Chronicle Editor
RECLAMATION of waste water for potable use is an established augmentation strategy worldwide. The commodity is getting scarce in many parts of the world and water being water, cannot be manufactured. To ensure greater security in its supply, technologies have been developed and deployed to clean it up to a level suitable for human consumption.
But in Africa generally, perhaps because the commodity is still plentiful, there isn’t much investment yet in that direction save for a handful of exceptions. As such proposals to investigate waste water reuse tend to attract the “yuck factor,” so they say. Our people cannot imagine that the water they used to flush their toilets, or used to clean their pigs or fowl runs can, at a later stage, be on their dining table as part of their meals.
Times are changing, however, and as indicated, there are technologies that can clean up water and make it just as potable as rainwater that collects in a dam, gets the conventional treatment and gets out from our water taps for drinking. It is for that reason that Bulawayo City Council is finalising a study on the feasibility of waste-water reclamation, as we reported yesterday. A Dutch entity, Vitens Evides International granted the local authority Euro 100 000 for it to carry out a one-year pre-feasibility study on wastewater reuse.
The research seeks to provide Bulawayo with a basis for future detailed feasibility studies, broaden the understanding of financing approaches and tools to promote sourcing of funding, implementation of infrastructure projects and other interventions aimed at improving the potential for re-use for more water security. We think the ongoing study and detailed ones likely to follow are very important steps that must lead to new investment in waste water repurposing on a much broader scale.
It is nothing new for Bulawayo really as recreational parks around the city have traditionally been watered by reclaimed water. What will be new will be council reclaiming water for human consumption. This will demand more advanced technologies and superior skills, generally more resources. We, however, don’t think that securing funding to build circular water economy will be a challenge. The world is promoting environmental sustainability and greater circularity, so there must be many potential funding sources.
What we foresee as a possible challenge will be getting a public buy-in. We remember the anger that was ignited by a council proposal a few years ago to reclaim water from Khami Dam which was decommissioned in 1988 due to pollution. There might be some residents who still are opposed to the idea of tidying up water for potable use.
To help them get over their concerns, council must run a robust science-based public educational campaign. It can be important too if council brings in resource persons from a country such as Namibia which is already reclaiming water for human consumption. Our people will understand. Thereafter, it would be far much easier for council to approach funders to release funds to advance such a crucial project for our ever-thirsty city.
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