 | Power outages and their impact on South Africa’s water and wastewater sectors |
| Expanded Title: | Until South Africa’s power sector commission additional base load power stations there is the risk that load shedding may remain a reality. The softening of commodity prices and the world economic slowdown have provided some respite for the energy sector, however economic growth and related power demand are anticipated to continue their
aggressive growth path from 2010.
The water supply chain is impacted to varying degrees in the event of a power outage. The extent of the impact is dependent on the characteristics of the plant and the availability of back-up power. Pumping is the most vulnerable activity in the water supply chain, but the use of gravity feeds can reduce this impact in many cases. Water security for end users is directly influenced by power outages on abstraction, distribution or water treatment points of the supply chain, however WSA’s and Water Boards generally have sufficient back-up water supply to mitigate power outages. Wastewater treatment is very energy intensive, and hence vulnerable to power outage events. Again, plant characteristics dictate impact levels; plants with back-up power supply and overflow dams are generally not impacted by power outages, but less prepared facilities can experience significant environmental, economic, health and social impacts. A comparison of regional water demand levels highlights key areas that cannot afford energy or water shortages. Manufacturing and mining are examples of two economic sectors that would not be able to operate without a consistent supply of water. Overall, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape emerged as priority areas from both an economic and social perspective.
Several examples of power outage events impacting South Africa’s water supply chain have been identified. The Cedarberg Municipality has been plagued with power outages, which directly impacted water and wastewater service delivery. Besides the impact on the local community there is a real financial cost to providing back-up services. A case in the Ugu district revealed a direct impact on a commercial business, which resulted in a loss of revenue and salaries for casual labour. Other cases include health impacts in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, environmental impacts at Zandvlei in the Western Cape and economic impacts for the City of Cape Town who have installed back-up power supplies. All of these examples can be attributed to power outage events that have impacted the water supply chain.
There is no doubt that power outages have had a direct impact on water and wastewater service delivery in South Africa. Only a handful of cases have been highlighted in this project, which exposed distinct economic, environmental, social and health costs, but with certainty there are other similar cases. Unless the power sector can guarantee that power outages are a theme of the past, water decision makers and managers will need to take appropriate mitigatory steps to ensure that the impacts highlighted in this report are stopped or at least reduced. Failure to do so will have costly economic, environmental, social and health consequences. |
| Date Published: | 01/07/2011 |
| Document Type: | Research Report |
| Document Keywords: | Municipality, Hydrology |
| Document Format: | Report |
| Document File Type: | pdf |
| Research Report Type: | Consultant |
| WRC Report No: | KV 267/11 |
| ISBN No: | 978-1-4312-0101-3 |
| Authors: | Winter D |
| Project No: | K8/829 |
| Originator: | WRC |
| Organizations: | South African Local Government Association |
| Document Size: | 4 268 KB |
| Attachments: | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY for KV 267.pdf
Table of Contents for KV 267.pdf
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