eThekwini allocates hundreds of millions to reduce water losses - IOL

Mayor Cyril Xaba briefs the media on eThekwini’s water challenges and infrastructure projects, including funding for leak repairs, pipe replacement and efforts to reduce non-revenue water.

eThekwini Municipality is increasing spending on measures to reduce water losses, with hundreds of millions of rands allocated for leak repairs, pipe replacement, leak detection and additional plumbing staff.

Speaking at a post-Council media briefing in Durban on Sunday, as he reflected on the 2021-2026 term of local government, Mayor Cyril Xaba said R565 million had been allocated for specialised leak repairs, R102 million for proactive leak detection and R100 million for pipe replacement.

A further R124 million had been allocated to recruit 70 of the 202 additional plumbers required to improve the response time for isolating burst pipes to within four hours.

The measures form part of the Water and Sanitation Turnaround Strategy adopted by Council in 2024, which aims to reduce non-revenue water by 5% annually, with a long-term target of 25% or below.

“At the heart of the strategy was a commitment to reduce non-revenue water (water losses) by 5% annually, with the ultimate goal of achieving a non-revenue water level of 25% or below,” Xaba said.

"Achieving this target requires the City to implement a range of decisive measures, including pipe replacement; responding to water leaks within 24 hours; replacing old household and industrial water meters; and installing bulk meters at water tanker filling points, reservoirs and standpipes."

The municipality has also allocated R70 million for new water meters, with the programme targeting the replacement of 40,000 meters a year that are more than 15 years old.

Xaba said 150,000 flow restrictors had been installed in high-pressure zones by the end of June. The city had also increased the capacity of its meter-reading teams, reducing the proportion of estimated water meters to 6%.

“We are confident that, collectively and over time, these measures will make a significant contribution towards reducing non-revenue water, and improving the reliability and efficiency of our water and sanitation services,” he said.

The municipality has also allocated R54 million to automate reservoir outlets and R5 million for bulk meters in rural areas.

Xaba said the city had insourced its water tanker service, investing about R345 million in an internal fleet of 318 tankers, with further expansion planned before the end of the year.