WATER LEAKS – A

STRATEGIC ISSUE

Mike Muller

Commissioner, National Planning Commission

Visiting Adjunct Professor, Wits School of Governance

HOW LEAK CONTROL

CAN HELP YOUR MAYOR

2

NATIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

LEAKAGE LOSSES ARE AN IMPORTANT ISSUE!

• MORE IMPORTANT THAN LESOTHO HIGHLANDS

• (TRYING TO GET AS MUCH WATER)

• AFFECTS MORE COMMUNITIES

• SHOULD RELEASE MONEY FOR OTHER THINGS

• DONE PROPERLY, WILL IMPROVE OVERALL SERVICE DELIVERY 3

Water-management strategies

Reduce demand:

“Reducing growth in water demand is just as important as

increasing its supply. Current planning assumes it will be

possible to achieve an average reduction in water demand of

15 percent below baseline levels in urban areas by 2030.

Detailed targets have been set for different areas.

“Achieving demand reductions on this scale will require

programmes to reduce water leakage in distribution networks

and improve efficient domestic and commercial water use. The

Commission proposes running a national programme to

support local and sectoral initiatives to reduce water demand

and improve water-use efficiency. Demand-management

projects with merit should be given priority and regarded as

being on par with water-supply expansion projects in terms of

importance.”

NEED PERFORMANCE BASED APPROACHES

“Detailed targets have been set for different areas”

Need to know what we are trying to achieve

Must track our performance

To do this, have to improve management

(only successful if the mayor has more money to spend)

5

HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS?

SALGA REVOLVING FUND?

PERFORMANCE BASED CONTRACTS?

(FROM DWS’S STRATEGIC PARTNERS)

NOT EASY, WATER USE VARIES

WITH MONTH,

WITH WEATHER AND ECONOMY

GOES UP WITH POPULATION

WILL NEED AN OBJECTIVE, INDEPENDENT AUTHORITY TO VERIFY

BUT, FOR MAYOR TO GET MORE RESOURCES,

THERE MUST BE REAL SAVINGS

6

WORRY ABOUT YOUR MAYOR!

AHEAD OF MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS-

DON’T CREATE UNNECESSARY TENSION:-

DON’T ALLOW YOUR TOWNS TO RUN OUT OF WATER

FOCUS ON PHYSICAL LEAKS, COME BACK TO NRW7

WORRY ABOUT YOUR MAYOR

DON’T WANT HER TO LOSE THE ELECTION, SO:-

MAKE SURE YOUR MUNIS DON’T RUN OUT OF WATER

8

NATIONAL WATER AND SANITATION SUMMIT

AUGUST 2014

The state of SA’s water

resourcesF

1 August 2014

Presented by:

Trevor Balzer

9

12 of 19 WMA require

intervention

WATER RESOURCE STRESSED TOWNS

11

CategoryCount of

schemes

% of

schemes

no shortage > 10 yrs 334 37%

water resource shortage 5 - 10 yrs 113 12%

water resource shortage 1 - 5 yrs 120 13%

water resource currently in deficit 273 30%

unknown 65 7%

Grand Total 905 100%

30% require

urgent water

resource

security

intervention

THERE IS A FUNDING CHALLENGE - CURRENT RBIG PROJECTS

12

Type Funding Needs

Regional bulk R75b

Internal supply R60b

Sanitation R37b

Total for 10 yrs R172 b= R17b/a

Present RBIG R2,56 b

Location

of current

RBIG

projects

WORRY ABOUT YOUR MAYOR

DON’T WANT HER TO LOSE THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION, SO:- DISTINGUISH BETWEEN NON REVENUE WATER AND PHYSICAL LEAKS

FIX HOUSEHOLD PLUMBING AS WELL AS PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE

DON’T CONFRONT UNAUTHORIZED CONNECTIONS

(FIX AND RECORD THEM!)

(CONSIDER COMMUNITY ‘BLOCK’ METERS?)

PUBLISH RESULTS

TELL COMMUNITIES WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHY

GET THEM WORKING ON THE PROGRAMME AS WELL

DEVELOP APPROACH TO UNAUTHORIZED CONNECTIONS AFTER ELECTIONS

SUGGEST SHE USE MONEY SAVED TO FURTHER IMPROVE SERVICES

13

10 of these a year = R350 000

IS SA SLIDING INTO A WATER CRISIS?

No, provided that we (DWS) and our partners jointly work to achieve:

Effective implementation of WC/WDM measures,

large-scale effluent re-use,

curbing of unlawful water use

promotion of large-scale and properly managed groundwater use

arresting deteriorating water quality

and timely decisions on appropriate investments

In summary ….

• Water conservation and demand management is a critical intervention to keep SA water secure

• Physical leak control, an important step

• Done properly, will improve service delivery generally

• Suggest that performance-based approaches are needed

• Politically challenging, particularly around elections, so:-

• Emphasise need to avoid water shortages

• Fix physical leaks before unauthorised connections

18

THANK

YOU!

Even the new Minister will be happy!