structures should be adjusted based on local conditions. There are equations governing the service life of concrete based on carbonation depth and other deterioration mechanisms. These equeations can be adapted to local conditions in order to predict the estimated useful life and to adjust it yearly based on the deterioration curves derived.

Accounting standards require that the useful lives should be re-evaluated annualy and a remaining useful life should be established. It is vital that the remaining useful life is based on expert opinion and has a rational basis.

DETERMINE THE UNIT RATES FOR EACH COMPONENT The unit rates various assets will be based on the replacement costs of the assets. The rates need to take into account the nature of the material being used. The design and construction methods required to install or construct components. The overhead costs involved as well as the municipality's internal costs.

Such information requires a knowledge of construction methods, equipment, mateirials and rates build up. Accurate unit rates lead to more effecient municipal budgeting and to financially viable projects.

An example of unit rate breakdown is given in Figure 9. The example presents the construction costs only, but additional costs need to be considered such as a percentage of the preliminary and general costs as well as design fees, environmental impact assessments and escalations, if any, on the project. Cost estimating is not an exact science and there needs to be a consideration of variances in estimates based on the assumption that had to be made and the economic conditions at the time of estimation.

IDENTIFICATION OF ENGINEERING WORK It has been demonstrated so far that much of what goes into an asset register has a direct bearing on the work that will be planned for engineers. This article takes it a step further and argues that a lot of what needs to be done to assemble a good asset register should be identified as engineering work.

It can be demonstrated that some of the key activities involved in establishing and maintaining an asset register meet the outcomes for registration as a professional engineer.

Engineering work is defined as: “The process of applying engineering and scientific principles, concepts, contextual and engineering knowledge to the research, planning, design, implementation and management of work in both the natural and the built environments.” (ECSA, 2022) According to the Engineering Council of South Arica an engineering problem is a problem that is amenable to analysis and solution using engineering sciences and methods. Engineering sciences are defined as a body of knowledge based on the natural sciences and using a mathematical formulation “where necessary” …to solve problems and provide a knowledge base for engineering specialisation.

ECSA does not define what the “natural sciences” are but the Merriam webster definition seems to consistent with most definitions in literature. The natural sciences are said to be sciences such as Physics, chemistry or biology) some definitions include geology.

Rate BuildUp 450 Dia Stormwater Structure Complete- Supply, Transport, Laying & Backfilling Description Setting out Surveyor LDV

Plant (Hrs) Labor (Hrs)

0.50

Excavations Back hoe loader x1 Tipper Truck General Hands x4

1.00 1.00

Laying culverts Backhoe Loader General Workers x6

2.00

Backfilling & Compacting in layers Wackers x2 Two wheel roller Water tanker General Workers x6

Material Qty

Total Cost (R)

0.50

225.00 150.00

4.00

550.00 747.50 320.00

36.00

1,100.00 2,880.00

3.00 1.50 1.00 36.00

300.00 630.00 400.00 2,880.00

Materials 450mm Dia 75D concrete pipes 2.44m/unit incl. transport Brick Wingwalls (complete, plastering included)

12.2m

22,170.00

2.00

2,800.00

Subtotal 10% Overheads & Profit

35,152.50 3,515.25

Total Rate per 10m length

38,667.75

Rate Per Meter length

3,866.78

Note i) Concrete volume to be measured under concrete bill item and quantified seperate. ii) Steel Reinforcement to be measured under the steel bill item and quantified seperate.

Assumptions/ Working Data Hourly Rate Gen Workers Rate

R Comment 80.00

Surveyor

450.00 Setting out

Backhoe Loader

550.00

Tipper

747.50 Rates includes 420.00 operator and 300.00 fuel.

100.00 400.00

Smooth Drum roller LDV Wacker Water tanker

FIGURE 9: Example of unit rate build up for a stormwater pipe In developing an asset data model, as a first step the engineer needs to determine which level of componentisation best represents the assets essential features. The “essentiality” of the components is based on its value, size and criticality to the operation of the parent asset, to which it is a component. Making this determination requires an understanding of the factors that influence the performance and operation of the component.

This is the work of engineers, and it requires a knowledge of the physics and operating environment of the asset.

Group A outcomes for ECSA registration deals with engineering problem solving. The engineer is required to identify, analyse and solve complex engineering problems.

The development and maintenance of asset registers can be defined as a complex engineering problem. The classification of the exercise as an engineering problem was discussed above. What about the complexity?

According to the ECSA competency standards a complex engineering problem can be one that is ill-posed, under or over specified and requires identification and refinement.

In developing an asset register the problem is ill posed for a number of reasons. The development of an asset register requires the engineer to address the following problems: 1. What level of component detail is appropriate for a particular asset?

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2. To which asset category should the asset be allocated? This can be influenced by the spatial segmentation of a service.

3. What is the expected useful life of the asset?

4. What depreciation method should be recommended that more favourably aligns with the deterioration mechanisms of the asset?

5. Which unit rates are most appropriate for the construction methods involved in creating the asset?

6. What criteria will be used to determine the performance measures and grading of particular assets?

The answers to the questions above will require the solving of subproblems such as deterioration mechanisms, construction methodology, material characterisation and may also require the utilisation or development of geographical information systems.

In addition to the requirements above a complex engineering problem can also be defined as involving wide ranging and or conflicting issues such as technical and engineering issues and interested and affected parties. The problem is wide ranging and has impact beyond the local scenario because the budgets that are received come from national treasury and perhaps other funding agencies. The service delivery challenges, though local may often impact bulk infrastructure that is provided by a provincial or national agency.

The development of an asset register with its associated data model and hierarchy involves wide ranging and or conflicting issues. The engineer has to balance the requirements of accounting practice, the budgetary and operational restrictions of municipalities and the capacity of the municipality to maintain the asset register and data at specific level of detail.

The designing and development of an asset register and its asset data model and hierarchy meets the requirements of outcome 2 of the ECSA requirements because an asset register solves a planning and maintenance challenge for engineering infrastructure.

CONCLUSION In conclusion it has been demonstrated that the development of an asset data model and an asset register requires certain decisions to be taken that require engineering knowledge and judgement. These decisions are influenced by the nature of their assets and their operating environment and the ability of the personnel at the municipality to maintain that data at a specific level.

It has also been shown that the development of an asset data model has a significant impact on the profiling of assets and maintenance and capital investment planning. These activities are easily identified as engineering work. Some of them can be accurately described as meeting the criteria for complex engineering problems.

It is imperative that engineers are involved in the work of developing asset registers as this ultimately has a service delivery impact and a bearing on the quality of lives of individuals and society at large.

REFERENCES National Treasury South Africa and i @ Consulting (Pty) Ltd, Cities Infrastructure Delivery Management System Toolkit Edition 1(CIDMS), 2018, , Accessed on 01 June 2023, https://cidms.co.za/cidms-toolkit/ Accounting Standards Board, Generally Recognised Accounting Practice 17 Property Plant and Equipment, 2010, Accessed on 01 June 2023, https://www.asb.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/GRAP-17Property-Plant-Equipment-1-April-2021.pdf

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Engineering Council of South Africa(ECSA), 2022,Standard for the identification of engineering work Accessed on 12 May 2023, https:// www.ecsa.co.za/ECSADocuments/Shared%20Documents/IDoEW01-STD%20Standard%20for%20the%20Identification%20of%20 Engineering%20Work.pdf Alexander, Mark & Beushausen, Hans. , 2019, Durability, service life prediction, and modelling for reinforced concrete structures – review and critique. Cement and Concrete Research. 122. 17-29. 10.1016/j. cemconres.2019.04.018.

Institution of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA), 2010, Condition assessment and asset performance guidelines – Preamble, Accessed on July 17 2023, https://higherlogicdownload. s3.amazonaws.com/IPWEA/e5f045c3-43de-4e66-b9ad-8af5523dc4e2/ UploadedImages/Bookshop/PN%20Preamble_lp_v2.pdf

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PAPER 13

CAUSES OF LEAKS AND LEAKAGE MANAGEMENT IN WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS K. Hlalele¹, T.D Ilunga² and M.O Dinka³ ¹Strategic Asset Management, Rand Water, South Africa, khlalele@randwater.co.za ²Strategic Asset Management, Rand Water, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, dilunga@randwater.co.za ³Department of Civil Engineering, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, mdinka@uj.ac.za ABSTRACT This paper presents the outcomes of simultaneous application of various leak detection technologies applied in Rand Water distribution System to manage water losses, in order to reduce water leakages in pipeline network. The study is aimed at investigating the causes of leaks in Rand Water distribution network and exploring effective and economical methods to reduce the avoidable Non- Revenue Water (NRW). As part of managing NRW, a programme of leak detection and repairs which formed part of reactive measures, was established using various leak detection technologies in discrete water pipelines. The leak detection technologies that were used include Sahara technology, SmartBall technology, piper technology as well as the satellite technology. In addition, different technologies which formed part of proactive measures were also used, such as Long Range Guided Ultrasonic Waves (Gul) Technology and Magnetic Tomography Method (MTM) Gradient were used to determining the wall thickness on the pipes in order to action the appropriate method of repairs to prevent pipe from leaking. Several leaks were detected and pinpointed on the ground, and the results demonstrated that with the use of these different leak detection technologies and repairing methods, Rand Water will be able to reach their target of reducing avoidable NonRevenue Water. Rand Water’s target is to reduce the NRW from 7% to 3% and this could save the organisation an estimate amount of over R846 million Rands of annual loss.

Keywords: Leaks, water distribution networks, leak detection technologies, Non-Revenue Water.

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND A large amount of potable water is lost through leakage in water distribution in South Africa and in the world. Leakage from water distribution systems accounts for a significant portion, sometimes more than 70% of the total losses (WHO-World Health Organisation, 2001). In South Africa, for instance, the NRW is around 41% (Department of Water Affairs, 2017 Report).

There are many factors contributing to the physical mechanism failure in water distribution networks which are the causes of leaks namely: age of pipes, operational pressure in relation to design pressure, excessive pressure, and pressure surges, quality of pipe materials, corrosion, poor construction, ground conditions and ground movement, vibration and traffic loading, depth of pipe installation, defects in pipes, damage

due to excavations, poor quality of joints, and changes in temperature due to climate change. Common to all above mentioned factors is the development of defects that create water leakage, especially within the pipes (Samir, N. et al, 2017).

Leakage in water distribution systems is sensitive to pressure. Thus, an understanding of pressure-leakage relationships is therefore fundamental to a system approach leakage control. In the past, leakage was seen as not being sensitive to pressure (Van Zyl, J.E. and Clayton, C. 2007). However, it has been shown in various studies to be very sensitive to pressure, than theoretically described by the orifice equation in 1.1 below (Van Zyl, J.E. and Clayton, C. 2007). Pressure and leakage relationship is illustrated in figure 1 below (Lambert A., 1997):

FIGURE 1: The relationship between leakage and pressure (Lambert A., 1997) Van Zyl and Clayton found that different mechanisms may be responsible for this pressure-l eakage relationship, which are leakage hydraulics, pipe material behaviour, soil hydraulics and water demand management. It was therefore concluded that the pipe material behaviour plays a major role in the observed behaviour leakage area (Van Zyl, J.E. and Clayton, C. 2007).

Considerable research has been undertaken over the past decade to understand how leakage from a water distribution system reacts to pressure. It is generally accepted that flow from a hole in a pipe will react to pressure. In 1843, Torricelli developed a theoretical hydraulic model which proved that the flow rate of a liquid through a circular opening is proportional to the square root of the pressure head (Farley M. 2001; Thornton J. and Lambert A., 2005). This theorem can be mathematically expressed under the orifice equation 1.1 as follows (Lambert, 2001):

(1.1) Where; flow rate discharge coefficient area acceleration due to gravity the pressure head at the orifice.

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An investigation was carried out on discrete Rand Water pipelines, among many causes of leakages includes vandalism on most air valves and gate valves, aging infrastructure, damages due to excavations by other service providers, corrosion due to external conditions such as power lines, railways and corrosive soil conditions, ground movements due to sinkholes, depth of pipe installation, water hammers, unsuitable pipe material for the soil conditions and poor pipe joints (lead caulked joint).

The loss of pipe material due to corrosion on unprotected steel pipeline is illustrated in figure 2 below:

will typically fail with longitudinal cracks, while steel and cast-iron pipes may leak through corrosion holes (Greyvenstein, B. and Van Zyl, J.E. 2007).

In a finite element investigation on the behaviour of holes and fractures in several pipe materials (uPVC, cast iron, steel, and asbestos cement) under two loading states, Cassa et al further proved that leak area varies linearly with pressure (Cassa et al., 2010). According to hydrostatic pressure testing of HDPE pipe, the generic stages of pipe failure include failure due to a purely mechanical failure mechanism caused by ductile overload of the material, and failure due to a mechanical mechanism which manifests as non-ductile slit or pinhole cracks in the pipe wall, allowing leakage from the pipe (L.J Broutman et al., 1989 and W. Gedde et al., 1994).

2.2 The age of the pipes Leakage is directly or indirectly affected by the age of pipes. This means that older pipes are more susceptible to leaks especially when pressure is high, this is because the wall thickness of a pipe reduces as the pipe ages.

Putting in place a programme that can be scheduled with a timetable to rebuild the pipelines with different quantities will decrease water losses.

Based on the experiments, which have been done, it is important to take into consideration the lifespan of the pipes, in terms of the pipe material.

For instance, the recommended time for galvanized pipe is 15 years, polyethylene is about 16 years and 65 years for steel pipes (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015). Studies of recent years show that with the increasing of the pipes age, the loss can reach up to 50% of the system input volume of water into the networks (Schouten, M. and Halim, R.D. 2010).

FIGURE 2: Loss of pipe material due to corrosion (Rand Water Photographs) This paper presents the results obtained after using innovative method of leak detection and leakage management. This was achieved by performing leak detection using several technologies in discrete Rand Water pipelines. The structure of this paper consists of causes of leak in water distribution network, leak detection technologies used at Rand Water, strategies used to reduce water losses and results, followed by conclusion and recommendations.

2. CAUSES OF LEAKAGE IN WATER DISRIBUTION NETWORK Previous investigations have reported that the causes of leaks in water distribution systems have been practically a huge worldwide concern to be overcome, because of the aging of water infrastructures (valves and pipelines) which leads to water loss through leakage (Schouten, M. and Halim, R.D. 2010). Saghi and Aval, investigated the causes of leaks in water distribution systems. The result of this study describes in detail the causes of leaks. There are many causes that are involved in the water leakage and these causes must be well understood to minimise water losses through leakages in water distribution systems (Saghi H and Aval A. A, 2015; Gupta A.D and Kulat K 2017).

Below is a further discussion of the causes of water leakages that were previously described in the paragraph 2 (Introduction & Background): 2.1 The material of the pipes One of the factors in water leakage is the material of the pipes. Greyvenstein and Van Zyl (2007), conducted an experimental investigation into pressure and leakage relationship on some failed water pipes in Johannesburg (Greyvenstein, B. and Van Zyl, J.E. 2007). The results of this investigation showed that the effect of the pipe material plays a major role in the behaviour of individual leaks. Due to the material properties, pipes of different materials will fail differently. For instance, asbestos cement pipes

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2.3 The diameter of the pipes The diameter of the pipes is one the effective element in the rate of causes of leaks. The diameter of the pipes has direct impact on the hydraulic pressure which decreases when the diameter increases, resulting in the decrease of water leakage. However, using big diameter pipes involves more cost, this investment is more benefit, because it may reduce the loss of leaking water in a long-term program (Tabesh, M. and Honari, R. 2002).

In addition, the bigger the diameter of the pipe, the thicker of the shell of the pipe has. This case has as an advantage in terms of the stiffness of the pipe which increases and subsequently, increases the resistant of the pipe to internal and external pressures, as well as external loading which can lead to the pipe buckling when the performance limit of the pipe is exceeded (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015; Tabesh, M. and Honari, R. 2002).

2.4 The pressure The pressure is the common factor and hydraulic parameter with high importance, which determines the performance condition and the servicing of water supply system network. High pressure causes the increasing of leaks, and the number of the breakages in the network (Nazif, S., et al 2021; Collins, R. and Boxall, J. 2013). On the contrary, low pressure in the network causes the inability of complete supplying water or result in providing unsuitable water. Because of these two reasons, the design pressure must be adequate to overcome the static pressure and friction losses to satisfy the demand (Van Zyl, J.E. and Clayton, C. 2007).

The pressure also should be effective for the stability and the structure of the system.

With high pressure, the probability of the pipe bursts and the crack of the system increase and the stability performance and suitable repairs of the network endangered (Thornton J. and Lambert A,2005). Therefore, it always important to know the pressure variations in the network. It is necessary to monitor the pressure in the network because the water loss might be caused by the network pressure conditions that changes

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uncontrollably. Particularly, the existing cracks within pipes will open with the high pressure and close with the low pressure (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.5 Movement of the ground around the pipe Movement of the ground may be caused by the sliding of the ground or shaking of the earthquake. This movement may subsequently result in sinkholes (especially in dolomitic grounds), which cause too much pressure on the pipes and resulting in cracks in the pipe, gaps between pipe joints, because the movement of the ground trying to separate the pipe joints, and this may eventually result in breaking of pipes (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.6 The Corrosion of soil and ground condition around the pipe The corrosion of the environmental soil and ground condition around the pipe material are inevitable, especially for buried pipes and joints made of metal, which attack the pipe material and causes leaks due to pipe corrosion, corrosive soil conditions affect the strength of the pipe material, especially for metal pipes.

It must be noted that corrosion has a very negative effect on the pipe integrity and lifespan of the pipe material, as it removes the material from steel pipes, thus reducing pipe wall thickness and creating leaks, which results in reduction of strength on the pipe wall over time (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.7 Damages due to work activities, vibration, and road traffic loading The damages caused by work activities on top of pipeline servitudes are also common because most of the water supply system network goes under the streets of the cities. In most cases water distribution network is buried underground along the roads with other services such as gas, electricity and communication network cables.

In the case of excavations by the other organisations such as gas, electricity and communications, these activities may damage the pipes, which will result in leakage and an increase in water loses. Excessive, pressure due to vibration (sine waves) and road traffic loading on the pipeline will eventually damage the pipeline, if the loading force exceeds the limits of the performance of the pipe material, this will cause a bending and therefore failure due to buckling of the pipe (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.8 Water hammer effect Water hammer effect is also one of the causes of leaks in the water network. Water hammer has the potential to damage joints, fittings, and connections, resulting in poor seals and ultimately leaky pipes. This effect makes some quicks waves and moves fast, which may subsequently result in transient pressures that can eventually damage the pipeline (Danshfraz, R and Moradi, N 2012). It is therefore important to take into consideration of the water hammer effect during the pipeline design projects to prevent damages in the pipelines (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.9 The Climate Conditions The climate conditions are one of the cause of leaks, because due the change of temperatures, the pipe material changes its structural integrity in terms of strength. When the temperature is high, the strength of the pipe material decreases, especially for pipes made of plastic and polyethylene components.

