Water Safety Boils Down To Better Management

South Africa will reach a new level of water scarcity by the year 2025, cites the WWF-SA 2017, Scenarios for the Future of Water in South Africa report. It is further predicted that the country will face a 17 per cent increase in water shortages by 2030, and with climate change on the cards, this situation will only worsen. Water is the most valuable resource on earth, and as such, a paradigm shift is required, not only in how we address this fast-approaching crisis, but also in how to create sustainable solutions.

With over 300 million people in Africa having no access to clean drinking water, coupled with the fact that $114-million is needed annually to reach the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water alone, we have a huge job ahead to ensure a consistent supply of water that is safe for consumption and use. This means that we need to:

•  create a much more diverse water mix, including groundwater and water reuse

•  fix the infrastructure and skill deficiencies

•  start embracing technologies

•  plan for the impact of climate change

•  ensure effective wastewater management and treatment.

The solution is to make a concerted effort to improve water quality by minimising pollution and the release of chemicals and waste into water, as well as increasing recycling and reusing of water across the globe.

Managing wastewater is essential 

Wastewater, and the treatment thereof, has become a critical consideration in addressing scarcity and safety issues when it comes to our constrained water supply. Wastewater treated to the required standards – as set out by national environmental agencies – means that this water can be reused effectively. We have found that nearly all effluent can be recycled if done properly. This means that a large bank of water could become available, which previously may not have been considered as “safe” for the environment or community.

Innovative wastewater management can result in the redistribution of this water into the environment for irrigation and dust suppression, as well as to replenish rivers and catchments in our water infrastructure networks. The different technologies are currently so advanced that effluent can even be treated further to provide potable (drinking) water for areas where it is in short supply.

However, to truly ensure a safer and more robust water supply, corporate South Africa and government need to work together to build suitable infrastructure to support the water mix and find the most cost-effective solutions at the highest efficiency rates possible.

Solutions that can be adapted for the big corporations as well as the man on the street must be developed and must ensure that wastewater treatment becomes the norm and not a distant vision.

Waste management companies form a cornerstone to securing safe water for South Africa’s commercial and private use and are striving towards driving such change in the country to conserve, manage and repurpose water, as well as play their part in fighting climate change. The reality is that, if we don’t focus on securing safe water resources, we risk placing additional strain on human health, productivity and consequently, economic development and sustainable ecosystems for generations to come. There has never been a better and more pressing time for companies within the public and private sector to play their part in the sustainable management of our most precious resource.