KZN municipalities urged to reduce unnecessary water losses

KwaZulu-Natal municipalities and the provincial Water and Sanitation Department have been urged to step up measures to curb water losses.

Addressing water services authorities on the second day of a working session at Olive Convention Centre in eThekwini on Thursday, Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, emphasised that the scale of water losses in the province is alarmingly high, and this is due to leaks, burst pipes, illegal connections, vandalism and ageing infrastructure.

“It is the right of the communities to receive water from us, it is not a favour, and it is also important to note that water is the main priority and the main supporter of life.  This is a commodity that is not in abundance in the country,” Mchunu said.

Mchunu encouraged municipalities and the provincial department to endeavour to unearth innovative ideas of utilising rainwater.

This proposal is triggered by the fact that recently, KwaZulu-Natal has been getting the highest rainfall in the country on average.

Joined by his deputies, David Mahlobo and Dikeledi Magadzi, Mchunu is on a ministerial visit to KwaZulu-Natal to assess the state of water projects.

The visit also includes meetings with various stakeholders to assess the status of water and sanitation security, focusing on the deficit of availability of water resources and funding required for water infrastructure, among others.

Mahlobo reiterated the issue of water losses as a matter of grave concern that needs to be urgently attended to.

Mahlobo noted that eThekwini Metro is losing the most amount of water in the country, with the Newcastle District Municipality losing approximately 30 million litres of water on a daily basis.

“This is a clear indication that the gravity of water losses in the province is extremely huge,” the Deputy Minister said.

Magadzi said a comprehensive strategy is required in order to recoup lost water.

She stressed that wasteful utilisation of water is “a thing of the past”, and urged municipalities to move towards ensuring the installation of meters in order to  receive revenue.