|
 A
Letter
of
Thanks
On
the
20th
May
2010
I
was
privileged
to
accept
an
award
on
behalf
of
my
father
(Mr
Tony
Bowers).
The
award
was
bestowed
on
him
by
the
Western
Cape
Branch
of
WISA
for
his
outstanding
-
and
voluntary
service
to
the
Western
Cape.
This
award
follows
hotly
on
the
heels
of
the
"Aqua
Vista
Est"
award
that
was
bestowed
upon
him
at
the
WISA
Conference
2010
that
was
recently
held
in
Durban.
As a
family
we
are
proud
to
have
(Tony
Bowers)
as
our
father
and
we
have
always
been
willing
to
share
him
with
the
water
sector
and
many
of
his
friends.
We
are
aware
that
he
has
touched
the
lives
of
many
in
the
water
sector
and
was
instrumental
in
advocating
for
an
improvement
in
the
status
of
the
Process
Controllers
who
were
previously
referred
to
as
Operators.
Today
a
number
of
water
-
and
wastewater
treatment
works
which
achieved
Blue
-
and
Green
Drop
Status
are
being
either
directly
and/or
indirectly
managed
by
his
prot�g�s
and/or
people
who
were
closely
associated
with
my
father.
On
behalf
of
my
family
we
would
like
to
thank
the
Western
Cape
Branch
of
honouring
my
father
as
we
are
fully
aware
of
the
dedication
and
passion
he
puts
into
his
work,
sometimes
at
the
expense
of
his
family.
It
was
difficult
to
understand
this
dedication
when
we
were
kids
-
but,
now
we
do
and
we
hope
to
follow
in
his
footsteps
in
our
own
special
way.
Right
now
my
Dad
is
dedicating
his
time
to
the
improvement
of
water
service
delivery
in
the
Mpumalanga
Province and has already achieved
five
(5)
Blue
Drops
Awards
for
the
Steve
Tshwete
Local
Municipality. We are
aware
that
he
is
working
hard
to
expand
on
this
achievement
with
other
Municipalities
to
ensure
that
Mpumalanga
Province appears prominently
on
the
water
sector
map.
Caroline
Bowers
Patron
members
news
 BKS
WISA
takes
this
opportunity
to
welcome
BKS
as a
patron
member.
Siemens
� a
fresh
approach
to
water
technology
Siemens
Water
Technologies
has
been
a
significant
player
in
the
water
technologies
industry
for
the
past
five
years,
in
both
the USA and other international markets.
2010
has
seen
Siemens
South
Africa
launch
its
own
water
technologies
division,
headed
up
by
Rob
Holmes,
who
has
returned
from
the USA to establish
the
division.
"Five
years
ago,
Siemens
acquired
US
Filter,
a
North
American
water
treatment
company
for
around
$1bn.
During
this
time,
Siemens
consolidated
the
North
American
business
and
moved
into
international
markets.
Siemens
has
identified
Africa,
and
more
specifically South Africa, as an important market
for
water
technology
and
equipment,"
says
Holmes.
The
company
has
developed
a
two
pronged
approach
to
the
water
industry
business
in
South
Africa.
"The
Water
Technologies
division
is
being
created
to
participate
in
the
South
African
water
treatment
sector,
but
Siemens
also
provides
its
traditional
products,
technology
and
equipment
to
the
water
market,"
Holmes
explains.
The
product
side
of
the
business
is
managed
by
National
Sales
Manager
for
Industry
Automation
and
Drive
Technology,
Roland
Sargent.
"Siemens
Water
Technologies
has
outlined
a
focused
business
strategy
and
has
identified
target
industries
and
applications.
Essentially,
Water
Technologies
is
organised
into
two
businesses;
industrial
and
municipal.
However,
since
water
treatment
technologies
are
applicable
across
sectors,
we
generally
organise
the
business
according
to
the
technology
or
application,"
Holmes
explains.
Siemens
has
identified
various
themes
and
industries
within
the
South
African
market.
"We�ll
be
focusing
on
the
power
industry,
oil
and
gas,
mining
and
metals
as
well
as
the
food
industries,"
reveals
Holmes.
This
however,
does
not
exclude
other
projects
and
applications
going
forward.
"The
most
dominant
themes
we
have
identified
in
the
South
African
market
are
those
of
water
sustainability,
as
well
as
the
need
for
technology
and
equipment
which
addresses
water
reuse."
Holmes
explains.
"Siemens
is
well
positioned
to
ensure
that
water
scarcity
does
not
hinder
industrial
growth
in
South Africa.
Essentially,
we
look
at
the
water
challenges
faced
by a
particular
industry
and
assess
the
water
quality
required.
From
there,
we
would
design
and
install
the
solution,
using
our
global
technology
platform".
Siemens
Water
Technologies
is
currently
working
on a
number
of
different
water
projects.
"We
are
investigating
a
number
of
mine
water
reclamation
projects.
These
entail
making
use
of
contaminated
mine
water
which
has
been
pumped
up
from
underground.
