Water Wheel May/June 2022: Desalination

Abstract

Has desalination entered a new era? The desalination of seawater in South Africa has traditionally been associated with situations of extreme drought, and all municipal installations I can think of have come about as emergency projects in times when conventional water resources were failing. This perception and resultant practice are being overturned, as freshwater scarcity increases, and the effects of climate change becomes more prominent. This change in paradigm is evident in the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan, where large-scale desalination features prominently, to be relied upon as a base load supply within the next eight years. With desalination firmly in the national medium-term planning framework, it is important for water managers in South Africa to be informed of the dynamics within the global desalination industry; we need to be cognisant of developments in this sphere, as we will need to source technology and services from that market soon, to implement such projects locally.

Categories