In addition, when the depth is not suitable, and the coverage is not enough, the effect of the quality of the soil together with the rainy

conditions and the low temperature may cause freezing. This freezing causes tension on the pipes and results in cracking (longitudinally and circumferentially) of pipes and consequently results in leakage (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.10 The Depth of placement of the pipes The depth of the placement of the pipes in the ground and traffic loading pressure are causes of leakage. The depth at which the pipe pipeline is laid has a significance role in the leakage rate in distribution system. External pressures from traffic loadings impact the pipe joints, as well as the pipeline which can be affected by a buckling once the performance limit of the pipe is exceeded. This is likely to happen when pipe is laid at a shallow depth (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.11 Poor-quality in construction of the pipelines The poor-quality during construction leads to incorrect installation of the pipelines and these are causes of leaks. The installation performed by unskilled workers together with lack of supervision, poor welding or using non-standardised techniques may result in poor sealing of the joints. It is important to conduct hydraulic pressure testing after the construction of a newly installed pipelines, to ensure proper joints sealing before the commission (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.12 Using inappropriate materials for the base and coverage of the pipes During the installation of pipes, care must be taken in ensuring that appropriate material is used for the bedding and blanket around the pipe.

Because of this, the surrounding of pipes should be made so that a good base is prepared for the settling of the pipes to prevent the extra tensions from being transmitted to the pipes. When inappropriate materials (such as that with large stones) are used, unbalance pressures are applied to the pipes and damage them, depending on the pipe material (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

2.13 Water Quality and Corrosive Waters Water flowing inside the pipe should not be corrosive. Corrosive waters cause corrosion and weaken the pipes. Corrosion occurs from erosion of the pipe material, until tiny holes which will be developed over time and become big leaks (Saghi H and Ansariaval A. 2015).

3. DIFFERENT LEAK DETECTION TECHNOLOGIES USED AT RAND WATER PIPELINES NETWORK The following leak detection technologies were used to detect leaks on water pipelines at Rand Water: 3.1 Sahara Technology Sahara leak detection technology consists of acoustic device that is a tethered inline leak detection technology; it is also used as an intrusive method of leak detection that isolates and approximate the leak size and air pockets in minimum pipe diameters of 300mm and above for all pipeline material.

The technology is based on principle of acoustics, leaks are detected in real time with the accuracy of less than 1.0m on surface location. A minimum of 50mm opening is required for an insertion of the system.

This is generally done through an air valve on top of the pipe. The tethered head sensor travels through the pipe with the flow of water for a maximum distance of 2.0km per survey, which is limited by the length of the rope. The position of a leak is pinpointed and segregated on the surface in real time (Rand Water Sahara Leak Detection Inspection Report 2016).

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3.2 SmartBall Technology SmartBall leak detection technology consists of sophisticated acoustic leak detection circuity and is released untethered into the water flow of a pipeline through an air valve. The Smartball follows the water flow and rolls at the bottom of the pipeline continuously recording the acoustic activities in the pipeline. The system is very sensitive to the sound made by changes in pressure and, any pressure variations between inside and outside of the pipeline will be detected regardless of the pipe material. The SmartBall is inserted inside the pipe through an air valve at upstream. At downstream there is a retrieval point, which is a designed extraction net to capture the rolling ball and extract it from the pipeline through an air valve. A single deployment can be more than 20km, this is limited by the lifespan of the batteries. Data is analysed through a computer to determine the location of leak on an approximate distance of 1.0m (Rand Water Report: Emergency Pipeline Inspection Using Smartball 2022).

3.3 Piper Technology Piper leak detection technology is an untethered ball consisting of acoustic leak detection sensors. When travelling inside the pipeline, Piper device continuously records a comparatively low flow noise, creating a baseline for the measured sound intensity. In pressurised pipelines, the jet of liquid passing through the crack or hole creates a noticeable sound or characteristics of a rushing sound that exceeds the baseline noise in a localised region around the leak. Conversely, if there is no change in the average sound intensity along the length of a pipeline, no leaks are detected. The piper is designed to travel at the centre of the pipeline whilst the Smartball rolls at the bottom of the pipeline. The Piper is able to cover a distance of 60-80m at a single deployment. This distance in deployment is limited by the battery life span which is 48 hours. Like the SmartBall, the piper ball is inserted through an air-valve inside the pipe at upstream and it is retrieved at downstream using a designed net. (Rand Water Emergency Leak Detection Report: Piper 2021).

3.4 Satellite Leak Detection Technology Satellite leak detection is one of the new technologies used to identify leaks using artificial intelligence (AI). The technology consists of studying the spectral imageries captured by satellite and examine them with the use of specialised algorithms. This technology is non-intrusive, non-destructive and non-disruptive. In addition, this technology guarantees a survey of a large area of water pipeline network monitoring and identification of leakages and potential leakages. Satellite leak detection is indicative because it requires a complementary technology to pinpoint leaks on the ground. The use of acoustic correlators was used in Rand Water to pinpoint leaks on the ground (Rand Water Satellite Leak Detection Report 2021).

4. STRATEGY USED TO REDUCE WATER LOSS AND RESULTS Rand Water has currently move in new strategic objectives include reducing water losses and increasing operational efficiency using new, innovative, and efficient methods of leak detection that are non-intrusive to the pipeline and non-disruptive to the on-going operations. The organisation also uses the available and efficient technology to monitor the wall thickness on pipelines, as a proactive measure in order to plan for the necessary repairs and refurbishments to prevent the leaks from occurring and preserve the integrity of the pipeline assets.

To reduce Non-Revenue Water, Rand Water lodged on extensive leak detection and repair program on its pipeline network. Various leak detection technologies were used to detect leaks in Rand Water pipelines. Some of these technologies were used in combination as they complement each other (Rand Water Emergency Leak Detection Report: Piper 2021).

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The results of different above-mentioned technologies used by Rand Water for condition assessment and leak detection will enable the organisation to reduce the NRW by 3%. Which will reduce the amount of water loss from 349 000kl/Day to 149 000kl/Day of the total volume supplied per day. Table 1 below display the current NRW per year and the target (Rand Water Annual Report 2021).

TABLE 1: The current percentage of NRW at Rand Water and target (Rand Water Annual Report 2021).

Rand Benefit on Distribution Current Annual NRW

7.0%

NRW Target

3.0%

NRW Volume @7%

349 000kl/day

NRW Reduction Target Volume @3%

149 500kl/day

Volume of NRW Savings on Repaired Leaks

199 500kl/day

Where:

R = Rand kl = kilolitre NRW = Non-Revenue Water Table 2 below illustrates the profit that the organisation could make annually when the detected leaks are repaired (Rand Water Annual Report 2021).

TABLE 2: Annual profit on repaired leaks (Rand Water Annual Report 2021).

Profit on Repaired Leaks Cost of sale

R11.62/kl

NRW @7%

R1 480 213 700.00

NRW @3%

R618 439 640.00

NRW Savings on Repaired Leaks

R846 139 350.00

Where:

R = Rand kl = kilolitre NRW = Non-Revenue Water CONCLUSION The combination use of various complementary leak detection technologies to detect leaks on portable water pipelines at Rand Water has been confirmed to be successful. Results and observations from these various technologies have delivered expected results, meeting the objectives for a successful leak detection at Rand Water. The results indicated that the leak detection technologies were useful in dealing with the aging infrastructures and water loss resulting from pipeline leakage.

Proactive measures can be used to prevent leaks and burst on full scale, these involve the use of technologies such as Magnetic Tomography Memory and Long Range Guided ultrasonic to determine the pipe wall thickness. In addition, an adequate pipeline protection such as cathodic protection should also be installed in the network to protect steel pipelines against corrosion. Pipeline condition assessment using External Current Direct Assessment (ECDA) and Internal Current Direct Assessment (ICDA) will work as effective maintenance strategy on the existing pipelines.

These leak detection technologies and appropriate maintenance procedure mentioned above will afford Rand Water an opportunity to be proactive in managing leakages. Pipeline rehabilitation or replacement of pipe section could be performed without having to wait for leaks to surface. A global view of the general outlook of leakage on the Rand

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Water pipeline network could be achieved (Rand Water Emergency Leak Detection Report: Piper 2021).

In consideration of the cost associated with sourcing of raw water, purification, pumping and supply of portable water, implementation of leak detection programme using leak detection technologies on permanent basis, and the condition assessment strategies could save the organization up to 199 500 kiloliters per day of NRW and that translates to profit of more than R846million annually (Rand Water Annual Report 2021).

5. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the above results, it is recommended that Rand Water should put in place a programme of leak detection on permanent basis using relevant technologies to detect leaks, and permanently implement the relevant technologies to monitor pipe wall thickness and defects on pipelines to prevent burst on pipelines network. This programme should be followed by a repair programme to minimise water losses and preserve the pipeline integrity.

Large scale use and future deployment of these technologies should be implemented by Rand Water. Yearly schedules to scan the pipelines as preventive method should be implemented to monitor corrosion on pipelines and mechanical stress concentration in order to prevent leaks from occurring in water distribution network.

6. REFERENCES Cassa, A.M. Van Zyl, J.E. Laubscher, R. “A numerical investigation into the effect of pressure on holes and cracks in water supply pipes” Urban Water Journal, 7 (2010)109-120.

Collins, R. and Boxall, J. “Influence of Ground Conditions on Intrusion Flows through Apertures in Distribution Pipes” J. Hydraul. Eng.-ASCE 139 (2013) 1052-1061.

Lambert A., 1997: “Pressure Management/Leakage Relationships: Theory, Concepts, and Practical Application”. IQPC Seminar, London.

Lambert, 2001: International Report: “Water Loses Management and Techniques”.

Nazif, S., et al 2021 “Pressure Management Model for Urban Water Distribution Networks”. Water Resource. Management. 2010, 24, 437–458.

Rand Water Photographs “Unpublished Data” Rand Water Sahara Inspection Report 2016 “Unpublished Data”.

Rand Water Report: Emergency Pipeline Inspection Using Smartball 2022 “Unpublished Data”.

Rand Water Satellite Leak Detection Report 2021 “Unpublished Data”.

Rand Water Emergency Leak Detection Report: Piper 2021 “Unpublished Data”.

Saghi H and Ansariaval A 2015: “Effective Factors in Causing Leakage in Water Supply”. doi: 10.11648/j.ajce.s.2015030202.22.

Samer El-Zahab and Tarek Zayed 2019 “Leak detection in water distribution networks: an introductory overview”. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40713-019-0017-x Samir, N. et al 2017: “Pressure control for minimizing leakage in water distribution systems”. Alexandria Engineering Journal 2017, 56, 601–612.

Schouten, M. and Halim, R.D. (2010) Resolving strategy paradoxes of water loss reduction: A synthesis in Jakarta. DOI:10.1016/j. resconrec.2010.05.006.

Broutman L.J et al., Proceedings, SPE ANTEC, 35,1599-1602(1989).

Danshfraz, R., Moradi, N. "Evaluation of water hammer in pumping station and water pipeline using software AFT-Impulse", accepted at the first conference on Kerman water and sanitation, 2012.

Department of Water Affairs (DWA 2017) Report.

Tabesh, M. Honari, R. 2002 "Analysis of accidents in the urban water distribution networks”, water and environment magazine, NO. 50, pages 17-23, 2002.

Thornton J. and Lambert A., 2005: “Progress in practical prediction of Pressure: Leakage, Pressure: burst frequency and Pressure: consumption relationships”. IWA Conference Leakage 2005, Halifax, Canada.

Gedde U.W et al., Polym. Eng. Sci., 34, 1773-87(1994).

Greyvenstein, B. and Van Zyl, J.E. 2007: “An experimental investigation into the pressure - Leakage relationship of some failed water pipes”.

Gupta A.D and Kulat K 2017: “Leakage reduction in water distribution system using efficient pressure management techniques. Case study: Nagpur, India”. Water Science & Technology: Water Supply -18.6 - 2018.

Van Zyl, J.E. and Clayton, C. 2007: “The effect of pressure on leakage in water distribution systems”. DOI: 10.1680/wama.2007.160.2.109.

WHO-World Health Organisation 2001: “Leakage Management and Control-A Best Practice Manual”.

Farley, M. 2001: “Leakage management and control - A Best Practice Training Manual”.

Lahlou, Z.M. 2001: “Leak Detection and Water Loss Control”. Tech Brief- A National Drinking Water Clearinghouse Fact Sheet. Morgantown, West Virginia.

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PAPER 14

IMPORTANCE OF COMPLIANT MUNICIPAL ASSET REGISTERS AND IMPROVEMENTS WITH THE AID OF GIS APPLICATIONS M. Braune¹, M. Mans² and N. Rajnandan³ Pr Eng, Managing Director, Bio Engineering Africa Consulting (Pty) Ltd¹ GIS specialist, Bio Engineering Africa Consulting (Pty) Ltd² Pr Eng, CAMA, Director Advanced Asset Engineering Consulting (Pty) Ltd³

This paper presents a case study on how the above GIS based approach can assist in obtaining and capturing field data of the assets in an efficient manner for easy visualisation and integration with the SAP system at a municipality.

ABSTRACT In terms of the Municipal Financial Management Act (Section 63) a municipality should have an up-to- date and complete asset register.

The Municipal Manager should ensure that the provisions in terms of specific duties of Asset Management (safeguarding, Maintaining, internal controls, register) are implemented. Failure to account for these assets accurately leads to unaccounted assets and misleading information on the capital value of assets which raises non-compliant audits of a municipality by the Auditor General.

A further drawback is the often-non-existing visual information of the type and condition of the asset. The information is either non-existent or it is in a photo folder without any geographic reference or link to the asset.

This in turn makes it very difficult to have a complete and up-to-date asset register and a historical record of the asset condition and functionality.

In view of the above it is proposed that a GIS based software application be used to assist the asset manager and municipal official to obtain both numerical and as well as visual information of all assets in an efficient manner. The GIS application is part of the ESRI ArcGIS software which is widely used by most municipalities to manage and store all municipal infrastructure and assets in a digital format. The GIS application allows the field inspector to capture both the condition as well as type and locality of the asset in a geo-database.

The geo-database has links to every photo taken of the asset and hence makes it very easy to on a virtual basis inspect all asset components with a geo-referenced and linked photo of the asset. An interface was then developed between the geo-database and the SAP (System, Applications and Products) proprietary software developed by a German company, (SAP AG) which is used by most municipalities for their accounting and asset registers used by most municipalities.

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND It was reported that out of 257 municipalities, only 38 (15%) received a clean audit as shown on Figure 1 below.

Combining the outcomes from previous reports, we have established and confirmed the trending downward outcomes as graphically shown on Figure 2 below.

FIGURE 1: Auditor General Report Outcomes (The Auditor General (AG) reported-MFMA report 2022/23)

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FIGURE 2: Auditor General Report trends (Adopted from the Auditor General (AG) reported-MFMA report 2022/23) If the trend continues, we will not be able to recover unless steps and measures are put into place rather sooner than later.

The intent of this paper is to make the reader aware of the current state of asset registers of municipalities, the importance of having a up-to-date register and how a GIS application can assist is capturing and validating assets in an efficient manner and integration with the SAP thereby having a up-to-date and credible asset register. In a simple short statement, it is getting the basics right.

2. ASSET MANAGEMENT 101 Asset Management and an up-to-date asset register is important for any municipality to ensure that all existing assets are taken care off and maintained so as to sustain and improve service delivery .The adoption and institutionalisation of good asset management practises enables the municipality to function optimally and reduce expenditure. Asset Management covers aspect of planning, asset information, project execution, maintaining, disposing all supported by strategies and plans (Asset Master Plans and Maintenance plans).

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In view of the above having an up-to-date asset register is fundamental for a well-functioning and financially viable municipality. This assists a municipality in obtaining grant and donor funding, proactive budgeting for maintenance of assets as well as having an accurate measure of its capital asset value.

Asset Management is an international and national standard (ISO 55000, ISO 55001, ISO 55002, SANS 55000, SANS 55001 and SANS 55002). The standard helps an organisation understand the need for asset management practices and provides the framework for implementation. The typical asset management lifecycle is shown on Figure 3 below.

» Municipal Planning » Financial Management » Municipal Oversight » Performance Management The Systems Act also outlines asset management practices that should be in place. These are: » Asset Management Plans » Asset Registers » Accounting for Assets » Asset Verification » Asset Management Systems The typical framework and organisational strategic plan is shown in Figure 4 below.

FIGURE 3: Typical asset management life cycle (Generally recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) Standards, 2022) While most organisation focus on the lifecycle delivery wheel, it is underpinned by asset information. If we fail in this regard, we threaten the collapse of the lifecycle delivery cycle.

The asset information we are looking for consists mainly of what asset and types we have, to know where they are located and what condition they are in after all, we can only manage what we know!

3. IMPORTANCE OF GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT By knowing what assets a municipality has and their conditions, a municipality can better plan and budget for maintenance activities. In knowing where the assets are, a municipality can better respond to faults and repairs.

A further benefit is the improved service delivery by being able to respond quicker and more efficiently to faults. Maintenance costs can be linked to assets allowing a municipality over time to move from Non-tactical to Tactical maintenance strategies.

A municipality is governed by the Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act No. 32 of 2000) (Systems Act), the Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003 (Act No. 56 of 2003) (MFMA), the financial reporting standards which are Generally Recognised Accounting Practices (GRAP) and Municipal Standard Charts of Accounts (mSCOA). Underlying this all is the constitutional right to provide services to the citizens. A brief overview of the main legal and compliance requirements is given below.

3.1 The Systems Act The Systems Act is a legislation that sets out the framework for the governance and administration of municipalities in the country. The act provides guidelines and regulations that municipalities must follow in order to promote good governance, transparency, and accountability.

There are six (6) key provisions of the Systems Act which are: » Municipal Systems » Structures and Functions

FIGURE 4: Organisational Strategic Plan (Generally recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) Standards, 2022) 3.2 The MFMA The MFMA is a key legislation that governs financial management in municipalities across the country. The purpose of the MFMA is to promote sound financial management and ensure transparency, accountability, and good governance in municipal finance.

There are seven (7) key provisions of the MFMA which are: » Financial Management Framework. » Budgeting. » Financial Reporting and Auditing. » Supply Chain Management. » Internal Controls and Risk Management. » Municipal Borrowing and Investment. » Financial Accountability and Oversight.

The MFMA also references to asset management specifically in the following sections: » Section 14: Accounting System and Financial Records • This section requires municipalities to establish and maintain an accounting system and financial records that accurately reflect the financial transactions and position of the municipality. These records would include information related to assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses. » Section 15: Asset Management • This section stipulates that municipalities must establish and maintain an asset management system, which includes keeping records of their assets. The system should enable municipalities to account for and manage their assets effectively. » Section 16: Asset Register • The MFMA requires municipalities to establish and maintain an asset

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register, which is a comprehensive record of the municipality's assets.

The asset register should include information such as the description, location, condition, and value of each asset. » Section 17: Accounting for Assets • This section mandates municipalities to account for their assets in accordance with generally recognized accounting practice. It includes provisions for recognizing, measuring, depreciating, and disclosing assets in the municipality's financial statements. » Section 18: Asset Verification • The MFMA requires municipalities to conduct regular asset verification exercises to ensure the accuracy and completeness of their asset registers. The purpose is to physically verify the existence, condition, and value of assets. » Section 19: Asset Management Performance Reports • This section requires municipalities to prepare and submit asset management performance reports. These reports should provide information on the condition, utilization, and management of assets within the municipality.