We
hope
to
implement
a
multi-unit
process
to
clean
this
water,
using
a
combination
of
chemical
treatments
and
physical
separations
with
membrane
processes
like
ultra-filtration
(UF)
and
reverse
osmosis
(RO).
The
treated
water
is
then
either
reused
on
the
mine,
or
can
be
utilised
as
drinking
water
for
the
local
community."
While
Siemens
Water
Technologies
makes
use
of
common
industry
technology,
the
company
adds
value
in
that
it
can
develop
solutions
for
specific
water
quality
requirements
and
maximise
water
recovery.
"UF
and
RO
are
fairly
standard
technical
components.
However,
to
apply
them
successfully
you
need
an
in-depth
understanding
of
water
chemistry
and
strong
process
design
capabilities.
Siemens�
broad
global
experience
provides
this
know-how,"
says
Holmes.
News
Africa
Democratic
Republic
of
Congo
-
SRK
open
for
business
in
DRC
SRK
Consulting
opened
an
office
in
Lubumbashi
in
the
Democratic
Republic
of
Congo
(DRC)
in
May.
Delegates
from
Tenke
Fungurume,
Rak
Minerals
and
Metals
in
the Congo, DRC government officials
and
suppliers
gathered
to
celebrate.
Victor
Nmditshwa,
consul
South
Africa
in
Katanga
province
in
the
DRC
and
Roger
Dixon,
chairperson,
SRK
SA
The
focus
of
the
office�s
initial
work
will
be
in
two
fields:
Environmental
and
social
sustainability,
and
in
hydrogeology
and
hydrology.
De-watering
of
DRC
mining
operations
is a
mission-critical
responsibility,
especially
in
the
country�s
copper
mines,
to
which
SRK
will
continue
to
apply
its
technical
expertise
and
innovation.
Source:
SRK
Consulting
Eritrea
-
Reservoir
under
construction
in
Gam
A
water
reservoir,
with
the
capacity
to
hold
over
40
000
m3
of
water,
is
being
constructed
at a
cost
of
ERN
1.4
million
(approximately
R
700
million)
to
simplify
the
restricted
access
to
clean
water
and
to
improve
irrigation
farming.
Many
local
residents
in
Hamelmalo
used
to
travel
a
distance
of
approximately
10
km
to
fetch
water
from
the Anseba River,
which
will
hopefully
now
be
something
of
the
past.
Yonas
Abraham,
supervisor
of
the
project,
said
80%
of
the
project
has
been
successfully
completed
to
date.
Local
residents
have
been
helping
with
the
project,
and
10km-long
terracing
and
approximately
2
500
m3
of
embankments
have
been
put
in
place
to
avoid
the
reservoir
getting
filled
with
silt.
In
addition
to
simplifying
the
problem
of
access
to
clean
water,
the
reservoir
is
likely
to
irrigate
the
nearby
30
hectares
through
enriching
underground
water
resources.
The
administrator
of
the
Wazintet
administrative
area,
Jimi�e
Bekit
Mahmoud,
has
urged
local
residents
to
increase
their
involvement
as
the
project
is
part
of
an
enduring
national
construction
and
development
drive.
Source:
Shabait
South
Africa
-
WSP Africa welcomes DSB Consulting on board
WSP
Group
Africa
has
strengthened
its
consulting
engineering
offering
with
the
incorporation
of
DSB
Consulting
Engineers.
DSB
brings
to
WSP
a
vast
array
of
knowledge
and
experience
gained
over
53
years.
WSP�s
consulting
engineering
division�s
chief
operating
officer,
Graeme
Page,
says,
"We
look
forward
to
being
able
to
offer
our
clients
a
service
that
is
enhanced
by
greater
access
to
national
resources.
The
result
will
be a
stronger
wet
services
team
capable
of
providing
innovative,
fit-for-purpose,
engineering
solutions
that
are
not
only
affordable,
but
also
energy,
water
and
effluent
efficient."
"DSB
brings
with
it a
number
of
excellent
projects
such
as
the
Villas
Mall,
St
John�s College,
Sunninghill
Hospital, the Nigel and
Paarl
prisons
as
well
as a
complement
of
�green�
building
design
appointments.
We
are
really
looking
forward
to
working
with
this
team
as
well
as
the
accompanying
opportunities
for
expansion
of
WSP�s
wet
services
offering."
DSB
was
started
in
the
early
1990s
by La Grange�s grandfather and it has stayed a
family
business.
However,
over
the
past
four
years,
the
company
has
grown
exponentially
until
it
reached
a
stage
where
the
directors
realised
that
the
company
needed
to
expand
in
other
directions.
In
joining
WSP,
the
company
saw
greater
opportunity
for
growth
and
for
global
exposure
as
well
as
the
opportunity
to
participate
in
multidisciplinary
projects.
