Itano (2002) has stated that in Johannesburg women spend nearly one third of their dairy time to get water from wells and streams which were very fall. Furthermore, they also had responsible for cooking meals, bathe children and wash laundry. These took most of their dairy time. It is a luxury for them to do their own activities. It seems that this work will take the most part of their waking time in a very long period.
According to a list of official figure, about 18 million of people in South Africa did not have accessed to basic sanitation in 2002. The health impacts maybe very serious when the basic sanitation systems are inadequate. In 2001, approximately 1.5 million children under 5 got diarrhoea and cholera also broke out. The WHO global Joint Monitoring Program for sanitation and water claimed that the increase of the population who gained the access to adequate sanitation was slow, it was 69% in 1990 and 77% in 2008 (Itano 2002).
1.2 Thesis explaining why options have been chosen
The situation of water provision in Johannesburg seems very urgent, and some solutions need to be considered. It is important to deal with this situation. Two methods will be introduced about water provision in Johannesburg in this report. Furthermore, this report aims to find the most suitable method.
2 Background
2.1 Population
Jose (2012) has found that the population of city residents of Johannesburg reached 3,888,180. The population of Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Area which includes Lenasia, Soweto, the West Rand and Ekurhulen reached 7,151,447.
2.2 Topography
Johannesburg is located in the center of the Highveld which is 1,753 metres above sea level (5,751 feet). Johannesburg is also located in the southern part of the prominent ridge which is called the Witwatersrand, and the terrain both falls to the south and the north. The watershed is marked by Witwatersrand between the Vaal River and Limpopo River. The west and north of Johannesburg has rolling hills while the eastern part is flatter.
2.3 Annual rainfall
The bar chart illustrates the annual precipitation in Johannesburg. According to this graph, the main rain seasons are from December to April. During this period, Johannesburg will have an abundant rainfall. In addition, January is the month which has the largest rainfall during the whole year. Furthermore, the average of rainfall during these five months reaches about 90mm. However, during May to November only have a little rainfall, so Johannesburg will have a long period of arid time. The average of rainfall during this period is below 10mm per month and it is only one ninth compared with rainy seasons.
2.4 Water Pollution
The water provision in Johannesburg is increasingly under pressure. Furthermore, eutrophication is a very serious issue. The water flows out from mining areas especially from gold mining is rapidly deteriorating and been acidic water (Itano, 2002).
3 The presentation of options
3.1 Large dams
Building large dams is a traditional method to solve the water provision issue. They are usually been built above rivers, and water is distributed by underground water pipelines or artificial cannels. Petersen and Stephenson (1991) have claimed that in developing countries this method is widely used.
3.2 Wastewater recycling
Water recycling is an effective method to solve the water shortage issue. This method is suitable for cities. In addition, this method asks to build a recycling center to remove the impurities from sewage water and then returned to use for the community. The sewage water undergoes a very thorough treatment process and becomes entirely safe to drink. This method is a good way to deal with sewage water issue, at the same time, it solves the environment issues which caused by sewage water. Moreover, it is suitable for many cities and does not limited by location at all.
4 Requirements
The three parts of requirements will be compared:
·Cost
·Environment impact
·Public acceptance
5 Comparison of options
5.1 Cost
Cost is an important requirement which needs to be considered. First and foremost, dams usually cost a lot of money (The Three Gorges Dam in China costs $22.5 billion) and this often can be classified as two parts, one is the fee of building dam and the other part is used on paying for the submerged land and migrating people. Nevertheless, dams can also make profit by producing electricity and providing drinking water. Porter and Williams (2006) have highlighted that nowadays 16.3 per cent of world electricity was supplied by hydropower and this still has untapped potential resource. On the other hand, the cost of wastewater recycling system are also very large, but it usually less than the expenditure on building large dams.
5.2 Environment impact
Environment impact is another important impact which needs to be considered. Williamson (2010) has found that large water projects like building large dams would impact on landscapes, and it will disturb the habitats of wildlife. The wide land space may be submerged by the rising water level. Moreover, Nilsson and Dynesius (1994) stated that dams, reservoirs caused 77 per cent of the total discharge of the 139 large river systems by river channel fragmentation and this could deeply affect biological populations. In addition, Pottinger (1996) showed that the pattern of the flow of a river could be changed by large dams, both of its seasonal variations and overall volume would be reduced. In contrast, wastewater recycling seems an environmental-friendly method. The sewage water is used to be reclaimed and then returned to use. So this method could reduce the discharge of sewage water which would pollute the environment. Furthermore, to some extent this method solves the water shortage issue.
5.3 Public acceptance
Comparing with dams, the water which comes from wastewater recycling system seems not easy to be accepted. Flethcer (2011) has claimed that more than 50 per cent of people who refused to drink the recycled water, because they were worried about the quality of it. Many people thought that the recycled water was made from sewage water still contain some dangerous substances. This would harm their health and cause illness.
6 Recommendations
Comparing the two methods, big dams seems cost a lot of money and also they will cause a very serious environment impact. In contrast, wastewater recycling costs less than big dams and it is more environmental-friendly. So wastewater recycling is more suitable for Johannesburg.
7 Conclusion
To sum up, in order to find a suitable method to provide water in Johannesburg, two methods have been introduced. Both of the two methods might be feasible to adopt in Johannesburg and both methods have its own advantages and disadvantages. However, environment impact may be the most important factor which needs to be seriously considered. So the most suitable method is wastewater recycling in Johannesburg. Because it is a more environmental-friendly method. (1403 words)
Reference:
David,W. (2011). Water supply and sanitation in South Africa. Retrieved July 31, 2012, from
Itano,.N. (2002). For Many Women, Clean Water Means Safety, Freedom. Retrieved July 31, 2012, from
Jose,B. (2012). Johannesburg. Retrieved July 31, 2012, from www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7343&catid=73&Itemid=114
Watson,S. (2008). Geography of Johannesburg. Retrieved July 31, 2012, from www.easyexpat.com/en/johannesburg/overview/geography.htm
by
owoowoowwen (student)