3.3 Accounting standards – GRAP GRAP is a set of standards setting out accounting principles to be applied and adhered to. There is a comprehensive set of standards. The two most important standards applicable to the treatment of assets are found in GRAP 16 and GRAP 17.

GRAP 16 – Property, Plant and equipment Covers the accounting for property, plant, and equipment, including recognition, measurement, depreciation, revaluation, and disclosure aspects.

GRAP 17 - Investment in Property, Plant, and Equipment Provides guidance on accounting for investment in property, plant, and equipment by lessees, lessors, and custodians.

3.4 Asset information requirements All assets should have a description that indicates its nature and purpose.

Other description attributes should include identifying details such as serial numbers. As part of the identifying features, an asset location and photographic record should be captured with a geographic locality.

Furthermore, the condition of an asset must be recorded and up-to-date.

This impacts the remaining useful life of an asset and in turn the financial value thereof. Other information required by GRAP is financial information such as the cost, depreciation, accumulated depreciation, revaluation, impairment, disposals, and disclosures.

4. CASE STUDY OF IMPROVING AN ASSET REGISTER FOR COMPLIANCE ASSISTED BY ARCGIS SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS The main objective of the study was to assist the municipality in having an accurate and complete asset register. The project involved the compilation and updating of an asset register of some 17 wastewater treatment works (WWTW) for a municipality. The first step was to establish on site all existing assets of the WWTW and categorise them into their respective asset categories. The on-site data capture was assisted by the ArcGIS Survey 123 application as part of the ESRI ArcGIS software. The Survey 123 application has a customised data capture menu allowing quick and efficient capturing including a photographic record of all the assets in a Geo-database with coordinates of the photo taken for easy access and retrieval of the data. In this way substantial time and cost savings are achieved as the asset components can be viewed virtually in an office environment giving an accurate position as well as a unique ID to a photographic record. An example of the process follows as well as deliverables is given below for the Refilwe WWTW.

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FIGURE 5: Example of a data collection process (Adapted from ESRI ArcGIS applications ,2021) 4.1 The ArcGIS survey 123 application for field data capture and storage It was established from several studies of municipal asset registers that the filed data and information is often not geo-referenced and hence is very difficult to position and visualise the asset. It is there recommended that a data capturing tool such as the ArcGIS survey 123 be utilised. The ArcGIS survey 123 is a powerful in the field data capturing application as part of the ESRI ArcGIS software. The application allows the user to carry out the following: » Customisation of a data capture template with drop down menu; » Obtain a photographic recorded of each asset linked to a geographic coordinate; » Exporting the data to a Google kmz file; » Uploading the data to a cloud storage facility for easy access by the user and the client.

The applications can be uploaded onto any hand-held Cell phone and/or Tablet used in the field. The typical process flow chart is given on Figure 5 above. This application was now used to assist the Municipality in updating and verifying their asset register of the WWTW. 4.2 Field data capturing template A field data capturing template including easy to use drop down menus was set up for the field inspection and capturing of the data as shown on Figure 6.

FIGURE 6: Typical Survey 123 field data capturing template

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The field data template then has various drop-down screens to capture relevant information as shown on Figure 7 below.

4.4 Compilation of the geo-database Once all the data had been captured and verified it was exported to an Excel and MS Access data base for use by the client. A geo-database was also compiled for use of the data in a GIS environment. A typical example of the exported data is given in Figure 9.

4.5 Upload files for the SAP system The final stage of the study was to determine the asset value of each asset component as well as the total asset value of the WWTW for both the present-day value and including depreciation.

FIGURE 7: Typical Survey 123 field data drop down screen 4.3 Geographic representation of the asset component The Survey 123 application was then also used to take relevant photographic records of each of the identified assets. Each photo is then captured with a geographic x, y co-ordinate which assists the user to later review and use the photos in an office environment with the exact location. A typical example is shown on Figure 8 below.

FIGURE 8: Example of geographic representation of the asset components and geo-referenced locality of the photographic records

4.6 Benefits of an accurate and up-to-date asset register assisted by the GIS application.

4.6.1 Accurate and up-to-date asset register The following benefits were derived: » Compliance with the Municipal Financial Manage Act (Section 63); » Accounting for all assets and knowing the condition and present asset value; » Improved forward planning and budgeting for upgrading and maintenance requirements of municipal infrastructure; » Improved access to loans, and grant funding by having a complaint audit and assess register; » Improved service delivery regarding the operation and maintenance of all municipal infrastructure; » Improved quality of life of all residents.

4.6.2 GIS data capture and storage application The following benefits were derived from the above approach: » Easy to use and customised data input template for the field workers thereby eliminating errors in data capturing. » Time saving by needing no on-site paperwork and plans. » Cost savings by being able to capture all data effectively and efficiently. » Geographically linked location of all photographic records for the use in an office environment eliminating having to go back to site. » Easy and seamless interface with Excel, MS Access and the SAP system used by most municipalities.

FIGURE 9: Extract of the excel data base for the Refilwe WWTW

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5. CONCLUSIONS The following is concluded: i.

Most municipalities have outdated and inaccurate asset Registers; ii. Only 38 out of 257 municipalities in South Africa obtained a clean audit; iii. There is very little to no visual information on assets; iv. The condition and functionality of the assets are unknown; v.

Insufficient forward planning and budgeting for upgrading and maintaining municipal infrastructure. vi. Insufficient to non-exiting service delivery. vii. Non-compliance with Municipal Financial Management Act (section 63); viii. Field data capturing is carried out via non-digital methods (hard copy notes and drawings) with a high risk of losing the data and having nonconsistent and misleading data.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS The following is recommended: i.

Municipalities invest in getting up-to-date and accurate asset registers; ii. Municipalities to improve their audit reports so as to be compliant; iii. Asset components be captured in the field using the ArcGIS Survey 123 application; iv. Visual information be captured by the Survey 123 application giving a geo-referenced locality of the photographic record; v. Municipalities to improve the forward planning and budgeting of required upgrading and maintenance activities of all municipal infrastructure; vi. Municipalities to improve on the current insufficient service delivery.

7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wish to acknowledge the opportunity given by the municipality for assisting in updating and refining the WWTW asset registers with the assistance of specialist software applications such as the ArcGIS Survey 123.

8. REFERENCES ESRI ArcGIS applications, ESRI South Africa,2021 (https://www.esri-southafrica.com) Generally recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) Standards, 2022 Municipal financial Management Act (Section 63), 2000 Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act No. 32 of 2000) (Systems Act) Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003 (Act No. 56 of 2003) (MFMA), Municipal Standard Charts of Accounts (mSCOA),2001 SAP (System, Applications and Products ) ,SAP AG (https://www.learning.sap.com/products/financial-management/ management-accounting ) The Auditor General (AG) reported-MFMA report 2022/23

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PAPER 15

REVISING THE MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT TO IMPROVE EXPENDITURE & QUALITY OUTCOMES Luntu Ndalasi¹, Lubabalo Luyaba² and Azwifarwi Irene Vele¹ ¹Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) ²South African Local Government Association (SALGA) ABSTRACT Municipalities are key agents of service delivery in South Africa, tasked with the provision of basic infrastructure services such as: solid waste management, roads, stormwater, electricity, water and sanitation to mention a few. Many municipalities are largely dependent on the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) to fund the development of this infrastructure. Notable progress has been made in increasing access (not necessarily reliability) to basic infrastructure, but four key problems plague municipal infrastructure development: • Continued under expenditure on the MIG. • Inappropriate and inefficient expenditure of the MIG. • Poor quality of project delivery.

• Poor expenditure on repairs and maintenance of existing infrastructure, leading to infrastructure reliability issues.

Though these challenges are related this paper focuses on the last of these challenges with particular emphasis on water and sanitation infrastructure. The paper outlines planned reforms to better utilise grant conditions to incentivise sustainable municipal infrastructure development. With an allocation of R17.5 billion for 2023/2024 the MIG is the largest conditional infrastructure grant in South Africa. The MIG is a schedule 5(B) grant in terms of the Division of Revenue Act (DoRA). The MIG transferring department is the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA). Implicit in the grant conditions is the assumption that municipalities have the requisite capacity to effectively utilise the grant. A 5% provision is availed as relief for under capacitated municipalities. The assumed municipal capability is confirmed in part by the use of reallocations and stoppages as the sole support and consequence management measure for poorly spending municipalities.

To date stopping and reallocation have not yielded any desirable outcomes and this highlights the need for a rethink. Furthermore, MIG expenditure has not exceeded 91% in the last thirteen financial years, with nearly R25,4 billion not spent in the same period. Closer analysis shows that many municipalities end up spending for the sake of spending (a form of fiscal dumping) to avoid under expenditure. Municipalities. With the same municipalities often delivering infrastructure that is not fit for purpose or value for money. Other municipalities have their funding stopped or reallocated, but in both cases the grant outcomes are undermined and the intended recipients (poor households) short changed. All this presents a clear case for an evaluation of the current framework and the proposition of innovative alternatives to ensure that government expenditure has the intended and desired impact of creating a resilient future for all.

INTRODUCTION The planned revision of the MIG to improve expenditure outcomes is a long overdue implementation of the Local Government (LG) grants review process that was concluded in 2014. The review of the local government infrastructure grant system was initiated by the Minister of Finance in 2013. The purpose of the review was to assess whether or not the then Local Government

infrastructure grant system was optimally structured to facilitate the efficient rollout of municipal infrastructure. Rather than limit itself to an impact assessment, the review used such evidence to structure discussions regarding the reform of the grant system (National Treasury, 2014). The review concluded and recommended implementable changes to improve the functioning of the local government infrastructure grant system.

The aim, method and proposed outcomes of the exercise are outlined below (NT, 2014): • Aim: Review the efficacy (do we fund the right things) and then the efficiency (do we fund things right) of the Local Government (LG) infrastructure grants system. Then make evidence-based recommendations to improve both efficiency and efficacy.

• Method: Extensive data analysis to reveal where the system structure can be improved, coupled with stakeholder consultation to hear how implementation can be improved (similar to the Local Government Equitable Share review).

• Proposed Outcomes: o Improve system efficacy by ensuring that the system meets the current municipal infrastructure needs. o Improve system efficiency by ensuring that we get more value from the same quantum of funding. o Improve system sustainability by ensuring that the system is sufficiently differentiated, dynamic and responsive to change in the short, medium and long-term.

The work culminated in four strategic recommendations: i. Improving the structure of the grant system. ii. Improving planning and asset management. iii. Improving administration of the grant system. iv. The role of incentives and allocation types.

The MIG was one of the grants that were carefully considered in this exercise (as it is one of the largest grants) but limited tangible change (as observed through expenditure outcomes/impact) is visible and the challenges persist for many reasons that are beyond the scope of this paper.

In 2020 a process of intentionally implementing the 2014 recommendations in the MIG was initiated by CoGTA (Transferring Officer) through their agency (Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent -MISA).

This resulted in the 2021 MIG framework having the following additions in its makeup: • Strategic Goal: Subsidize the development of asset management plans for infrastructure servicing poor households.

• Grant Purpose: To provide specific funding for the development of asset management plans for infrastructure servicing the poor.

• Outcome Statements: Improved access to basic services infrastructure for poor communities, through the use of Labor-Intensive Construction (LIC) methods where it is technically feasible and improved reliability of basic services infrastructure for poor communities.

At a framework design level these seemingly minor changes set the scene for greater reform that sought to move local government from expenditure fixation to an outcome or impact mindset as argued for by Webber (2004).

These reforms were also a response to the Cabinet approved CoGTA 2021 State

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of Local Government (SoLG) Report, which underscored the urgent need for an improvement in Local Government service delivery generally and infrastructure service delivery in particular.

DETAILING THE REFORM The Need for Change The MIG is a schedule 5(B) grant in terms of the Division of Revenue Act (DoRA) overseen by CoGTA. Prior to 2021 the grant only existed to eradicate basic municipal infrastructure backlogs with the desired outcome being improved access to basic services infrastructure for poor communities.

Implicit in the grant conditions were the following assumptions: i. All municipalities have the required technical skills to plan for infrastructure expenditure as funded through the equitable share and own revenue generation. ii. All municipalities have the required technical skills to effectively procure and deliver the infrastructure as financially provided for in the equitable share and own revenue generation. iii. All municipalities have the required technical skills to effectively operate, repair and maintain their infrastructure as financially provided for in the equitable share and own revenue generation. iv. Where municipalities do not have the requisite skills, the existing provisions in the framework are adequate to cover any additional requirements that a functional municipality would have i.e. 5% allocated for project management. v. All municipalities are appropriately capacitated and understand (and are able to fulfil) their mandate. No municipality directly or indirectly intends to misuse the infrastructure grant funding.

When the assumptions listed in (i) to (v) above (infrastructure lifecycle activities) are valid the result would be a significant reduction in backlogs (specifically for poor households) and the provision of reliable and sustainable infrastructure as envisaged in the Redistribution and Development Programme (RDP). However, this is not the case and the extent of this challenge is demonstrated through: the low grant expenditure levels, under-expenditure on repairs and maintenance, limited technical skills availability at local government and the poor quality of infrastructure service delivery in many municipalities (CoGTA, 2021).

It must be noted that this MIG revision was not and is not a motivation for additional funding, but a reform to improve the quality of expenditure outcome and in-fact save government funds while ensuring the provision of reliable infrastructure services.

It is important to also consider the MIG alone and Figure 2 below presents MIG expenditure from 2004 to 2022. A total of R208,1bn was transferred and R181,4bn (89%) was spent, with R26,7bn (11%) not spent. While the MIG is large, its total transfers (R208,1bn) from inception in 2004 are comparable to the last five financial years spending (R210,8bn) of the seven large conditional grants.

FIGURE 2: An overview of MIG performance from 2004 to 2022.

With this expenditure record in mind, some key questions to consider are: • Can the poor afford for so much money to not be spent?

• In instances where the money is spent, has value for money been realised?

The answer to both questions is likely no. If one is in doubt you simply need to consider the various reports (2022 SAICE Infrastructure report card, 2022 Green and Blue Drop Reports etc.) on the state of public and municipal infrastructure.

However, more important than lamenting status quo are proposals towards resolving the very complex issues on the ground. The ongoing revisions of the MIG seek to progressively contribute towards the creation of an environment that enables the desired change.

MIG Revision Design Overview The structural changes to the MIG framework are evident in the changes to the strategic goal, grant purpose and outcome statement. These changes are significant shifts in government thinking and an appreciation of the municipal infrastructure development and management challenges. Equally interesting is the DoRA Section 20 application in the framework. In-line with considerations from DoRA S20(2) a part B of Schedule 6 (MIG-6B) has been created. MIG-6B is premised on the desire to prevent under expenditure while improving the level of infrastructure service delivery.

The MIG-6B intention is most obvious when one considers the criteria setout in the MIG framework as summarized in Table 1 below and the planned corresponding support action in Figure 3 below. Applying the MIG-6B criteria produces the picture painted by Figure 4 below for the Free State province. The critical performance of the Free State is not isolated as many other provinces are also performing poorly. This raises a question on the efficacy and quality of support provided by National and Provincial government to municipalities and highlights the scale of the problem in local government.

Conditional Grant Expenditure While the monitoring of just expenditure is problematic it is still a useful exercise for budgeting purposes. For this purpose the seven largest conditional infrastructure grants are considered (MIG, RBIG, WSIG, USDG, IUDG, PTNG and the INEP). From Figure 1 below we see that a total of R238,6bn was allocated, with R210,8bn (89%) spent and R24,8bn (11%) not spent in the last five financial TABLE 1: An overview of the MIG-6B performance criteria. years (FYs).

NO

INDICATORS

1

MIG expenditure above 70% for the last 4 financial years

DCoG

20% or 25%

2

Expenditure on repairs maintenance above 1%

Audited AFS

20% or 25%

3

Non-revenue water below 30%

Audited AFS

20% or 25%

4

No DWS NWA Non-compliance notices

DWS

20% or 25%

5

No DFFE notices

DFFE

20% or 0%

NEMA

SOURCE

and

non-compliance

WEIGHTING*

*in the instance of Districts 25% is applied as waste management is a local function.

FIGURE 1: An overview of the 7 largest infrastructure grants.

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FIGURE 3: An overview of the support action corresponding to each assessment status.

FIGURE 4: FS provincial performance against the MIG-6B criteria.

The MIG-6B component is a last resort preceded by clear support efforts in compliance with the Section 154 Constitutional obligation to support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities first and foremost.

Support is also a pre-requisite within the DoRA (S20(2)). A prerequisite for conversion is evidence of a demonstrable effort to support by the Transferring Officer. This planned proposal is therefore not just punitive, but designed to strengthen accountability and cooperation between the three spheres of government.

In simpler terms the reform is designed in such a way that it is a last resort (there’s support) and when it is used the municipality should be getting support to exit the said intervention (restorative rather than punitive). CoGTA has done this through the following: • Allowing municipalities to voluntarily spend up to 5% of their allocation on infrastructure asset management related activities.

• Allowing municipalities to spend up to 10% of their allocation dealing with DWS non-compliance notices.

• Co-designing a comprehensive support package working with other stakeholders to assist said municipalities prior to a MIG-6B even being considered.

The “demonstrable effort to support” DoRA prerequisite is potentially contentious and to overcome this a comprehensive Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) process is being applied in the context of the District Development Model (DDM). This has the following aspects: • Initially using a sectoral pilot approach, where only MIG receiving Water Services Authorities (WSAs) are assessed and eligible (to manage initial

scale). Then scaling up to all other MIG funded infrastructure in future.

The final stage being all conditional infrastructure grants received by Local Government.

• Utilising the sectorally (water and sanitation) accepted DWS Municipal Strategic Self-Assessment (MuSSA) and Municipal Priority Action Plans (MPAPs) to determine support needs, design a support package and assess the efficacy and adequacy of the support.

• Making provisions to deal with wastewater pollution through the 10% (preventing environmental pollution and avoidable costly litigation, while increasing expenditure on repairs and maintenance) and the 5% towards asset management (improving infrastructure asset management practices and the credibility of Local Government infrastructure asset knowledge).

The approach thus far has not been opposed as it has something in it for everyone, while moving us all in a direction of improved municipal infrastructure management. This is all done without using additional funding (efficiency) and pilots incentives and disincentives for the three spheres. The approach also considers three of the four 2019 to 2024 Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) targets for municipal water and sanitation services, which are: • Improving MuSSA scores (WSA vulnerability).

• Improving wastewater treatment works functionality.

• Improving reliability of municipal water services provision.

The above better positions government in the attainment of its collective targets for the current administration (while implementing an “all of government approach” as envisaged in the DDM). What is perhaps most intriguing about the design of the revision is that it embodies the Constitutional ideals of the spheres working together collaboratively, each with their defined roles and responsibilities towards many of the government’s goals and objectives.

MIG Revision Alignment to the 2014 Review Outcomes Government is often accused of slow implementation characterised by a lack of consistency and continuity (“forever changing plans”). It is for this reason that it is important to know how this particular undertaking is not conceived outside of (or contradicting) the 2014 review. Table 2 below summarizes how this reform complements the 2014 review.

TABLE 2: A summary of the reform alignment to the 2014 grant review.

