Water leaks cost paying users millions
A WATER meter in Phoenix was recently knocked and damaged by a motorist. The motorist immediately reported the incident to the eThekwini Municipality. Water gushed from the site for more than five days. That’s how long it took for the municipality to repair the leak.
I got to thinking and looked at my own water bill, which is exorbitant and excessive. Many residents in Durban complain about the unaffordable tariffs, and now I could see why.
That water lost from that broken meter, and every other burst water pipe left unattended, means we are paying for it. Non-revenue water losses in Durban account for about 40% of the total amount we pay. When you look at the water that gushes from broken water taps in informal settlements and the pipe bursts caused by ageing infrastructure, you realise that we pay for the water we don’t use.
In 2013, non-revenue water, that is water that leaves the grid and is not accounted for, amounted to more than R160 million. This was paid for by paying water users in the city. I have no doubt that that figure has escalated and that it is the main reason our tariffs are so high.
Unfortunately, councillors are too busy dealing with internal political party issues. Hence, they have little time to apply their minds to this crisis. The truth is that residents cannot afford to pay these high bills any longer.
The only intervention recorded in the city to reduce non-revenue water was during my tenure as chairperson of infrastructure. I commissioned a study that determined the amount of water we are losing and put in measures to mitigate against these losses. We also put in place a rapid response team to repair every water leak within 48 hours of it being reported.
The local elections are coming up and many councillors are seeking re-election. They will make all kinds of promises, but remember that they are in no position to solve the tariff pandemic besetting all of us. If they could not do it in the past five years, they won’t in the future.
VISVIN REDDY African Democratic Change,
Morningside