War on leaks team excavating and preparing equipment before installing a pillar water meter in one of the 11 000 targeted stands to be fitted with water meters in the Tsakane area. Photo Ciy of Ekurhuleni
The project, which forms part of the city’s war on leaks campaign, will see the installation of new meters at approximately 11 000 unmetered stands in Tsakane. According to the municipality a total of 5232 stands have been attended to thus far and a further 5768 is expected to be completed by April 2018. The drive is expected to reduce the percentage of non-revenue water which is currently sitting on 34.5% and eradicate the backlog of unmetered stands.
“The installation of meters will not only lessen water wastage but will allow residents to monitor their water usage and identify any internal leaks which is a contributing factor to high water bills,” the city said in a statement.
While repairing internal leaks is not the main focus of the project the municipality added that all internal and external water leaks will be attended to ensure that technicians leave each identified household leak free.
Understanding water losses
Non-revenue water consists of water that is distributed by Rand Water into the city’s water supply network and is subsequently “lost” in the system the municipality explained. Water losses are accounted as real and apparent losses. Apparent losses happen when water is used, or consumed but cannot be accounted for and is generally a result of a combination of customer meter inaccuracies, unauthorised consumption, water theft and data handling errors. Real water losses are water that is lost due to water leaks, burst pipes and illegal connections.
