Service delivery and local government is definitely a challenging environment. We have just bridged the gap on electricity problems and now we are faced with water issues everywhere.
In the past weeks I have received several complaints from residents regarding their water meters and municipal water accounts. Resident’s complaints are not just limited to leaking pipes but include faulty meters, meter reading and interim billing for water consumption.
I undertook an investigation into the root causes of the water problems residents face and referred to me in the last few weeks. I would like to start by thanking the community for their concerns about water. Water is our most precious natural resource and it is reassuring to see that our community collectively understands the need for responsible consumption and conservation of water.
Water leaks are a fact of life and they normally occur when you least expect them. In Ekurhuleni the annual amount of wasted water due to leaks or as it is referred to the budget “Unaccounted for Water” amounts to more than R500million. This is a huge expense and that is why reporting water leaks or burst pipes are a collective responsibility to ensure swift action by the municipality.
The Alberton CCC manager Mr Clive Dunstan has personally visited sites of water leaks and committed to ensure rapid response by municipal officials on water related complaints. Problems relating to billing and meter reading are the second biggest issue after water leaks.
Most of the conventional water meters in Alberton are situated on the inside of properties and difficult to access by meter readers. Ekurhuleni has made R68million available on the budget to move water meters to the outside perimeter of properties where it will be assessable by meter readers.
This will improve the current interim water billing due to meter reading problems. Residents who are not in agreement with their water meter readings can in the interim provide Ekurhuleni with their readings electronically. Accurate meter reading is the core component for correct billing and exactly the same as electricity, residents have a right to accurate billing of their water consumption.
I encourage residents to report water leaks, faulty meters and water billing problems to the Call Centre or the Alberton CCC. For more information on this issue residents must please visit www.ekurhuleni.com or email me directly on Diamond.Neil@ekurhuleni.gov.za. Lets’ bridge the gap.
