OVERVIEW Water Two major
OVERVIEW Water Two major bulk supply projects will open up economic opportunity. The Vaal Gamagara and Namakwa bulk water supply projects respectively hold the key to boosting the mining sector and laying the foundation for expansion in outlying districts of the province. Although the Orange River flows through the province, many parts of the province are dry. The bulk water supply projects will give additional security to mines, businesses and households in the target areas. The provincial budget for 2018/19 allocates R762-million to regional bulk infrastructure and R454-million to water supply and sanitation (including drought interventions). In additional measures, the Northern Cape Provincial Government has adopted a Climate Change Adaptation Response Strategy and is taking part in a National Department of Public Works programme known as the Shared Water Efficiency Programme. Projects Engineering group ELB Group has been appointed by Vedanta Zinc International to do a wide range of jobs at its new Gamsberg project. This includes laying a water pipe from the Orange River to the mining company’s processing plant. SECTOR INSIGHTS ELB Group is laying a water pipe from the Orange River to the new mine at Gamsberg. • The Eye of Kuruman is an oasis-like spring. The town of Springbok has been plagued by water supply problems for several years, with pipes failing on a regular basis. The copper mining company that used to see to water delivery operations in the area has closed down. The Namakwa water project will deliver water to about 11 000 households and should be completed in 2019. Work is being done on pump stations and sand filters and a new pipeline is to be laid. NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19 50
OVERVIEW Twenty-two villages in six municipalities will benefit from the Vaal Gamagara Refurbishment and Upgrading Project. The existing scheme, run by Sedibeng Water, supplies about 22-million m3 of water to industry, mines, agricultural enterprises and domestic users, but demand is growing. Existing manganese and iron ore mines near Hotazel and Kathu are heavy water users and if any new mines are to be considered in the area, a reliable water supply is needed. The same applies to the creation of any new infrastructure such as solar power plants, although obviously to a lesser degree. A 430km pipeline is to be constructed from Delportshoop to Black Rock and upgrades will be done on existing pump stations and water treatment plants. The cost of the project, which falls under the National Department of Water and Sanitation is R18-billion. Sedibeng Water has been selected as the implementing agent for the project and they will work with the Kgalagadi Joint Venture. Once the project is complete, the scheme will be able to deliver water to neighbouring country, Botswana. Assets Two of South Africa’s great rivers meet in the Northern Cape at a point south-west of Kimberley. After absorbing the Vaal River, the Orange River continues westwards to the Atlantic Ocean and provides the basis for agriculture all along its path. North of Kimberley, the confluence of the Vaal and the Harts rivers encompasses one of South Africa’s most intensely irrigated areas. The Vaalharts irrigation system is one of the most productive in the country, covering about 38 000 hectares with a variety of crops. Various water users’ associations (WUAs) representing particular areas (such as the Vaalharts) are recognised by the national water authority. Two of South Africa’s biggest dams, the Gariep and Vanderkloof, also provide water for irrigation and hydro-electric power. But many parts of the province are dry with sections of the north and north-west classified as semi-arid and arid. The southern Kalahari Desert does receive rain (sometimes a lot of rain in a very short space of time) but the fact that mining is a primary economic activity in the dry regions of the province presents particular challenges. The town ONLINE RESOURCES Blue Drop Awards: www.ewisa.co.za National Department of Water and Sanitation: www.dwa.gov.za South African Association of Water Utilities: www.saawu.org.za Water Institute of South Africa: www.wisa.org.za Water Research Commission: www.wrc.org.za of Kuruman is an exception in that it has a natural and prolific spring, the Eye of Kuruman. The National Department of Water and Sanitation is consolidating the country’s water boards into nine regional water utilities. Some boards have merged to create new entities while others have extended their area of supply. Sedibeng Water now offers water supply services across three provinces, including most of the Northern Cape. Sedibeng Water has absorbed the old Namkwa Water Board which means it is responsible for towns such as Okiep, Concordia, Nababeep and Springbok, and the mines in that part of the province. The Pelladrift board (serving Pofadder) has also been incorporated. Sedibeng Water’s Central Laboratory, based at Balkfontein near Bothaville, is a SANAS ISO/ IEC 17025-accredited facility. The laboratory has the advantage of being on the site of a water-treatment plant, enabling it to process as many as 3 000 chemical and 1 700 bacterial analyses every month. Bulk water and reticulation monitoring are both conducted by the laboratory which also conducts internal and external training for staff in the water and sewage treatment field. A new laboratory has been built to monitor the quality of water at the revamped Vaal Gamagara scheme. The laboratory’s four sections cover Instrumentation, Wet Chemistry, Sewage and Microbiology. When the laboratory gains SANAS accreditation, it will be the first in the province to have such a rating. 51 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19