No

2014 Intended Outcome

Summary of MIG Revision Alignment

1

Improving Efficacy

• Enabling improvement in municipal infrastructure asset management and planning, that will also benefit other sectors working within a municipal space.

• Allowing for flexibility and differentiation between municipalities as challenges and their causes are not always the same in all municipalities.

2

Improving Efficiency

• Incentivises the reduction of non-revenue water.

• Incentivises an increase in expenditure on repairs and maintenance.

3

Improving Sustainability

• Enabling a collaborative approach in supporting and capacitating local government.

• Imbedding the reform within the current Monitoring and Evaluation framework, to force multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

• Disincentivising environmental pollution and providing a special dispensation to deal with environmental pollution.

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TABLE 3: An overview of the key risks and their planned mitigation measures.

NO

RISK

PLANNED MITIGATION

1

Proposal addresses the symptoms and not the root causes

Multistakeholder approach in the design and it is comprehensive. Proposal is not isolated but is part of a suite of other government proposals and plans for LG.

2

Political rejection at Local Government level

Championing by political leadership at CoGTA, SALGA, NT and DWS. Correctly presented as support vs “taking money from municipalities”.

3

Lack of capacity at national to execute effectively

Start at a manageable scale (MISA selected poor performing municipalities) vs implementation everywhere all at once. Then scale while building appropriate capacity at national and provincial.

4

Inability to sustain momentum in the short to medium term

Align programme to MTSFs 2019 – 2024 and 2024 – 2029. Included in Annual Performance Plans of key partners.

Use MISA and Water Boards and link to the DWS National Water Services Improvement Programme / Plan.

5

Project implementing agent (MISA or DWS) failure

Take on smaller projects with high impact (lower risk). Put in place Service Level Agreements (with penalties), monitored jointly between DCoG (Transferring Officer) and SALGA.

6

Project implementation risks including: Construction Mafia, Community protests etc

Develop and implement programme and project risk implementation plans.

7

Community Protests

Councillor buy-in for support (money will go elsewhere if not used).

8

Compliance Challenges (environmental etc)

National and provincial government to collaborate to expedite approvals.

9

Transferring Officer not spending the converted funding by end March 2024

National Treasury agree with the Transferring officer on the conditions for roll-overs of converted funding.

10

Lack of cooperation and coordination between DCoG, MISA, DWS, NT and SALGA.

Engaging to agree on a common approach before going to municipalities.

Developing a framework of clear roles and responsibilities for all.

Managing Risk in a Complex (Socio-Technical) Environment A risk management plan has been developed to mitigate the impacts of some obvious pitfalls. The risks and their corresponding planned mitigation measures are summarised in Table 3.

In the consultation process a need to specify which projects would and would not be appropriate was identified and Figure 5 below presents a summary of this. It is already concerning the there is a focus on projects and not the other aspects of the reform. The timing is also not ideal with national government elections on the horizon.

FIGURE 5: A preliminary guide on which projects are most appropriate for MIG-6B implementation.

Ultimately, while every effort can be made to manage and mitigate risk if there is no will or desire to change within Local Government, nothing will succeed.

While officials can put in place programmes and interventions the will and agency of Councillors and Communities has no substitute.

CONCLUSIONS The expenditure, management and outcomes of municipal infrastructure investment have not been desirable and there is a clear need for change. We have known this as far back as 2014 as evidenced by the review which sought to resolve matters of efficacy, efficiency and sustainability. The MIG reforms

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present an opportunity to try and stem the tide of what is becoming extremely sub-optimal expenditure of public funds through conditional infrastructure grants. In a system that is becoming increasingly ineffective, inefficient and unsustainable.

The reforms stem the tide by not just focusing on spending (something we have tried and failed at) but by trying to improve municipal capacity and capability, while putting in place incentives and disincentives that would make the reform sustainable and scalable.

The collective government goals were and still are to: • Improve system efficacy by ensuring that the system meets the current municipal infrastructure needs.

• Improve system efficiency by ensuring that we get more value from the same quantum of funding.

• Improve system sustainability by ensuring that the system is sufficiently differentiated, dynamic and responsive to change in the short, medium and long-term.

In this particular reform, the typical punitive approach is being avoided and municipalities are being invited to the proverbial table where each stakeholder has a clear role and responsibility towards a common outcome. Only time will tell if this approach will succeed, but there is a clear sense that we are nearing a point of no-return (a total collapse of municipal infrastructure) and can ill-afford to continue missing opportunities to create a resilient municipal infrastructure future.

REFERENCES Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. 2021. State of Local Government Report.

National Treasury. 2004 to 2023. Division of Revenue Acts. National Treasury.

National Treasury. 2014. Review of Local Government Infrastructure Grants – Recommendations for Reform: Draft Report to Budget Forum.

National Treasury. 2022. Audited Municipal Annual Financial Statements.

South Africa.1996. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

Webber, R. 2004. Managing the Public’s Money: From Outputs to Outcomes – and Beyond. OECD Journal on Budgeting. Volume 4, Issue No. 2.

ISSN 1608-7143.

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PAPER 16

BULK WATER JOURNEY: THE DEVELOPMENT & DIVERSIFICATION OF NMBM’S WATER SUPPLY Chandre Barnard Deputy Director Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality ABSTRACT The then City of Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha, developed its first water source roughly 30 years after its settlement. This would be a well which was sunk in 1850. It was 5 feet deep and 6 feet wide. This, along with local streams and rainwater harvesting quickly proved insufficient for an expanding city.

All efforts were then directed west, towards surface water development.

For the next century the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) would be almost exclusively dependent on these sources.

Following this period, the NMBM would then spend three decades to greatly diversify water sources. Most of the development driven by fierce droughts. The current drought started in 2015 and has entered its eighth year with some of the lowest rainfall measured in recorded history. These events would accelerate the diversification even more with the municipality becoming less dependent on the sources it relied on for so long.

A majority of the NMBM’s water would now be coming from the east, which also meant big changes in infrastructure to convey this water.

An infinite work stream branded internally as the “Maximisation of Nooitgedagt”. This project was a conglomeration of new developments and modifications to existing infrastructure. It highlighted how institutional knowledge of infrastructure allows a municipality to repurpose existing assets for maximum benefit.

This paper will explore the journey of NMBM’s bulk water supply. How pipelines built 60 years ago for gravity supply are now the rising main life veins of the city with their flow in reverse. How old forgotten assets were brought to life and are now indispensable for the continued existence of the city.

This diversification of supply would make NMBM more resilient against future droughts as it would not rely only on surface water from the same catchment area. NMBM is moving towards a sustainable system that will be more responsive to the visible effects of climate change experienced in South Africa.

1. INTRODUCTION The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) has continuously needed to develop new sources to keep up with demand. According to the NMBM master planning a new source was required to be developed roughly every 10 years. Figure 1 clearly indicates a period between 1993 and 2018 where a new source was not developed. The consumption continued to climb above available licensed water, which meant over abstraction from the western dams was the only way to secure continued supply. This over abstraction would frustrate other users on shared systems and would increase the rate at which these dams dropped during periods of little to no rainfall.

Once again severe drought, commencing in 2015, would change the situation permanently with multiple dams reaching their lowest levels

since construction. Most of the water would now be coming from an independent source.

NMBM has allocation of 404.73Ml/d and a treatment capacity of 551.25Ml/d, however during the current drought some systems have been restricted as heavily as 85%.

FIGURE 1: NMBM Bulk water supply scheme development & ave daily consumption trend 2. HISTORY 2.1 Springs Before amalgamating with NMBM, Kariega (Uitenhage) was a local municipality formed in 1841. Sometime before that, during 1804, farmers settled in the area as there were fertile riverbanks and a reliable source of water. This same water is still supplying certain areas of NMBM to this day.

The Springs is an artesian basin with 9 perennial eyes that deliver roughly 6Ml/d. Historically this water would run down to the water course to the town situated roughly 8km South. Some improvements were done over time to improve efficiency. Stone embankments were built to keep the eyes clean of debris as well as pipelines to concentrate the water and avoid high losses due to seepage. Water treatment was introduced during the early 1900’s but due to excellent raw water quality only stabilization and disinfection are required.

FIGURE 2: Springs artesian well

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Port Elizabeth at the time often tried to secure supply from Uitenhage but due to a bitter rivalry between the two municipalities they could never come to an agreement. This resulted in the Port Elizabeth Municipality pursuing the Van Stadens scheme. Uitenhage municipality would also end up building the arched Groendal dam (11 638Ml) in 1934 due to further failed negotiations with Port Elizabeth.

2.2 Shark river water company In 1863 a masonry dam was constructed across the Sharks river which before then was mostly used as a wool washery. It was called the Frames dam and was developed from capital funds raised in shares. The scheme would fail not long after commissioning and required financial support from the municipality. The scheme was abandoned as soon as another reliable source was developed due to condemned water quality.

3. HEADING WEST FOR 100 YEARS 3.1 Older Dams system

sedimentation tanks with hoppers and six rapid gravity sand filters.

The administrative building housed three dry chemical feeders, a laboratory, office, chemical store and the filter backwash tank. The final water is disinfected with chlorine gas prior to entering the Linton Reservoir from where it is reticulated.

Over time as larger schemes were developed the importance of this works dwindled and it would draw the short end of the stick when competing for resources. Many of the controls were made redundant creating operational challenges for staff. Majority of the processes were not efficient or even functional. Production at the works had steadily decreased over years and at one stage was left dormant for the greater part of 3 years.

During the current drought it became critical to resurrect this works to reduce the demand on NMBM’s largest supply zone. It would also come with the added benefit of preserving the history of the works.

Phase 1 included the emptying, cleaning and unblocking of clarifiers.

Upgrades to the lime dosing pipework. Refurbishments of filter gallery including all filter control valves. Phase 2 would be for replacing filter media. The peak production rate currently is 10Ml/day with potential to still increase.

FIGURE 3: Diagrammatic layout of NMBM’s Bulk water systems The Older Dam scheme consists of the Upper Van Stadens, Van Stadens Gorge and the Sand and Bulk River Dams with the first water arriving in the city during 1880. An amazing engineering feat at the time when travel to site took 3 days by horse. Cement was shipped from England in barrels and the city did not have a harbour yet. This made offloading and transport to site troublesome. These four dams were constructed from about 1880 up until the early 1900’s and received various upgrades up until the late 1920’s.

The municipality would fully rely on this system until low rainfall and water restrictions during 1935 forced councillors to consider the development of the Kromme river scheme. The city had been hesitant to initiate such an ambitious project up until this point, however, extensive surveys during 1935 indicated that the older dams were fully developed.

3.2 Linton water treatment works Up until the mid-1930’s the water from the older dams were filtered at the source with the exception of the Van Stadens Gorge dam. The water from all four storage dams was then chlorinated upon arrival at the Linton Reservoir. At the time the City Engineer was requested to investigate a solution due to complaints that were received regarding the quality of the water.

A report dated 13 November 1934 indicated that it would be better to treat all the raw water at one central location in accordance with the latest technology rather than at each source.

The works was commissioned in September 1937 and comprised an inlet mixing weir, flocculation chamber, two horizontal flow

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FIGURE 4: Filter module before refurbishment

FIGURE 5: Filter modules after refurbishment The works has a mechanically automated control system that has been made redundant roughly 20 years ago. The institutional knowledge of these control systems was lost, however they have been made operational once again and a control philosophy captured so that this info is never lost again.

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3.3 Churchill water scheme Initial investigations to develop a water source from the Kromme river started during 1928. Up until this point the city was fully reliant on the Older dams scheme, however, frequent droughts would make supply from these sources unreliable for an expanding city. Due to the size of the project, it was only considered much later when the city had no alternative options.

Construction commenced in 1939 and the multi arched Churchill dam (33 282ML) would be completed in October 1943. Due to delays experienced

by World War 2, the scheme was not fully commissioned until 1947. The 124km of 700mm steel pipes had to be delivered from the UK by ship, at the time most available steel went to the war.

An unprecedented drought during 1941 meant that the older dams were once again struggling to provide the necessary water security.

An emergency scheme was initiated where completed sections of the Churchill pipeline were connected with smaller diameter pipes that were sourced from existing pipelines. This could supply an additional 8Ml/d to the existing Linton wtw. Similarly, to the current drought, the municipality would find a creative solution for utilizing existing available raw water before the treatment capacity has been completed.

Hardly one year after the scheme was fully operational the municipality started planning augmentation of this scheme. This included various works including increased treatment capacity at the Churchill wtw, reservoir, pipeline and pump station construction projects. Most of this infrastructure still plays a vital role in service delivery to this day and assisted in developing the city into its current state.

The biggest section of the contract would be to build a second Churchill pipeline. Another 120km pipeline became operational in 1962. This time locally manufactured prestressed concrete pipes would span the distance.

Various diameters ranging from 800mm up to 1300mm followed the route of the first pipeline. For 30 years there would be no redundancy and the municipality would be fully reliant on water from the Churchill pipeline.

From the 1940’s until the late 1980s all development of water sources would be intended of being supplied via the Churchill pipeline, with the exception of the Summit Chelsea pipeline in 1977 that provided some redundancy when the Churchill pipeline is not available.

3.4 Kouga water scheme Water development did occur in the Gamtoos valley during the early 1900’s already, although mostly for irrigation. In 1955 the Government announced plans of a dam being built on the Kouga river.

Opportunistically the municipality negotiated an agreement for an allocation from this scheme. Initially the municipality secured a 140Ml/ day allocation, however, during 1973 the Minister of Water Affairs announced that the Government had reduced the allocation to 100Ml/ day. This happened without consulting the Municipality. The allocation would then be further reduced during 1989 when the municipality negotiated an exchange volume with DWS to develop a new source for the same volume from the Orange river system. The reduction was 37Ml/d leaving the municipality with an unrestricted abstraction volume of approximately 62Ml/d.

The scheme comprised of the Kouga dam (133 000Ml), a 72km canal, the Loerie balancing dam (3055Ml), a 100Ml/day Water treatment works (wtw), a 4.9km rising main and the 45Ml Summit reservoir.

At the time the majority of the city’s bulk water was still supplied via the Churchill pipeline. Therefore, water from the summit reservoir at 285msl had to be injected in the Churchill pipeline with a top water level of 146m. To do this a break pressure tank was constructed which would break about 12bar pressure to atmosphere.

This would be the standard operations until 1977 when the Summit Chelsea pipeline was constructed. Loerie water could now go directly to the Chelsea reservoir for further distribution. The construction of the Elandsjagt wtw meant that there was even less need to supply Loerie water into the Churchill pipeline. This led to the ultimate neglect of this break pressure tank facility. Malfunctioning equipment caused a disastrous wash away which also created a big fear with using the facility again.

It would only be once the municipality was able to utilise the full Nooitgedagt allocation that the Loerie water would return to its initial supply philosophy, to join the water from the Kromme system in the Churchill pipeline. This once abandoned facility is now providing permanent augmentation.

3.5 Elandsjagt water scheme This source was developed in conjunction with Government which delivered a 106 000Ml dam and water treatment works that could contribute another 105Ml/day peak supply by 1985. Roughly 100 years after the city constructed its first surface water dam in the Van Stadens river. This would also be the last dam to be constructed before all efforts were directed at developing Orange river water.

It was anticipated that this dam would take up to 5 years to fill, however heavy rain during 1983 caused it to overflow within 72hours. This rainfall would then be the start of another dry period, worse than any previous drought.

The position of the wtw was chosen as to be able to connect to the existing Churchill pipeline via gravity supply. This unfortunately meant that the raw water intake pumps could only draw the dam down to 16%.

During the 1989 drought NMBM built a floating barge pump station that could further abstract dead storage from the dam. This was utilized before rain eventually filled the dam again towards the end of 1989. The barge was dismantled and put into storage. The low dam levels of the current drought required it to be installed again during 2020.

This time around NMBM would rely more heavily on the barges to abstract water as the Churchill dam reached dead storage level and could not contribute to the daily water production. This necessitated various upgrades to the existing barge as well as building a new one with an output of 60Ml/d. River basin surveys were done to determine deep spots as the dropping dam level would continuously risk grounding the barge.

A 7km 800mm HDPE pipeline was constructed and floats from the barge’s final position.

FIGURE 6: Barges on the Impofu dam access the dead storage 4. CHELSEA TO MOTHERWELL The city now started expanding towards the north and required a system to divert supply from its western sources. Initially called the Greenbushes

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scheme, it commenced in 1964 and was developed in multiple phases with various pipe sizes and material. Water would be pumped out of the Churchill pipeline at Seaview and then be supplied to the Chelsea reservoir. From here it would be gravity fed down the various pipeline sections to supply the neighbouring local municipalities at the time as well as provide the required supply to allow the development of areas all the way through the Northern areas to Motherwell. This would be the case for almost 30 years. This pipeline would not be considered critical at the time as it was just an ancillary system meant to extend the supply zone of the Churchill pipeline.

At this point the importance of the Churchill pipeline could not be exaggerated as all bulk water supply was prioritised through it and its ancillary systems. Redundancy was only available from 1977 after the construction of the Summit Chelsea pipeline made it possible to take Loerie water straight into Chelsea.

extra pumping capacity was opportunistically utilised to resurrect the emergency Grassridge wtw.

5. MAXIMISATION OF NOOITGEDAGT 5.1 Orange river history During the early 1900’s most of the eastern cape irrigation schemes were struggling with water security. Unreliable inflow and high sedimentation would cause irrigators to press the Government for the diversion of Orange river water to the eastern cape. The Government accepted a white paper on the Orange river development project in 1971.

Then followed a massive civil engineering project that would include the building of the Gariep dam and the diversion of that water via tunnels, river systems and canals with a total distance of over 400km before it is available for use in NMBM. The Orange Fish river tunnel is the longest enclosed aqueduct in the southern hemisphere at 83km. Many large projects needed to be completed before this water could become an option for NMBM, therefore it wasn’t considered until the late 1980’s.

FIGURE 7: Nooitgedagt phase 3 settling tank

5.2 Nooitgedagt water treatment works This is where the true diversification started for NMBM’s water system.

For the first time in 100 years, it could develop a major water source completely independent from the existing ones. Up until this point the droughts affected all NMBM’s existing sources at the same time as catchment areas are relatively close together and usually get replenished from the same rainfall events.

Once again severe drought during 1989 would require emergency plans to avoid disaster. NMBM would negotiate an exchange volume with the Department of Water & Sanitation (DWS) that would see NMBM receiving 37.5Ml/d treated water from the Orange river scheme by forfeiting the same volume from the Kouga dam on a permanent basis.

An emergency scheme commenced, however most of the components where part of the permanent scheme. These included the Scheepersvlakte balancing dam, Nooitgedagt wtw, Grassridge reservoir (23Ml) and the bulk pipelines which now connected this scheme to the Motherwell reservoir. This meant that the Nooitgedagt system was now connected to the Motherwell Chelsea pipelines that had been constructed since 1964 to supply water from the Churchill pipeline to the North.

The treatment works was designed with an ultimate capacity of 280Ml/d to be constructed in 4 modular phases of 70Ml/d each. The first phase was completed in 1993. NMBM master planning would indicate the need for phase 2 by 2007, however this phase was only completed in 2017. Due to rapidly decreasing dam levels NMBM had to fund phase 2 itself. This increased the treatment capacity to 140Ml/d whilst increasing the pumping capacity to 210Ml/d. This would be the ultimate pumping capacity required when phase 3 of the wtw is completed. The

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The construction of Nooitgedagt phase 3 was funded by DWS who appointed Amatola water as the implementing agent. It was commissioned in 2022 and can supply NMBM with 210Ml/d. That is roughly 60% of NMBM’s current daily demand.

