As Tshwane pleads for residents and businesses to conserve water usage, the continued pipe bursts in the metro have reignited discussions about the need for long-term solutions to Tshwane’s ageing water infrastructure.
Tshwane has been facing ageing water infrastructure, unabated water theft and leaks, and millions of litres of water being wasted.
The metro said this devastating wastage caused about 7.8 million kL to be lost monthly, compounding the city’s water woes.
The losses come at a time when water has become precious in Tshwane and the metro, along with all other municipalities in Gauteng, have been placed under Level 1 water restrictions in response to the dire straits facing Rand Water.
The restrictions are also a bid to avert a potential water crisis that could plunge the city into a possible Day Zero.
Rand Water revealed that it continues to be under severe strain from high water consumption due to decaying infrastructure, water theft, illegal connections, the growing population and other factors such as poor water management.
Residents and the National Department of Water and Sanitation have been calling for investment in upgrading the city’s water system to prevent further disruptions and improve water leak detection through technology and investing in water infrastructure.
The metro has acknowledged these challenges and pointed out ageing infrastructure as a cause of these persistent leaks and bursts.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the common causes of water leaks or pipe bursts are a combination of factors such as ageing infrastructure, illegal connections, water theft through fire hydrants, theft and vandalism to the water infrastructure.
Mashigo said the biggest problem lies with decaying infrastructure.
“This includes water storage, water supply and treatment and stringent budget issues have contributed to this.”
Mashigo said the water losses for the city are calculated quarterly.
“However the city is currently losing about 7.8 million kl per month. The latest calculation was done by the end of June.”
In the previous quarter, Tshwane received a report of 5 058 leaks in all seven regions.
Mashigo said 2 786 leaks were repaired and completed; 2 272 remain outstanding.
“However, if teams notice additional leaks in the vicinity of the repair, leaks are repaired on-site,” he said.
Mashigo added that the municipality inspects its water infrastructure frequently.
“During the urban management programme – which occurs weekly – the teams inspect the infrastructure on main roads and carry out the necessary repairs.”
He said the old asbestos pipes are in the process of being replaced.
“The city has a pipe replacement programme for ageing water infrastructure and R66-million has been approved to replace about 13 000 metres [of] old pipes.”
Previously the city completed the replacement of asbestos pipes in Alphen Park in Pretoria east, where 50- to 60-year-old pipes were replaced.
Ward 83 councillor Siobhan Muller deemed the project a success for the community, as it will mitigate water losses.
The metro also said the project has yielded results in curtailing water losses, with the next phase being to replace pipes in Waterkloof, Meyerspark and Silverton, where about 500 households will benefit from the project.
Mashigo said older developments where reticulations are beyond their useful lifespan, have the most water leaks.
“Booysens, Claremont and Pretoria Gardens are known to have the oldest water pipes in the city.”
He said the city was working on a solution to improve leak detection to repair leaks swiftly.
“Minimum night flow analysis is conducted for different distribution zones and leak detection is conducted for all those distribution zones that have been identified to have high night flow.”
The metro in September launched an initiative to address non-revenue water losses through improving leak detection.
The initiative is a partnership with the City of Aarhus in Denmark to introduce cutting-edge water management techniques.
These improved water management techniques include improved water leak detection and swift response to repair leaks.
The collaboration forms part of a broader effort to enhance the metro’s water infrastructure and conserve its water resources through which Danish experts provide specialised training to the city’s water reticulation artisans.
From September 10 to 12, the metro’s artisans were trained in the detection of passive and active water leaks using state-of-the-art technology.
This initiative was aimed at tackling both visible and hidden leaks, and the training Tshwane artisans received would be extended to all seven regions of the city, ensuring long-term improvements in water management.
The Department of Water and Sanitation advised that metros in Gauteng need to resolve metering and billing issues to increase payment levels, but also encourage leak fixing, prosecute illegal water connections, and reduce water theft.
This initiative to address non-revenue water losses comes at a time when the water utility providing bulk water to Tshwane has warned municipalities to reduce high consumption and to strategically preserve water.
The department said municipalities need to conserve water and adopt a practice that promotes responsible water consumption, which can help alleviate pressures on the existing water supply.
Moreover, municipalities are urged to use integrated technology to monitor and safeguard water infrastructure, and this can enhance management efforts and prevent future crises.
*Please note this article has been amended
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