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PLUMBING CONNECTION
SUMMER 2016
VTM
valves
Head office - NSW: (02) 6365 3121 VIC: (03) 9460 4421 QLD: (07) 3359 3992 SA: 0409 663 400 Newcastle: 0408 005 746
Non-return
isolation valves
Helps eliminate
water hammer
World’s first
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Setting tomorrows standards today!
Setting tomorrows standards today!
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2 year warranty
Fully insured
product
LICENCE No: WMKA20246
INDUSTRY NEWS
2016 COMMUNITY PLUMBING CHALLENGE
It’s fairly easy to take the simple things in life for granted
when living in a First World country. More specifically,
sanitation, clean potable water and hygiene are things we
don’t often consider to be a luxury rather than a necessity.
But it most certainly is.
The Community Plumbing Challenge has been a huge
success in recent years (Singapore 2014 and India 2015)
and 2016 was no exception. It saw a collaboration of four
multi-disciplined (plumbing, metalwork, architecture,
engineering) teams from India, Australia, USA and South
Africa, working with Sticky Situations, AutoDesk, the
SOWETO Plumbing Academy, the DACN Arts collective,
WOTIF and hosts – the WASSUP (Water, Amenities and
Sanitation Services Upgrade Programme) Cooperative.
The event offers an exclusive personal and professional
development opportunity for all involved, focussing
on education, training, skills development and cultural
exchange, manifested in practical action on-the-ground
addressing design, construction and critical maintenance
of public health facilities.
The Community Plumbing Challenge is organised
and facilitated by IAPMO, in association with the World
Plumbing Council (WPC), who appeal to all WPC member
agencies to take the lead in organising and/or supporting
representative team participation.
The goal of the Community Plumbing Challenge
programme is to demonstrate the vital role of the plumbing
industry in protecting public health. The 2016 project
required plumbers to design and install new sanitation
systems for existing toilet and wash facilities across
Diepsloot, working in close collaboration with the WASSUP
team. New designs needed to take into consideration
current infrastructure (including toilets, taps and drains),
community sanitation needs, ongoing maintenance, and
the ability to control and monitor water usage.
Meters and data loggers were installed in conjunction
with the toilets to monitor water usage through the
external taps and cisterns, in addition to movement
sensors and door loggers in each of the toilets. This data
will be used to map people to water usage in each of the
toilets, and provide each team with clear data on how
their initiatives have performed – with the results on
display in September at the World Plumbing Conference in
Capetown, South Africa.
Kudos to all involved; what an amazing initiative.
www.iapmo.org/communityplumbing