At the forefront of sustainable water usage

A number of factors contribute to water scarcity in South Africa, including climate change, population growth, urbanisation, ageing infrastructure and inadequate investment in water systems.

As if to drive the point home, South Africans have had to contend with the far-reaching implications of what is known as “Day Zero”, a phenomenon referring the eventuality of taps running dry due to dams experiencing severe water shortages. A year ago, residents of Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape, battled the real threat posed by Day Zero and the city had to implement stringent water restrictions. In 2018, Cape Town, Western Cape, also had to implement similar restrictions to curb water usage as it also faced the probability of its Day Zero.

Consequently, the Department of Science and Innovation supports critical innovations aimed at providing solutions to the challenges faced by many communities. One such entity is AquaTrip, a company that has focused its innovations in helping consumers save water through reducing, reusing and recycling at a basic level.

Since its formation in 2012, AquaTrip has been at the forefront of innovative leak detection, wetness sensing, online monitoring and water-saving products and solutions.  

“AquaTrip is committed to addressing the problem of water scarcity in South Africa. We specialise in providing advanced water leak detection and management solutions for residential, commercial, and industrial properties. The key to AquaTrip is our technology that monitors the flow of water and, if it detects a leak, it will either shut the water off or notify the user, thus stopping water wastage,” says AquaTrip Director, Chris De Wet Styen.

“As AquaTrip we can protect buildings from both unknown and known water wastage while reducing users’ water consumption by up to 70%. This has an incredible saving on water consumption as well as water damage, which obviously results in cost savings.”

In 2016, AquaTrip was selected of a demonstration by the Water Technologies Demonstration Programme (WADER) – a joint programme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) then, DSI and the Water Research Commission.

“In partnership with Johannesburg Water, we successfully put our device into 16 schools for a two-month pilot phase. The savings were significant. Since then, we have been working together with the DSI to tackle our water challenges.

“We are always looking to create sustainable partnerships, both in the public and private sectors, as we want to play our part in creating sustainable jobs through our network and partnership with government institutions,” adds Steyn.

One of AquaTrip’s most significant technologies to date is the AT202 Water-On-Demand systems, which can save larger users such as schools, universities and commercial facilities around 40% on their high-water use zones, which are the most prone to leaks, negligence and, in some cases, vandalism.

“We are also currently working on an App for Android smartphones so that the customer can be in a position to turn his/her water on via their cellphone. This is an important product for South Africa for several reasons, the biggest reason being water scarcity, which is exacerbated by factors such as population growth, climate change and inadequate water infrastructure. There is just no room for wastage.

“By conserving water, communities, municipalities, schools, businesses, even individuals can stretch limited water resources further, ensuring a more sustainable water supply for both present and future generations. Another reason is cost saving. Like the rest of the world, South Africans are feeling the pinch. Water is a big part of our daily expenses, hence ensuring that you don’t use more than you need is critically important.

AquaTrip’s success is based solely on the results and savings that they deliver in their water-savings projects. One of their most successful projects to date was at the University of Pretoria, where they have delivered water savings totalling more than R600 000 per month since 2019.

Styen is quick, however, to caution that it is not easy introducing a new product to the market, more so when they founded AquaTrip way back in 2012. His advice to those with new innovations is a simple, yet strong one: “Don’t ever stop kicking at the door as it will open one day.”