Leading water and storage solutions company JoJo asserts that its agility to innovate rapidly – stemming from in-house research and development capacity, 40 years of experience and deep local knowledge – will support South Africans as they face the current water crisis, amid the significant decay of water infrastructure.

With eight factories across the country, the company says it is well-positioned to supply and distribute its products quickly and cost-effectively.

It highlights its latest range of products, including the launch of a remote water-monitoring smartphone app, JoJo Monitor, as a part of its Internet of Things (IoT) offering.

The JoJo Monitor’s adaptable interface uses Bluetooth connectivity for initial activation and testing, plus live readings within the proximity of a water tank, and Sigfox connectivity for remote monitoring. The company has spent four years developing the app and three other IoT devices.

“JoJo IoT devices can monitor tank levels, measure water consumption and detect water in places where you either do or don’t want water ponding. The first device to be launched is the water tank level monitor,” says JoJo sales and marketing executive Sebasti Badenhorst.

The app uses radar to provide accurate readings and is designed for flexible use in most applications.

JoJo also notes that global market conditions pose significant challenges, owing to the prices of key input materials, including plastics, paraffin and diesel, all of which are out of its control.

Nevertheless, the company tries to contain its costs as much as possible while delivering high-quality products. It remains focused on offering solutions to the problems households and businesses face and aims to do so by changing public attitudes to water.

“The water crisis is a signal that this resource can no longer be taken for granted. Instead, it is something we must take seriously, and we believe our innovation pipeline can play a key role in that,” says Badenhorst.

She adds that new products for farms, corporates and suburbs should encourage the public to take ownership and responsibility for water and treat the resource with more respect.

JoJo conducts its social outreach work in collaboration with disaster response nongovernmental organisation Gift of the Givers (GOTG), nonprofit organisation Do More Foundation and public benefit organisation The An- gamma Trust. GOTG is able to drill boreholes and build systems that turn tanks into sustainable resources in underprivileged communities.

In highlighting the social impact of its water, chemical and agricultural tanks, the company notes a 2007 survey by the then Department of Water Affairs, which reported that 160000 rainwater tanks in the country were used as primary water sources. JoJo avers that it would have supplied many of them, adding that the number of such tanks has grown significantly since then.

The company also indicates that the impact of its water solutions is felt as keenly in urban areas as in rural areas. Outlining the importance of water resilience, JoJo’s pumps have built-in, nonreturn valves to prevent untreated rainwater from washing back into municipal systems.

In trying to address the country’s wastewater crisis, JoJo says it acquired wastewater company Calcamite in 2019 to allow for better management, disposal and recycling of waste- water.

“The ‘2022 Green Drop Report’ found that 334 wastewater treatment works were in a critical state, with many more needing major corrective actions and/or performing at an average level”, Badenhorst notes. “Calcamite’s range of products enables customers to extend their stewardship of water and play their part in protecting the environment from the effects of wastewater pollution.”

The JoJo Monitor app can be downloaded directly from the App Store and is compatible with IOS, Google Play and Android.