These include difficulties such as catchment mismanagement, erosion, siltation, unstable riverbeds, vegetation, invasive plants and loss of in-stream fauna which cause further problems for local councils in respect of the purification of water.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The shortcomings in the management of water environments by the South African municipalities reduce the supply of water and affect its quality. Less than a half of the dams comply with modern safety standards.<\/p>\n
As the quality of the water from the country\u2019s water sources deteriorates, it becomes more complex and more expensive to purify water and to make it safe for drinking. Removal of silt, debris, and overgrown vegetation helps to improve the water quality and to remove the pollutants contained in those deposits.<\/p>\n
Overgrown plants especially must be regularly cleared as not only do these plants cause flooding, they also swallow up precious water and choke habitats for fish and other aquatic animals. The growth of the invasive aquatic plants hinders the use of waterways, making them less accessible and ultimately affecting nature tourism.<\/p>\n
It is imperative that the removal of vegetation, debris and silt becomes part of the regular maintenance of rivers and dams, and this is also the case in the Ekurhuleni Municipality.<\/p>\n
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Ekurhuleni municipality<\/p>\n
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<\/b>Known as the city of lakes, Ekurhuleni faced numerous challenges with their condition. The council sourced a variety of opinions from wetlands specialist and environmental groups on the conditions of the lakes, dams and wetlands. Eventually an agreement was reached that the Watermaster Classic dredging unit was the most suitable solution. In September 2009 the Watermaster unit was purchased and the machine was delivered two months later, at the end of November 2009. The Watermaster operation was officially launched by the Mayor of Ekurhuleni in February 2010.<\/p>\n
The first \u201cpilot\u201d lake cleaned was Kleinfontein Dam in Benoni; hyacinths were raked out in seven months. The dredger was then moved to Benoni Lake which was cleared of hyacinths in five months. Currently the machine is operating in its fourth lake, maintaining its shorelines. It is intended that the next major clean up operation will take place at the polluted Boksburg Lake where the dredger will be used for the removal of sludge, debris and litter, ultimately increasing its water storage capacity.<\/p>\n
Ekurhuleni trained six local members of the community to operate the dredger. The trainees also accomplished skipper licenses, swimming certificates together with the Watermaster training certificate. The trainees were sensitised on the importance of the water management and maintenance and have become qualified operators of the technology.<\/p>\n
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Sustainable<\/p>\n
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<\/b>The Watermaster is a unique development, having a number of multifunctional tools and mobility both in and out of the water. It offers a solution for sustainable, appropriate water management including:<\/p>\n
\u2022River, lake and dam cleaning and maintenance<\/p>\n
\u2022 Wetland rehabilitation<\/p>\n
\u2022 Widening and deepening of rivers, lakes, channels, marinas<\/p>\n
\u2022 Removal of vegetation, alien plants, sediment mud, sand, tones, silt<\/p>\n
\u2022 Upgrading and rehabilitation of existing dams<\/p>\n
\u2022 Reconstruction of shorelines<\/p>\n
\u2022 Building of quays<\/p>\n
\u2022 Flood control (building additional channels, removing vegetation, cleaning waterways)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Maintenance of industrial ponds<\/p>\n
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Proven<\/p>\n
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<\/b>The Watermaster machines are manufactured in Finland by Aquamec Ltd Pty to the internationally recognised ISO 9001 Quality certificate and ISO 14001 Environmental certificate from Lloyd’s Register.<\/p>\n
It is also a proven serial product. The company has manufactured over 200 machines which are operating all over the world. Currently there are three Watermaster Classics in South Africa. Servicing is easy, as it has internationally recognised parts such as a Caterpillar engine and Parker-Hannifin hydraulics all of which are available locally.The factory service premises cover spare parts, field service and training. For special parts Watermaster has a centralised stock and an order received before noon is in most cases shipped on the same day. The Watermaster field service engineers are available for troubleshooting practically anywhere in the world. Aquamec engineers are available for technical assistance and support via e-mail and phone.Aquamec has Watermaster sales representatives all over the world including South Africa.<\/p>\n
‘Walking’ without cranes<\/b><\/p>\n
The Watermaster is specifically designed for shallow water environment where no other machines can operate offering the same variety of functions, applications and tools all in one. It is a multipurpose water construction machine with excellent mobility. Moving the Watermaster is easy. The machine is transportable as a complete unit on public roads. It can load and unload by itself and “walk” in and out of water without crane assistance. When it is in the water it cruises to the site using its own propulsion system. Anchoring and moving at the working site happens also independently, so no wire-cables, separate anchors or assisting vessels are needed.The Watermaster is designed for shallow waterways, small rivers, lakes, ponds, basins and seashores. The maximum working depth is about 6 metres.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the Watermaster reduces investment, operational and maintenance costs, since one machine can do the work of many separate machines. Therefore, Watermaster technology is sturdy and reliable.<\/p>\n
Due to its versatility, Watermaster technology can offer effective results and is capable of solving a variety of problems mentioned above, in municipal dams, lakes and rivers including the removal of invasive aquatic plants as well as removing accumulated organic sediment such as silt, muck, leaves, sticks and debris. When municipal waterways are regularly maintained, it increases the water capacity and reduces the problems of emergent weeds.<\/p>\n
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Water for the future<\/p>\n
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<\/b>The Watermaster is able to clean diverse water environments, public and private which otherwise require various other equipments for the same task. In Ekurhuleni, Watermaster has also been used to add skills and knowledge on water maintenance, which is vital, in securing the quality of the water for the future.<\/p>\n
The South African local municipalities and government need to shift their focus from the final water purification processes to the pre-maintenance of water which is a fundamental part of sustainable water resource management.<\/p>\n
As an investment, the Watermaster is a valuable tool for public and private sectors to maintain and pre-treat the water which currently is deteriorating rapidly due to the lack of overall maintenance. The Watermaster will no doubt succeed in assisting with current water management challenges in public and private sectors and therefore play an important role in South African water environment.<\/p>\n
More information on the Ekurhuleni project can be found on following Benoni web pages:<\/p>\n