Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Science, School of Geography, Archaeology & Environmental Studies, 2016. / The aim of this thesis is to expose the effects of water scarcity on rural livelihoods. The chosen study site for this investigation is Borakalalo village in Lehurutshe region (North West Province). The aim of this study was to explore the water usage patterns of households in Borakalalo village in order to unpack the various water-related activities that households in Borakalalo engage with. The main argument made in this thesis is that in order to comprehend the effects of water scarcity on rural livelihoods, it is paramount that the water usage trends of rural dwellers be documented and, the contribution made by various water-related activities in generating a livelihood income be scrutinised. Therefore, using the sustainable rural livelihood framework of analysis, the goal of this study was to investigate the role that water plays in securing a livelihood for households in Borakalalo village. The introduction chapter explains the relevance of this study in the context of South Africa as a whole, also paying special attention to Borakalalo village, which is the chosen study site for this investigation. The methodology chapter highlights the advantages and disadvantages of methodological techniques employed in this study. A critical engagement with literature on water scarcity reveals some of the key conceptual dilemmas in defining water scarcity. Furthermore, the social, political and economic impacts of water scarcity on a global and national scale are looked into. A household survey that was conducted with 150 households in Borakalalo village aimed to uncover the water usage trends of rural households and, to examine how water serves the livelihoods of households in Borakalalo village. In the discussion chapter some of the main findings in this investigation are brought forth through looking at the ways in which water-related activities such as agriculture, livestock herding and small water-related rural enterprises sustain rural livelihoods. Although the discussion uncovers the role of water in a productivist rural economy, the results also seem to suggest that there is a shift in the rural economy from productivist to post-productivist livelihood activities. Henceforth, as much as water scarcity poses a threat to productivist livelihood activities, it also limits the expansion of the emerging post-productivist rural livelihoods. Furthermore, the increased need for monetary income in rural households in order to compensate for the loss of productive rural activities is evident. However, high levels of unemployment in rural areas limit the capacity of rural households to generate monetary income, and henceforth, livelihoods in Borakalalo village are enormously threatened by current water shortages in the village. / MT2016

M.Ing. / A one-year investigation on hot water consumption was conducted in South African developed and developing communities of Johannesburg to determine the personal and household average daily consumption of hot water as well as the average hourly (in summer and in winter) and monthly patterns. The motivation for this research project was to provide to engineers and water heaters manufacturers reliable experimental data on hot water consumption from various categories of dwellings. The existing sources of information in South Africa being extremely limited and results of estimations. The necessary information was collected from hourly and monthly measurements taken by monitoring hot water systems in different dwellings including, houses (300 units), traditional houses (90 units), shacks (200 units), apartments (123 units), townhouses (90 units). For the purpose of this study, the selected (not statistically) dwellings were classified into three categories, which are: high-density dwellings representing the developing communities, medium-density and low-density dwellings which represent the developed communities. The results of measurements show that, in general, people living in developed communities (low-density dwellings) use at least 1.4 times more hot water than those of developing communities (high-density dwellings). The patterns of hot water consumption have been determined for monthly and hourly consumption. The former is divided in four sections: summer weekdays, winter weekdays, summer weekends and winter weekends. The differences between sections are the specific times of peaks and the consumption. The results of this study should be of great assistance to engineers and water heaters designers in analysing existing systems for performance improvement, and in sizing more efficient and suitable systems to South African use.

MSc Dissertation Submitted to School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa 12 August 2016 / Most mineral processing plants have high water requirements for their operational activities. These plants often function in an environment where water is becoming increasingly scarce. An increase in population will result in an increased demand for water, potentially beyond the limits of supply, and hence increased competition for the resource. In South Africa, Gauteng and the North West Province are likely to be first to experience a shortage of potable water. The key to a sustainable future lies in understanding and utilising resources more efficiently. This holds especially for industries who seek to minimise water usage through better management of resources. The two tools used in this study are the Water Accounting Framework (WAF) and Water Footprinting (WF) method. This research assisted a refinery in the North West Province understand its water usage and move towards operating in a more sustainable manner. Site water management was improved and the objective of this research fulfilled by: (i) Surveying the potable water and the storm water systems with a view to assessing the current water accountability and determining methods to improve accountability; (ii) Determining the water balance for the site and presenting it in the form of a water balance sheet; (iii) Reporting water usage in accordance with the Minerals Council of Australia’s “Water Accounting Framework for the Minerals Industry”; (iv) Calculating the water footprints of the refinery; and (v) Evaluating the water usage at the refinery and identifying ways in which water savings could be achieved. It was seen that the biggest consumer of water was the boilers and utilities section and the biggest loss of water was through evaporation. The refinery potable water requirement (2 280 m3/y) amounted to 0.16% of the daily water use for the Bojanala Platinum District. Four reports (outputs) were generated using the WAF. The four reports generated provide a good indication of the movement of water into, out of and during a process. WFs were calculated for the process. The blue WF was calculated to be 832 363 m3 and the green WF was calculated to be 261 970 m3. The product WF was 43.9 m3/t of base metal produced. There was no grey WF as the site does not discharge polluted water. This research provided an opportunity for the refinery to improve water efficiency onsite as well as improve reporting standards. Water usage was reported using global reporting tools to set a benchmark for the base metals industry. / MT2017

