An AECOM-designed water transfer system for the Mooi-Mgeni Transfer Scheme Phase 2
South Africa is fast approaching physical water scarcity by 2025 and is expected to face a water deficit of 17% by 2030 based on current usage trends, according to Dr. Hlamulo Makelane, Research Fellow at Nelson Mandela University.
South Africa is classified as a semi-arid country, with an annual rainfall way below the global average. Water is a precious commodity that needs to be managed wisely to serve an ever-growing population and to promote economic growth and development.
The current water demands in most catchments exceed the available water supply. This raises the importance of integrated water resource management in terms of transfer schemes and future infrastructure upgrades, involving both surface and groundwater sources.
Integrated infrastructure delivery company AECOM has assisted with drought management planning for the Department of Water and Sanitation. This focused on effective demand side management and sophisticated risk modelling to ensure dams remain at sustainable levels and avoid total non-supply – that is, dams going dry.
“As a global company, we can pull from a vast pool of resources and are world leaders in the field. We have the niche skillset that sets us apart in terms of water resource planning and management,” explains Siyabonga Sikosana, a Water Resources Scientist at AECOM, a leader in providing solutions and innovations to assist communities, businesses and clients.
For example, it was approached by various private companies to provide professional services to improve their resilience in response to water-supply interruptions during the so-called ‘Day Zero’ crisis in October 2017, when the City of Cape Town predicted it would effectively run out of water by March 2018.
Significant growth in this sector can be expected due to the current backlog of sufficient water infrastructure for increasing urbanisation and industrial development. In addition, existing infrastructure is ageing, which requires maintenance, refurbishment or replacing. Water security is at risk, which requires adequate project planning and prioritisation towards implementation and intervention.
AECOM is able to add considerable value to this sector in the way that it manages deliverables, being more innovative in design and project delivery processes, using advanced digital technology, and creating internal leverage, with improved skills development and better integration and systems. An example of AECOM’s success in this critical sector has been its involvement with the City of Tshwane as Owner’s Engineer for the Temba Water Treatment Works in Soshanguve.