Civil Engineering March 2021 | Vol 29 No 2

52 March 2021 Civil Engineering is required to generate electricity, while a large portion of electricity is used to pump and distribute water. The cost and availability of electricity at present is therefore a big stumbling block to desali- nate sea water – although this would only be economically available in coastal areas (estimated at 2 kWh/m 3 ). While we are managing to continue our daily lives without a consistent supply of electricity, interrupted water supply will be catastrophic and a totally different ball game. The impact of having no access to clean drinking water for days on end is almost unfathomable, but it is a very real possibility. MESSAGE TO GOVERNMENT SAPPMA has never been quiet on this topic and has regularly and consistently raised awareness of the seriousness of the situation and reality of the threat of water shedding. Plastic pipe is dominant in secondary water distribution and SAPPMA repre- sents more than 80% of all certified pipe produced in South Africa, making us a key role player in water. Since we are a non-profit organisation, we work not only for the well-being of the plastics pipe industry, but also for the welfare of the people of the country. Without readily available clean water, personal hygiene and health is not possible. Although there is very little that we as an industry association can do about the issues of drought, inadequate infrastruc- ture, lack of funding, pollution, and poor management, we do take our responsibility of ensuring that the piping systems used in our country’s water distribution are designed, produced, and installed in the best possible manner and in accordance with international and national standards, to ensure a long-term and leak-free life. The message of SAPPMA during this year’s National Water Week is therefore an urgent appeal to government to give water and sewage infrastructure the high priority it deserves. The Department of Water and Sanitation is the custodian of water resources in the country and therefore has the constitutional mandate to protect, develop, conserve, and properly manage our water resources in a sustain- able and equitable manner and for the benefit of all people. The only way this can be done effectively is by addressing the widespread pollution of rivers and wetlands and intervening in the mismanagement of municipal water and sewage treatment plants. We urge the department to ensure they only appoint people with the necessary engineering skills and experience into positions of authority and allow the private industry to form partnerships with public enterprises so that we can secure our water supply for future generations. Our country’s health and survival literally depend on it.  The message of SAPPMA during this year’s National Water Week is therefore an urgent appeal to government to give water and sewage infrastructure the high priority it deserves. Plastics|SA SAPPMA The power to supply_210x148mm_SAICE Civil Engineering_p.pdf 1 2021/03/04 14:28