South Africa is not only facing an energy crisis but also a water crisis.
Constant load shedding is affecting numerous aspects of the lives of South Africans, and the water supply is one of them.
Despite a severe heatwave earlier this week, areas across Gauteng had no water due to load shedding.
Rand Water said that ongoing power cuts meant reservoirs were not fulling up, affecting the pressure in the pipes – higher areas could receive no water due to the pressure.
The water utility has since resolved the issue in certain areas.
However, this is not new, as areas across Gauteng have had several cuts to the water supply over the last couple of months.
A significant cause of this is failing infrastructure, as large amounts of available water travelling from reservoirs to households are lost due to leakages.
Moreover, South Africa is not rain-rich, only receiving annual precipitation of 497mm/year, almost 50% less than the global average of 860mm/year, according to Greenpeace.
Water in certain areas is also of poor quality. Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is currently facing a drought, but the small amount of available water is of poor quality.
Last July, Sputnik Ratau, a Former Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) spokesperson, told eNCA that drinking water levels were below 3%, despite dams levels being above 17%.
The country’s chronic water issues mean that many South Africans may look for alternatives to municipal water supplies.
BusinessTech has compiled a list of items to show how expensive it would be for South Africans to get off the grid.
Water Tanks
One way to get off the municipal water grid is to use a water tank to collect rainwater.
The water tank collects rainwater from the rooftop of a property. The water can be used for irrigation, washing and filling pools.
However, to drink the water, additional filtration must be added.
RainQueen SA has a calculation to determine how much water your roof can collect: One millimetre of rainfall on one square metre of the roof will give the tank roughly one litre of water.
For example, a household with a roof that is 220 square metres and receives 675mm of annual rainfall could get roughly 148,500 litres of water a year.
Below is a list of Water tanks (Horizontal tanks are more expensive as they have a greater diameter and require thicker walls):
| Brand | Shape | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jojo | Vertical | 10 000L | R17 575 |
| Eco | Vertical | 10 000L | R15 599 |
| Jojo | Horizontal | 5 500L | R22 000 |
| Jojo | Low Profile | 5 250L | |
| Africa Tanks | Vertical | 5 000L | R6 499 |
| Jojo | Vertical | 2 700L | R3 935 |
| Africa Tanks | Vertical | 2 500L | R2 999 |
| Jojo | Vertical | 2 400L | R2 845 |
| Africa Tanks | Vertical | 2 000L | R2 799 |
| Jojo | Vertical | 2 000L | R2 600 |
| Jojo | Vertical | 1 500L | |
| Eco | Vertical | 1 000L | R2 759 |
| Eco | Slim | 950L | |
| Jojo | Standard | 750L | R2 275 |
| Jojo | Backwash Water | 500L | R1 999 |
| Eco | Horizontal | 500L | R2 865 |
| Jojo | Backwash Water | 500L | R1 999 |
| Jojo | Vertical | 260L | R1 169 |
| Eco | Vertical | 260L | R805 |
(all prices sourced off of Builders’ Website)
An additional pump will also be required to pump the water out of the tank.
These pumps range in cost from R1,875 to R7,000.
Boreholes
South Africans can also get access to groundwater via a borehole.
However, it is important to note that groundwater is found at various levels across South Africa. SA borehole said that the average depth to reach groundwater is 90m or 300ft in South Africa.
Kandua said that installing a borehole could cost between R20,000 – R100,000, including labour, pipes, and a base plate.
Prices to install a borehole are listed below:
| Depth | Cost |
|---|---|
| 30m borehole | R20 000 – R30 000 |
| Drilling | R8 500 – R14 000 |
| 0.37 pump, 11.1m steel casing, 110 PVC piping | R 11 000 – R 16 000 |
| 60m borehole | R 30 000 – R 45 000 |
| Drilling | R16 000 – R 23 000 |
| 0.55 pump, 11.1m steel casing, 110 PVC piping | R 17 500 – R 22 000 |
| A 90m borehole | R 50 000 – R 75 000 |
| Drilling | R22 000 – R 30 000 |
| 0.75 pump, 11.1m steel casing, 110 PVC piping | R 28 000 – R 45 000 |
| A 120m borehole | R60 000 – R 90 000 |
| Drilling | R30 000 – R 40 000 |
| 1.1 Borehole pump, 1.1m steel casing, 110 PVC piping | R30 000 – R 50 000 |
Kandua said that other costs could go over and above the aforementioned costs.
A pumping test for post-construction assessment, a hydrochemical analysis for water quality testing, and installation of the water storage tank and reticulation system are additional costs that must be considered when using a borehole at your property.
Despite the high cost, the agreement with the contractor is to drill into the ground in search of water. If the correct procedures have been followed and water is not found, customers will still be required to pay for the drilling.
However, customers will not be expected to pay for the other materials required for a complete installation, including the pump, piping and electrics.
Ultimately, the cost of getting off of municipal water depends on how much rainfall a household receives and how deep the property’s groundwater is – if it even has.
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Artmotion S.Africa
