More mentoring, skills development required in water industry

(Engineering News article – 27 March 2009) By: Fatima Gabru. There is a declining focus on the mentoring and skills development of young, black engineering professionals in the engineering industry.This decline is affecting the water industry at large, as well the companies that operate in this sector, including multidisciplinary consulting engineering company PD Naidoo & Associates (PDNA), group director Kevin Pillay states. He says that there is a growing group of established professionals who are not putting back any of the required skills and training that the industry has a critical need for.“Generally, these are the professionals in the 35 years to 50 years age group who are required to mentor and grow the skills of young, emerging professionals,” he adds.He comments: “There cannot be any denial that the largest proportion of skills in the industry lies with white professionals. There are several companies and individuals out there who are doing quite a lot of good work, and PDNA partners with these companies often.”Pillay states that black economic empowerment (BEE) appears to be taking a back seat in government job procurement procedures recently. There have been many white professionals winning projects without BEE partners, which is to the detriment of national engineering skills development.On the other hand, there have been certain contracts awarded to black-empowered companies, which have been subcontracted to established companies. This adds to the lack of growth in the skills of emerging black professionals.

He says that PDNA sees skills development as a growing problem, especially if the focus on the passing on of skills to the emerging young professionals is lost.He comments that the lack of skills, as well as the difficulty of retaining skills, is a problem facing the company across its sectors, and especially in its water division.PDNA’s water division covers five broad areas, which include water treatment and wastewater management, water resource planning, pipelines and pumpstations, programme management and industrial projects.To assist in the development of skills in the industry, the company has developed the PDNA Da Vinci Academy in a joint development with management school the Da Vinci Institute.While all staff members are encouraged to pass through the academy, its focus is on the company’s young professionals. These professionals are put through an intensive, accelerated programme, where a number of certificates as well a master’s degree can be achieved.He notes that the company is making good progress in skills development through its training academy. However, the lack of a mentoring generation is an area of alarm for the industry.He believes that the problem will be exacerbated if the lack of a concerted effort from government and the industry to confront it grows. “Government needs to compel companies to focus on the issue of mentoring to assure that skills are transferred to the younger gene- ration of professionals.There is a dire need for skilled professionals to make a commitment to put back into the industry the skills and experience they have acquired,” he states.Areas of ConcernMeanhile, Pillay states that there is a problem in the funding and skills training critical to the upgrading and development of the country’s sewage and effluent infrastructure, which requires a concerted effort from government and the industry.If these issues are not resolved in the near future, then the country could face a water management crisis, he adds.He says that the main problems areas are the smaller municipalities. The larger municipalities in the metropolitan areas have the human and financial resources to operate, maintain, refurbish or upgrade existing infrastructure. “The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (Dwaf) has made significant progress in the delivery of basic water and sanitation services, bulk infrastructure development, water resource management and overall policy development.However, there has been a failure by smaller municipalities to maintain and upgrade or augment existing infrastructure to accommodate the delivery of water sanitation requirements for the new housing developments,” he notes.Pillay says that Dwaf has identified the problem areas in water and wastewater treatment systems and is working hard to resolve these issues.He adds that a simple solution lies in the proper asset management and maintenance of existing infrastructure.He is hopeful that if a concerted effort to acquire the correct skills and funding to operate and maintain existing systems is made, the country will not face a water resource crisis.

 
Current Wastewater Treatment Projects

One of the biggest wastewater treatment projects PDNA is currently working on is the R500-million upgrades for water agency Johannesburg Water’s five wastewater treatment plants.This is a three-year project that is scheduled for completion by the end of 2009. The appointment is to conduct work at all the water agency’s plants, when upgrades and new works are required.Pillay comments: “Johannesburg is one of the better municipalities, which pays serious attention to the upgrading and maintenance of its sewage and effluent infrastructure”.Further, PDNA is involved in the 24-Mℓ/d, biological nutrient removal Fisantekraal, Cape Town, sewage treatment plant. The project has started and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010. The project is valued at R150-million.The company is currently completing the Nandoni water treatment plant in Limpopo province. This is a 60-Mℓ/d plant that forms part of the Luvhuvu River Government Water Scheme that services the areas around Thohoyandou.The company is also busy with the Rietvlei plant, for the Tshwane municipality. The company’s scope of work includes the refurbishment of granular activated carbon (GAC) filters and the addition of an ozonation facility to the treatment process. Construction on this about R25-million project will start by mid-year and completion is expected in mid 2010.PDNA completed work on the 2400-Mℓ/d Vaalkop water treatment plant for Magalies Water, at the end of 2008.This is an advanced water treatment plant comprising a GAC and ozonation facility, which can treat highly eutrophic, or nutrient-rich, deoxygenated water and recovered supernatant or floating liquid above a sediment from sludge dams.A significant municipal project for PDNA is with the Tshwane municipality for the sewage reticulation system for 22 000 new housing stands. Construction work is scheduled for start at the end of April 2009, with completion scheduled for April, 2010. This 150-km pipeline project is valued at about R50-million.