Groundwater, wastewater must be secured to ensure water security – Creamer Media's Engineering News
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Groundwater, wastewater must be secured to ensure water security
18th March 2022
By: Nadine Ramdass
Creamer Media Reporter
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South Africa’s reliance on surface water such as rivers and dams has resulted in groundwater and wastewater resources being neglected.
However, growing water security concerns have made it critical for South Africa to invest in accessing and using both groundwater and wastewater as alternatives to diminishing surface water resources.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Water Research Centre research group leader Patrick Hlabela explains that groundwater has not been used because it is difficult, and costly, to access.
Likewise, wastewater makes up a large amount of water resource, however, water recycling and reuse has been minimal resulting in the water taking up space without being used.
Hlabela explains that, owing to the impact of industrialisation, groundwater is no longer a pure resource that can be easily accessed. Contaminated surface water has, in some cases, mixed with groundwater, thereby contaminating the groundwater.
Therefore, measures to protect groundwater includes treating contaminated surface water before it is discarded into the environment as well as ensuring minimum contact between groundwater and surface water.
Hlabela points out that underground activities, such as mining, as well as ablution systems can also introduce contaminants into the groundwater depending on how deep the aquifer is. In particular, pit latrines in the rural areas are concerning because it can result in contact between the sewage and groundwater.
Further, South Africa has not prioritised recycling or reclaiming wastewater, as only 2% to 12% of the wastewater has been reclaimed. Hlabela expresses that the country is on the verge of going into serious water shortage.
CSIR Water Research Centre is working towards securing South Africa’s water resource through protecting the groundwater and wastewater treatment initiatives. The centre is conducting ongoing research on how to best protect groundwater.
“We are looking at phasing out pit latrines through coming up with new technologies that will actually provide the cheaper toilet systems and ensure that the current water,” explains Hlabela.
To reduce the impact of the mining industries, CSIR is collaborating with other companies to develop technologies that will ensure that water used in mining activities is purified or treated prior to being thrown into the environment. If possible, the water can also be reclaimed and used as potable water or for other industrial purposes such as irrigation. as well.
Solution Driven
The CSIR Water Centre evaluates the preservation and the security of water in the country by working with small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) and other stakeholders to ensure that CSIR’s initiatives are robust and cover a large region.
A project the CSIR is focusing on is decentralised wastewater treatment systems. Conventional systems entail transporting water from the area where the pollution occurs to an area where the water can be treated. However, this process is expensive because it requires pipeline network. These systems are also prone to malfunctions owing to maintenance and its operation becoming less effective. As a result, the systems become dilapidated, which is subsequently expensive to repair.
Decentralised wastewater treatment systems entail treating water at the point of source, which mitigates the challenges of conventional centralised systems. These systems are ideal for remote areas and institutions such as schools and prisons.
The CSIR has developed package plants, which can also be mobilised systems, that are not expensive to erect and does not require a network of pipelines. This makes maintenance and the operation easier and cheaper. The water can be treated at the source point to an acceptable quality which can then be discarded safely to the environment.
The decentralised systems also reduce the pressure on centralised wastewater treatment systems which have already reached capacity. It eliminates the need for sewage storage and disposal, which can be expensive for remote areas and institutions. The treated water can then be used for flushing or irrigation purposes as it meets the standards for wastewater treatment.
The system has not yet achieved potable water quality.
“We are also looking at revamping and improving the existing systems on the ground because these are expensive infrastructure systems. We're looking at newer technologies that can actually be put on the existing systems,” says Hlabela.
Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology can be used to manage the existing water systems. The 4IR technologies can reduce physical work and monitoring that needs to be done on the existing water systems.
CSIR is currently working on a dynamic hydraulic model that uses a network of sensors on wastewater treatment network systems as well as water supply network systems.
The dynamic hydraulic model system will be able to predict challenges or inefficiencies that the system could experience through using pressure and quality sensors. These predicted problems can then be attended to before it occurs. This makes maintenance easier resulting in fewer future breakdowns in the system.
Hlabela concludes by noting that, when it comes to water management systems, an important factor in its longevity is the communication of the systems, which is what 4IR technology is able to efficiently achieve.
Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter
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