11 May Abeco Tanks, a sustainable solution to the water crisis in South Africa

Abeco Tanks, a sustainable solution to the water crisis in South Africa

Water scarcity has always been a problem in Africa but the recent Covid-19 pandemic has brought it glaringly to the forefront.

South Africa with its extremely urgent water supply crisis is starting to pay attention to the fact that in 10 years time the demand for water will outstrip the ability to supply.

According to the Chief Operating Officer of Abeco Tanks, Mannie Ramos Jnr, “Water is essential for economic growth and job creation in South Africa. It is an essential component to improving the livelihoods of all South Africans”

The South African Government on their website states that the following points make planning for a secure water supply in the future difficult:

• The fact that SA is a semi-arid country and prone to drought.
• It has rural and urban areas with the emergence of peri-urban areas due to the migration towards cities.
• The impact of climate change worsening the frequency of drought.
• Industrialisation.
• A lack of skills eg skilled water engineers and scientists.

As we have seen with the Coronavirus pandemic water is also essential to prevent the spread of disease. Without access to clean and safe water the likelihood of contracting diseases increases, which puts pressure on the health system.

Ramos continues, “Water must be first on the health agenda. Millions is spent globally on water-associated diseases. It should be spent on the supply of clean hygienic water to the citizens, preventing the spread of these diseases.

Annually, money is lost due to unsafe water and poor sanitation. The impact on the economy and on healthcare costs billions of dollars globally.”

Abeco Tanks was started 40 years ago when they developed their steel water tanks and are the first to call their tanks water banks because they act as a savings account so that business, agriculture, communities and industry all have water supply during times of crisis or water scarcity. Covid-19 has been a crisis time as the supply of clean hygienic water has been essential to prevent the spread of the disease.

Abeco Tanks has a 269,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Johannesburg South Africa where they can manufacture steel water tanks of all shapes and sizes, according to specific needs.

Their tanks can hold from 1,800 litres of water up to 50 million litres of water and have become a permanent fixture in Africa.

They supply clean drinking water to communities within close walking distance and have multiple taps to eliminate long queues and long waiting periods.

When Abeco first started out their vision was to provide an easily accessible water solution to communities during desperate times.

Now they have become a long-term solution for communities in need of clean drinking water on a continual basis.

They are proud to have been a life-saving solution for millions across Africa.

The Abeco Tanks are manufactured out of high-quality steel which is then hot-dip galvanized. The zinc coating ensures that the tanks are resistant to pressures from the environment like fire and extreme temperatures.

As a result, there is no algae build-up in the water and the water stored in the tank is clean and hygienic for drinking, cooking and bathing.

What is the correct size tank for South African communities?

The size is dependent on the number of people the tank will be supplying water to and the average quantity of water one person uses a day.

The average consumption figure of a person living in South Africa is 235 litres a day.

Let’s say a community has 500 residents using 235 litres per person a day and the water tank is refilled once a week. The water tank would need to hold 822,500 litres for a week. The tank would also need to be manufactured out of a material that would ensure the water would remain hygienic.

Planning is imperative to ensure the correct water storage solutions are supplied to meet the needs of a community.

Why Abeco Tanks?

The Abeco Tanks are used for the generation of power, for mining, agriculture, public buildings like apartment and office blocks, shopping centers and essential services like hospitals, clinics and schools.

Their tanks come as elevated or ground level water storage tanks, circular water tanks and custom-made water tanks. They are manufactured to suit the customer’s needs.

What sets them apart is the fact that they are modular in design allowing them to be transported to remote places easily. They are also easy to install not requiring any heavy machinery.

The modular design allows for different size tanks. They are not rigid in tank sizes like the standard plastic tanks which come in standard sizes.

In conclusion

It has been said that South Africa’s next crisis will be water scarcity.

The country is already a water-scarce country. That combined with an ageing water infrastructure, drought, the impacts of climate change, a worsening pollution risk and corruption and mismanagement are all contributing to a worsening crisis.

A large portion of South Africa’s GDP is dependent on water. It is essential for a healthy economy. Up to now water consumption per person in South Africa is one of the highest at 233 litres per person a day.

In the rest of Africa the average per person is 47 litres per person a day & in Asia 95 litres per person a day.

It is estimated that it will cost South Africa close to 1 trillion rand to fix the failing water infrastructure. The reality is the country doesn’t have this kind of money so apart from South Africans having to learn to live with less water other more cost effective solutions will have to be considered.

Abeco Tanks is equipped to meet the needs of mining, business, industry and communities. With proper planning and consultation their water tanks can be a sustainable solution.