With only 4 days to go to the 2010 World Cup opening, Water Rhapsody will be covering the soccer with a post every day on results, news, events, and betting odds. It’s business as usual at Water Rhapsody, leaders in water tanks, rainwater harvesting systems and greywater systems, but we want to include news from this incredible event as millions of South Africans and people all over the world focus on the coming month. We kick off with the latest betting odds from 2 online brokers, to give an indication of pre opening favourites. This will all change as the tournament gets under way… so watch this space

Spain	4	7/2
Brazil	9/2	9/2
England	7	7
Argentina	7	6
Holland	10	11
Germany	14	16
Italy	14	16
France	18	20
Portugal	25	25
Ivory Coast	40	33
Serbia	50	50
Chile	70	50
USA	80	66
Mexico	80	80
Paraguay	80	66
Cameroon	100	80
Ghana	100	80
Uruguay	100	66
Australia	150	150
Nigeria	125	100
Denmark	125	100
South Africa	150	80
Greece	200	200
South Korea	250	125
Switzerland	200	200
Slovakia	225	250
Slovenia	300	250
Algeria	600	500
Japan	300	250
Honduras	1000	500
North Korea	2000	1000
New Zealand	2000	2000

South African Water Research Comission – Jay Bhagwan -

Municipalities may soon learn to utilise water of inferior quality for uses such as flushing the toilet in an effort to save drinking water. For example, irrigation in South Africa uses approximately 54% of the total freshwater demand followed by another major user, toilet flushing. Domestic toilet flushing consumes between 50 and 70% of a household’s total drinking water supply.

Grey-water from showers, baths, hand basins, laundry tubs and washing machines can provide a solution to our water scarcity challenges. A joint pilot study, conducted by the Universities of Witwatersrand (WITS), Johannesburg (UJ) and Cape Town (UCT), and funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC), is proving that the use of grey-water can be an effective way of saving our high quality water.

A dual grey- and drinking water reticulation system is a system designed and supplied by Water Rhapsody consisting of separate pipes that supply grey-water (for only toilet flushing in this project) and drinking water, respectively, to the end user. This is the first dual grey- and drinking water reticulation system for high-density urban buildings currently piloted in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Hillman Block) at WITS, collects its grey-water from 13 hand-basins and conveys it to a 200 litre tank.

Prior to the grey-water tank are two 2 mm sieves that collect any solid materials which find their way from the hand-basins. These sieves are cleaned once a week. Prior to the sieves are two chlorinators that disinfect the grey-water to kill any micro-organisms. “The grey-water tank had to be kept small so that water is used immediately” says Dr Adesola Ilemobade, project leader at the WITS School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The tank has two submersible pumps for directing water to the toilet when the toilet is flushed, using a switch within the toilet cubicle. Necessary measures were also put in place to avoid backflows.

The first phase of the pilot project is currently used to flush one female and one male toilet at the WITS Hillman Block. “If accepted by South African municipalities, the project will be beneficial to many water-scarce communities” says Dr Ilemobade. “At this stage the reuse of black water (sewage) is not considered due to the potentially higher public health risks” he adds.

A survey that was followed by a massive user awareness campaign at WITS, UJ and UCT indicated a high level of optimism amongst staff and students with the  installation of a dual grey- and drinking water reticulation system on their campuses.

Dr Adesola maintains that the unit will offer several advantages including: the reduction in participating households’/institutions’ drinking water bills; in areas without waterborne sewerage, grey-water reuse may improve the performance of septic tanks; grey-water reuse supports the growth in greener water strategies; and water conservation.

“The next installation is in progress at a 16-room unit of the Student Village residence at the University of Johannesburg Kingsway Campus where the collection of grey-water will be extended to showers and baths within the unit” says Dr Ilemobade.

“Municipalities constrained by finance will be better empowered to provide unserved communities with drinking water systems since the costs of the system will be reduced as a result of the reduced demand for drinking water due to grey-water reuse” says Mr Jay Bhagwan, a Director managing the study at the WRC. It will further cause reduced effluent discharges to the environment, leaving streams to their natural flow regime.

Cape Town – The water affairs department is planning seven new bulk water projects to be

Buyelwa Sonjica

completed in the next three years. Fin24.Com

Though no price has yet been put on the projects, the minister, Buyelwa Sonjica, told a media conference in parliament on Tuesday that ideally her budget should be more than a hundred billion rands over the three years. As it is, she will have to manage with R8bn, R9.1bn and R9.6bn.

Sonjica also spoke about unconventional water augmentation projects, including a network of desalination plants around the coasts.

The first two desalination plants are up and running. One of them on the West coast is simply a refurbishment and updating of an elderly plant, originally built in “the bad old days”.

A second new plant has been built in Sedgefield, outside Knysna. Cornelius Ruiters, a deputy director general in her department, said a desalination plant is also on the cards for solving Cape Town’s problems.

The Berg River dam is expected to provide sufficient additional water only until 2014. Thereafter a number of possibilities are being considered.

The favourite, according to Ruiters, is the idea of using water from the underground Table Mountain aquifer.

The problem here is that it may damage the fynbos on the top of the mountain by depriving it of refreshment. If it proves unfeasible, Ruiters said, the desalination plant is next on the list. Its disadvantage is that desalination is expensive, both in terms of money and electricity.

The seven new bulk water schemes include the Mokolo River augmentation project that will supply water to the Medupi power station in Limpopo.

Domestic water will come from the Mooi-Mgeni transfer scheme, which includes the construction of the Spring Grove dam. “We expect the first water delivery from this initiative will take place by 2013,” Sonjica said.

Water Rhapsody, leaders in rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling have been supplying water conservation systems for 16 years