STAINLESS STEEL CAN HELP FIX INFRASTRUCTURE “LEAKS”
Clean water is a basic human right, but the arrival of the global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the fact that only 1 in 3 (20 million) people in South Africa have access to safe or reliable water supplies.
The current urgency for a sustainable South African water supply has therefore highlighted the importance of the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan (NW&SMP) which was launched in November 2019. The significance of this plan is that it creates huge potential for stainless steel to play a major role in the country’s longer term water provision strategy.
The urgent need for this type of solution is clear as currently, more than one-third of available water in South Africa is lost due to leaking pipes, ageing and broken infrastructure.
Short term maintenance and supply fixes have also created further setbacks with an estimated 70% to 80% of regional diseases attributed to poor water quality.
The NW&SMP intends spending R898-billion over the next 10 years to improve water-supply and storage infrastructure. Vitally, it seeks to address 56% of over 1 150 municipal waste water treatment works and 44% of the 962 water treatment works that are currently in poor or critical condition.
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
To achieve this, the plan is based on five key objectives that define a ‘new normal’ for water and sanitation management in South Africa. The good news is that there are a range of stainless steel solutions that can play a key role in each aspect:
#1 RESILIENT AND FIT-FOR-USE WATER SUPPLY
The durability of stainless steel versus the short-term solution of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) and PVC (Plastic Water Piping) and related inferior imports, offer benefits in improved hygiene and reduced maintenance. It also renders water savings due to reduced leakages and reduced cost of infrastructure repair. International case studies from Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei show that plastic service pipes (PE or PVC) have an average service life of 20 years, while stainless steel service pipes can expect a minimum lifespan of 60 years.
Stainless steel water service pipes and tanks are light weight, flexible in application and require fewer connections and fittings compared to traditional plumbing.
It is also less susceptible to extreme temperature fluctuations and corrosive environments. In addition, water management authorities have recorded far lower lifecycle costs if the correct stainless steel grade has been specified for a specific environment.
For example, both grades 316 and 304 have an average lifecycle of 100 years if applied correctly. Soils high in chlorides or sulphurous compounds would require 316, while in more benign corrosive environments, 304 is more than adequate.
#2 EQUITABLE SHARING AND ALLOCATION OF WATER RESOURCES
Historically, a key concern in the industry was that many of the imported products did not comply with the same quality standards as local products. In other cases, end-users have had no choice but to import since no local supply is available. This mainly applies to specialised equipment such as directional valves, flow regulators and control equipment.
However, the local stainless steel industry now has the capacity to supply stainless steel water related products to international standards following the introduction of a new SABS standard for flexible corrugated stainless steel tubing.
This has been achieved after years of rigorous testing driven largely by Sassda members Easyflex and Inox Systems. The standard stipulates the exact composition of the stainless steel to be used, specifications on flow rates and involved comprehensive testing – i.e. pressure, vibration, and
oscillation.
Three sizes of locally produced flexible stainless steel tubing are available namely a 15mm Outer Diameter (OD) flexible connector, a Medium 18mm OD pipe and a Large 25mm OD tube.
#3 EFFECTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT, OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
Municipalities are responsible for service provision including water and sanitation services. Many struggle to carry out their mandates with up to 40% of Johannesburg’s drinkable water going unaccounted for annually, costing the city R1.16bn in the financial year, with about R851m of water lost to leaks.
Ninety five percent of leaking, treated water occurs in the small diameter service pipes that connect distribution pipes to users’ water meters. New infrastructure projects should therefore look to stainless steel’s proven corrugated joints which prevent leakage and are backed up with leak detection monitoring systems.
#4 REDUCTION IN FUTURE WATER DEMAND
Stainless steel piping offers a clear case of cost savings, both on the process of treatment of water and water that is lost through leakage.
Stopping the waste of drinkable water means that municipalities will be more financially effective when it comes to water supply.
#5 DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A LONG-TERM PLAN FOR THE TURNAROUND OF WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SERVICES IN THE COUNTRY
The benefit of stainless steel in this application is in its unique thin wall design. This results in a durable light weight tube, making it a cost effective replacement for traditional materials such as copper.
It also has a far lower risk of theft compared to copper due to the low scrap value and the additional cost benefit of reduced maintenance. All in all, stainless steel outperforms competitor materials in terms of a long service life cycle costing.
