Lack of response to water leak reports

NELSON Mandela Bay residents say their calls for assistance when it comes to water leaks have fallen on deaf ears.

While the estimates of The Herald investigation are conservative, residents say their reports of leaks date back to January.

Based on these reports, The Herald calculated an estimate for the four major water leaks discovered.

The figure, according to when residents say they reported the leaks, amounts to 4 797 840 litres wasted.

With just one million litres of water a month, the municipality could have:

ý Filled 6 600 baths at an average of 150 litres per tub;

ý Provided 14 285 five-minute showers at 70 litres each;

ý Flushed almost 80 000 toilets using 13 litres of water a flush;

ý Washed more than 100 000 pairs of hands at less than 10 litres a wash;

ý Washed 5 000 cars at a bucketand-soap car wash at 200 litres of water a car; and

ý Produced 333kg of rice, for which it takes up to 3 000 litres to produce one kilogram.

Some other ground leaks found in Uitenhage included Gillespie Street, Van Riebeeck Heights; Cannon Street, Gerald Smith; 24th Avenue, Langa; Maduna Street, Greenfields; Muscovy Street, Mountain View; Nemesia Street, Strelitzia Park; Acacia Street, Rosedale; and Orange Road, Campher Park, and Roelof Street, Heuwelkruin, both in Despatch.

And in Port Elizabeth: Stemele Street, KwaMagxaki; Mbongise Street, KwaDwesi; Konofile Street, NU11 Motherwell; Ematyeni Street, Wells Estate; Mission Road, Kerk Street, Siebrietz Street and Tromp Road in Missionvale; and Langenhoven Street, Korsten.