The provision of sufficient, potable water in Africa is becoming ever more challenging nowadays, and no more so than in the case of far-flung, scattered, remote or peri-urban communities that are often overlooked in terms of vital provisions.
Intaka Tech Water Purification Plants (WPP’s) are ideal for use in such conditions. It comes as no surprise therefore that many Intaka Tech WPP’s are to be found hard at work in out of the way places, provinces and countries in Africa.
A division of the Intaka Group, Intaka Tech, manufactures and markets state-of-the- art water and gas equipment. The primary objective of this solutions-driven company is to improve and enhance the lifestyle and well-being of its target market.
Service delivery pressure
Government is currently under great pressure in terms of service delivery, especially in the water sector, of potable water to remote communities. Intaka Tech is able to offer immediate solutions to drinking water problems.
The WPP’s and their components can easily be transported to their destination, no matter how remote it may be, and installed without complications. This degree of mobility allows the WPP’s to be operational within six days once the plants have been delivered. Pressing water requirements can therefore be met in a short space of time.
A case in point
A case in point is South Africa’s Northern Province, in which a number of Intaka Tech WPP’s are in operation, with further installations expected.
The Northern Cape is a particularly large province with many small, sparse, periurban communities, villages and towns, the distances between which are often vast.
Ten WPP’s are currently installed at different hospitals throughout the Northern Cape, helping to boost facilities, replace ageing infrastructure and enhance the quality of water at hospitals in this province. Together, their maximum capacity is 8 580 000 litres of potable water per day.
There are seven model WPP050 units, each of which is able to produce up to 1 100 000 litres per day; one WPP025, able to produce up to 550 000 litres per day; and two WT 0.75, each of which are able to produce up to 165 000 litres per day.
Rodrigo Savoi, Intaka Tech CEO said, “We are pleased to be able to assist in providing all South Africans with access to potable water and to help enhance their wellbeing… Our objective is to work in partnership with Government to contribute to its goal to provide effective, appropriate services to comprehensively address South Africa’s health care needs.”
The Intaka Tech WPP’s are also suitable for rural municipalities where the current water sources are not sufficient to warrant larger schemes or where the relevant technology is not in place.
Two WPP’s (model WPP050) are in operation at Sol Plaatje Municipality in the periurban communities of Ritchie and Raaswater, near Upington in the Northern Cape.
Intaka Tech WPP features
All models are manufactured from grade 304 stainless steel making them corrosion resistant and extremely durable to the elements and the water treatment process.
The WT 0.75s are purification models for water that is reasonably clean, where the primary focus is to eliminate odour and taste. The purification process comprises sand filtration, followed by Granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration to remove the odour and taste, and finally chlorination.
The WPP models are based on conventional sedimentation principles, followed by multi-media pressure filtration and chlorination.
An additional, optional benefit of the Intaka Tech WPPs, is that they offer water softening. This is of particular advantage to the Northern Cape as the water there tends to be ‘hard’, a typical condition where water has elevated levels of calcium and manganese.
Service and maintenance contract
Intaka Tech offers a comprehensive service and maintenance contract for its WPPs. In terms of this contract, it supplies the chemicals required for the purification process, and maintains the WPP’s by running a preventative maintenance and component replacement programme. It also conducts ongoing training and skills development. Intaka Tech will report back to the responsible authority on day-today operations, plant maintenance and water quality issues.
In so doing, Intaka Tech takes the encumbrance of dealing with the service and maintenance aspects, as well as the supply of operational chemicals, off the health care facility or municipality concerned.