Newly
appointed
head
of
wet
services
at
WSP,
Jack
la
Grange,
explains
DSB�s
decision
to
join
the
global
group:
"DSB
needed
to
expand
its
horizons
and
we
felt
that
we
could
do
so
by
joining
a
multidisciplinary
organisation
like
WSP,
who
in
turn
wanted
to
expand
its
wet
services
offering.
We
have
been
able
to
boost
our
wet
services
offering
to
our
existing
clients,
who
in
turn
can
now
benefit
from
WSP�s
expertise
in
other
engineering
disciplines."
Source:
WSP
International
News
Antarctica
-
Ocean
current
found
below
surface
in
Amazon
An
ocean
current
has
been
found
3 km
below
the
surface
near Antarctica, carrying nearly 40 times the amount of water
present
in
the
Amazon.
Australian
and
Japanese
researchers
claim
that
the
current
has
definitely
been
affecting
climate
cycles
because
it
carries
the
water
across
to
the
Indian
and
Pacific
oceans.
Steve
Rintoul,
a
CSIRO
oceanographer
and
co-author
of
the
study,
explained
that
the
current
was
found
to
be
running
around
50
km
wide
at a
speed
of
20
cm/s
on
average,
which
indicates
that
it
has
the
strongest
winds
and
largest
waves
in
the
world.
The
research
team
measured
the
current's
speed,
temperature
and
salinity
through
the
instruments
equipped
with
eight
moorings,
fastened
to
the
sea
base
with
old
train
wheels
at a
depth
of
4.5
km.
Two
years
ago,
these
instruments
were
positioned
near
the
Kerguelen
Plateau,
which
is
an
underwater
volcanic
structure
found
4
200
km
from
south-west
of
Perth.
Source:
TopNews
United
States
China
-
East
Asia
IWA
Project
Innovation
Award
winners
announced
During
the
Aquatech
China
2010
conference
and
exhibition
held
in
June,
the
winners
of
the
International
Water
Association
Project
Innovations
Awards
(PIA)
were
announced.
The
winner
of
the
Applied
Research
category
was
SNU
Rainwater
Research
Center
and
Geomarine
Co.
for
�Climate
change
adaptation
through
the
promotion
of
"rain
cities"�,
the
winner
of
the
Design
category
was
Black
&
Veatch
for
the
�Design
and
construction
of
reprovisioning
of
WSD
utilities
and
infrastructure
works
for
proposed
centennial
campus
of
the
University
of
Hong
Kong�,
the
winner
of
the
Operations/Management
category
was
Tokyo
Suido
Services
Co.
Ltd.
for
the
�Development
of
time
integral
type
leakage
detector�,
the
winner
of
the
Planning
category
was
DMA
Taipei
Water
Department
for
�Taipei
water
department
leakage
control
and
management�
and
the
winner
of
the
Small
Projects
category
was
Nagaoka
International
Corporation
for
�The
Development
and
Application
of
Innovative
High
Speed
Biological
Groundwater
Treatm
ent
Technology�.
Source:
Water21
Global
News
Digest
Iraq
-
Water
injection
project
According
to
an
official,
Exxon
Mobil
has
been
selected
to
lead
a
multibillion-dollar
water-injection
project
on
behalf
of
international
oil
companies
that
won
contracts
in
southern
Iraqi
oilfields.
Water
injection
helps
to
increase
the
amount
of
crude
that
can
be
pumped
from
oilfields
and
will
be a
key
to
enable
oil
firms
to
reach
desired
targets
in
the
oilfield
development
contracts.
Apparently,
the
massive
project
will
have
the
capability
to
inject
12
million
barrels
of
water
per
day
from
the
gulf
to
deal
with
the
issue
of
the
shortage
of
water
for
injection
into
the
wells
in
the
southern
fields.
Companies
assisting
with
covering
the
costs
of
the
water-injection
project
include
Exxon,
Royal
Dutch
Shell,
Lukoil,
Malaysia's Petronas,
China's
CNPC
and
Eni
of
Italy.
Source:
Reuters
United
States
-
Tapped
highlights
effects
of
bottled
water
A
recently
released
documentary,
called
Tapped,
explores
the
environmental
consequences
of
bottled
water.
Stephanie
Schoetig
and
producer
Sara
Olson
have
been
travelling
driving
around
the
country
showcasing
the
harmful
effects
of
bottled
water
production
in a
translucent
truck.
They
have
gathered
some
of
the
30
billion
plastic
bottles
Americans
throw
away
each
year.
They
have
asked
people
to
diminish
their
bottled
water
use
by
handing
out
reusable
Klean
Kanteen
containers
in
exchange
for
plastic
bottles.
Klean
Kanteens
are
reusable
metal
water
bottles
meant
to
be
filled
with
tap
water.
They
claim
that
40%
of
bottled
water
is
actually
just
filtered
tap
water
and
that
the
plastic
has
severe
consequences
on
the
ocean
and
landfills
it
ends
up
in
because
the
plastic
is a
by-product
of
oil.
From
the
production
of
the
plastic
all
the
way
through
the
disposal,
it
has
a
tremendous
carbon
footprint.
Source:
CBS
News
|
