THE South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) supported 45 high school learners in Port Elizabeth as they took part in the iGEMS water engineering competition last week.
The competition created awareness regarding the importance of water conservation in South Africa.
It exposed learners to the importance of team work and allowed them to come up with creative solutions to develop infrastructure to provide clean water.
“This competition taught the kids about water conservation and the importance of water in our communities.
“It is very important for the kids to learn the practical application of engineering,” said Tronel Strydom, professional technologist for SMEC, who judged the water competition.
The competing teams compromising of Grade 11 and 12 learners were tasked to design a model water distribution network to distribute three litres of water equally between three points on a grid using two different diameter pipes and various connection pieces.
They were then judged according to a penalty points system.
SANRAL Southern Region’s marketing and communications co-ordinator, Michelle Ah Shene, said supporting the iGEMS Water Competition showed SANRAL’s commitment to the development of young, aspiring civil engineers.
This was the fourth annual iGEMS water competition and afforded learners who were unable to take part in the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Algoa Branch Aqualibrium Water competition, with the opportunity to have their own competition during the holidays.
