Plumbing Connection 3-2015

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9 8 PLUMBING CONNECTION SPRING 2015
WPC HEADS TO SOUTH AFRICA
T he Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA) won the
bid to host the event at the WPC Conference held in
Edinburgh, Scotland in 2011. The event will be held at
the Cape Town International Conference centre where the
theme will be ‘Regulations for Sustainable Plumbing’ – a
case for International Standards, with the platforms being:
Water, Environment, Energy and Health.
Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA) vice-president
Lee Goldie said IOPSA received a late invitation from the
World Plumbing Council to bid for the World Plumbing
Conference (WPC) in 2016
and that the team worked
tirelessly to ensure that
the conference would head
to Africa. South Africa was
pitted against Melbourne,
which has won the rights to
host the event in 2019.
IOPSA plans to change the
format of the WPC in 2016.
“We want to attract
challenge-driven industry
professionals to the
conference. We aim
to provide them with
tangible solutions to
meet the challenges of
sanitation, plumbing, water
safety, training and skills
upliftment,” said Lee.
More than 650 delegates
are expected to attend
the conference. It will be a
meeting place where African
delegates can interact with
the World Plumbing Council.
A major theme of WPC 2016 is ‘Water for Africa’ whereby
the issues surrounding the provision of water in Africa will
be spotlighted. It is no secret that unsafe drinking water
and waterborne diseases are the cause of death for many
in Africa and with such a gathering of knowledge, the
conference will aim to focus on delivering solutions that
work towards eradicating these problems.
It will also address the plumbing role in ensuring, through
regulation, that the four pillars in which plumbing operates,
namely, Water, Sanitation, Environment and Energy,
are never compromised on the altar of greed and non-
compliance.
Each country has its own set of regulations as does each
local authority in terms of by-laws that suit the environment
but WPC 2016 believes that with an understanding of
regulations that are referred to using international
standards as a start, will ensure a firm basis for regulations
in any application and in any country.
The fact that the world plumbing industry will discuss
this through a variety of keynote addresses and breakaway
session means that all
governments, official bodies,
governmental organisations,
training colleges, property
owners, architects, quantity
surveyors, engineers
plumbing system designers
and plumbers will have a
universal base from which to
operate from.
WPC 2016 is a conference
to present outcomes that
will take delegates to points
where they can and will
influence others, be they
in government or private
sector. Work groups will be
formed to take the world of
plumbing into the legislators
and communities.
Concurrent with the
conference will be an
International exhibition
showcasing the local and
international products and
services. In keeping with the theme all products on display
need to carry, for South African companies, the SABS mark/
JASWIC acceptance, and outside companies the recognized
standard applicable to their countries.
The South African National Plumbing Skills Competition
will be held during this period and the winner will represent
SA at the International World Skills competition in Abu Dhabi
in 2017.
To register your interest in attending this event, head over
to and fill in the registration form.
THE 11TH WORLD PLUMBING COUNCIL CONFERENCE IS SET TO BE HELD IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA FROM 14-
16 SEPTEMBER 2016.
WORLD PLUMBING COUNCIL