Langaville resident Refilwe Mohape (44) discovered that she may have been paying too much for water on her municipal bill.
This is the result of being charged interim amounts for water and sewerage due to the water meter on her property being covered by a concrete slab.
Mohape was not aware of the impact of not having a functional meter, but a visit from the MMC for Water and Sanitation, Ald Tiisetso Nketle, last Wednesday, could not have come at a better time.
Nketle informed her that the metro was launching the Tsakane War on Leaks (WOL) Phase Three, 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.
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Phase one of the project was implemented in the 2014/2015 financial year and the second phase 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 percentages of non-revenue water, largely due to the non-repair of internal leaks and non-metered stands.
“With this project we aim to reduce the water losses in the area through repairing and upgrading damaged pipes, taps, toilets, valves and more free of charge, with the exception of geysers,” said Nketle.
Comprehensive erf connections from the municipality’s water network up to water meters on stands, and yard connections from water meters into the stands 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 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 subcontractors.
They will be trained and tasked with implementation of the project, with the intention of leaving the area with capable plumbers when the project is complete.
The project will be rolled out from the beginning of 2020 for a period of 18 months.
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