TIME TO REFOCUS INNOVATION
CONTRARY to popular belief, the future is not on hold. It is simply a new normal that we must navigate with our ingenuity.
Water, the lifeblood of the economy, is a challenge we must be prepared for. Fresh water will soon outperform oil in terms of profitability.
The notion that one gets crude oil for free and pay for water prevails in the Middle East.
However, multiple Day Zeros are emerging, raising legitimate concerns over water security.
An emerging opportunity is electric vehicles. The fuel infrastructure in South Africa is exceptional, with a dedicated pipeline connecting Johannesburg and Durban.
Electric vehicles will, in time, render the pipeline infrastructure, along with petrol stations and petrol attendant jobs, obsolete.
Given the impending scenario, could we repurpose the fuel infrastructure towards water sustainability?
Shouldn’t we research converting the pipelines into water conduits, transporting water from areas with higher supply to areas with less? In our future, gas stations can recharge battery power and function as water depots.
Furthermore, the circular economy demands we recycle the wanton waste we create. One counter-intuitive solution is to repurpose abandoned mines to store water. After all, the previous South African regime used old mines to store crude oil.
Repurposing mines for water storage is thus, not as far-fetched as one assumes.
The mines, as a South African mainstay, were designed with secure routes to efficiently and effectively transport goods. Abandoned mines still have after their serviceability.
This however, will necessitate engineering research to determine which mines, if any, are reusable.
Another conundrum is solved by filling abandoned mines with water. It deters life-threatening and illegal mining by subsistence miners, zama zamas, who have little safety equipment.
If the mines collapse, it will also endanger the foundations of Gauteng upon which the mines were built. Rescue missions for zama zamas are proving fatal for protection services.
While water does not have an expiration date, improper storage will make it unsafe to drink. This implies that some mine preparation work would be required.
A suggestion, for the time being, would be to experiment with scalable efforts to alternatively continue or discard the idea, which may inspire further innovations.
Why do we begin planning for this now, rather than later? Consider what happened when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
People, in a panic, made huge bulk purchases of things like toilet paper. Consider what would happen if load shedding became as normal as day zeros. Water shortage is a serious problem that could lead to civil war.
One should not waste a crisis. As an example, potholes are a national embarrassment, they slow the economy and damage vehicles.
Poor construction work by providers who cut corners during construction exacerbates potholes. Many of us are familiar with one particular "nemesis pothole" that often damages our car as we commute.
Due to the reduced road usage, it makes sense for potholes to be repaired without causing traffic congestion. A solution could be to use a plastic mix as being used by other countries across the world.
Using plastic solves five problems at the same time: it fixes potholes in a sustainable manner, creates job opportunities, has environmental benefits through recycled plastic, improves road safety and traffic flow and ensures civil engineering students, like the author, get realworld training.
It is past time for South African engineers, not just Cuban engineers, to refocus their creative energies on our country's problems. A good place to start is by analysing every possible idea, which will inevitably lead to innovation and creativity.
The future of South Africa is at stake.