OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE (O&M) AND THE PERCEIVED UNRELIABILITY OF DOMESTIC GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES IN SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

Research Article| March 01, 2015 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE (O&M) AND THE PERCEIVED UNRELIABILITY OF DOMESTIC GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES IN SOUTH AFRICA J.E. COBBING; J.E. COBBING Corresponding author: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (PhD student) PO Box 7700, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa, e-mail: jcobbing@gmail.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. EALES; K. EALES Counterpoint Development CC, 3 Pronkheuwel, 280 Rotsvygie St, La Montagne, Pretoria, 0184, South Africa, e-mail: kea@iafrica.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. GIBSON; J. GIBSON Maluti GSM (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 8125, Nahoon, East London, 5210, South Africa, e-mail: jim@malutiwater.co.za Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. LENKOE; K. LENKOE ERM (Pty) Ltd, Building 32, 1st Floor, The Woodlands Office Park, Woodlands Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2148, South Africa, e-mail: dithapo@gmail.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B.L. COBBING B.L. COBBING CSS GIS (Pty) Ltd, 61 New Street, Grahamstown, 6139, South Africa, e-mail: bcobbing@cssgis.co.za Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information J.E. COBBING Corresponding author: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (PhD student) PO Box 7700, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa, e-mail: jcobbing@gmail.com K. EALES Counterpoint Development CC, 3 Pronkheuwel, 280 Rotsvygie St, La Montagne, Pretoria, 0184, South Africa, e-mail: kea@iafrica.com J. GIBSON Maluti GSM (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 8125, Nahoon, East London, 5210, South Africa, e-mail: jim@malutiwater.co.za K. LENKOE ERM (Pty) Ltd, Building 32, 1st Floor, The Woodlands Office Park, Woodlands Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2148, South Africa, e-mail: dithapo@gmail.com B.L. COBBING CSS GIS (Pty) Ltd, 61 New Street, Grahamstown, 6139, South Africa, e-mail: bcobbing@cssgis.co.za Publisher: Geological Society of South Africa First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1996-8590 Print ISSN: 1012-0750 © 2015 Geological Society of South Africa South African Journal of Geology (2015) 118 (1): 17–32. https://doi.org/10.2113/gssajg.118.1.17 Article history First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation J.E. COBBING, K. EALES, J. GIBSON, K. LENKOE, B.L. COBBING; OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE (O&M) AND THE PERCEIVED UNRELIABILITY OF DOMESTIC GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES IN SOUTH AFRICA. South African Journal of Geology 2015;; 118 (1): 17–32. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gssajg.118.1.17 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySouth African Journal of Geology Search Advanced Search Abstract Great progress has been made in the past 20 years in providing South Africans with access to domestic water supplies. Although groundwater is a valuable water resource with much potential, particularly in the rural and semi-rural areas with the biggest water supply backlogs, there is evidence that local authorities in South Africa increasingly consider it to be unreliable and difficult to exploit. A research project carried out on behalf of the Water Research Commission investigated groundwater supplies at local government level by carrying out interviews and studying national hydrogeological and demographic datasets. A more detailed case study of the groundwater supply to the town of Mahikeng was also made. More than 90% groundwater dependent, Mahikeng derives its water supplies from aquifers in the Vaalian-age Malmani Subgroup of the Chuniespoort Group to the east of the town, but declining groundwater levels threaten one of the two major sources. The study has found that operation and maintenance (O&M) of groundwater supplies is more important than primary or “physical” groundwater availability. Despite this, unreliable groundwater supplies are often seen as a deficiency of the primary resource and much effort is put into developing physical hydrogeological tools such as maps, guidelines and software. O&M includes repetitive tasks such as servicing, repairs, monitoring, ensuring pump duty cycles, testing, and so on, but O&M programmes also need to handle non-routine tasks such as breakdowns. Good O&M rests on adequate planning, staffing, budgeting, monitoring and other functions, as well as sufficient intra- and inter-organisational collaboration. Compared with resources for determining primary groundwater availability such as hydrogeological maps, there are few resources for institutionalising O&M procedures, and few guidelines for the O&M tasks themselves. As the case study of Mahikeng shows there is a consequent risk of greater expense and uncertainty unless efficient management (including O&M) of groundwater schemes is realised. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.