Owing to the role of groundwater resource development projects in the wider socioeconomic wellbeing of communities, consultingengineering company JG Afrika’s geohydrology technical director Mark Schapers says these projects are fast becoming a core part of the team’s business.
“Our team conducts technical requirements and deliverables to the highest levels possible. Also, a value-added approach, whereby the team consciously invests in awareness creation, and promotion of beneficiary buy-in at a water resource project, as well as client support, which includes awareness of groundwater as a resource, are some of the points of focus for the team.”
Schapers adds that this holistic perspective has always been a signature trait of groundwater projects undertaken by JG Afrika and is one of the reasons the company was appointed by independent project and constructionservices consultancy Ramgoolam Group as the professional geohydrologist for Phase II of the Department of Education’s (DoE’s) Water and Sanitation in Schools Programme, targeting the rural areas of the Midlands region of KwaZulu-Natal.
Schapers explains, adding that the rural areas are being targeted for these projects, as they were poorly serviced in the past.The project, which is being driven by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works on behalf of the provincial DoE, appears to be the forerunner of a host of similar interventions that will significantly improve access to water and sanitation for learners in remote areas of the province.
“The wealth of experience that JG Afrika’s geohydrologists have acquired over the years, especially in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, augurs well for the management of this complex water and sanitationproject.”
In February, JG Afrika acquired Geowater IQ, which Schapers believes significantly bolsters JG Afrika’s existing capabilities in groundwater infrastructure.
