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Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 23 December 2010
A water time-bomb is ticking for millions of users of water from the Vaal River – by 2014, it will not be suitable for human consumption.
 Water from the Lesotho Highlands to dilute Vaal pollution will not be enough by 2014 Researchers said the problem was caused by acidic water seeping from waste on abandoned mines and by the discharging of untreated acidic mine water into rivers and streams tributary to the Vaal River system.
A report released by the Department of Water Affairs revealed that, by 2014, the water drawn from the Lesotho Highlands water scheme to dilute the high level of pollution in the Vaal will not be enough.
“The increase in dissolved salts and [other pollutants], such as chloride and sulphates, in the river has major implications for domestic, industrial and agricultural water use,” the report said.
According to the department, the Vaal River system serves a population of 12million in Gauteng, the Free State, North West and Northern Cape.
But water scientist Anthony Turton said the pollution does not mean an abrupt end to the supply of water. “It means the water supply to municipalities, industries and agriculture can no longer be guaranteed,” he said. “Strategic industries, such as Sasol and Eskom, will suffer. Economic activity will slow dramatically.”
The research report said the cost of water will increase dramatically. Continue reading Vaal water not suitable by 2014
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 25 November 2010
The acidic mine water that has been running into the Vaal River Barrage is salinising the whole system down from the Vaal Dam to such an extent that it will be unusable within four [...]
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 07 July 2010
SA’s economic hub will run short of water should a severe drought occur in the next 10 years, as water losses have not been stemmed and new sources of supply are still 10 years away, according to a leading engineer.
 Mohale Dam. The second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project will supply Gauteng only in 2020. The second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project will supply Gauteng only in 2020, although, according to experts, SA’s major Vaal River system is already in deficit, as is the Umgeni system.
Negotiations were still under way with the government of Lesotho regarding the flagship project, the Department of Water Affairs said on Friday.
“It is expected to take more than nine years to prepare for and implement the project,” the department said. Once implemented, this second phase would be able to transfer 479-million cubic metres annually to SA.
However, until this project was completed, SA ran the risk of severe water restrictions in the event of a critical drought in the next 10 years, said engineer Dr Chris Herold, a council member of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering.
Dr Herold said there was a mismatch between water demand and new sources of supply, resulting from a failure to stem water losses in the system.
Having a deficit in the Vaal River system was an unacceptable risk to run for the next 10 years, he said. The system, which supplies Gauteng, already had a 2% supply deficit, which would progressively worsen to an 11% deficit by 2019, he said. Continue reading SA runs risk of severe water restrictions
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 23 May 2010
South Africa faces a water crisis that could cripple economic growth and cause a plague of health problems – but critics say the government has yet to act with urgency.
 Toxic algae bloom The most immediate concern is the acid mine drainage (AMD) polluting a vast swathe from the Witwaters-rand to Mpumalanga. Other threats include pesticide run-off, broken infrastructure and failed sewage plants.
As the population grows and economic recovery puts more pressure on limited inland water resources, experts predict a shift of industrial activity to coastal areas where desalination plants will have to meet a growing share of demand.
Environmentalists warn that if the government and industry fail to act, within two years mine water as corrosive as battery acid will gush from Johannesburg’s Wemmer Pan and seep into the city’s streets and gardens.
“It is acutely toxic,” said Mariette Liefferink, who leads a group of non-governmental organisations lobbying for action. “It affects the soil and neural development of the foetus, which leads to mental retardation; it will cause cancer, cognitive problems, skin lesions,” she said. “These are all the foreseeable risks if we do not manage our AMD.”
Acid mine drainage, which occurs when mines close and stop pumping water out of shafts, has contaminated streams and dams on the West and East Rand that feed into the Limpopo and Vaal rivers. Treatment by utilities such as Rand Water renders the water safe, but those who drink straight from rivers are at risk. Continue reading Water crisis could cripple economic growth
Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 03 April 2010
The question of whether we are facing a water crisis similar to the energy crisis has driven Umfula Wempilo Consulting’s Chris Harold to become concerned about water supply and demand.
Illegal water abstraction in [...]
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