In a new irrigation water use efficiency project in the Welkom area - covering the 12 325ha under irrigation in the Sand-Vet Water Users Association’s area of operation – Sasol and SABI (South African Irrigation Institute) have teamed up to boost efficient irrigation water use in the Vaal River catchment, in a move heralded as both “innovative and, importantly, measurable” by agricultural and water user stakeholders. 

The Sasol-SABI Sand-Vet Irrigation Project – where wheat, maize and potatoes comprise 78% of the crops under irrigation – is seen as highly pioneering as an agricultural water efficiency initiative.  The Sand-Vet area has a total scheduled quota of 106,15 million cubic meters of water per year on full quota , with over 200 farmers in the area.

Sasol, as a prominent water user in the Vaal district, has in recent years initiated various awareness campaigns as part of its Sasol Water Sense initiative to alleviate future water shortages in the Vaal River system. Recently Sasol’s Water Sense won the Mail & Guardian’s Greening the Future Awards in the Water Management category for its work in water conservation. 

Sasol New Energy’s Senior Manager: Sustainable Water Bob Kleynjan says:  “The project builds on work we have been doing for around two years in the agricultural community with SABI. Approximately 60% of fresh water is utilised for irrigation purposes, and thus a focus on irrigation farmers is important in any approach to water conservation. In this project we are taking a more focused approach by working closely with a select group of irrigation farmers for a longer period of time in order to quantify water use and savings as a result of certain locally relevant interventions. The results are to be presented periodically at information days with farmers and stakeholders in the district. Communicating the results and meaning of the project to the farmers is also a vital part of the work.”

SABI’s Technical Executive Officer Isobel van der Stoep reports that the new project’s focused and measurable approach has already yielded its crop of first results.  

Elaborates van der Stoep:  “The results of the first series of system evaluations that took place during June 2013, have shown that although the uniformity of water application can be improved, the application efficiency of the systems were good, in most cases better than the minimum requirement of 80%. SABI is happy to be partnering with Sasol on this initiative, as it takes forward a programme to assist with present and future water use efficiency in the Vaal catchment area we started with Sasol two years ago.”

The CEO of the Sand-Vet Water Users Association (WUA) Andries Labuscagne says he is delighted by the new water savings programme that SABI and Sasol have created for his Association’s water users – the users consist of over 200 irrigation farmers, two municipalities and the Sedibeng Water Board.

Says Labuscagne: “It is these kinds of proactive water use efficiency projects that is very much to be welcomed as an initiative as it is aimed directly at water use efficiency on farmer level. I believe it is a benchmark project.”

For more information, please contact:

SASOL New Energy’s Senior Manager: Sustainable Water Bob Kleynjan:

SABI’s Technical Executive Officer Isobel van der Stoep

Mobile:  082 331 4987

Tel:  021 850 8220

E-mail: isobel@sabi.co.za

Sand-Vet Water Users Association (WUA) CEO Andries Labuscagne

Mobile: 078 800 5045

Tel: 057-352 7375/81

alabuscagne@sandvet.co.za

Issued by:

Alex Anderson, Group Media Manager

Direct telephone +27 (11) 441 3295; Mobile +27 (0) 71 600 9605;

alex.anderson@sasol.com

Jacqui O’Sullivan, GM: Group Communication

Direct telephone +27 (11) 441 3252; Mobile +27 (0) 82 883 9697;

jacqui.osullivan@sasol.com