Water security in metros dips as load shedding increases

Load shedding is having a significant impact on water security in metros and higher stages could cause some vulnerable areas to run out of water completely.

Water expert Anthony Turton said there is an overlay of systems in a metro, which includes an electrical reticulation system that has one set of wiring diagrams, and a water reticulation system which has a different set of pumps and storage tanks.

Impact of load shedding

“These intersect at points, so when you implement load shedding, it will affect everything in that defined geographic area. If you happen to have a pump in that area, that pump will also go down and it’s difficult to go and rewire a specific pump.

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“To say if you going to shut down a defined area [you’re] not going to shut down that pump is almost impossible,” Turton said.

If there was any interruption in water flow, the ability to replenish water reservoirs would be affected and any “buffer” capacity would suffer. In large cities, the population has almost doubled in the last two decades.

That’s a massive change in demand on water supply and it has not been met with any change in storage capacity. This means “a lower allocation of storage per person in that system”.

Turton said a “critical point” would be reached where the time needed to fill storage capacity would exceed the time needed to deplete that capacity.

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“There is no question of doubt that the disruption in electricity supply is playing a fundamental role in the destruction of water security.”

Water security measures

Johannesburg Water (JW) spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said they had entered into a three-year contract with two service providers for the provision of mobile generators at critical pump station sites as a short-term solution.

“The expenditure to date was R7.7 million and the company is also concluding a tender for the provision of UPSes and generators at our operational depots to power critical IT infrastructure which will assist in reducing delays in dispatching teams to address infrastructure failures.

“This will be at a cost of R11.6 million and as a medium- to long-term intervention. JW have changed specifications for pump stations to include a fixed generator.”

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