5.3 Grassridge emergency wtw Phase 3 of the Nooitgedagt water treatment works would not have been completed in time for the imminent failure of the western supply sources. Drastic measures were required to avoid disaster and it would be institutional knowledge that provided the necessary direction. Under normal conditions the Grassridge reservoir receives potable water via a pump station at the Nooitgedagt water treatment works, however, with a surplus of raw water available from the Orange river transfer scheme, this 23Ml reservoir was converted into an emergency water treatment works that could provide an additional 40Ml/day to the drought stricken areas of NMBM. The reservoir itself was constructed 30 years prior to this activity during the 1989 drought. This was part of the emergency scheme that provided NMBM with water from the Gariep dam for the first time. The emergency scheme was commissioned in 1992 and it included the temporary wtw at Grassridge reservoir, a 50Ml/d emergency pump station situated at the Nooitgedagt wtw site and a booster pump station on the Motherwell Chelsea pipeline.

FIGURE 8: Emergency dosing facility at Grassridge

FIGURE 9: Emergency pump station at Nooitgedagt

Using information from the past, this emergency facility would once again be erected using modern treatment technology. Firstly, a 600mm uPVC pipeline was built to bypass the Nooitgedagt wtw so that raw water could be connected to the High lift water pump station. Modifications were needed to keep the pumpstation cooling water on potable supply to avoid blockages.

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The Grassridge reservoir is split into two compartments which are about 24m wide, 70m long with a water depth of 7m. A flocculation chamber was created just after the raw water inlet by constructing a HDPE curtain on a cable rail. Three mechanical mixers per side assisted with floc formation.

The rest of the reservoir would serve as a sedimentation tank. The reservoirs outlet pipework was converted into launders which collected the settled water. Disinfection was done by means of chlorine gas on automatic controls. The two Nooitgedagt bulk pipelines then connect at Motherwell reservoir where the temporary wtw water would then blend with the 140Ml/d potable water from Nooitgedagt.

The facility was also equipped with a laboratory, operators office, chemical storage and dosing facilities.

FIGURE 10: Aerial view of the modern emergency Grassridge wtw

FIGURE 11: Launders inside the reservoir to collect settled water 6. REVERSING SUPPLY DIRECTION 6.1 The forgotten pipeline

FIGURE 12: Maximisation of Nooitgedagt water

Critical sections of this pipeline were left dormant after spates of vandalism meant they would require complete refurbishment. The section in question supplies the suction side of the Stanford road pump station. This meant that even though the pumps could transfer 100Ml/d, there wasn’t sufficient suction conditions as only a 700mm pipeline remained operative. Chambers had to be made vandal proof and advanced condition assessment techniques were used to identify and pinpoint trouble sections for repairs. A new pipeline of roughly 1000mm is currently entering design phase which would increase redundancy by removing the reliance on the old 500mm.

6.2 Motherwell & Stanford Road pump stations These two booster pumpstations were constructed during 2013 as part of the Nooitgedagt phase 2. For 30 years NMBM would only be able to pump 20Ml/d in this direction when enough storage was available in Grassridge reservoir. Now these stations would send about 100Ml/d over the hill into the drought-stricken areas previously exclusively supplied from the western dams.

Very soon after completion it would become clear that the stations would require further upgrades. All pumps constantly run at peak capacity and down time of a single pump would mean water disruptions if not restored within a few short hours.

Contracts were awarded for various upgrades at both stations that include additional pumps. This would increase redundancy as well as increase transfer capacity from 100Ml/d to 120Ml/d.

6.3 Chelsea pump station The majority of Kwanobuhle received dedicated supplied via the Loerie system. Therefore, they were at high risk of disruptions when there is maintenance or operational challenges on this system.

The municipality had to quickly establish an alternative supply for this area. A 7Ml/d pump station was erected at the Chelsea reservoir in 1986 that would be able to reverse the flow back up the Loerie system far enough to reach the Kwanobuhle reservoir. The pump station was built on ground level next to the reservoir which meant it could only run if the reservoir was at least 70% full. Considering that the reservoir has 90Ml storage and strict restrictions on the western sources meant that it would be near impossible to always keep the reservoir full enough to have a reliable supply in case of disaster.

For this reason, the municipality would construct a new pump station during 2022. The new one would be dropped to reservoir floor level which meant it could operate at low storage levels. It is envisaged that the new pump station would run permanently as the Chelsea reservoir would receive surplus supply once the Nooitgedagt maximisation projects were complete.

6.4 Seaview pump station The Seaview pump station was originally built in 1953 with four 7Ml/d pumps which lifted the water from the Churchill pipeline to the Greenbushes reservoir. The supply zone is small, however, this station serves as a back up to transfer water to the Chelsea reservoir when supply from the Loerie system is unavailable.

The pump station was upgraded in 1967 with four new pumps which delivered a maximum output of 50Ml/day. In 2018 the pump station was once again upgraded. This time a new pump building was constructed with new pump sets delivering 60Ml/d. The pump station was completed during the drought which meant there was not much water available for transfer, however, the commissioning came at a vital time for its small

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supply zone as there was no water available from the Loerie system due to the critically low levels of the Kouga dam at the time. For a period, this pump station would be the dedicated supply for the Greenbushes reservoir which comprises of residential, commercial and industrial zones including the St Albans prison.

The situation would then change once again. With water becoming available from Loerie, the pumps could be rested which would reduce the demand on the Churchill pipeline. During the 2018 upgrades a pipeline was installed around the new pump station that would bypass the supply from the Greenbushes reservoir into the Churchill pipeline. Energy dissipaters are required to break the 18bar head from this reservoir to balance with the 2 bar operational pressure on the Churchill pipeline.

The completion of the Chelsea pump station and all the other interventions brought Nooitgedagt water to this point, where it is now on an almost permanent basis injected into the Churchill pipeline.

6.5 Chatty pump station The larger transfer volumes through the Motherwell Chelsea bulk pipelines caused slightly lower operating pressures. This would prove to be troublesome for the Despatch water tower which was fed directly out of the bulk pipelines. Frequent disruptions were starting to occur in the tower zone, so the municipality built a containerised pump station at the Chatty reservoir that could deliver about 4Ml/d. The reservoir had surplus storage as the supply zone was still being developed. Two pumps were placed in the container along with all the equipment that would make it run autonomously.

Many of the reservoirs supplied by the Motherwell Chelsea pipeline required modifications on the inlets to accommodate the new operating conditions.

6.6 Bloemendal pipeline This 5.5km 450mm pipeline was constructed to further supply Nooitgedagt water into the Kwanobuhle zone. As previously mentioned, this area was exclusively fed via the Kouga system and there was a high risk of failure.

This pipeline was completed during October 2021.

7. FURTHER DIVERSIFICATION 7.1 Groundwater NMBM has been investigating groundwater utilisation for the last decade and has drilled approximately 200 boreholes around the city to determine suitable sites for development. An implementation plan was developed that would see the possible addition of roughly 35Ml/d from these sources.

FIGURE 12. Identified borehole sites

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The sites that were developed include: • Coegakop wellfields - The largest biofiltration plant in South Africa.

• Bushy Park wellfields - Requires only disinfection and is injected directly into the Churchill pipeline • Moregrove Fault wellfields - Various wellfields developed next to existing reservoirs in order to blend water and offset the reservoir’s demand on existing sources.

Further areas have been identified for developing more groundwater which will continue to diversify sources.

8. CONCLUSION NMBM currently has an integrated water system with many redundancies.

However, it took multiple great engineering projects to achieve, many of these were considered very ambitious at the time. NMBM has always been expanding and required major water projects every decade to keep up with increasing demand.

Supply sources are now more diverse with NMBM no longer relying completely on rainfall events in relatively the same area. Sources are far apart so it is unlikely that they would experience a drought concurrently.

The Churchill pipeline was initially supplied with 100% Kromme River water, today it receives a split of 40% Kromme, 25% Loerie, 25% Nooitgedagt and 10% Groundwater.

However, the new norm is energy intensive and requires continues uptime to avoid water disruptions whilst the abstraction from dams is still severely restricted. Energy dissipation is also required, which does mean there is future potential for power generation.

This diversification of supply has allowed NMBM to stay within the severely restricted allocations of the western supply dams, meaning that there is less risk of rapidly depleting these sources again once they fill. NMBM would then also not be reliant on 100% uptime from the Nooitgedagt supply system. There is sufficient capacity to augment supply from the west for short periods which will allow more time for maintenance.

9. REFERENCE Streams of life - The Water Supply of Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, D Raymer, October 2008 Fish to Tsitsikamma Water Management Area: Fish to Sundays ISP, February 2005 - Chapter 2, Department of Water & Sanitation NMBM Drought mitigation plan, May 2022 – Revision 8

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PAPER 17

BUILDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN THE SANITATION VALUE CHAIN THROUGH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TOWARDS CIRCULAR ECONOMY Phillip Majeke Water Research Commission 4 Daventry Street, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria, 0081 phillipm@wrc.org.za ABSTRACT It is becoming increasingly recognised that poorly managed sanitation and wastewater systems are not only a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, but also that climate change threatens existing sanitation systems and public health progress made over the years. Households that have gained access to basic or safely managed sanitation services risk losing them during extreme climate related disasters. There is a need to research, develop and demonstrate innovative sanitation technologies that are climate resilient and promotes circular economy principles within sanitation value chain and the purpose of this paper is gauge developmental status and progress of these technologies.

Water Research Commission (WRC) has prioritized research and innovation that links climate change and sanitation through the South African Sanitation Enterprise Programme (SASTEP). Through SASTEP, WRC is evaluating and demonstrating innovative sanitation technologies that are off grid, climate resilient and promotes circular economy within sanitation value chain through water efficiency, water reuse and nutrients recovery from human waste. It has been found that most of these technologies are both mitigative and adaptive with regards to climate change and they could be considered when selecting sanitation systems that considers future climatic projections to ensure sustainable sanitation systems in the face of climate change.

Keywords: Sanitation, circular, climate, demonstration, mitigation, adaptation 1. INTRODUCTION It is becoming increasingly recognised that poorly managed sanitation and wastewater systems are not only a big contributor to carbon emissions, but also that climate change threatens existing sanitation systems and public health progress made over the years. Households that have gained access to basic or safely managed sanitation services risk losing them during extreme climate related disasters. There is a need to research, develop and demonstrate innovative sanitation technologies that are climate resilient and promotes circular economy principles within sanitation value chain.

Climate change is a worldwide crisis. As temperatures and sea levels rise, people around the globe are increasingly experiencing heat waves, droughts, foods, cyclones and wildfires. The effects of climate change are not equal, the most impact is felt by the poor and marginalized communities of our society. Weather patterns are increasingly becoming less favourable and the frequency as well as severity of extreme events is increasing as temperatures are projected to continue rising and rainfall patterns are expected to shift. This will result in frequent flooding,

heatwaves, droughts, storms and sea level rise of which all has ripple effects on people and environment.

Climate change impacts water availability of which is going to have negative impact on people, ecosystems and the economy. This in in turn, exacerbates risks for water security, of which has negative effects on those sectors heavily depends on water such as agriculture, electricity generation, mining and industrial activities. Water is becoming more and more polluted by human activities due to inadequate sanitation, open defecation practices and wastewater treatment plants that are discharging sub-standard effluent into water bodies (DWS, 2022 Greendrop report).

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that “the relationship between climate change mitigation measures and water is a reciprocal one” (IPCC,2008). This relationship between climate change and water means that investing in climate resilient water and sanitation services is a vital part of solving the worldwide climate crisis. Supporting adaptation and climate resilient water and sanitation services makes sense from a financial point of view for both governments and users. It was indicated in COP27 recently in Egypt that for every dollar ($) spent on water and sanitation services resilience equates to 21 dollars ($) in return and for every dollar spent on water flood resilient upgrades equates to 62 dollars ($) saved in flood restoration costs.

2. A NEED TO MOVE TOWARDS CLIMATE RESILIENT SANITATION SOLUTIONS There are untapped opportunities for the water and sanitation sector to contribute reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. These opportunities include improving water and energy efficiency by integrating the use of renewable energy wherever possible for water and sanitation technologies, shifting to cleaner, more efficient sanitation and treatment processes for wastewater and excreta disposal. The National Development Plan 2030 (NDP), DWS National Master Plan and Department of Trade Industry and Competition’s Industrial Policy Action Plan 2017-2020 (IPAP) supports the shift towards waterless, off-grid sanitation systems and water recycling system.

At the National Sanitation Indaba on 18 May 2015, Mrs Nomvula Mokonyane, the then Minister of Water and Sanitation said that: "We must introduce new technologies that appreciate that water is a scarce resource and as such provide solutions to dispose of effluent via alternative methods. It's not all about flushing and that is the Sanitation Revolution we are here to instigate, we must begin by challenging the property development sector through regulation and licensing requirements to invest itself in developing properties less reliant on water for sanitation in order to ensure we introduce the alternative solutions to low, middle- and high-income areas" (https://www.gov.za/speeches/ national-sanitation-indaba-18-may-2015-0000).

The National Water and Sanitation Master by DWS in 2016 identified that there is a need to develop, demonstrate and validate appropriate alternative waterless and off grid sanitation solutions by 2024. Department

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FIGURE 1: Excreta flow diagram showing examples of climate related hazardous events at each step of the sanitation service chain (adapted from Peal et al., 2014) of Trade, Industry and Competition, through the IPAP 2017-2020 then also identified that the development of off-grid sanitation technologies will lower water requirements for sanitation and that will enable reallocation of water to alternative needs, economic sectors and more effective service delivery in rural, peri-urban and water-scarce areas. This paper aim to unpack the developmental status and progress of innovative technologies that are climate adaptive and resilient.

3. CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON SANITATION The sanitation value chain comprises of collection/storage, transport/ conveyance, treatment, and discharge/disposal or recycle/re-use (figure 1).

Each area of the chain is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and examples of some of the vulnerability are briefly discussed below: 3.1 Collection/storage In areas that not connected to sewer systems, on-site sanitation systems (septic tanks, conservancy tanks, pit toilets) are typically used and these systems are susceptible to adverse weather conditions and climate change as they can become flooded, overflow and pollute the environment (USAID, 2015). Flooding may also result in the areas with on-site sanitation becoming isolated, leading to them not being emptied as they may not be accessible during floods roads.

3.2 Transport/conveyance In urban areas, sewage is typically conveyed through a system of pipes, pumps, and other associated infrastructure to a centralised wastewater treatment plant. These sewer systems may be damaged by extreme climatic events and cause uncontrolled discharge of raw wastewater into water resources (DEFRA, 2012), which can lead to pollution of the water resources water (Howard et al., 2016). This was experienced in eThekwini Municipality during the floods in April 2022 where sanitation infrastructure was damaged.

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Overflow of wastewater discharge onto streets or open ground poses health risk to people and animals (DWS, 2016; EPA, 2004). Long periods without any rainfall cause the degradation of sewers and the resulting accumulation of solid waste sediments can cause blockage which can result in backflow of raw sewage.

3.3 Treatment Wastewater treatment plants are mostly located on low-lying areas as sewer systems rely on gravity, however this makes them vulnerable during flooding or sea-level rise. Declining annual rainfall or drought leads to unavailability of water required to flush adequately and accompanying higher temperatures can have an impact on how sewage systems operate.

Every extreme climate event (flooding or drought) affects the influent water quality of the wastewater treatment plants and that negatively impacts the operating efficiency and treatment ability of the plants.

(Howard et al., 2016).

3.4 Discharge/disposal Flooding and drought affect the water quality of the receiving water bodies as the quality of the effluent is dependent on the volume of effluent discharge in the water resources (Miller & Hutchins, 2017). Drought has been observed to reduce the capacity of surface water to dilute, attenuate and remove pollution (DWA, 2013).

4. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES WRC has prioritized research and innovation that links climate change and sanitation. WRC initiated South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme (SASTEP) which is jointly funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to demonstrate and commercialize appropriate sanitation technologies that are able to address the South African sanitation needs and challenges.

Through the SASTEP programme, WRC aims to scan, evaluate and

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demonstrate innovative sanitation technologies that are off grid, climate resilient and promotes circular economy within sanitation value chain through water efficiency, water reuse and nutrients recovery from human waste. This paper draws data from the SASTEP programme to measure the developmental status and progress of innovative sanitation technologies.

The technologies were classified according to the following categories: • Front end solution that requires little or no water for flushing • Urine diversion technologies • Off-grid faecal sludge treatment technologies • Off-grid blackwater treatment technologies • Innovative off-grids sanitation solutions that produce beneficial products from sanitation waste The above-mentioned technologies are climate mitigative and adaptive in nature and these is discussed briefly below: 4.1 Mitigation Mitigation infers to those technologies that results in lower release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Previous studies indicate that improving water and energy efficient as well as recovering resources from wastewater (nutrients, energy and water) lead to less emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) as shown figure 2. Figure 2 assist in classifying if the technology is mitigative due its contribution toward emission of GHGs. Technologies on the SASTEP portfolio are mitigative as they are in the following categories: • Water reuse and recycling technologies • Sludge beneficiation technologies (fertilizer, energy, biogas, etc.)

• Technologies that recover nutrients from urine • Technologies that recover water and beneficiate sludge Some of the technologies can run off-grid (uses renewable energy) not only reducing the GHGs but also contributing to the growing the ‘green economy’.

and future effects of climate change. Climate adaptive sanitation technologies includes: • Off-grid solutions as they improve resilience during grid outages (e.g loadshedding/water cuts) • Technologies that require no water or are waterless in case of drought.

• Non-sewered/decentralized/modular systems are considered less vulnerable to compared to centralized system that depends on infrastructure that may have damaged during the extreme climate event such as flooding.

• Technologies that have adaptive capacity through potential design changes (e.g raising of front end or backend such that it is still accessible during flooding) Most of the technologies within SASTEP can be considered climate adaptive as they have one or more of the above-mentioned climate adaptation pathways.

5. DEMONSTRATION ON INNOVATIVE SANITATION TECHNOLOGIES WRC conducted a technology scan of existing late-stage development innovations with Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7-9 that met the above-mentioned categories and those meeting the requirements were shortlisted for demonstration and localization. Before going on to demonstrate any technology, WRC conducts due diligence assessment for intellectual property, technology transfer agreements and as well as capability assessment of the organizations that are interested in demonstrating innovative sanitation technologies.

Once due diligence is completed and funds to demonstrate are available, then shortlisted innovative sanitation technologies are demonstrated of the field. The field demonstration is essential in gathering scientific and technical based evidentiary information on the sanitation technology. The demonstration might be between 3-12 months depending on the technology and the aims of the demonstration. The demonstration allows data collection and evaluation of technologies which then informs the developmental progress of each technology and hence assist in achieves the objectives of this research.

6. RESULTS There are number of climate resilient and innovative sanitation technologies that have been evaluated and demonstrated by WRC in various settings such as schools, informal settlements and rural areas and most of them are market ready. The results discussed below are from field demonstrations of innovative sanitation technologies under the WRC SASTEP programme. The next section briefly describes each technology, its development status, climate adaptative and mitigation pathways.

