According to Neil Macleod, eThekwini’s Water and Sanitation (EWS) Head, the municipality has embarked on a focussed programme to identify and treat the problem source.“With the eThekwini water demand rising, and leaks escalating due to the old crumbling pipe infrastructure, we realised 18 months ago quick action was essential to prevent demand exceeding supply,” he said.
The municipality purchases 880-million litres of water daily, but currently only sells 590-million to consumers. In the 2009 financial year R37.3m was invested into various water loss reduction projects and another R65m has been budgeted for the current year.
Among the 16 dedicated interventions for curtailing water loss is the extensive Asbestos Cement (AC) Pipe Replacement programme. Macleod said these projects have cost R1.6bn with the new pipes expected to provide at least 50 years of leak-free service to the municipality.
EWS has also improved the customer billing service. More than 3020 water meters that were installed in the 1970s and earlier have already been replaced and the new meters are monitored to ensure accurate measurements.
“Pressure management has proved to be one of the most effective interventions. By reducing the water pressure, we can reduce water loss by 70-million litres each day and every R1m invested on pressure management translates into a R3m saving on water losses,” Macleod added.
The municipality aims at reducing leaks so that within a decade the loss can be held steady at 23%. According to World Bank publications, this would place the eThekwini Municipality in the top 35% of water systems in the developed world and in the top 15% in the developing world.
By implementing all the planned interventions, bulk water purchased over the next five years is projected to be held steady in spite of a 2% annual growth in actual consumption. Reducing the water lost through leaks will maintain the average daily demand.
“People only notice when things go wrong and we are working to minimise leaks. If the public assists by reporting leaks and water bursts on the toll-free number 0801 313 013, we can significantly reduce water loss,” concluded Macleod.
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