Infrastructure asset management is key in preserving water resources
By Abri Vermeulen, senior engineer at PD Naidoo & Associates (PDNA) and Mosabala Lipholo, director: government sector division at PDNA
July 17, 2009 – Water is one of our most precious resources and needs to be managed carefully in order to provide for all citizens now and to ensure preservation for future generations. At this point in time, South Africa is close to utilising all its available water resources, while water conservation and demand management is becoming increasingly important.
One of the major issues affecting this is infrastructure asset management. In the quest to provide water for every South African citizen, the focus over the past decade has been on the extension of services, especially to previously disadvantaged areas, putting much strain on existing systems.
Rapid urbanisation and densification of existing urban areas has also intensified the water demand, but existing systems have not always been augmented to accommodate this extra demand, resulting in reduced assurance of supply and interruptions of services. Upgrades haven’t always been a priority and consequently bulk systems have often been operated above their design capacity, which invariably means that they will probably not last their full design life.
The reality is that our water networks and systems are deteriorating and not enough is invested in the maintenance and augmentation of bulk systems. All elements have a limited lifespan and need to be maintained, refurbished and/or replaced at the right time to ensure that they continue functioning. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 40 to 50 percent of South Africa’s water may be lost through leakage because assets are not managed properly. However, if this wastage problem can be minimised, our projected water usage will be reduced and we will be able to use our existing resources for much longer into the future.
In addition, infrastructure augmentation are often not planned in a holistic manner which requires that available water resources be balanced with water demand projections overall in catchments. One of the big challenges in this regard is that water institutions and the various municipalities are all operating independently and do not communicate sufficiently. While the importance of integrated planning has been acknowledged, the reality is that water network planning has often been done in a fragmented manner with limited consultation with relevant stakeholders.
At PDNA we have observed that there isn’t sufficient integrated planning or that often sector plans are done only to comply to legal requirements, whether provincially or nationally, thereby reducing the potential value that these tools can bring to an institution. We believe that there is a need for the different spheres of government to work together, from the technical and financial departments to the officials and politicians.
There are no formulas or recipes for water management - it requires common sense and careful consideration of the situation. Each area is unique with different circumstances and a varying number of people to serve and we have to apply our minds and skills to come up with the best solution in each instance. That is where the consulting engineering profession comes into play.
Combining water and environment in one department is a great start to enable better integrated planning and alignment of authorisation processes (such as water use licensing and EIA’s). However, much work is still needed to achieve such alignment and ensure smooth and timeous approvals and authorisations, thereby encouraging more rapid and sustainable development of infrastructure and the country as a whole.
PDNA has recently been involved in the Mogalakwena Local Municipality water conservation and water demand management (WC/WDM) project through which the company has assisted the municipality in addressing these issues. PDNA developed a WC/WDM policy and implementation strategy with the municipality based on the status quo, linking it to various other initiatives within the municipality as well as water resource availability in the region.
The company further supports the Gauteng Water Sector Forum on strategic issues such as the coordination of water services planning to ensure an integrated approach and sustainable service delivery as well as the revision of the Gauteng Water Sector Strategy Plan. This revision considers the availability of water resources in the region, including water transfer between catchment areas, as well as the state of WC/WDM in the province.
In the Limpopo region, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) has appointed PDNA to conduct the Magalies Water to Waterberg Feasibility Study and to consider various options to augment water supply to Bela Bela, Modimolle and Mookgophong local municipalities. PDNA had to take into account the larger regional context for the possible importation of water from other catchments, as well as local water sources, particularly ground water availability.
PDNA is also part of a team that assists DWAF in assessing water services authorities’ annual reports against its Water Services Development Plans (WSDPs). The Strategic Framework for Water Services requires WSAs to submit annual reports to DWAF, indicating the progress made and challenges encountered while implementing their WSDPs. This will enable DWAF to identify areas where strategic support is required or punitive measures have to be implemented or change in policy is necessary. In the case of WSAs not submitting annual reports, the team has to assist in developing a self-explanatory reporting template that can be used.
But the responsibility goes even further. Communities and industries should be proactively educated about the conscientious use of water. South Africa has scarce water resources and is categorised as a dry country. Our rainfall is only approximately 60 percent of the world average and it is forecasted that as soon as 2020, we will be classified as water-stressed – in the same category as most middle eastern countries. People should know where their water comes from and how to use it with care. More innovative ideas to save water must be implemented and every person must play a part in securing our future.