These technologies are categorized as follows: • Reuse or recycles water • Beneficiate sludge (fertilizer, energy, biogas, etc.)

• Recovers nutrients from urine • Recovers water and beneficiate sludge

FIGURE 2: GHG reduction for water and sanitation facilities (From Ballard, et al. (2018).

Roadmap to a Low-Carbon Urban Water Utility. IWA.) 4.2 Adaption Adaptation infers to those technologies that adjust to the current

6.1 Technologies that recover or recycles water 6.1.1 Clear Recycle Toilet Description The Clear toilet uses a full water recycling process for treatment of the sewage. An advanced unique “Biofilm Membrane Bio Reactor” treatment process is employed as the core technology for treatment, producing a stable and clean effluent that is further disinfected to ensure safety of the effluent for reuse.

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toilet flushing, car washing and garden watering. The treatment process includes the anaerobic baffled reactor, a constructed wetland, tree filters and biochar filters.

TABLE 3: Dewdrop Recycle Toilet development and climate change aspect Development status

FIGURE 3: Enviro Loo Clear Recycle Toilet Process (Left) and demonstration (Right)

• Demonstrated in schools • Locally manufactured • TRL 9 (Market ready)

TABLE 1: Clear Recycle Toilet development and climate change aspects Development status

Climate mitigation aspect(s)

Climate adaptation aspect(s)

• Demonstrated in schools and informal settlement • Locally manufactured.

• TRL 9 (Market ready)

• Fully recycles effluent for flushing • Lower energy consumption • Can be off grid if solar is used • Does not require continuous water supply for operation

• Can be off grid if solar is used • Does not require continuous water supply for operation • It is non-sewered and modular • Has adaptive capacity through potential design changes

Climate mitigation aspect(s)

Climate adaptation aspect(s)

• Fully recycles effluent for flushing • Lower energy consumption • Can be off grid in solar is used

• Can be off grid if solar is used • Does not require continuous water supply for operation • It is non-sewered • Has adaptive capacity through potential design changes

6.2 Technologies that beneficiate sludge 6.2.1 LaDePa Description LaDePa is a machine that provides a containerized method of processing sludge into a nutrient rich soil conditioner. The technology removes the detritus, pasteurizing and drying the sludge to beyond the sticky phase.

6.1.2 Aquonic Tank Recycle Toilet description The Aquonic is a modular and decentralised wastewater treatment plant that turns blackwater and greywater into pathogen-free reusable water that can be used for toilet flushing and irrigation. It treats wastewater through a series of biological processes and electro-chemical disinfection.

FIGURE 4: Aquonic Recycle Toilet process (Left) and Demonstration (right) TABLE 2: Aquonic Recycle Toilet development and climate change aspects Development status

Climate mitigation aspect(s)

• Demonstrated in commercial and residential units • Locally manufactured • TRL 9 (Market ready)

• Fully recycles effluent for flushing • Lower energy consumption • Can be off grid in solar is used

Climate adaptation aspect(s) • Can be off grid if solar is used • Does not require continuous water supply for operation • It is non-sewered and modular • Has adaptive capacity through potential design changes

FIGURE 6: LaDePa Process (Up) and Demonstration (Down) TABLE 4: LaDePa development and climate change aspects Development status • Demonstrated at low scale • Large scale pilot in the pipeline • Locally manufactured • Technology at TRL 8

Climate mitigation aspect(s)

Climate adaptation aspect(s)

• Beneficiates sludge to a soil conditioner

• It is modular • Has adaptive capacity through potential design changes

6.1.3 Dewdrop Nature Based System description The DEWdrop is a decentralized ecological wastewater treatment system with a modular design that provides convenient reuse greywater for

6.2.2 Enhanced Hydrothermal Carbonisation (EHTC) Description Enhanced Hydrothermal carbonisation (EHTC) converts sludge predominantly into a carbon-rich hydrochar solid products using high temperature and high pressure. The feed sludge can be digestate, sewage sludge, municipal organic waste and other carbon rich wastes.

FIGURE 5: DewDrop Recycle Toilet Process (Left) and Demonstration (Right)

FIGURE 7: Enhanced Hydrothermal Carbonisation Process

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TABLE 5: EHTC development and climate change aspects Development status • Demonstrated at low scale • Large scale pilot in the pipeline • Locally manufactured • Technology at TRL 8

Climate mitigation aspect(s) • Beneficiate sludge to various carbonrich solid products depending on feed waste

Climate adaptation aspect(s) • It is modular • Has adaptive capacity through potential design changes

6.3 Technologies that collect urine to recover nutrients and water 6.3.1 Diamond Reactor description An automated nutrient recovery system which recovers high value fertilizer and water from urine without the need for connections to sewers, treatment plants, water supplies or continuous electricity.

FIGURE 8: Struvite Reactor Units TABLE 6: Diamond Reactor development and climate change aspects Development status • Demonstrated in commercial and public buildings • Fertilizer produced going through DAFF Approval • Locally manufactured • Technology at TRL 9

Climate mitigation aspect(s)

Climate adaptation aspect(s)

• Recovers water and struvite from urine • Can be off grid in solar is used

• Can be off grid if solar is used • It is non-sewered and modular • Has adaptive capacity through potential design changes

6.4 Technologies recover water and beneficiate sludge 6.4.1 NEWgenerator Recycle Toilet description The NEWgenerator a compact, portable, and modular resource recovery machine that eliminates waste while recovering fertilizer nutrients, renewable energy and clean water. It consists of an anaerobic baffled reactor as well as a nanomembrane filter which allows the generation of liquid fertilizer and biogas that can be collected and harvested for cooking/heating.

TABLE 7: NEW generator development and climate change aspects Development status

Climate mitigation aspect(s)

Climate adaptation aspect(s)

• Demonstrated in schools and informal settlement • Locally manufactured • TRL 9 (Market ready)

• Fully recycles effluent for flushing • Lower energy consumption • Can be off grid in solar is used

• Can be off grid if solar is used • It is non-sewered and modular • Has adaptive capacity through potential design changes

through potential design changes such as raising of front end and or backend such that it is still accessible during flooding.

WRC will be further demonstrating some of these innovative sanitation technologies in the City of Cape Town as a measure to drought that has been experienced and also in eThekwini Municipality due to floods experienced that has damaged existing sanitation infrastructure.

8. CONCLUSIONS On-site sanitation facilities and wastewater treatment plants emit varying amounts GHGs therefore, therefore technology choice during planning can exacerbate or alleviate climate change. WRC through the SASTEP programme is demonstrating several technologies are available for moving towards climate resilient and resource efficient sanitation value chain with each at advanced technology readiness levels. Some of these technologies address both climate adaptation and mitigation pathways simultaneously by being water or energy efficient, reducing GHG emissions as well as being off grid.

9. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that: • the selection of appropriate sanitation technologies should also be based on screening their vulnerability and adaptability to different climate scenarios apart from technical, financial, economic, social and environmental considerations.

• selected climate-resilient sanitation technologies should have relatively low vulnerability and high adaptability to climate change.

• existing infrastructure and technologies should be assessed for climate change resilience and robustness and be modified to reduce the adverse impacts of climate related events where possible.

• Water and Sanitation Engineers should consider climate resilient and resource efficient sanitation technologies in planning and implementation of sanitation projects to ensure sustainable sanitation service provision in the face of climate change.

10. REFERENCES Bates, B.C., Kundzewicz, Z.W., Wu, S., Palutikof, J.P. (eds). 2008. Climate change and water. Tech. Pap. VI, IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland.

FIGURE 10: NEWgenerator Process (Left) and Demonstration (Right) 7. DISCUSSION As shown in the previous section, most of the innovative sanitation technologies within the WRC SASTEP programme has both mitigative and adaptive aspects with regards to climate change. These technologies at advanced technology readiness level and have a potential to not only to offer access to dignified sanitation that minimizes pollution, enables valorisation and promotes health, safety and water security but also alleviates to climate change through reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and they are adaptive to drought by not requiring continuous water supply for operation. They also have adaptive capacity to floods

DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). 2012. National Policy Statement for Wastewater: A framework document for planning decisions on nationally significant wastewater infrastructure. Presented to United Kingdom Parliament in March 2012. London: The Stationery Office.

Duncker, L ,2019. Sanitation and climate change adaptation, CSIR BE, South Africa DWA. 2013. The Second National Water Resources Strategy. Department of Water Affairs, Pretoria.

DWS, 2022, Greendrop Report, Department of Water and Sanitation, Pretoria.

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DWS. 2015. Media statement at the National Sanitation Indaba. https://www. gov.za/speeches/ nationalsanitationindaba-18-may-2015-0000 DWS. 2016. National Sanitation Policy. Department of Water and Sanitation, Pretoria.

EPA. 2004. Primer for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems. UNEPA, Office of Wastewater Management. Washington DC. Frost & Sullivan,2020. Sanitation Economy Value Chain Opportunity Assessment, Water Research Commission, Pretoria.

Howard, G., Calow, R., Macdonald, A. & Bartram, J. 2016. ‘Climate Change and Water and Sanitation: Likely impacts and emerging trends for action’.

In: Annul. Rev. Environ. Resource. 2016. 41:253–76.

Miller, J.D. & Hutchins, M. 2017. ‘The impacts of urbanisation and climate change on urban flooding and urban water quality: A review of the evidence concerning the United Kingdom’. In: Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 12 (2017) 345–362.

Pillay, S,2021. Products that can be made from our Pee and Poop, Water Research Commission, Pretoria Sindall, R., Cottingham, R., Sutherland, C., Mercer, S., Pocock, J., ArumugamNanoolal, P., Reddy, M, 2021. Field-testing and Demonstration of Sanitation Technologies: Guidelines for the South African Sanitation Technology Enterprise Programme. Pretoria.

Toilet Board Coalition,2019. The Sanitation Economy Opportunity for South Africa.

UNFCC. 2017. Initiatives in the area of human settlements and adaptation.

Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice, Forty-sixth session, Bonn, 8–18 May 2017. United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCC).

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STANDBY 1

HOW TO BECOME MENTALLY RESILIENT IN A WORLD OF DISRUPTION – RELYING ON THE WORK OF STEVE PETERS Gerhard Fritz (Pr Eng) Fellow (IMESA), M.Eng (Transportation) UP ABSTRACT In today's world, disruptions are becoming more common and unpredictable. Having a resilient mindset is essential to survive in such a disruptive environment. Mental resilience is not only a requirement to protect yourself from the harm of disruptions, it promises to bring many additional life benefits. A resilient mindset enables individuals to adapt to changing circumstances and remain flexible in the face of uncertainty.

Mental resilient individuals are better able to cope with stress and anxiety and to maintain a positive outlook even in difficult circumstances. This enables them to respond quickly to new challenges and opportunities, rather than being stuck in outdated or ineffective approaches. They see challenges as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than as insurmountable obstacles. They are better equipped to identify and implement creative solutions to complex problems and to persevere in the face of setbacks. Mental resilience fosters a spirit of innovation and experimentation, encouraging individuals to try new things and take calculated risks. Fortunately mental resilience can be learned. To learn this you need to understand how the brain and the mind work together. To understand how the human brain and mind work together it needs to be reverse engineered.

Reverse engineering is about taking something apart to understand how it works. Whether you are a scientist, an engineer or a researcher, the art of reverse engineering can help you gain new knowledge to apply in the real world. By carefully studying existing systems such as the brain and the mind, you can gain insights that enable you to help people understand and adapt their own minds for new and better uses.

This paper explains how a technical model of the human mind and brain work together and how to apply it to become mentally resilient. It relies on the research and reverse engineering done by Prof. Steve Peters of the UK. He started off as a mathematician, went into medicine and eventually became a psychiatrist. He also used his model to coach more than 20 UK Olympic and national sports teams with great success.

1. INTRODUCTION There is a well known proverb that says: There is only one constant in life – and that is change.

Change often leads to disruption. To be mentally resilient and robust against disruption we need a 3D approach: The people involved and the disruptive situation can be addressed along 3 axis (Figure 1): (a.) Are those affected by disruption mindful or careless about the situation? Mindfulness means to be open to challenging your own behaviours and beliefs (a.) Is the disruption handled with commitment or not? To rethink our situation and the consequences of not changing our habits (a.) Is the approach to the disruption constructive or destructive? Are we in a rational state of mind?

The centre pillar in any disruptive situation is mindfulness. To acquire

resilience we need to be mindful. And to be mindful we need to know how the Human Mind works.

We need to not only to control our own Mind but to know how the Minds of the other people in the disruptive situation work. We must be committed to change toward success and be able to influence control of the whole disruptive situation. We must evaluate if the disruption is constructive or destructive and our attitude must be constructive and prevent destructive behaviour during the situation.

FIGURE 1: The disruptive situation can be addressed along 3 axis 2. MATERIALISTIC OR IDEALISTIC THINKING ABOUT THE BRAIN AND MIND To understand the Mind we need to understand Consciousness.

And to understand Consciousness we need to know the philosophy behind Consciousness.

According to Philosophy Basics(e.) Materialism and Idealism are two contrasting philosophical viewpoints that address the nature of reality and the fundamental nature of existence. While materialism asserts that the physical world is material of nature, idealism posits that the physical world is physical but not material.

In terms of reality, Materialists hold that the material world is composed of matter and its interactions. They argue that everything that exists can be reduced to material elements such as molecules atoms and sub-atomic particles. But they cannot explain what material the particles are made of.

According to materialism, the mind and consciousness are products of material processes in the brain.

Idealists, on the other hand, contend that reality is fundamentally physical and mental. They argue that the physical world is electro-magnetic of nature. According to idealism, the Mind as part of Consciousness is the primary reality, and encapsulates the electro-mechanical physical universe.

In terms of the primacy of matter vs. Mind, Materialists prioritize matter as the primary substance of reality. They believe that all phenomena, including intelligence, emotions, and consciousness, can be explained by material processes in the brain.

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As far as intelligence is concerned, Materialists generally emphasize empirical observation and scientific investigation as the primary result of intelligence. They believe that through studying and understanding a material world, we can gain an intelligent understanding of reality. They adopt a reductionist approach, seeking to explain complex phenomena by reducing them to simpler, underlying material components or mechanisms.

They emphasize analysing parts in isolation to understand the whole. They generally advocate a material perspective on the mind-body relationship.

They argue that the mind and consciousness are emergent properties of the material brain and its activities.

In contrast to Materialists, Idealists prioritize Consciousness and the Mind within as the primary substance of reality. They contend that intelligence and all existence, including physical phenomena, is ultimately encapsulated in Consciousness.

Idealists argue that knowledge is derived from the Mind's intelligence to apprehend the underlying principles or ideas that govern reality. They tend to adopt a holistic perspective, emphasizing the interconnectedness and interdependence of phenomena. They argue that understanding reality requires grasping the entirety of the system and the relationships between its various aspects – a reverse engineering approach. They often propose a dualist perspective on the mind-body relationship. They contend that the Mind and Consciousness exist in cooperation with the physical body.

3. CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND Prof Donald D Hoffman indicates that consciousness point toward a broader scope that transcends individual limitations. He suggests the idea of a unified consciousness that permeates all beings, including humans, animals, and even inanimate objects. It is often seen as an underlying fabric that connects and unifies all existence and described as a state of awareness beyond the limitations of individual selfhood. It represents a state of expanded awareness where the boundaries of individuality dissolve, leading to a sense of interconnectedness, unity, and transcendence.

The human mind is characterized by its capacity for self-awareness and the ability to reflect upon its own thoughts and experiences. It enables individuals to have a sense of personal identity and subjective consciousness. The human mind is accessible only to the individual who possesses it. It is an intimate and subjective experience, and while individuals can communicate their thoughts and feelings to others, the direct experience of one's mind is unique to oneself.

The human mind and the concept of consciousness are often approached from different philosophical, spiritual, and metaphysical perspectives. The human mind refers to the unique and individual cognitive and mental processes of a specific person. It encompasses thoughts, emotions, perceptions, memories, and the ability to reason and make decisions. Each person's mind is considered distinct and separate from others, forming their individual identity. The brain refers to the physical neurology in the scull of the the person. Although brain activity in general can be investigated by different techniques it cannot identify how the brain wiring go about to think, calculate, store and retrieve memory and many other functions.

These “technical functions” can only be attributed to the “mind” that can be seen a a personal part of general consciousness that cannot be explained by science yet (author).

Hoffman further indicates that only brain activity in general can be measured using various techniques, each with its unique advantages and applications. Here are some of the most common methods used to measure brain activity: (i.) Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive technique that records electrical activity

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(ii.) Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is another non-invasive method that measures the magnetic fields generated by neural activity. (iii.) Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive imaging technique that measures blood flow changes in the brain, which are associated with neural activity. (iv.) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a nuclear imaging technique that uses radioactive tracers to measure brain activity. (v.) Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) also measures blood flow changes in the brain but uses different tracers. (vi.) Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive optical technique that measures changes in blood oxygenation in the brain.

Each of these techniques has its advantages and limitations, and researchers choose the appropriate method based on the specific research or clinical question they aim to address. Combining multiple methods can provide a more comprehensive understanding of brain activity and function.

Consciousness, suggests the existence of a transcendent, interconnected field of consciousness that encompasses all beings and the entire universe.

It implies a shared, non-dualistic consciousness that connects everything together at a fundamental level. The human mind operates within the boundaries of an individual's physical body and personal experiences. It is typically associated with the subjective experience of an individual and their unique perspective on the world.

The scientific community generally doesn't recognize or study consciousness as a verifiable phenomenon, as it falls beyond the scope of empirical investigation.

4. REVERSE ENGINEERING OF THE BRAIN From an engineering point of view reverse engineering can be a valuable research approach in various technical fields where complicated systems are found. It involves the process of deconstructing and analysing an existing system or technology to understand its design principles, functionality, and underlying mechanisms. Where much traditional research has been done to pinpoint the operations of certain parts of the brain this approach fall short where that brain as a systems needs toe be understood The purpose of reverse engineering as a research tool is to gain insights into the understanding of the complex algorithms and protocols of the brain. Research to date has found the brain to be a chaotic system of complex wiring where only wave intensity can be measure as it change and move around in different parts of the brain.

During this reverse engineering process much information from the psychiatric, psychological, philosophical, physical and metaphysical world has been pulled together to build a model of the the operational brain and mind. This model of the Human mind is not only a fixed object of the adult but a growing object from a baby mind up to an adult mind.

5. THE BRAIN VS THE MIND According to Philosophy Basics(e.) the Human Brain and Mind are interconnected, but they refer to different aspects of our cognitive and mental functioning. The Brain is the physical organ that enables the Mind to exist and function. The Mind, in turn, encompasses the mental processes and subjective experiences that arise from the activity of the Brain.

The Human Brain as part of the central nervous system, is a complex network of billions of specialized cells called neurons, which communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. The Brain is responsible for various functions, such as processing sensory information, controlling bodily movements, regulating physiological processes, and supporting cognitive processes.

On the other hand, the Human Mind is responsible for the subjective

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experience and mental processes that arise from Brain activity.

