 The deadline to professionally register water process controllers by 30 June 2025 may seem like yet another onerous layer of red tape, when it’s in fact a critical step towards improving accountability and setting standards in South Africa’s water sector. Regulation 3630 of the National Water Act mandates that all water and wastewater works be managed by qualified professionals to ensure compliance and best practice – by registering all plant supervisors at the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA). This will benefit ordinary water users and businesses in South Africa while also empowering a professional designation that has historically not received the recognition that its vital role deserves.
Essential part of the water chain ‘Process controllers essentially run the water and wastewater treatment plants across the country by monitoring, operating and managing all the required processes,’ says Dr Lester Goldman, CEO of WISA. ‘Being a key part of the water chain, process controllers will now see their responsibilities aligned like those of engineers and natural scientists, in whose shadow they have operated.’ This lack of visibility is rooted in history. Process controllers started out as ‘operators’ with minimal qualifications, often ending up in water treatment plants as a form of demotion or punishment. ‘It used to be an undesirable job, so instead of being dismissed for whatever reason, you would be sent to that “stinky” place situated somewhere on the outskirts of the municipality,’ says Goldman. However, over the past six decades, their role has significantly evolved along with the increasing complexity of water purification, and the understanding that water and wastewater go through some key processes, which need to be monitored – with many of these now automated. Mandatory registration Nowadays, the designation of process controller requires a minimum NQF 6 qualification and several years of work experience. ‘They are the unsung heroes who ensure that everything functions in the provision of our most precious natural resource,’ says Goldman. ‘Regulation 3630 clearly states that the supervisor of every licenced water or wastewater treatment plant in South Africa must now be a senior process controller and be professionally registered.’ This means that even municipalities with capacity issues can’t opt out of registering their process controller or simply register one of their engineers or scientists instead, as either scenario would make them non-compliant. The reason for specifying ‘senior process controller’ is that experts in engineering or natural science are highly specialised but don’t necessarily have the competency to manage the water treatment processes and run the actual plant itself. Raising the bar Regulation 3630 will go a long way towards professionalising the roughly 4000 process controllers in South Africa. The standardising of their education and training will raise the bar and produce better qualified process controllers. It should also inspire new entrants into the profession and encourage continuous upskilling for those already on this career path. ‘As the Blue Drop and Green Drop reports show, there is a positive correlation between the number of trained professionals and performance in the water sector,’ says Goldman, hinting at improvements in water quality and availability for residential and commercial users. Furthermore, setting compulsory national standards for process controllers will also strengthen accountability in the daily operations of South Africa’s water and wastewater treatment works. This, in turn, should lead to more transparency, better local governance, and ultimately to an improvement in water service delivery. ‘The mandatory registration of process controllers should not be a grudge purchase,’ concludes Goldman. ‘Public and private Water Service Institutions need to budget and fast-track training for this registration, because it’s a crucial investment in the water security of South Africa.’ ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, [email protected], 082 573 9219, www.atthatpoint.co.za For more information on WISA please visit: Website: https://wisa.org.za/ X: @WaterInstituteSA LinkedIn: Water Institute of Southern Africa Facebook: Water Institute of Southern Africa
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