“Intermittent water supply sucks.” This was the tongue-in-cheek message from Dr Ronnie McKenzie, Chair of the International Water Association (IWA) Specialist Group on Water Loss, at the 6th Regional African Water Leakage Summit. The summit, which is currently underway in Johannesburg, brings together water experts to discuss the region’s water situation. Intermittent water supply – the practice of cutting off water supply to an area at certain times of the day – has been implemented in several countries across the world and has recently been introduced in South Africa in response to the ongoing drought. Opening the summit, Tim Waldron, former chairperson of the IWA, stated that intermittent supply “invariably has disastrous outcomes. It has proved a disaster everywhere they’ve done it.” Taking a relatively steady hydraulic situation and changing it to one that fluctuates every day results in a more fragile system, explained Waldron. While intermittent supply is usually implemented to save water, it invariable creates more leaks and opens up the opportunity for water to become contaminated.
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