It encompasses a wide range of mental phenomena, including thoughts, perceptions, emotions, memories, beliefs, desires, as part of Consciousness. The Mind is associated with the cognitive and mental processes that occur within the Brain, giving rise to our subjective experiences and shaping our behaviour.

While the Brain is a physical entity that can be studied through neuroscience, the Mind is a more abstract and subjective concept. It is concerned with the mental aspects of our existence, and cannot be directly observed or measured in the same way as the physical structures and processes of the brain. Wê therefore use reverse-engineering to understand it.

to bounce back and be able to manage and control the challenges of life.

The ability to remain robust or returning to a robust condition.

9. THE PARTS OF THE BRAIN Prof Steve Peters (a.) in his reverse engineering (research) of the mind simplifies the brain to seven sub-systems that work together (see Figure 2): Within Prof Peter’s Chimp Model the brain includes only three sub-brains, namely the Frontal, Limbic and Parietal. In his model Frontal, Limbic and Parietal are called the Human, Chimp and Computer respectively. For this technical approach to the working of the brain, and therefore the mind, we will refer to the Human as the Rational brain, the Chimp as the Emotional brain and the Computer as the Processor.

6. THE HUMAN GENE SIZE The entire human makeup is attributed to the individual’s genetic makeup. But upon closer examination, there is not enough data space in an individual’s gene to store all the attributes that are assign to it.

Wikipedia indicates that a human gene consists of DNA sequences, which are made up of nucleotide base pairs. On average, a human gene can range from a few hundred base pairs to several million base pairs in length. Therefore, the electronic memory size of a human gene can vary from kilobits (kb) to megabits (Mb). For example, a larger gene of 3 million base pairs would hold around 6 megabits (6 Mb) of memory.

Due to the limited memory capacity of a gene this reverse engineering approach do not equate physical and even inherited traits of the individual to the individual’s genes but refer to genetic referencing – similar to the individual’s ID number that refers to the person’s national identity (author).

7. LEFT AND RIGHT BRAIN ORIENTATION The research on left and right brain personalities is based on the popular theory of brain lateralization, which suggests that different functions and behaviours are associated with either the left or right hemisphere of the brain. While there are certain specialized functions attributed to each hemisphere, the concept of distinct "left brain" and "right brain" personalities has been largely debunked by neuroscience.

In his paper The Split Brain(f.) The split-brain: Rooting Consciousness in Biology, MS Gazzaniga (2014) describes research on patients who had undergone surgical procedures to treat severe epilepsy, where the corpus callosum, the bundle of fibres connecting the two hemispheres, was severed (a procedure called corpus callosotomy).

Over time, further research has shown that the division of functions between the hemispheres is more complex than originally thought.

Both hemispheres constantly communicate and collaborate to perform various cognitive tasks. The notion of strict left or right brain dominance in personality traits or behaviour has been largely discredited.

In Prof Steven Peters book(a.) the left and right brain bias has been replaced by the Rational (Human) and Emotional (Chimp) Mind concept.

A very important additional function of the Mind that Prof Peters discovered is the so-called Processor with its many functional Routines.

8. ROBUSTNESS AND RESILIENCE Prof Peters(1) indicates that becoming robust requires that you have mental processes in place to control your mind to handle any situation you experience in life. Robust means that you are prepared and ready because you understand yourself, you have peace of mind, you are confident and happy and in a good place to face the world.

Where robustness is a proses, resilience is a skill. Resilience is the ability

FIGURE 2: Simplified Human Brain The Emotional brain and the Processor are part of our subconscious mind and the Rational brain is our conscious mind. The Rational an Emotional minds have separate mental traits, with different agendas and modes of operation (see Figure 2). The mind model include the following parts: (a.) Interpreter and Consciousness: The Interpreter is an additional part of the brain that is included over and above Prof Peter’s model(a.). It interprets input from the environment and transform it in understandable language for the brain to react, in-time and in an appropriate way. It is fully dependent on our current understanding of the functioning of Consciousness. At least in terms of the “easy” vs the "hard problem", as identified by philosopher David Chalmers.

The "easy problem" in terms of Consciousness is seen as understandable through scientific investigation and research. The "hard problem" is much more difficult and focuses on the question of why and how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experiences and phenomenal consciousness.

One of the questions is; how does the brain form a picture from the nerve impulses developed behind the retina of the eye while there is no “screen” in the brain on which it can be displayed? And allocating subjective colours to the different frequencies of light that fall on the retina? And how does consciousness decode a known verbal language at an incredible speed while an unknown language makes no sense?

How do we recognise music, smell and taste that are meaningless impulses, if it is not recognised by or senses and interpreted by Consciousness?

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The Interpreter passes the decoded message on to the Emotional and Rational parts of the Mind for decision making and execution. (b.) Emotional Mind (The Chimp(a.)): The Emotional Mind did not only developed first during the individual’s development from baby to adult but is pre-programmed before birth with instincts to enable the baby to start to experience the new life. It is developed to protect us against physical harm and attract us to safe places and situations, playing on our weakest traits – our emotions and feelings. Our fears and happiness The Emotional Mind operates unconsciously as an independent device that thinks independently from us. Originally programmed to protect us as babies, and to an extent never lost this attitude. It thinks independently from us and can make unilateral decisions for us. It presents emotional thoughts and feelings that can be constructive or destructive.

The Emotional Mind is not in our control although we can manage it. It can run our lives and act without our permission. The Emotional Mind is beyond our direct control: (i.) Operates at 5x the speed of the Rational Mind (ii.) Decides for us based on genetic reference (from Consciousness) (iii.) Operates with drives from genetic reference (from Consciousness) (iv.) React to experiences with instinct (from the Processor) (v.) Thinks from an emotional basis (stored in our nervous system) (vi.) Interpret with feelings (after the emotion chemicals go to work in our bodies). (vii.) Its agenda is to help is to survive and perpetuate the species (viii.) Think and respond emotionally (ix.) Interpret with feelings (c.) Rational Mind (The Human(a.)): It consciously and is in our full control.

It is therefore the real me. And we can decide how to work with it. It is the team leader of the self. The Rational Mind: (i.) Thinks and responds from a rational basis (ii.) Interpret logically (iii.) It is the basis of the Self and it can set and reset our Processor by talking to ourself. (d.) Influences Sphere (The Troop(a.)): This is the support structure from family, close friends and associates close and around you that fit the requirements of the Rational and Emotional Minds. (e.) Executive Mind (The Computer(a.)): This is our personal computer. It stores the information that the Emotional and Rational Minds put into it. It stores it as fixed or replaceable routines to act automatically or on command from the Emotional or Rational Minds. The Executive Mins operates at 20x the speed of the Rational Mind and it is utilised to: (i.) Store facts and routines by deliberate and wilful action (ii.) Performing replaceable or fixed routines automatically and very quickly. (iii.) Does most of our daily task automatically without us even realising it. (iv.) It’s success is depends on how well it has been programmed or trained – like a tennis champion. (v.) We can add and remove routines and beliefs from the processor if we make it our deliberate task to update and maintain it.

Unfortunately most of us don’t. (vi.) It can run automatic routines to perform complicated tasks such a

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making a cup of tea or riding a bicycle automatically without thinking.

The Emotional and Rational Minds do not only utilise fixed and replaceable routines to execute tasks but both program and insert routines and beliefs to use as automatic actions later on (1).

The Executive Mind consist of: (i.) Constructive Routines (Autopilots(a.)): That are auto-routines based on constructive and helpful beliefs or behaviours to help us to be happy and successful in life. They can be placed and replaced into the processor at any age by inserting helpful beliefs. They can be established to ride a bike, stay calm when something goes wrong and any useful habits. It helps you to focus on solutions instead of problems, being organised and disciplined, having a positive self-image and many more. (ii.) Destructive Routines (Gremlins(a.)): They are unhelpful and destructive behaviours that can be replaced or removed from the Processor by paying attention to it and recognise it as destructive.

The most common destructive beliefs are the combination of unrealistic and unhelpful expectations. This can result in anger, frustration and disappointment. You must talk to yourself to insert appropriate beliefs in your Processor to prevent unrealistic and unhelpful expectations.

If you can recognise a Destructive Routine you can insert an appropriate belief in the Processor to neutralise the Destructive Routine. (iii.) Fixed Routines (Goblins(a.)): They are also destructive and get fixed or hard wired in the Processor while you are still very young (before the age of 8). They are firmly fixed and very difficult to remove. They can be neutralised by adding constructive beliefs to take over from them. In simple terms, you cannot unlearn to ride a bicycle but you can add riding a motorbike instead of a bicycle. (iv.) Intuition: Using intuition effectively involves finding the balance between intuition and rational thinking. It can be a valuable tool for decision-making, problem-solving, and navigating complex situations. Mindfulness and meditation practices can be useful for developing sufficient self-awareness to support your intuition.

Pay attention to your initial reactions and gut feelings when making decisions. Trusting your intuition means being open to the wisdom that emerges from within you. Practice to trust your intuition. (v.) Beliefs (and Values) (Stone of Lifea.): These are the values and beliefs that direct you normal life. They are adaptable and replaceable. These truths, values and beliefs are how the Rational Mind believe the world works. And we normally “prove” that they are true through examples and our experiences. This is often the window where lies and and propaganda enters you mind. (vi.) Life Force: This is what you believe life is all about and how it should be lived. Obviously you won’t be able to know what your life force is if you are not living a mindful life. (vii.) Mindset: Your mindset is your perception of yourself, others and the world. Our Mindset is the baseline that we work from when we are dealing with ourself, others and the world. (viii.) Personality: Our Mindset is greatly influenced by our personality.

The Enneagram is an example of a personality typing system that aims to describe and understand human behaviour and motivations. It suggests that there are nine distinct personality types, each characterized by specific patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. The Enneagram helps individuals

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gain self-awareness, understand their motivations and fears, and provides a framework for personal growth and development.

The Enneagram Institute(c.) shows that the personality system works as follows: » It has nine core types, numbered from 1 to 9. Each type has a distinct worldview, underlying motivation, and characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. » Each of the nine types is driven by a core motivation or fear that influences their thoughts and actions. These motivations shape their desires, needs, and behaviours in different ways. » In addition to the core types, individuals may have traits or tendencies from one of the adjacent types, which are referred to as "wings." These wings further refine the individual's personality. » The nine types are divided into three centres of intelligence: head, heart, and body. Types within each centre share common patterns of thinking, feeling, and reacting to the world.

• The Head Centre (Types 5, 6 & 7) primarily process their experiences through thinking and intellectualizing.

• The Heart Centre (Types 2, 3 & 4) is driven by emotions and the need for connection and validation.

• The Body Centre (Types 8, 9 & 1) is grounded in physical sensations, instincts, and the need for stability and control.

The Enneagram recognizes that individuals can exhibit different behaviours under stress and during periods of growth. Each type has two adjacent types, one representing growth and one representing stress. Stress can lead to the adoption of negative traits, while growth allows individuals to access positive qualities of other types.

The Enneagram acknowledges that individuals within each type can exhibit varying levels of development. Each type has healthier and less healthy expressions, which correspond to different levels of self-awareness, coping mechanisms, and overall well-being.

It's important to note that the Enneagram is not a definitive science but a model that offers insights into personality dynamics.

People are complex, and the Enneagram provides a starting point for self-exploration and personal growth. However, practice has shown that most people who tested their Enneagram personality type can immediately associate with their type and the traits of the type. It tends to help individuals understand their patterns of behaviour, motivations, and areas for potential improvement. (ix.)

Dark Triad(d.): The term “Dark Triad” refers to a trio of negative personality traits—narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy—which share some common malevolent features. The construct was coined by researchers Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams in 2002.

• Narcissists have an excessive preoccupation with themselves, their achievements, and their appearance. They seek constant attention, admiration, and validation from others. They may be hypersensitive to criticism and react strongly when their selfimage is threatened.

• Psychopaths are characterized by a lack of remorse, shallow emotions, and impulsivity. Psychopaths are often charming and manipulative, but they lack genuine emotional connections with others. They may engage in impulsive and antisocial

behaviour without feeling guilt or empathy.

• Machiavellians are named after Niccolò Machiavelli, known for his book "The Prince," which advocated the use of deceit and manipulation in politics. Individuals with Machiavellian traits are highly strategic and cunning. They are focused on achieving their goals, often at the expense of others, and are skilled at exploiting social relationships for personal gain.

It's important to recognize that these personality traits exist on a spectrum, and not all individuals with these traits will exhibit extreme or pathological behaviours. Additionally, not all individuals with these traits are inherently malicious or harmful.

Personality disorders, such as narcissistic personality disorder or antisocial personality disorder, are diagnosed based on the presence of specific criteria and their impact on an individual's functioning and relationships.

10. DEVELOPMENT AND MATURITY OF OUR PERSONALITY According to Bessel van der Kolk, the development and growth of our personality is a complex and ongoing process that occurs over a person's lifetime. While certain aspects of personality may begin to take shape during childhood and adolescence, personality continues to evolve and change through adulthood (a.).

During childhood and adolescence, individuals go through significant developmental stages and experiences that shape their personality. Factors such as genetic referencing, environment, family dynamics, education, culture, and personal experiences all contribute to the formation of personality traits. However, it is important to note that personality is not fixed and can be influenced and modified throughout life.

In terms of psychological theories, some suggest that personality traits become relatively stable by early adulthood, around the age of 30. This is based on the idea that individuals have typically established their identity, completed their education, and entered the workforce by this stage. However, it's important to recognize that personality traits can still undergo changes and adaptations even after this period.

11. RELATIVE STRENGTH OF THE MIND Prof Peters(a.) indicate that there are three different aspects that govern the way the Mind functions in terms of Power, Advice and Speed: (a.) Power: There is a strict hierarchy when it comes to power. The Emotional Mind is the strongest and is five times more powerful than the Rational Mind. The Rational Mind has some power but not much!

The Executive Mind has no power.

Emotional Mind = 5 x Rational Mind; Executive Mind = 0 power (b.) Advice (Influence): Advice is in the hands of the Executive Mind.

The Executive Mind can advice both the Rational and the Emotional Mind, and both of them must listen. They will find it extremely difficult to go against the advice. Advice is given in the form of beliefs, which either the Rational or Emotional Mind has previously put into the Executive Mind. (c.) Speed: The speed at which each part of the Mind acts goes in the order: Executive, Emotional and then Rational Mind. The Executive Mind is twenty times faster than the Rational and four times faster than the Emotional Mind.

Executive Mind = 4x Emotional = 5x Rational Mind. Therefore: Executive Mind = 20x Rational Mind 12. HOW THE MIND WORKS The Figure 3 explains how the Mind works (Steve Peters(a.)). The first thing to

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note is that the Interpreter that receives the external and internal experiences via the individual’s senses translate into signals that the Mind can interpret.

The second thing to understand is that the Interpreter, Emotional Mind and the Executive Mind are part of the Subconscious Mind. The Rational Mind is our Conscious Mind where rational thinking takes place.

The conscious process of Rational Thinking is much slower than the subconscious processes and therefore it takes priority in the Mind for safety and security purposes.

The Mind operates according to fixed rules. If we are not aware of these rules our interaction with the world and people near and around us can run desperately wrong and by the time we realise that something went wrong, it could be too late.

Mind doesn't feal the need to act and allow the Rational Mind to act.

In this case, the Emotional Mind goes silent and the Step 6 comes into play.

Step 6: The Rational Mind has a chance to act, but only after the Emotional Mind has decided not to act or has already acted.

If the Emotional Mind has already acted, this often might leave the Rational Mind apologising for what the Emotional Mind has already said or done!

All of these arrows are fixed into place and is the way the mind will work.

Step 7: There is one final optional arrow. We can actively choose to programme the Executive Mind with what we want to happen in similar situations in future or what we want to believe.

FIGURE 3: How the Mind Works Step 1: When an experience enters the Mind, the Interpreter first sends the information received to the Emotional Mind.

Step 2: The first thing the Emotional Mind does is to block the Rational Mind from attending to the issue. The Emotional Mind’s primary function to screen for danger and act quickly. The Rational Mind that investigate all issues and might over-think and waste time. Subsequently it might be too slow and could hamper any emergency action that needs to be taken.

Step 3: After preventing the Rational Mind from interfering, the Emotional Mind pass the experience on to the Executive Mind to check for any appropriate routines to address the issue. At this point, we can see that the Emotional Mind is in charge and is utilising it’s power.

Step 4: When the Executive Mind is given the information by the Emotional Mind, it has a choice to do one of three things: (i.) Step 4a: If the Executive Mind recognises the event and it has a routine to act automatically, then the Executive Mind will take over and act immediately. (ii.) Step 4b: If the Executive Mind has advice programmed into it, it will feed this advice to the Emotional Mind. The advice usually takes the form of rescanning previous experiences, offering some context to the information or supplying truths and beliefs about the information. This advice could be Helpful (an Autopilot) or Unhelpful (a Gremlin) or it could come from the Stone of Life and is handed back to the Emotional Mind for action. (iii.) Step 4c: If the Executive Mind has no advice relating to the event it it will remain silent and also hand back the event to the Emotional Mind for action.

Step 5: The Emotional Mind now acts – if the Executive Mind has not taken over. All of these actions happen in less than a fifth of a second.

The outcome is that either the Executive Mind acts or the Emotional Mind acts. The only time the Rational Mind acts early, is if the Emotional

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13. BE RESILIENT AND ROBUST To be resilient and robust(a.) you need to understand the operation of all 3 systems of your mind: The Emotional, Rational and Executive: (a.) The Emotional mind react impulsively with emotion but the Rational mind respond with a plan (b.) Note that the Emotional Mind use emotions to dwell on and the Rational Mind use emotions to act on (c.) The role of the of the Emotional Mind is to alert the brain of a problem or danger and the Rational Mind must produce a solution – programme your Executive Mind to act on reaction of your Emotional Mind accordingly (d.) Prepare every day for the day ahead by programming the Executive Mind accordingly (e.) Address any emotion that lies under the surface in your Mind by following the lead of you frustrations (f.) Update your Beliefs and Values (Truths of Life) regularly (g.) Work with reality not with expectations: The Emotional Mind starts the day with what should be happing for the day and if it doesn’t it reacts with emotions like frustration, anger and despondence. This “negative” reactions can be counter acted by programming the Executive Mind in advance. (h.) The Rational Mind starts with what can be expected and act accordingly. The first thing it does is to pre-programme the Executive Mind, amongst others, as follows: (i.) Don’t expect that things will always happen the way you want. (ii.) Getting frustrated about wrong outcomes is not helpful. (iii.) Things normally work out in the end. (iv.) The outcome won’t be important in a week’s time. (v.) Accept reality and work with it can be very constructive. (vi.) The adult Rational Mind can deal with anything. (vii.) Start of with your Rational Mind every day is a useful approach. (i.) Having clear values to live by that can be listed from most to least important and updated regularly. It can be divided in 2 groups: (i.) Items of value like: My health, my family, my car, being content, being creative, etc. (ii.) Behaviours and actions like: Kindness, compassion, integrity, goodwill, etc. (j.) Be in regular contact with your Influences Sphere to ensure that your value system synchronises with them. The rational and Emotional Minds have again separate preferences when it comes to selection of our Influence Sphere: (i.) The Emotional Mind requires people that are pleasant, share

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common interests and experiences, share a common background, is physically attractive, financial independent, make promises that pleases, have talent and status. (ii.) The Rational Mind requires persons: That share common values, has integrity, with compassion and empathy, shows understanding, demonstrate tolerance, is reliable and is selfless. (k.) Check for chronic stress and remove it.

