Plastic pipe upgrades could save millions of litres of water, says expert

JANUARY 2016: South Africa is in the grips of its worst drought in decades, with the South African Weather Service recently announcing that 2015 was the driest year on record. Those records date back to 1904. To combat this, the Government has implemented water restrictions in Gauteng, Cape Town and parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

However, Roger Rusch, CEO of Industrial Water Cooling (IWC), argues that these water restrictions are a big, leaky plaster trying to tackle the massive water crisis facing South Africa. Municipalities need to urgently replace old steel and asbestos cement pipes with suitable, maintenance-free reinforced plastic pipes, he believes.

Says Rusch, “What is shocking is that in our water-scarce country, millions of litres of water are being wasted every day due to leaks in aging municipal pipe infrastructure. With the National Treasury estimating that South Africa's water demand will outstrip supply by 2030, municipalities across South Africa need to act immediately to significantly reduce the amount of water that is being lost due to leaking pipes. South Africa can’t afford to continue to waste this precious resource for even a day longer.”

Department of Water and Environmental Affairs data from 132 municipalities (out of 237 South African municipalities), which represent 75% of the total volume of municipal water supply, show that total municipal water losses in 2013 equated to 36.7% of water used, of which 25.4% was due to leakages. These water losses cost the economy an estimated R7.2 billion per year.

Figures released in early 2013 for Gauteng’s 2011/12 financial year are just as alarming, showing that Gauteng municipalities collectively lost 480 980 000 kilolitres of water (the equivalent of 2.5 Hartbeespoort dams or 192 392 Olympic size swimming pools) amounting to a staggering R7.84 billion in financial losses, proving nothing much changed from year to year.

Says Rusch, “The majority of South Africa’s municipal water pipes were installed in the 1960s, using steel or asbestos cement piping. The problem with steel and asbestos cement pipe infrastructure is that over time it corrodes. Corrosion is the number one cause of pipe leakages.”

In 2010, eThekwini became the first municipality in South Africa to embark on a massive pipe replacement project. The R1.6 billion project was completed in 2013 and saw over 1600 kilometres of asbestos cement pipes replaced with modified polyvinyl chloride (mPVC) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic pipes.

Says Rusch, “Municipalities need to follow eThekwini Municipality’s example or else risk daily pipe bursts, followed by catastrophic component failure and regular and prolonged disruptions in service delivery. This is already happening in parts of the country.

“GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) pipes are the ideal choice in demanding environments such as those found in underground water supply systems. This is because GRP pipes are lightweight and easy to handle, easy to join, available in a range of sizes and pressure ratings, and have low frictional resistance, with hydraulic properties that remain virtually unchanged over their lifespan from 50 to 100 years, which results in low pumping costs.

“Another major benefit of GRP pipes is that once installed they are virtually maintenance-free and do not corrode, unlike steel or asbestos cement pipes. GRP pipes are also stronger than mPVC and HDPE equivalents.”

About IWC

IWC, originally founded in 1986 as Industrial Water Cooling, are the leaders in industrial cooling tower systems in Africa, offering fully integrated solutions, from industrial cooling towers to GRP.

IWC’s products and services include the design, manufacture and development of GRP piping, fittings, tanks and other process equipment.

Additionally, IWC also undertakes repairs and refurbishment projects and other associated services. IWC typically supplies pipes in lengths of 12m with a bell and spigot coupling system, but undertakes custom fabrications and can supply lengths in any configuration less than 12m.

For more information visit: http://www.iwc.co.za or contact IWC on +27 (0) 11 466 0699.