Q. In the local water industry we have produced many unique solutions to meet rural and urban water delivery challenges. As a company, what are some of the challenges you have faced and the solutions you have found in response to these challenges?
A.To work in rural areas is quite a challenge; logistically speaking it’s a nightmare as building materials are usually of poor quality, very expensive and have a funny way of vanishing. These materials must most of the time be carted from afar and on bad roads. This leads to poor expensive concrete, thus poor products. Aquadam has identified this challenge and responded with the Muleby System tank (MST) a supply and install reservoir. These tanks are pre-casted in a controlled factory environment, with some of the best aggregates available. At 7 m high, panel it is not something that vanishes very easily. Installation takes a week, giving the main contractor more time to focus on the reticulation. This saves the client money that can assist him to build more needed reservoir, helping the country.

Q.In terms of water resources management, water treatment, water laboratories, water storage and water distribution, how do your products and/or services benefit the water management sector, in terms of some or all the above topics?
A.Aquadam builds reservoirs fast and effectively; all our products are good quality installed – saving money so more structures can be built, saving water for the ever growing water demand.
Storing water for the people – water is the most precious of our resources, and also the one that are the most neglected and wasted.

Q.As a proudly South African contractor or supplier to the water and civil infrastructure sectors, what have been some of the challenges experienced with local government?
A.In my limited personal experience, the clients are stuck in the old way of doing things, they are reluctant to change. I don’t know if it is lack of knowledge, it is quite difficult marketing new ways in the industry, or maybe it is just easy to copy and paste the old tried and tested way. I must say that this is starting to change; government is turning around – it wants to deliver.

Aquadam offers the agricultural market our seamless Gunite reservoir. A single-sided shutter is placed and reinforced on the inside according to an engineered design. Concrete then get placed by means of Gunite (spray concrete). The shutters are removed and the reservoir is finished by hand. This is a fast and cost-effective way and has served the industry very well for the last 20years.As time progressed Aquadam identified the need for a neat, aesthetically pleasing tank, hence the Future tank. The Future tank is a zinc aluminium coated, cylindrical sectional steel tank and it’s manufactured on our premises in Pretoria. Local manufacturing means shorter lead time and faster delivery. The future tank comes standard with a roof, as this is part of the structure as designed by our engineer. The inside of the tank is lined with a food grade PVC liner manufactured by Aquadam. The Future tank was very well received by the mines as well as the farmers.
Then the need arrived for to erect mesh tank, the Budget tank, 8 mm welded mesh in a standard 3 m high galvanised panel, bolted together, really a tough customer.Then there is the Rolls Royce, the Muleby System tank. This pre-casted reinforced with pre-stressed cables sectional concrete tank is the ultimate. The slim design makes it very fast to erect and the combination of pre-stress panel that are horizontal post tension is very durable and a big money saver.