Langaville resident Refilwe Mohape (44) last week discovered that she may have been paying too much on her municipal bill.
This, as a result of being charged interim amounts for water and sewage due to the water meter on her property being covered with a concrete slab.
Mohape was not aware of the impact of not having a functional meter, but a visit from Ekurhuleni MMC for Water and Sanitation, Tiisetso Nketle, on Tuesday, could not have come at a better time.
Nketle informed her that the City of Ekurhuleni is launching phase three of the Tsakane War on Leaks, a large-scale retrofitting project that will see 15 000 households in Tsakane, Langaville and Geluksdal being declared leak-free by the end of June 2021.
Also read: Water supply is low, use it sparingly
Phase one of the project was implemented in the 2014/15 financial year and the second was completed last year.
A total of 21 700 properties benefited from the identification and repair of leaks through the replacement of plumbing infrastructure, as well as the installation of above-ground water meters.
At the launch of the third phase, Nketle stated that the area had been identified as having one of the highest percentage of non-revenue water, largely due to the non-repair of internal leaks and unmetered stands.
“With this project we aim to reduce water losses in the area through retrofitting damaged pipes, taps, toilets, valves and more, with the exception of geysers, free of charge,” she said.
Comprehensive Erf connections from the municipality water network up to the water meter per stand, and yard connections from water meter into the stand will also be attended to.
“Furthermore, we want to teach residents the value of water by ensuring they are aware of their consumption patterns, the financial impact thereof and therefore why they should save water even after implementation of the project,” she continued.
The project will also have a positive economic spin-off in the community as approximately 15 local SMMEs will be employed as sub-contractors.
They will be trained and tasked with implementation of the project, which will be rolled out from the beginning of next year for a period of 18 months.
Also read: Six essential ways to save water
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