News


Automation in water and wastewater

January 2024 News


Peter Marumong.

The annual performance plan of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) outlined the challenges faced by the South African water sector. These include poor maintenance, recurring droughts driven by climatic variation, inequities in access to water and sanitation, deteriorating water quality, and a lack of skilled water engineers. The above are well known, each adding to the country’s water crisis challenges. In the case of skilled water engineers, or the lack thereof, the challenge is compounded by factors such as an ageing workforce, limited educational opportunities and low industry attractiveness.

Here, automation technology can provide some relief, and while it is not the silver bullet to eliminating the country’s water and wastewater (WWW) skills shortage, it can provide utilities and operators with the necessary tools to alleviate some of the immediate skills challenges faced by the industry.

Evolution instead of revolution

The marketplace for automation in WWW is mature. These application-centric solutions decouple software from hardware, enabling end users to design adaptable systems that respond to evolving supply and demand-side conditions.

Automation offers native IT/OT integration, thus eliminating the need for complex gateways. This lends itself to a user-friendly system that benefits all stakeholders, including engineers, plant operators, systems integrators and machine builders.

Furthermore, designs can be virtually simulated and tested before deployment, and once defined as a digital asset, they can be ‘dragged and dropped’ into the user interface. Also, maintenance and troubleshooting are streamlined through automation, as the information remains up to date throughout an asset’s lifecycle.

This approach significantly reduces the workload of engineers, control room operators and maintenance personnel. Access to updated information improves overall uptime and reliability. The mean time to repair is shortened, as technicians no longer need to search through multiple sources for the data they need.

Automation solutions do not require an all-or-nothing approach. WWW operators can deploy it on a smaller scale, preserving current investments and minimising training needs. The ‘wrap and replace’ approach allows existing and new systems to run together, gradually scaling up as financial benefits become apparent.

The role of automation in the current skills gap

Automation technologies offer a viable solution to supplement some of the skills lacking in the WWW segment. By integrating automated systems and processes, the need for manual intervention and specialised expertise can be minimised. Some of the benefits are:

• Enhanced efficiency:. automated control systems continuously monitor water treatment processes, optimising parameters and adjusting operations in real time. This reduces the reliance on skilled personnel to oversee complex processes manually.

• Remote monitoring of assets: Experienced professionals can provide support and guidance to less experienced workers from afar. This virtual collaboration facilitates knowledge sharing and skill transfer, even in geographically dispersed locations.

There is no doubt that automation offers some compelling solutions. However, investment in skills development must continue to enjoy priority. Ultimately, the integration of automation and skilled personnel will play an important role in ensuring that the WWW industry overcomes some of its most pressing challenges.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.

Read more...
Groundbreaking renewable energy skills platform
News
South Africa’s renewable energy sector has taken a significant leap forward with the launch of PowerUp. A South African first, this online platform is designed to equip the country’s workforce with the skills required to meet industry demands.

Read more...
Why turbomachinery should break free from vendor lock-in
Schneider Electric South Africa Motion Control & Drives
Today’s modern turbomachinery control systems form an important of operational efficiency, be it in heavy industries, traditional power generation or renewables such as hydroelectric facilities. Independence is the name of the game, and turbomachinery stands to gain lot from this newfound freedom.

Read more...
Innomotics wins Platinum TITAN Brand Award for Best Corporate Rebranding
News
Innomotics has been awarded with the Platinum TITAN Brand Award for Best Corporate Rebranding. The international jury honoured Innomotics’ efforts to develop a powerful and recognisable brand after the carve-out of Innomotics from the Siemens Group in 2023.

Read more...
Unlocking Africa’s hydrogen potential
News
Africa is positioning itself as a frontrunner in the global green energy revolution, with hydrogen emerging as a critical commodity of strategic and national importance across the continent. Namibia is putting ambition into action by having already reached a number of key milestones towards final investment decision on up to five projects.

Read more...
The evolving landscape of data centres in the age of AI
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
The data centre industry is undergoing a period of rapid transformation, driven primarily by the explosive growth of AI. It’s clear that the demands of AI are reshaping the very foundations of data infrastructure. This isn’t merely about incremental upgrades; it’s a fundamental shift in how we design, power and operate these critical facilities.

Read more...
Fuchs doubles sales volume
News
An aggressive growth strategy in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade has resulted in Fuchs Lubricants South Africa achieving a CAGR of 6% in volume sold since 2015. The result of this is that sales volume has nearly doubled in this time.

Read more...
Monitoring partial discharge on medium voltage switchgear
Schneider Electric South Africa Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric South Africa has launched its EcoStruxure Service Plan (ESP) in the Anglophone African region for medium voltage (MV) switchgear

Read more...
High-quality sensing and automation equipment
News
The Turck Banner Demo Van is showcasing the company’s latest products and solutions.Turck Banner sells directly to end users and OEMs in a broad range of industries and applications.

Read more...
SA company uses AI to break the language barrier
News
Helm has a unique approach to AI that allows it to automate customer communication in any of South Africa’s 11 official spoken languages.

Read more...