52 / 68
October 2015
Plastic pipes
save
water loss
The earth is parched and worldwide, countries are facing
periods of intense drought. Areas such as California are
currently in the midst of the worst drought the state has
seen in its 164-year history, with 38 million residents
under strict water conservation rules to reduce urban
consumption by 25% compared to 2013.
I
n South Africa, water restrictions
were recently imposed on several
areas in KwaZulu-Natal following
insufficient rainfall in the province.
According toWater andSanitationDe-
partment Director-General Margaret-
Ann Diedricks, water use for irrigation
from the Goedertrouw Dam would
be cut by 70%, with do-
mestic use cut 30% and
industrial use by 10%.
Understandably, the
goal is to safeguard the
area’s remaining potable
urban water supplies in
preparation for a pos-
sible extended period of
drought.
The Southern African Plas-
tic Pipe Manufacturer’s Associa-
tion (SAPPMA), however, is pushing
for what many in the industry say is
a longer-term solution: Saving water
with plastic pipes. “For the past four
years, we have been voicing our con-
cerns over the severe pollution in
our water sources, water losses in
distribution caused by water leaks
and wastage, and the lacking wa-
ter infrastructure that is expected
to support the rapidly increasing
demand,” says Jan Venter, Chair-
man of SAPPMA.
This non-profit association rep-
resents more than 80% of the plastic
pipe manufacturers in South Africa
and focuses its efforts on ensuring
pipe systems that are leak-free and
durable for long-term use. It also
focuses on the rehabilitation of old
pipelines. Pipelines lie at the heart
of South Africa’s infrastructure and
should be replaced before they fail.
Water distribution, waste disposal,
irrigation and telecommunications
all rely on pipelines to function,” he
explains.
Although the South African plastic
pipe industry is relatively small, it
is of extreme importance in the de-
velopment and maintenance of the
country’s infrastructure. It is also one
of themost demanding industries, as
plastic pipes and fittings are required
to last in excess of 100 years, as op-
posed to the old cement, asbestos or
steel pipelines that had a lifetime of
no more than 50 years.
“Two major causes of water loss
are corrosion and poor jointing. For
this reason, old steel or asbestos
pipes around the world are being
replaced with plastic pipes, because
they do not rust and the joints are
leak-proof,” said Venter. The major-
ity of South Africa’s pipelines were
installed in the early 1950’s and
1960’s, and were made of cement,
asbestos or steel. Although the exact
makeup of the buried water systems
in this country is not known, cast
iron pipes were used from1870-1930;
cement-lined cast iron from 1930-
70; asbestos cement from 1950-70;
ductile iron pipes from 1960 and PVC