THe collaborative contribution of neighbouring businesses to establish industrial effluent treatment plants in coastal areas can contribute towards the reduction of harmful pollutants entering our oceans.
Businesses in the manufacturing, industrial and mining sectors, which contribute the most to industrial effluent being pumped into our oceans, would benefit from a co-operative effort with the government as well as other stakeholders to start working towards a workable solution.
Addressing the challenge of industrial effluent entering our oceans, KSB Pumps and Valves suggest forming partnerships that will ensure better quality management of industrial effluent being discharged by various industries specifically those operating near the coastal environment.
“There are a number of rules and regulations that businesses operating in South Africa’s coastal regions have to adhere to in terms of discharging industrial effluent produced during manufacturing, processing and production. These businesses also have to keep in mind that despite being permitted to discharge in our oceans, being environmentally sensitive is a key part of this exercise.” Says Hugo du Plessis, KSB senior project engineer.
KSB has already initiated endeavours on a global scale with German and European banks and investors that specifically target countries who would like to improve their water and wastewater infrastructure.
The idea is to target those areas where industrial effluent is freely dumped into the ocean – under legislation – and facilitate measures where these international banks and investors become involved to lend funds to the end-users to build industrial effluent plants. In these projects there will be engineering consultants appointed and KSB will be extensively involved in the design of the related pump and valve applications.
“We have met with the potential funders on numerous occasions and they have indicated an interest to collaborate on projects that will initiate businesses and municipalities to start implementing changes in the process of their discharge of industrial effluent.
In the near future the international team working on this project would meet with the end-users in South Africa namely, businesses and municipalities and start the process of possible funding for new projects or upgrades to existing infrastructure, concludes Hugo.
