This was revealed recently by Joburg Water spokesman, David Sibiya in an exclusive interview with Fourways Review. Sibiya divulged that the loss represents more than a quarter of the total volume of the City’s water.
“Water losses within the City of Johannesburg are currently 26.2 percent, of which real losses [physical pipe leaks] are measured at 18.9 percent,” said Sibiya. He added that pipe leaks alone were gushing out nine billion litres of the precious liquid every month.
Sibiya’s statement followed after Fourways Review’s inquiry about malfunctioning public taps in Diepsloot which are running non-stop. This newspaper recently reported that three public taps have been running 24/7 for almost a year. The taps cannot close because they are damaged, leaving water to gush out ceaselessly. The revelations came as murmurs of water rationing get louder in Johannesburg.
Read more No machine to fix Diepsloot’s stinky mess
The Joburg Water spokesman cited aging pipes, high supply pressures in certain areas, vandalism and theft of water infrastructure as the causes of water losses.
Sibiya revealed that R325 million has been approved in this financial year to repair, maintain and replace water infrastructure.
“Johannesburg Water is busy with a pipe replacement project which is aimed to replace 900km of old water infrastructure in the current and coming financial years. This is assisting in lowering the burst frequency of pipes with the water reticulation,” said Sibiya.
Read more Toilets bring more infections than hygiene in Diepsloot
He also added that Joburg Water was implementing pressure management by refurbishing all old pressure reducing valves and implementing preventative maintenance programmes on valves. The council is also educating communities on the need to protect water infrastructure.
Sibiya added that the current level of water loss was an improvement compared to 40 percent 15 years ago.
Report any leaking water pipes in your area on the Fourways Review Facebook page