Philosophy Basics https://www.philosophybasics.com/ The Split Brain Rooting: Consciousness in Biology by MS Gazzaniga (2014) The split-brain: https://www.pnas.org › doi › pnas.1417892111

14. CONCLUSION Changes often result in disruption. To be resilient against disruption need a three prong approach: • Those affected by disruption must be mindful and not careless about the situation. Mindfulness means to be open to challenging your own behaviours and beliefs • The disruption needs to be handled with commitment. The situation and consequences of not changing our habits should be carefully reconsidered.

• The approach to the disruption should be handled constructively and not destructively Where robustness is a proses, resilience is a skill. Resilience is the ability to bounce back and be able to manage and control the challenges of life. To remain robust or returning to a robust condition.

Becoming robust requires that you have mental processes in place to control your mind to handle any situation you experience in life. Robust means that you are prepared and ready because you understand yourself, you have peace of mind, you are confident and happy and in a good place to face the world.

To be resilient and robust you need to understand the operation of all 3 systems of your mind and how they interact: The Emotional Mind, Rational Mind and the Executive Mind.

15. RECOMMENDATION The centre pillar in any disruptive situation is mindfulness. To acquire resilience we need to be mindful. And to be mindful we need to know how the Human Mind works.

We need to not only control our own Mind but to know how the Minds of the other people in the disrupted situation work. We must be committed to change toward success and be able to influence control of the whole disrupted situation. We must evaluate if the disruption is constructive or destructive and our attitude must be constructive and prevent destructive behaviour during the situation.

We need to work with reality not with expectations: • The Emotional Mind starts the day with what should be happing for the day and if it doesn’t it reacts with emotions like frustration, anger and despondence. This “negative” reactions can be counter acted by programming the the Executive Mind in advance.

• The Rational Mind starts with what can be expected and act accordingly. The first thing needed is to pre-programme the Executive Mind regularly.

16. REFERENCES Peters, Steven 2012. The Chimp Paradox. Vermillion, London Peters, Steven 2021. A Path Through the Jungle. Mindfield Media, Londen Enneagram Institute https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/typedescriptions Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/basics/dark-triad

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STANDBY 2

THE IMPACT OF INVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE. Langeriwa Mthombeni and Tshipane Mashiloane Regional Operations, Johannesburg Roads Agency lmthombeni@jra.org.za tmashiloane@jra.org.za ABSTRACT The environmental and social conditions in City of Johannesburg (COJ) metropolis have become a much-contested space for human social interaction. The infrastructure maintenance has been impacted significantly in the past 20 years. COJ was found in 1800 after the discovery of gold on the Langlaagte farm, the population grew rapidly until it became metropolitan in 1898. this city has been attracting people across the globe with population in 2023 estimated at 6.19 million whilst in 1970 was at 1,4 million which is a growth of over 340% using the same road infrastructure.

The construction of the M1 and M2 started in the 1960’s opened in 1974 carrying around 40 000 vehicles per day each direction while near CBD area it was carrying 5500 vehicles per hour.

The implementation and enforcement of these legislations is critical and have an impact on the maintenance of roads and bridges in COJ metropolis, Below is the legislation under discussion.

• Illegal occupation of the land - Prevention of illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of land Act 19 of 1998.

• Environmental health- The National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998 • Occupational Health and safety Act (act 85 of 1993.

Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) faces challenges with displaced peoples residing in bridges and culverts. The theft, and vandalism of road furniture such as road barriers, pavement road layers’ materials, embankments, and storm water facilities has become a serious threat to the road’s infrastructure preservation. Within this context, the overall purpose of this study is to collect, synthesise and present data, primarily to educate road users and public. Secondary, this study seeks to analyse the impact of legislature and law enforcement on displaced “homeless” people living under and on the road’s infrastructure specifically the bridges and stormwater facilities within the city of Johannesburg. The study focuses on bridge maintenance and stormwater facilities. The area of focus is Johannesburg CBD and Class 1 (M1 and M2) roads.

The exploratory study was adopted to get the understanding of the problem being the new phenomenon developing across the COJ. Interviews, field observations and literature reviews were the data collection methods used in 15 locations both on/off ramps on M1 and M2 roads bridges and storm water facilities along the same routes The interviews of key stakeholders and in- depth review of published documents was conducted to enrich the data analysis.

1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of applicable

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legislation and law enforcement on road infrastructure maintenance and the displaced people living under and in those road infrastructure. The study is envisaged to bring progressive discussions and awareness within the local government and the public at large.

The protection and upholding of human rights create conflicting interests in but having negative impact on the infrastructure maintenance specifically the road bridges, stormwater facilities and pavement within the current environment characterised with rise in displaced people living under and on roads infrastructure, furthermore theft and vandalism.

The primary research question is: What is the role of legislature on the infrastructure maintenance and what the impact of its unintended consequesnsed ?

Secondary research questions are as follows.

1. What are the consequensed of implementing such legislation 2. What is the degeee and extent of such consequenses on the environment?

3. What are the technolgical advancement to mitigate the negative impact?

1.2 Aims and objectives The main aim of the study is to find alternative ways to monitor the preservation of the road infrastructure and its related structure with the following objectives: 1. To investigate and synthesize the information for further research.

2. To promote public awareness on the importance of infrastructure preservations.

3. To stimulate innovation that can mitigate the challenges within the road infrastructure preservation.

1.3 Personal objectives • The researchers have a common aspiration to share their personal experiences in managing roads maintenance under circumstances outlined in this study.

• To establish rapport with other entities and department within local government that manage infrastructure maintenance.

The paper will focus on the application of relevant legislation within the context of infrastructure maintenance. The consideration of the health and safety of personnel conducting maintenance activities and for the displaced people residing within the infrastructure specifically the road bridges and stormwater water management facilities such as culverts and the provision of basic service delivery under these legislations. The paper further discusses the impacts of unintended consequences of applying the legislation on the integrity and the durability of the infrastructure (road bridges and culverts). Lastly, undocumented immigrants, the emergence of illegal trades emanating from the theft, damage, and vandalism of the infrastructure withing the COJ.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW The study captures the understanding and perceptions of both senior management in road municipal road infrastructure and junior implementation managers. The interviews have characteristics, opinions and experiences related to this social reality (Gibson et al. 2002). The selection of participants was based on the roles and responsibilities of these participants regarding the infrastructure development and preservation.

2.1 Research philosophy Mayer (2015) states that the research processes begin with adopting research philosophy as illustrated below, Figure 1.

FIGURE 1: Research philosophy The researchers have used the figure1 above also known as onion approach to adopt the research methodology by selecting the appropriate research philosophy. The field data collection was conducted on all selected routes in the study area with the number of occupants on each road infrastructure.

They were counted and recorded on paper. The field data collection was facilitated by the representative from the department of social department to avoid law infringement and to comply ethical consideration of research.

Face to face interviews are best suited for exploratory study, provide rich data and help explore and understand complex issues (Sekaran and Bougie 2013). Patton (2002) confirms that qualitative description is a naturalist enquiry, research which within real life setting and that the researcher does not seek to manipulate the phenomenon of interest. Edwards,2005:13 cited in Mason, 2006 suggest that qualitative methods offer in-depth knowledge of social dynamics processes and change in social context and have the potential to answer “How?” and “Why?” questions within this domain.

TABLE 1: Sample profile Organization

Department

Number of participants

JRA

Infrastructure provision

2

JRA

Operations and Maintenance

5

Department of social development

Operations and Maintenance

1

JPMD

Operations

1

City Power

Operations and Maintenance

1

The sample profile is reflective of the comprehensive data acquired from to the diversity of expertise within the study participants. All participants were requested for consent and interviews were voluntary and audio

recorded for further analysis. All the acquired information regarding the use of information and the generic ethical principles such as confidentiality and publishing of information was discussed with all participants. Saunders (et al. 2009) affirms that ethic research should be conducted within morals and in a responsible manner.

The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) Section 19 (Act 107 of 1998) bring awareness on the impact of pollution on public infrastructure and necessary remedies required. The management of waste act 59 schedule 3 specify the compliance requirement of hazardous waste material. The displaced people who have occupied the road infrastructure under this study have no capacity to meet the requirements on waste disposal but subsequently become the source of pollution not only affecting their individual health but for road users and maintenance personnel as per Occupational Health and safety Act (act 85 of 1993), The public road and miscellaneous By-laws of City Of Johannesburg further put the strict conditions on pollution of roads infrastructure.

“No person may spill, drop or place or permit to be spilled, dropped or placed, on a public road any matter or substance that may interfere with the cleanliness of the public road, or cause or is likely to cause annoyance, danger or accident to any person, animal, vehicle or other traffic using the public road, without removing it or causing it to be removed from the public road immediately”. By-laws Of City of Johannesburg The illegal occupation of land -Prevention of illegal eviction from and unlawful occupation of land act 19 of 1998, set a very stringent provision to protect the rights and dignity of displaced people and rightfully so, however, the unintended consequence of such protection leaves high risk exposure on the critical road infrastructure such as bridges and culverts which are exposed to various forms of hazardous materials and fire, thus the conflicting objectives of applying both legislation.

The united nation additionally affirms the right of human dignity of displaced people categorizing homelessness as infringement to human rights, Nobody should be evicted into homelessness.

“Evictions should not result in individuals being rendered homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights. Where those affected are unable to provide for themselves, the State party must take all appropriate measures, to the maximum of its available resources, to ensure that adequate alternative housing, resettlement or access to productive land” United nation, General Comment No. 7 (1997) The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights places obligation on states to protect the rights enshrined in article 6. It requires states to prevent and eliminates homelessness particularly individuals that have been exposed to it over a longer time on repeatedly as it violates the of people to enjoy life in dignity. General comment 36 in human rights committee, states the measures needed to be taken by states to ensure access essential goods and services such as food, healthcare, electricity and sanitation including housing programmes.

3. RESULTS This section presents the results obtained from 9 participants with whom face to face interviews were conducted, moreover, the tabular field data presentation on the location and the estimated number of displaced people within the M1 and M2 routes in the City of Johannesburg.

Data reduction was conducted through the data transcription of all recorded face to face interviews and exception was made the social department representative to have written response due to the extensive knowledge in the legislation. Themes and patterns were analysed from the tabular format using excel spreadsheet.

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3.1 Summary of thematic analysis with coding Q1: What are the general maintenance challenges you face onsite?

Green = External factors Red = Internal factors Yellow = Irrelevant factors Theme 1 = Health and Safety Them 2 = Cost Theme 3 = Community involvement demands The responses highlighted the key issues as illustrated on the themes that were retrieved through the data analysis. these issues are directly linked to the legislature on environment, economic empowerment. These feedback addresses the objective No 2 of the study: To promote public awareness on the importance of public infrastructure preservation. These challenges are common to other entities such as City Power as alluded by one participant from City Power. “Theft , crime , vandalism and infrastructure damage”.

Q2: Is legislature one of the challenges? And which act specifically affect maintenance work onsite?

Blue = Legislative challenges Black = Non legislative challenges Orange = Uncertainty of legislature Theme 1 = SCM legislation Theme 2 = Law enforcement Theme 3 = economic development The feedback revealed that there is a sole reliance on law enforcement to the theft, vandalism and illegal occupants on infrastructure in South Africa, however, the law enforcement depends on the compliance to Illegal occupation of the land - Prevention of illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of land Act 19 of 1998, the Republic of South Africa constitution act 26a and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. All correspondence confirms the need for further study on this phenomenon as pursued by objective No.1 of this study.

Q3: What is the impact of theft, crime and vandalism on maintenance?

Gold = Impact on maintenance Gray= Impact on operations Purple =High impact

Theme 1= education Theme 2 =law enforcement Theme 3=Technology /innovation The study results confirmed that there is insufficient or lack of mitigations to infrastructure damages as the entities struggle to keep ahead of criminals, Further engagement and combined efforts is required with the municipals infrastructure fraternity as alluded by objective No 4 of this study- To stimulate innovation that can mitigate the challenges within the road infrastructure preservation.

Q5: What is the effectiveness of measures placed in resolving theft, crime and vandalism of infrastructure?

Green = Measures in place Red=No measures in place orange=Do not know.

Theme 1 = Ineffective /Partial effective Theme 2 =Corrupt officials Theme 3= Technology The need for continuous monitoring of infrastructure has become essential and technology and intervention of the government would supplement the current efforts from various entities and municipalities. The results of this study indicates the urgent need for intervention from government to salvage the remains infrastructure and restore its integrity.

4. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS The study was conducted on the location stated above on the table 1 with GPS coordinates and field data collected regarding the number of occupants within each specific road infrastructure.

4.1 Impact on concrete durability The concrete structure, bridge pillars and abutments are subjected to fire from occupants. Concrete has high fire resistance with minimum temperatures ranging from 500 degrees Celsius to decompose. (Welsh et al,2007). The exposure of thermal pressure to concrete structure is detrimental to the durability of concrete due to spalling and thermal cracking which exposes the steel reinforcement. The continuous exposure to concrete structure cause small defects which have long term impact on the durability of the structure as illustrate below. See photo below.

Theme 1 Cost Theme 2 Delays in service delivery Theme 3 illegal connections Most of the correspondents indicated the dire state of overwhelming negative impacts which are continuous affecting daily operations, service delivery and infrastructure’s deterioration in durability and to an extent the shift in core mandates of maintenance units in attempts to mitigate theft, vandalism and crime and subsequently increasing the unit cost of conducting maintenance.

Q4: How do you resolve the theft, crime and vandalism on infrastructure that you conduct maintenance?

Green=Mitigations Orange=Insufficient mitigation Red =No mitigation

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FIGURE 2: Photos taken from M1 bridge, City of Johannesburg.

The key findings from the study are as follows: 1. The increase cost of infrastructure maintenance due to theft and vandalism.

2. The role of social department in protecting the human rights and dignity of the vulnerable people ie the displaced and homelessness.

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TABLE 2: Sample location and details of illegal occupation in the city of Johannesburg Location

Coordinates

Numbers of vagrants

M1 S- Atholl Oaklands Rd onramp

26°08’23.3”S 28°04’00.8”

09 predominantly males

M1 S-Oxford Rd onramp

26°10’19.7”S 28°02’35.0”E

08 Males, 01 females

M1 N- Joe Slovo Onramp (Pedestrian Bridge)

26°10’04”S 28°03’14”E

05 males, living in cardboard shacks

M1 S-St Andrews Offramp

26°10’48”S 28°02’08”E

03 Males, living in cardboard shacks

M1 S- Jan Smuts Avenue Offramp

26°10’58”S 28°01’59”E

05 Males, living in cardboard shacks

M1 N- Smit Street Offramp

26°11’42”S 28°01’41”E

06 Males, sleeping on the sidewalk. During the day they put their blankets and all other valuables stuff in the kerb inlets

M1 Double Decker (Interchange)

05 Males, living in cardboard shacks

M2 E/W- Selby Bridge near Standard bank

26°12’43”S 28°02’18”E

04 Males, living in cardboard shacks

M2 Interchange-Pat Mbatha (BRT Route)

26°12’43”S 28°01’56”E

05 Males

M2 Joe Slovo- Interchange (Hiedelburg)

26°12’44”S 28°03’22”E

5 separate communities under the bridges with population +/- 50 with mix gender. living in cardboard shacks

26°12’45”S 28°03’23”E 26°12’45”S 28°03’20”E 26°12’54”S 28°03’19”E 26°12’52”S 28°03’19”E End Street under Joe Slovo bridge

26°12’19”S 28°03’16”E

60 with mix gender.

M1 N- Carr Street Offramp

26°11’59”S 28°01’40”E

More 300 families

Bryston informal settlement

More than 1000 families

3. The challenges of undocumented immigrants as illegal occupants of road infrastructures.

4. The creation of conducive and striving environment of illegal trade.

5. The dilemma of government in balancing the human rights of illegal occupants of infrastructures and of those that are mandated to conduct maintenance of those infrastructure and the right to access to basic services which . (The right to safety of personnels conduction maintenance vs the human rights and dignity of the illegal occupants of the infrastructure vs the right to the service delivery of the communities) 6. The increase in population of illegal occupants and becoming informal settlements with large households.

The use of technology in monitoring and safeguarding the critical infrastructure such as bridges and stormwater facilities to reduce floods, theft, pollution, and vandalism of infrastructures.

Integrated and combined mechanisms of state entities in combating crime and vandalism of infrastructure with government intervention on law enforcements.

The amendment of legislation to protect infrastructure.

5. CONCLUSIONS This chapter concludes the study using data analysis from both primary and secondary data and the field information to develop probable solutions to the following objectives of the study.

The main aim of the study is to find alternative ways to monitor the preserve the road infrastructure and its related structure with the following objectives: 1. To investigate and synthesize the information for further research.

2. To promote public awareness on the importance of infrastructure preservation.

3. To propose technologies that could enhance live monitoring and the protection of the infrastructure.

4. To stimulate innovation that can mitigate the challenges within the road infrastructure preservation.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the South African government through affected departments intervene to create a balance between the conflicting rights of road users, maintenance personnel, homelessness, and provision of basic services to the communities as conflict interests.

6.1 Limitation of the study The study only focuses on the impact of legislature on maintenance of road infrastructure and its unintended consequences which are theft, vandalism and environmental pollution caused by illegal occupation of structures. The study conducted interviews to only participants in maintenance space which provide one perspective on the problem.

The illegal occupants were not interviewed to acquire more details regarding the origin and the government intervention in the challenges they face as well as survival means on daily basis.

6.2 Future research The conflicting role of maintenance requirements of public infrastructure and the obligation of states to protect human rights of all citizens as stated in the republic of South Africa constitution section 26a,including illegal immigrant is the area of of concerns.

6.3 Personal refection The understanding of legislature is paramount, while service delivery needs are imperative, the dilemma of government to create a social compact community with needs for basic services ,human rights and dignity.

7. REFERENCES City of Johannesburg 2011. Public Road and Miscellaneous by-laws as amended by Notice 2010, Provincial Gazette No 214.

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Department of Agriculture, Land reform and rural development 1998.

Illegal occupation of the land - Prevention of illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of land Act 19 Department of Health 1993. Occupational Health and safety Act 85.

Department of Forestry, Fishery and Environmental health 1998- The National Environmental Management Act 107 E Obioha 2019 Addressing Homelessness through Public Works in South Africa, Division for inclusive social development, United Nations.

Ian A. Fletcher, Stephen Welch, José L. Torero, Richard O. Carvel, Asif Usmani 2007. Behaviour of Concrete on Fire, Thermal Science.

Mason J 2006. Mixing Methods in a Qualitatively Driven Way. 6(1), 9-25.

Sekaran U. and Bougie R 2015. Research Methods for Business: Skill Building Approach. 6th edn. Wiley Publications.

Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill 2009:152. Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson, New York.

Sadler T., Gibson S. and Reysen S.2017. The effect of a leadership training programme on consideration of future consequences, Journal of leadership studies, 10(4), 35-40.

United Nation Human rights Homelessness and Human rights(A/ HRC/31/54) Communication 2 2014.

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