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Engineering, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Water is an essential natural resource for human existence and survival on the earth. South Africa, a water stressed country, allocates a high percentage of its available consumptive water use to irrigation. Therefore, it is necessary that we optimize water use in order to enhance food security. This study presents the development of mathematical models for irrigation scheduling of crops, optimal irrigation water release and crop yields in Vaal Harts irrigation scheme (VIS) of South Africa. For efficient irrigation water management, an accurate estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ETₒ) should be carried out. However, due to non-availability of enough historical data for the study area, mathematical models were developed to estimate ETₒ. A 20-year monthly meteorological data was collected and analysed using two data–driven modeling techniques namely principal component analysis (PCA) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS). Furthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for real time prediction of future ETₒ for the study area. The real time irrigation scheduling of potatoes was developed using a crop growth simulation model called CROPWAT. It was used to determine the crop water productivity (CWP), which is a determinant of the relationship between water applied and crop yield. Finally, a new and novel evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithm called combined Pareto multi-objective differential evolution (CPMDE) was applied to optimize irrigation water use and crop yield on the VIS farmland. The net irrigation benefit, land area and irrigation water use of maize, potatoes and groundnut were optimized. Results obtained show that ETₒ increases with temperature and windspeed. Other variables such as rainfall and relative humidity have less significance on the value of ETₒ. Also, ANN models with one hidden layer showed better predictive performance compared with other considered configurations. A 5-day time step irrigation schedule data and graphs showing the crop water requirements and irrigation water requirements was generated. This would enable farmers know when, where, and how much water to apply to a given farmland. Finally, the employed CPMDE optimization algorithm produced a set of non-dominated Pareto optimal solutions. The best solution suggests that maize, groundnut and potatoes should be planted on 403543.44 m2, 181542.00 m2 and 352876.05 m2areas of land respectively. This solution generates a total net benefit of ZAR 767,961.49, total planting area of 937961.49 m2 and irrigation water volume of 391,061.52 m3. Among the three crops optimized, maize has the greatest land area, followed by potatoes and groundnut. This shows that maize is more profitable than potatoes and groundnut with respect to crop yield and water use in the study area. / D

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / Access to clean and adequate water is a universal and basic human right that feeds into the 6th of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This goal aims at ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Clean water is referred to as potable water, which is safe for human consumption and offer low risk of immediate or long term harm. Raw water undergoes rigorous processing which consists of coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection and storage, to produce potable water. Each module or stage consumes chemicals and energy resources and thus incurs costs. To achieve the aim of the study, which was to synthesize an optimised potable water treatment network and a water usage analysis model, the Umzinto Water Treatment Plant (UWTP) and its distribution system was used as the study area. This treatment plant is located within Umdoni, a local municipality of the Ugu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. This study’s objectives were fourfold and the first objective was to identify and quantify key raw water quality parameters affecting treatment at the UWTP. The second objective was to design a genetic algorithm for the potable water treatment process control. The third objective was to evaluate the Umzinto Water Distribution System’s Non-Revenue Water (NRW) while the fourth objective was to develop a model for water usage analysis. For the first objective, data for water quality parameters for the water treatment from July 2006 to June 2013 were statistically analysed. This data were collected from the UWTP’s historical records. To improve the data’s integrity it was pre-processed using cubic hermite interpolation. After the pre-processing trend lines and box plots were used to determine the parameters’ significance compared to the standard values stipulated in the South African National Standard (SANS 241). The trend lines were used to analyse the frequency of observations that were higher than the standard values according to SANS 241. The box plots were used to determine the minimum, median, maximum and mean of the data sets. The mean values for each parameter were compared to the SANS 241 value to determine their significance. The raw water quality parameters were then correlated to the chemical dosages for lime, polymer, potassium permanganate and chlorine. The key parameters selected from the correlation analysis were algal count, manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), Escherichia coli, total coliforms, colour, odour, conductivity, turbidity, suspended solids (SS), pH, temperature, total organic carbon (TOC,) and Hardness. A number of methods can be used to achieve such optimisation, including artificial neural networks, dynamic programming, linear and non-linear programming, and this study utilised a genetic algorithm as an optimisation tool to achieve the second objective of optimising water treatment at the UWTP. For the model development, data from the correlations obtained for objective 1 were used. The model was aimed at reducing the cost of chemical dosage and four chemical dosage prediction models were developed using genetic algorithms and these were then used to produce a combined chemical dosage cost prediction model. The programming interface utilised for these models was Matlab. In developing these models, the data were first pre-processed to remove outliers and fill in the blanks using a Microsoft Excel Add-in that was developed for this particular purpose. The next step involved a curve fitting exercise in Microsoft Excel 2013. Matlab was then used to code the genetic algorithm that combined and optimised the solutions obtained from the curve fittings. The results showed that genetic algorithms can be reliably used to predict the chemical dosages and hence reduce water treatment costs. After treatment, water is pumped into the distribution system for consumption. It is therefore important to ensure that all the pumped out treated water reaches the consumer. The third objective therefore assessed the NRW for the Umzinto Water Distribution System for the period between July 2013 and June 2014. The data used for this objective was provided by the Ugu District Municipality. The method used combined the top-down approach and the component-based approach. This combined approach was modified to enable the calculation of all the components that are required in a standard South African Water Balance. The results showed that the distribution system had a high value of NRW, which was 27.9% of the System Input Volume. The major component of NRW was Real Losses, that is, losses that can be mitigated by improving maintenance. The fourth objective was to develop a model for water usage analysis that would reduce the time taken to evaluate NRW and also improve the analysis of the NRW components using Microsoft Visual Basics 2012 and Microsoft SQL Server 2012 development interfaces. The Visual Basics enabled the development of a graphic user interface that was user-friendly and minimised the time taken to learn the software. The software platform developed was able to import the data required to construct a standard International Water Asssociation (IWA) Water Balance, calculate all the components of NRW, store historical data for the water distribution systems and report on a rolling year basis. A model for water usage analysis was developed and made available for usage by practitioners in Ugu District. The model was developed for the specific study area and further studies would be required in order to validate it in a different setting. The results obtained for the first objective led to the conclusion that, there was very high pollution emanating from communities and activities close to the raw water sources, especially the EJ Smith Dam. The results from the first objective were also used to determine parameters for the models developed in the second objective. From objective two it was concluded that genetic algorithms can be reliably used to predict chemical dosages and hence reduce water treatment costs. The third objective’s results showed that 27.9% of treated water pumped into the distribution system is NRW. Which is a concern because 65% of this are real losses which have maintenance related problems. The fourth objective’s results showed the practicality of designing model that could be used determine all the important components of NRW that would take time to evaluate manually. It would also store historical data for the water distribution system and report on a rolling year basis. Implementation of this software would help minimise the errors associated with manual calculation of NRW and improve the availability of data for research and analysis. From the research findings, it is recommended that the treatment plant should change the way it is dosing chemicals in the balancing tank. The method currently being used is prone to error. The analysis of NRW showed that Real Losses were a major challenge in the Umzinto Distribution System. There is need to develop a maintenance program to cater for leakage. Communities also need to be educated on the importance of reporting leakage in the network. / M

