… Windhoek a world pioneer
WINDHOEK – The reclamation of potable water is an alternative for virtually every city on the African continent and this as a solution to scarce water resources is becoming more viable for communities as the cost of cleaning and piping water also increases. In fact, Windhoek’s Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant is one of only two direct potable reclamation facilities in the world, the other being a small plant that was opened two years ago in Beaufort West, South Africa.
“Without plentiful clean drinking water a community cannot survive, let alone grow. Without abundant water resources, industry has no chance of developing. Without water, economic growth is impeded and our people remain locked in the vicious cycle of poverty,” commented Windhoek mayor, Agnes Kafula, when she toured the Goreangab water reclamation plant on Tuesday. The mayor was speaking in anticipation of the International Water Association’s conference on water reuse that is scheduled to take place in Windhoek from October 27 to 31. Added Kafula: “In Windhoek and in Namibia, water is a scarce resource. Without the ingenuity of our city engineers, who pioneered this state-of-the-art facility almost fifty years ago, Windhoek would most certainly not have developed in the way it has and might have been a ghost town long ago.”
The Goreangab plant, which was first commissioned in 1968, now has a capacity of 21 000 cubic metres per day, which represents about 60 percent of Windhoek’s average daily demand. At present the plant produces about 16 000 cubic metres per day and at any given time the city’s drinking water contains between 20 and 25 percent reclaimed water.
According to the City of Windhoek’s Strategic Executive for Infrastructure, Water and Technical Services, Piet du Pisani, it takes the plant that collects all domestic water from the city four days to transform the waste water into excellent quality drinking water that is fit for human consumption.
“With the effects of climate change, desertification and population growth, cities in Africa and indeed around the world will face severe water shortages, leading to conflict, deprivation and hunger,” said Kafula. “However, when you look around you, you will see that the solution is staring us right in the face,” noted Kafula. She continued that water reuse, especially in arid areas, is the answer to looming water shortages and the mayor predicted that this reuse of the planet’s most precious resource will gain increasing prominence in the decades to come.
However, the General Manager of the Windhoek Goreangab Operating Company, John Esterhuizen, says it is a fact that the plant deals with a heavily polluted water source and he cautioned that direct potable reclamation has to be approached with extreme care. It is for this reason that the Windhoek plant has adopted a multiple-barrier approach, which ensures that there are at least three barriers for contaminants that could cause a health concern. And it is partly because of the multi-facet approach that Windhoek was selected as the venue for the international conference that will see about 450 water professionals and academics converge in the city.
The theme for the October conference is ‘Water Reuse, Blue Resource of the Future’. The main aim of the theme is to gain international acceptance of potable reuse. “Waste water should no longer be viewed as a waste product, but similar to sea water, should be see seen as a special resource, which with special treatment can supply the ever growing needs of humanity. Windhoek has shown this to be a viable option.
The international conference will be comprised of a strong scientific team where the world’s leading research will be presented. The International Water Association conference will also include workshops that are expected to provide for the interaction between policy makers and scientists, with special reference to possible financing options for reuse projects, as well as the regulation of drinking water to protect consumers.
The City of Windhoek, which is situated in the middle of the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa, has been practising direct potable reuse of water since 1968 when the old Goreangab reclamation plant went into operation. The new upgraded plant was commissioned in 2002 and the city continues to be hailed as a pioneer in innovative and unconventional reuse of water resources.
By Edgar Brandt