SANRAL saving every drop

Despite winter drawing nearer, and the likelihood of rainfall increasing, SANRAL remains committed to saving as much water as possible, with simple but smart initiatives that keep consumption levels down to a minimum.

Environmental responsibility is not new to SANRAL. A few years ago, its Western Cape building was awarded the 4 Star Green Star SA rating for eco-friendly office design.

SANRAL is always exploring ways to reduce its carbon footprint, so when severe water restrictions became par for the course, the building was quickly adapted to ensure the team saved every possible drop.

Some of the adaptations:

All toilets are connected to rainwater tanks. However, with a shortage of rain, the tanks ran dry and are now filled with recycled, treated effluent water which is obtained from a local sewerage plant.

Fresh water supply to hand basins in the bathrooms have largely been shut down, and only one basin per bathroom has water connected to it. That specific tap has been fitted with a water saving aerator, which reduces the water flow to 1.25 litres of water per minute. In the interest of maintaining hygiene standards, waterless hand sanitiser works just as well.

Kitchens were fitted with water saving aerators and water has been reduced to 2 litres per minute, while portable plastic basins are used to harvest the water, which is later used to water the garden.

On the outside, the irrigation system has been linked to the rainwater harvesting tank system which is currently filled with the treated effluent. The garden is now watered twice a week, without a single drop of municipal water. In keeping the aesthetic appeal of the building, the water feature ponds are also connected to the irrigation systems, and a liquid pool blanket has been added to the water to reduce evaporation by up to 80%.

"We are highly pleased to see that the culture of saving water has been embraced by staff both at home and at work. As a company, we are committed to playing our part to save as much water as possible. While water consumption on construction sites is not always directly within our control, we actively engage our contracting partners to ensure they find alternative sources of water where possible, and use only the bare minimum of municipal water, while at the same time maintaining the highest standards of safety and quality when it comes to developing and maintaining our country's road network," said Kobus van der Walt, SANRAL's Western Region Manager.