Water updates from South Africa

South Africa: U.S. firm launches “water from air” device in Cape Town

A U.S.-based company has launched a new solar "water from air" device in Cape Town to alleviate some of the pressure placed on municipal and groundwater supply. 

U.S. consul general in Cape Town Virginia Blaser explained that the device, dubbed SOURCE, uses sunlight and air to make safe, pure drinking water. Powered entirely by solar, the device extracts water vapour from the air and converts it into liquid water similar to distilled water. An average of three to five litres of water is produced per panel per day. 

Currently, it will cost around ZAR30 000 per panel for installation and the average home needs two panels, media reported. 

ESI Africa, 13 June 2018 

Rothdene pumpstation upgrade nears completion

The upgrade of the Rothdene pumpstation, in Meyerton, is 99% complete and will be finalised by the end of June.

The project started in June last year and four pumps with a capacity of 440 ℓ/s comprise the upgrade, which, upon completion, will open the opportunity for the Midvaal municipality to start several housing and social housing developments in the area.

The rationale behind the upgrade is owing to a growing need for the Midvaal municipality to provide housing and other developments in the area. “That was hampered by the lack of sewerage treatment capacity in the area, which the project will be addressing,” notes DWS Gauteng Regional Bulk Infrastructure Programme assistant regional project manager Sefako Mamabulo. 

Zero Mass Water has launched its SOURCE hydropanel, which applies thermodynamics, materials science and controls technology to produce potable drinking water from only sunlight and air, in South Africa. 

Powered entirely by solar, SOURCE extracts pure water vapour from the air and converts it into liquid water similar to distilled. This water is mineralised with magnesium and calcium before being delivered directly to a tap. 

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA) have reached a significant milestone in a collaborative exercise on water conservation and water demand management aimed at driving water savings and usage improvements in the mining industry. 

The project entails the development of commodity-based national water use efficiency benchmarks to guide acceptable levels of water use and, thereby, drive improvements in water use efficiency.

The project’s output is found in two recently published documents. The first document “Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Plans for the Mining Sector” is based on comprehensive research findings in the second document “Benchmarks for Water Conservation and Water Demand Management in the Mining Sector”.

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