Focusing on optimal performance, [...]]]>

With 17 years of experience, Water Rhapsody have in excess of 25 Water Management Consultants strategically spread across South Africa.Water Rhapsody specialize in the development, management, and environmental protection of water resources. Our teams of water professionals provide cost-effective solutions to water challenges, ranging from domestic to industrial water supply.

Focusing on optimal performance, maximum productivity and reduced water footprints, our teams make positive impacts wherever they work.

As experienced water management consultants, we’re eager to help you find the best solutions that meet your unique demands. We will put our broad industry knowledge and expertise to work for you employing the most cost-effective and efficient strategies.

Furthermore, we design & install all our Water Management Systems, thus ensuring that you receive the necessary support and that the system is tailor made to fit your requirements.

Our solutions range from the re-use of Greywater, Harvesting of Rainwater,Demand Management within a building or something as simple as minimizing the amount of water used for toilet flushing purposes. The solutions available could be installed at households, schools, office blocks, factories, warehouses and industries.

The group of inspectors, officially known as the Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), started their five-day campaign at the Eskom Komati Asbestos site along the N4 Ring Road on Monday.

“The main objective of [...]]]>

Mbombela – The Green Scorpions have descended on Mpumalanga’s Eskom power stations to inspect the electricity provider’s compliance with environmental laws.

The group of inspectors, officially known as the Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), started their five-day campaign at the Eskom Komati Asbestos site along the N4 Ring Road on Monday.

“The main objective of the campaign is to monitor adherence to conditions stipulated in Environmental Authorisations, Environmental Management Plans and Waste Management Licenses as well as to improve the general status of compliance within the regulated community,” said EMI spokesperson, Moses Randitsheni.

He said as part of the campaign, the Green Scorpions would also take appropriate enforcement actions where Eskom is found to be non-compliant.

Targeted areas in Mpumalanga include Eskom’s Camden Substation and the transmission line between Duvha Power Station and Janus Substation in Middelburg.

He said five other Eskom projects had already been inspected in Limpopo.

Randitsheni said the team had inspected Eskom’s construction site at the Medupi Coal Power Station in Lephalale.

This includes associated structures as well as the construction of raw water reservoirs and pipelines for the power station.

“According to the preliminary reports, the projects are progressing quite well and the compliance status is generally satisfactory. The alignment and the construction of a portion of the Afguns road as well as the construction of the telecommunication mast in the vicinity of Medupi power station have been completed and the compliance status is also satisfactory,” said Randitsheni.

“In the construction of the Medupi-Marang 400kV transmission power line, the Green Scorpions found that Eskom is not complying with certain conditions of the Environmental Management Plan,” he added.

Eskom was not immediately available for comment on the issue.

Randitsheni said other facilities had been inspected outside Limpopo as well.

This includes telecommunication company Neotel’s construction of an optical fibre network project from Germiston to Cato Ridge in Gauteng through Free State to KwaZulu-Natal.

“The project is underway and the inspection team found that river crossing and the abstraction of water from the water course are being carried out without the required permits. Furthermore, the rehabilitation plan for the project has not been developed and Neotel is also not complying with certain conditions of the Environmental Management Plan,” he said.

Public relations officer at Neotel, Chuma Siswana, said: “We are currently doing an investigation to see why there is no compliance with conditions of the Environmental Management Plan in our project in Germiston. We are planning to release a statement or a response soon.”

Randitsheni said all non-compliances detected during the inspections were currently being reviewed and will be met with appropriate enforcement action where necessary.

He said members of the public are urged to report environmental transgressions on 0800 205 005. – BuaNews

Named “Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Carbon Tax Option”, the paper follows the announcement made in 2008 – of an electricity generation levy of 2c per kWh – which would be the first [...]]]>

Pretoria – National Treasury today published a discussion paper on carbon tax for public comment across all sectors of the economy.

Named “Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Carbon Tax Option”, the paper follows the announcement made in 2008 – of an electricity generation levy of 2c per kWh – which would be the first explicit carbon tax to be introduced in South Africa.

The paper – which the public has until 28 February 2011 to comment on – discusses the economics of climate change, as well the role of carbon taxes in reducing emissions at the least cost possible. It also compares regulatory and market-based policy measures, carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes.

“The design of a carbon tax is best addressed by focusing on the definition of an appropriate tax base and measures to mitigate potential adverse impacts on low-income households and on the trade competiveness of certain sectors. The paper argues that the gradual phasing in of a carbon tax is the best way to deal with competitiveness concerns,” said Treasury.

At the 2009 Copenhagen conference, South Africa announced its intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent by 2020 and 42 percent by 2025.

