Guide to help authorities turn salt into sweet

Abstract

Desalination There is increasing evidence that desalination presents a viable option for drinking water supply from alternative water sources in South Africa to supplement the country’s dwindling water resources. Both capital and operating costs of desalination plants have reduced significantly in the last two decades, mainly due to the improvements made in the membrane technology available, making it an increasingly attractive option. To date, reliable information regarding desalination has been scattered among various sources. This, in addition to the fact that the South African desalination industry is still in its infancy in respect of drinking water supply, has made it difficult for water services providers to establish whether the use of desalination is an option, what the costs are and which technology to apply. Local authorities are specifically faced with the uncertainty where information regarding desalination is only supplied through suppliers, providing only a tariff per unit of water supplied, on which to base their decision.

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