Gondwana Invests in Water Treatment Plants

The Gondwana Collection - a group of 14 lodges around Namibia - has realised the importance of saving water and as far back as 2006 started installing wastewater treatment plants at its accommodation establishments

The Gondwana Collection - a group of 14 lodges around Namibia - has realised the importance of saving water and as far back as 2006 started installing wastewater treatment plants at its accommodation establishments, despite the fact that enough ground water is available to keep the accommodation centres supplied.

The company has already noticed a dramatic escalation in the price of these treatment plants, which have escalated from about N$500 000 in 2006 to current estimates of N$750 000 for one plant. "All our lodges are situated in remote areas. They are not connected to Namwater supply networks. We utilise water from boreholes for our accommodation facilities and try to use it as economically as possible. In order to save on fresh water from the boreholes, we have installed our wastewater treatment plants. The recycled water is used for garden irrigation and is thus "given back" to the environment," said Inke Stoldt, Gondwana's public relations officer.

Nevertheless, the lodges use their own water very carefully and say they do everything possible to keep consumption as low as possible. The company installed its first wastewater treatment plant at Namib Desert Lodge in early 2006 and slowly, but surely nearly all other lodges followed suit. Gondwana's accommodation establishments in Gondwana Canyon Park (Canyon Lodge, Canyon Village and Canyon Roadhouse), Kalahari Anib Lodge, Etosha Safari Lodge & Camp and Damara Mopane Lodge were also fitted with state-of-the-art water treatment facilities.

The three remaining lodges, Namushasha River Lodge, Hakusembe River Lodge and Kalahari Farmhouse already have mechanisms in place whereby the water is treated before it is released into the environment, but the company has confirmed that it wants to install wastewater treatment plants here as well. "More and more tourists are ecology-minded and prefer to book accommodation establishments with a strong conservation philosophy. Due to their demand we have installed signboards at some our lodges explaining our water recycling process. The fact that Gondwana combines its hospitality business with nature conservation and social commitment in a sustainable manner is an important marketing tool," noted Stoldt.

Gondwana's waste water is now filtered to such an extent that it can be used for irrigation and since the processed water conforms to specifications, surplus water may be discharged into the environment. Only 20 percent of the wastewater is lost through evaporation and the sewage sludge which remains is dried and disposed of once a year.

"Our local lodge staff is responsible for the day-to-day running and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plants. They have been trained by our technical manager Mr Reini Hoppe, who also installed the plants," she said.

Source: All Africa

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Taxonomy

• Water Management
• water treatment
• Treatment Plants