A carbon tax seeks to reflect the external costs of greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change and should help to create a level playing field between high and low carbon emitting sectors. The adoption of low carbon growth path can also result in competitive advantages in low carbon technologies as well create incentives for research, development and increased levels of innovation.

The document explores three options for imposing a carbon tax, namely an emissions tax applied directly on measured carbon dioxide emissions; an upstream tax on fossil inputs based on the carbon content of the fuel (e.g. coal) and a downstream tax imposed on the outputs or products generated from fossil fuels ( e.g. electricity or liquid fuels).

“A carbon tax imposed directly on all measured emissions of carbon dioxide appears to be the most appropriate. The second best option is to tax fossil fuel inputs such as coal, crude oil and natural gas, based on the carbon content of these fuels,” said Treasury.

According to Treasury, both options create adequate incentives to encourage behavioural changes.

Tax on actual measured emissions would require appropriate institutional capacity to measure, monitor and verify actual emissions.

An upstream tax would be based on the estimated carbon content of the kind of fuel in question and could piggyback on the existing tax administrative system. Its design could also include a crediting system to encourage the development and adoption of technologies like carbon capture and storage.

The tax should as far as possible cover all sectors, and over time be equivalent to the marginal external damage costs of carbon dioxide emissions to effect appropriate incentives. These are some of the design considerations.

“The phased introduction of the tax at initial low rates, with a commitment to phase-in increased levels of taxation over a specific time period, would provide certainty and an opportunity for taxpayers to adjust to the new tax. This will also provide a strong price signal to both producers and consumers to change their behaviour over the medium to long term,” said Treasury.

Comments on the carbon tax discussion paper should be submitted to Sharlin Hemraj on email: sharlin.hemraj@treasury.gov.za . – BuaNews

2010 has not been a good year for water in South Africa, with drought posing a serious challenge in provinces, including the [...]]]>

The Water and Energy Summit currently underway in KwaZulu-Natal is bringing into sharp focus the country’s water problems and possible solutions are being tabled on how to best deal with the situation.

2010 has not been a good year for water in South Africa, with drought posing a serious challenge in provinces, including the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. South Africa is already on the list of the 30 driest countries in the world. When poverty is added to the mix, the consequences become dire.

Acting Director General for the national Department of Water Affairs, Trevor Balzer, said water has to be at the centre of all development plans, especially South Africa’s socio-economic goals.

He said government’s current budget allocated to the Water Department is not sufficient to address the water provision backlog.

Balzer stressed the importance of municipalities effectively managing their water and energy systems, and appealed to ratepayers and civil organisations to not withhold fees from municipalities, even if they are aggrieved with service delivery.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize has challenged his province to proactively deal with the challenges of water shortages. He will request all municipalities to submit to his office their plans on water and energy resource management.

Additionally, he wants input from local, provincial and national government on these plans, with the aim of moving towards a single plan for water management.

Mkhize said one common plan will improve the use of available resources in different sectors and in turn speed up service delivery.

The premier also told delegates that different avenues for finance must be examined. In KwaZulu-Natal, some water resource management projects receive funding from UN bodies and organisations in Europe.

The two-day summit has received massive support from the KwaZulu-Natal government, with at least six MECs attending the opening session.

Nomusa Dube, MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, said although the summit has a bias towards KZN, resolutions that emerge from Durban can be used nationally because the whole of South Africa is dealing with the same issues around water and energy.

Dube said the summit will present stakeholders with an integral demand estimate for water in KZN and the current supply.

There will also be an opportunity for the private sector to look into funding or investment opportunities in water and energy projects. – BuaNews

We primarily [...]]]>

We are very proud to announce that we’ve recently opened another Water Rhapsody franchise to service the Overberg region. This include town like Hermanus, Gansbaai, Caledon, Onrus, Kleinmond and Gordon’s Bay. Our other franchise is situated in Somerset Wes, where we service the Greater Cape area, including Cape Town,Northern & Southern Suburbs.

We primarily specialize in rainwater harvesting, which includes sales & installations of water tanks and the re-use of greywater. We are authorized dealers of JoJo water tanks, ranging from 1,000 liter up to 10,000 liter and beyond. The most common size is the 5,000l water tank.

Rainwater harvesting is the only long term sustainable solution to augment your municipal water supply. Below are a few pictures to illustrate our rainwater harvesting systems. It is one of our more recent projects that was completed in Hermanus during November 2010.

