Package desalination plants are likely to be in place on both the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape coasts within months, Department of Water and Sanitation director-general Margaret Diedericks and KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs Nomusa Dube revealed during the opening of the Water Institute of Southern Africa conference in Durban on Monday.

Deidericks explained that there were two desalination models in South Africa – one was a mobile packaged plant that could be set up where it was required most and another was brick and mortar infrastructure such as the one being built at Lambert’s Bay on the Western Cape coast.

She said negotiations were under way with the Cedarburg and Matzikama municipalities with a view to having package plants in place within the next three months.

Up to now, she said, the expense associated with building desalination plants and selecting the most appropriate technology had dominated debates about desalination; however, as a water scarce country, it was now imperative to look at how technology had evolved and how this could make the establishment of desalination plants as inexpensive as possible.

“It’s time to stop talking about the expense. Now we need to talk about implementation . . . as well as adaption and resilience,” she stated.

In addition to working closely with the Netherlands, based on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries, Diedericks said there had also been discussions with Iran, where desalination had been successfully used.

South Africa was also looking at examples in Dubai where solar power was being used to power desalination plants.

Dube said that, in the wake of one of the worst drought in a generation, KwaZulu-Natal provincial authorities had signed an MoU with Umhlatuze Water and that an environmental-impact assessment had already been completed ahead of the installation of a package desalination plant.

She pointed out that the province had been “gravely affected” by the ongoing drought and, as it was not clear how long this would continue, it made sense to use desalination to supply the needs of the coast while using the existing reticulated water system to provide for water-starved areas in the hinterland.

The Hazelmere dam, which supplies water to Durban and Ballito, had “almost shut down” and water was being rerouted to the area from other dams.

Work on large water projects such as the Lower Tugela water project that was due to begin in 2018 would start immediately while work on other water projects due between 2018 and 2020 was also being brought forward, Dube stated.

She pointed out that more immediate, practical measures were now urgently needed and that the provincial government intended “hitting the ground sooner rather than later” with desalination plants which were expected to be in place within three to six months.

“At no time should people not have water to drink or our economy collapse because we don’t have water,” she asserted.

Deputy Water Affairs and Sanitation Minister Pamela Tshwete, meanwhile, said the national department was investing in research to ascertain whether more long-term desalination infrastructure projects were feasible.

She said she had visited Lambert’s Bay last week and had encountered “mixed feelings” with regard to desalination.

However, she said, it was important to benchmark South Africa against other water scarce countries and to do the necessary research. It was only once this had been completed that they would know just how expensive desalination was.