Mondli Gungubele, Ekurhuleni mayor, said the city plans to reduce its contribution by tackling water leaks.
“To date we have been able to deal with leaks affecting 10 551 properties belonging to indigent families and our target is to reach 43 000 properties by December,” he said.
He added that some local communities have been frustrating and delaying the water leaks project for weeks with “unrelated grievances”.
“To date, 106km of water pipes have been replaced or upgraded in the previous financial year alone, and 15km of sewer pipes were also replaced in the same year,” he said.
“These interventions have reduced our non-revenue water from 40.3 per cent to 36.9 per cent, as at the end of December 2014 – translating to R670-million in material loss.”
He said the city will continue to replace faulty and leaking water meters — having replaced 41 699 to date — in the hope of reaching a target of 90 000 by the end of June 2016.
“Understanding the strain of water resources requires innovative thinking,” he added.
“Given the challenges on the water resources, the Ekurhuleni Municipality is seeking to diversify the mix of its water sources.”
This will be done through exploring options of reclamation and re-use of treated effluent from water wastage treatment works, rainwater harvest, ground water and use of the neutralised acid mine drainage water.
“We will also encourage communities to explore the use of treated effluent as a substation for potable water irrigation requirements and for potable direct or indirect use,” said Gungubele.