Rain Runners (rain filters) are installed on all the downpipes, to ensure that no debris / leaves are sent to your water tanks. Thereafter, filtered rain water are delivered (at municipal pressure) to all the outlets inside and outside the house. Should you wish not to use rainwater for drinking purposes, we will ensure that your kitchen tap are supplied with municipal water only.

There is no need to have tanks spread across your property or right below the downpipes. Water Tanks can be placed in an area where it will cause minimal disruption.

Should you wish to find out more about our Rainwater Harvesting solutions, please complete the ‘Request a Quote’ form and the relevant person will contact you.

Businesses in the worst-affected region of Chris Hani District Municipality fear the drought – the worst in 130 years – will eventually force them out the [...]]]>

East London – Hundreds of people could lose their jobs if drastic action is not taken to reduce the effects of a crippling drought in the Eastern Cape.

Businesses in the worst-affected region of Chris Hani District Municipality fear the drought – the worst in 130 years – will eventually force them out the area.

Queenstown soft drink manufacturer, Ken Clark, is one of those businessmen who believe urgent steps must be taken by government.

“My business requires a lot of water to operate. If the situation in the region doesn’t change, we will run out of water. No water means no more business,” said Clark.

In addition to producing soft drinks, Clark also produces dairy products and employs nearly 250 people. These jobs will be lost if he is forced to relocate.

The worsening situation prompted the municipality, the biggest of the Eastern Cape’s seven district municipalities, to organise the Water and Rural Development summit in Queenstown this week.

Executive Mayor Mafuza Sigabi said the summit, attended by representatives from local government, agriculture and the business sector, as well as water conservation experts, was vital for the survival of communities in the area.

“We are faced with a huge backlog of services, poverty and unemployment in this district. We’re hoping that the summit will come up with solutions to combat these problems,” said Sigabi.

He added that it was also important to strike a balance between providing water for public consumption and satisfying rural development requirements.

As part of the summit, councillors from the various areas in the municipality visited some of the dams in the district to get an idea of the severity of the situation.

“It was important that the councillors see for themselves the situation that faces the district, so that they realise the effects of the drought and the state of our dams and resources,” said municipal spokesperson, Thobeka Mqamelo.

Mqamelo said even though some dams were dry, there were other alternatives worth exploring.

“We have a river in the area from which we could extract water. However, the biggest problem is the municipality doesn’t have the necessary resources to make the water suitable for human consumption,” said Mqamelo.

The head of the Integrated Planning and Economic Development Department, Noxolo Nqwazi, also expressed concern over the effects of the drought.

“This issue has impacted negatively on our efforts to boost rural development in the area. Projects that were meant to be up-and-running have had to be stopped because of the situation we are faced with,” said Nqwazi

Known as the Bulk Infrastructure Fund, the fund will go a long way to addressing the ageing water and sanitation infrastructure in the country.

This emerged on Friday [...]]]>

The Department of Human Settlements wants R26 million over the next three years to address the country’s backlog in water and waste water treatment works infrastructure.

Known as the Bulk Infrastructure Fund, the fund will go a long way to addressing the ageing water and sanitation infrastructure in the country.

This emerged on Friday following the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting, representing ministers and premiers, held in Pretoria on Friday.

“There is also a plan to devolve the housing function to certain municipalities, especially the metros, so as to integrate housing and infrastructure planning and delivery at local government level,” said the Presidency.

Many South Africans still live in inhuman conditions with no proper sanitation facilities and electricity. South Africa currently has an estimated 2 700 informal housing settlements nationwide.

The PCC acknowledged most plans to address these conditions are still in early stages, and encouraged the department to move speedily towards implementation.

The meeting also dealt with the New Economic Growth Path, which has set an ambitious target of creating five million jobs over the next decade. The PCC gave the plan its approval.

It intends to do this by slashing unnecessary red-tape, improving fair trade conditions in the economy and stepping up skills development in Africa’s biggest economy.

The new growth plan that hopes to enhance growth, employment creation and equity in South Africa, would see strategic partnerships formed between the South African government and private sector in implementing the programme.

The PCC emphasised the need for increased cooperation between all branches of government.

It reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackle the challenge of creating jobs as a matter of urgency, and agreed that the challenge would require that government changes the way it conducts its business.

“There was further agreement that the capacity of the state will have to be strengthened if it has to do what is expected of it in the New Growth Path. The PCC agreed detail of the New Growth Path, including the implementation plan, will be presented to the premiers at the Extended Cabinet Lekgotla in January,” said the Presidency.

The meeting discussed the laws, which in their point of view, hampered service delivery.

Relevant departments and provinces were requested to submit a timetable that would enable the identified laws to be amended.