Water is a vital component for human survival but unsustainable patterns of water consumption are still evident internationally. In South Africa, water conservation has traditionally been limited to the responsibility of the state, with little effort being made by the consumers. However, as water scarcity increasingly becomes a problem, government and residents need to find out how urban South Africans can access water and implement water conservation methods in their homes without the support of government supervision programmes. This study explores the relationship between urban residences in two different parts of Johannesburg (Meadowlands in Soweto and Florida in Roodepoort) and their consumption, perception and usage of water and its conservation. Based on interviews with residents from different backgrounds, the results of this research show that residents have varied but generally limited concern for water issues. Findings from this study indicate that for a resident to conserve water, the type of abode in which he/she lives is irrelevant. Whether the resident lives in suburban home or small government funded housing, the attitudes of the interviewees and the perceptions which they expressed regarding solutions to the water dilemma proved to be similar: people in these urban areas are aware of the importance of water conservation, however, there is limited practice thereof. / Geography / M. Sc. (Geography)

The purpose of this study was to determine what activities and practices prejudice water conservation in the Steelpoort area. Using this information, context specific environmental education programmes were designed for various sectors of the community. A qualitative research approach was used. Respondents who provided information through interviews and questionnaires included school principals and educators, non-teaching staff members, learners and adult community members. The theory developed from the literature review facilitated the development of qualitative research for the study. The research identified certain activities and practices that contribute to the unsustainable use of water in the area. The respondents suggested that consumers generally need to acquire knowledge and skills that will enable them to effectively conserve and utilise water. Specific programmes intended to meet the needs of the various categories of consumers that will facilitate water conservation and its sustainable use were designed as an outcome and recommendation of the research. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Environmental Education)

The purpose of this study was to determine what activities and practices prejudice water conservation in the Steelpoort area. Using this information, context specific environmental education programmes were designed for various sectors of the community. A qualitative research approach was used. Respondents who provided information through interviews and questionnaires included school principals and educators, non-teaching staff members, learners and adult community members. The theory developed from the literature review facilitated the development of qualitative research for the study. The research identified certain activities and practices that contribute to the unsustainable use of water in the area. The respondents suggested that consumers generally need to acquire knowledge and skills that will enable them to effectively conserve and utilise water. Specific programmes intended to meet the needs of the various categories of consumers that will facilitate water conservation and its sustainable use were designed as an outcome and recommendation of the research. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Environmental Education)

MENVM / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Science / See the attached abstract below

MPH / Department of Public Health / See the attached abstract below