As part of its commitment to improving water security and enhancing operational efficiency, Johannesburg Water is leveraging smart technology and innovative infrastructure to build a more resilient and sustainable water supply network.
These smart pressure controllers form part of the Entity’s Water Conservation and Water Demand Management Programmer, which comprises a range of strategies that aim to reduce water losses and overall non-revenue water, ensuring a continuous and sustainable water supply and reducing demand on Johannesburg’s water supply network Johannesburg Water has initiated a project to retrofit Smart Hydraulic Flow controls on the outlets of 28 high-consumption reservoirs and towers. These will automatically throttle reservoir outlets in order to reduce minimum night flow losses and build reservoir capacity overnight. In addition to this, Smart Pressure controllers are being installed to high-consumption Pressure Reducing Valves (PRV) zones within the network. Senior Manager for Water Demand Management and Technical Metering, Logan Munsamy said:
“Smart controllers will help manage pressure more effectively, reducing the incidence of bursts and leaks. Together, these interventions aim to lower high system pressure, ultimately decreasing minimum night flow losses.”In the 2023/24 Financial Year, 15 smart pressure controllers were commissioned, with a further 13 units installed as of April 2025 bringing the total to 53 units. The Entity has procured an additional 306 smart controllers which are currently being installed. This project will be finalised at the end of September 2026” “Further to this, we have already installed 225 noise loggers with an additional 125 noise loggers planned to be installed by October 2026. These smart automated leak detection sensors are installed on critical pipelines and they detect underground leaks. Maintenance teams can thereafter be deployed to perform related repairs,” Munsamy added. All of these initiatives aim to reduce non-revenue water and physical losses due to high pressures and ageing infrastructure.
