Featured
Solving environmental law confusion: Lawyer Lizette van der Walt launches innovative app
Lizette van der Walt is a lawyer specialising in environmental law. In her 27 years of experience, she noticed a general confusion around environmental laws in South Africa and decided to help by creating the Enviro Legal app. This app is designed to help users...
Featured
Turning The Tide To Achieve SDG 6
Coming off the back of the WISA 2024 Biennial Conference and Exhibition, we can all agree that accelerated change is needed in achieving SDG 6 by 2030. As we celebrate 30 years of democracy this year and honour women during the month of August, it is fitting that we...
Featured
[Industry Personality] Carin Bosman: Make noise and have a code
The water sector is filled with passionate people, Carin Bosman is one such passionate person, and she serves to remind us of all that water is for the betterment of humanity, and when you are tasked with doing what is right, you have to make some noise. Early on in...
Featured
[Cover Story] 40 years strong: Lethabo Intake Pumping Station’s historic refurbishment
A part of Rand Water’s proactive infrastructure maintenance project comprised the refurbishment of pumps and electrical boards at the Lethabo Intake Pumping Station. This key facility pumps water to ESKOM Lethabo Power Station and supplies over half of Gauteng via the...
Sludge – a hazard and a resource
A semi solid slurry produced from water treatment, wastewater treatment and onsite sanitation systems, sludge can be both a valuable by-product and a dangerous source of pollution. “Sludge from onsite sanitation is collected from pit latrines,...
Paying attention to toilets can save Metros 30% of water
According to Gerrrie Brink, founder of AQUAffection, saving water by increasing efficiencies and doing preventative maintenance is not glamorous work and it seldom makes headlines. It does not require huge capital expenditure. But by simply...
[PROJECT FOCUS] Meet South Africa’s largest bio filtration plant
The Coegakop Biofiltration Plant is nearing completion and is designed to treat groundwater rich in dissolved iron and manganese. The plant is designed with a capacity to treat up to 20 Mℓ/day of potable water for Nelson Mandela Bay...
Harnessing the power of the Malawian sun
Operational from Q1 2022, the 20 MW AC Golomoti Solar PV and Battery Energy Storage project is a groundbreaking development that delivers a green power solution for Malawi. Co-developed by JCM Power, a Canadian independent power producer, and...
Developing low-cost water metering devices
WISA’s Innovation for Water Supply & Sanitation Division hosted a learning exchange and hackathon to address water management challenges through the design, construction and testing of low-cost smart devices that are compatible with existing...
City of Cape Town’s drive away from Eskom grid gains momentum
The City of Cape Town’s drive to end load-shedding and move away from Eskom’s grid has received yet another boost, with the completion of its landfill gas wellfield and flaring system at Vissershok Landfill. During June 2022, the City of Cape...
Sustainability
Financing energy project development in Africa
Experts agree that sustainable economic growth throughout Africa depends on infrastructural development and distribution of clean energy. Raising capital for energy projects and building sustainable pipelines is complex in a market that is...
Nedbank’s partnership-based finance model helps to transform the fuel sector
Transformation in the fuel sector is a key imperative, particularly in ensuring that barriers to entry for black entrepreneurs are reduced, allowing for greater representativity and ownership, says Prithivan Pillay, head of client value...
Desperate need for SANS 30500 certification scheme
Due to the high level of South African representation on the international panel that supported the creation of ISO 30500, we were one of the first countries in the world to identically adopt the standard as SANS 30500 in 2019. However, setting up...
SADC learns from Sahel in Great Green Wall strategy
Africa is drawing from its own lessons as it works toward land degradation neutrality (LDN), with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) adopting its own Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) strategy based on the continent’s experience in...
Greater collaboration to improve collection and recycling of liquid board packaging
In an increased effort to drive collection and recycling of liquid board packaging (LBP) in South Africa, Tetra Pak South Africa will join the PET Recycling Company NPC (PETCO), a well-established Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO). Tetra...
5-in-5: Your monthly good news round-up in 5 minutes
South Africa is overwhelmed with bad news. From high inflation to loadshedding and most recently – the suspense from ANC’s electoral committee. Here are five good news stories to come out of the month of November. France and Germany extend €600...
Events
Industry News
Govt’s infrastructure plans to boost demand for galvanized steel
Government spending on building new and rehabilitating existing infrastructure will increase from R66.7 billion from 2022 to 2023 to R112.5 billion from 2025 to 2026. It includes roads, bridges, stormwater systems and public buildings. This makes...
Civil construction activity poised for recovery in coming months
After registering a low of only 9 in 1Q2022, the confidence of civil contractors, as measured by the FNB/BER Civil Construction Index, has gradually risen over the course of the year. At 31 in 4Q2022, the index is at its best level since the...
Opinion
[OPINION] Meeting the need for skills and labour to solve SA’s energy crisis
South Africa’s recent energy crisis escalation into Level 5 and 6 load shedding has highlighted the stark need for businesses, industries and municipalities to generate their own power. By Wayne Alcock, Managing Director at Quyn International...
Water
Metro News
City of Cape Town encourages formation of recycling start-ups
With the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, and the imposition of bold targets for the diversion of waste from landfill, society’s demand for recycling services is increasing. The City of Cape Town is encouraging...
Johannesburg Water says water infrastructure in recovery after outages
A power failure at the Eikenhof pump station on Sunday resulted in the depletion of Rand Water’s reservoirs levels, leaving some at a 0% storage level. The bulk water supplier has been struggling with low levels at its reservoirs since 9...
[PROJECT FOCUS] Meet South Africa’s largest bio filtration plant
The Coegakop Biofiltration Plant is nearing completion and is designed to treat groundwater rich in dissolved iron and manganese. The plant is designed with a capacity to treat up to 20 Mℓ/day of potable water for Nelson Mandela Bay...
Waste
Engineering
SAICE President advocates for a sustainable approach to driving infrastructure development
President of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), Professor Marianne Vanderschuren, has embarked on her presidential visits across various SAICE branches and universities across South Africa. She reinforced her message of...
Survey shows confidence still high in construction sector’s future
Confidence in the future of SA’s construction sector reached its highest level in five years despite a marked decline in business activity in recent months. This is the main finding of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Business Conditions...
Concor to build key pollution control dam for Venetia diamond mine
Leading black-owned contractor Concor is engaging on a 17-month project to construct a new pollution control dam at De Beers’ Venetia diamond mine, South Africa’s largest diamond producer. Known for its depth of experience from a long legacy of...
Technology
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Water & Sanitation Africa
The official magazine of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), the magazine publishes content dealing with the supply, governance, financing, treatment and measurement of water and sanitation in southern Africa.