The severe water crisis of the past few years is over and the metro’s supply dams are in a healthy state, but this is not the time to take water for granted.
The Algoa system dam levels are currently around 75%, the main supply dams of Kouga and Impofu are full, and the seasonal weather forecast is for above-average rainfall in November-January in the Bay and catchment areas.
On that side of the water scale, things are thus looking good, but we cannot afford to be complacent.
Firstly, residents of the Bay simply need to accept that we live in a drought-prone, water-scarce region and that saving water should be a way of life. Full dams and the reliable inflow from the Gariep dam via the Nooitgedacht scheme notwithstanding.
Rainfall is cyclical and the average figure is never guaranteed in the next season. For example, we are coming out of the driest winter in five years, receiving only 60% of our average winter rainfall despite the heavy flooding in June, while the summer forecast is for a high likelihood of “above normal” rainfall.
The impacts of climate change are being felt in shifts in rainfall patterns (when, where, and how much), and the lows and highs of droughts and floods becoming more extreme.
Those who have reduced their water consumption and invested in water tanks and water harvesting and recycling/reuse solutions will continue seeing the benefits of being more self-sufficient.
Secondly, this is an opportune time to ensure we are prepared for the next weather-induced water crisis by proactively addressing issues of water losses and infrastructure maintenance, in order to build a more resilient water treatment, storage and supply system.
Here the gravest concern is that 48% of the metro’s clean water, i.e. processed through the municipal water treatment works, is unaccounted for – leaks by far the biggest culprit, along with “commercial losses” due to theft, illegal connections, and inaccurate metering and billing – and that this figure has not decreased significantly in the past five years.
This is not only a waste of a scarce natural resource, but it is wasted expenditure and a substantial loss of municipal income, which in turn impacts on service delivery and maintenance of the affected infrastructure.
Citizens are understandably infuriated watching clean water washing away down the street from a burst pipe or faulty connection at the same time as they are being urged to save water.
Leaks are largely the result of ageing infrastructure deteriorating due to lack of maintenance, for which the municipality acknowledges in its 2022/23 annual report there is a “huge and ever-growing backlog”.
The pressure on the water system caused by lack of maintenance and the demands of a growing population is compounded by rampant theft and vandalism targeting public infrastructure. The scourge has also now turned to water and sewerage pump stations, and improved security and anti-theft measures are needed.
We know the problems; the need now is to find solutions.
The Business Chamber is keen to get a collaborative water technical task team going to work with the municipality to assess the root causes and develop an implementation plan to rein in water losses, deal with priority maintenance issues, and improve the security of pump stations.
We would seek to build on the impact of our solutions-focused approach to the metro’s sewerage and sanitation infrastructure, which had long been dysfunctional and a serious threat to public health. Our technical sanitation task team pulled experts from business together with municipal officials and together they have improved the efficiency rate of the metro’s sanitation system from 15% to 80%.
Similarly, our technical task team on electricity is working with municipal officials to reduce unplanned power outages in industrial areas.
The key to these initiatives has been a collaborative spirit, the willingness of engineers and other experts in industry to volunteer their time and the willingness of municipal officials to work with business to solve problems.
While the municipality’s inability to rein in supply-side water losses is a serious problem that needs urgent attention, businesses and households have a role to play on their own premises too.
We showed the impact of addressing demand-side water leaks with our Adopt-a-Leak project at the height of the water crisis, where businesses stepped in to repair household leaks in impoverished areas identified by the municipality as hotspots for excessive water consumption.
Over 4 000 households in seven impoverished areas were assisted, resulting in a 23% reduction in water consumption and a daily saving of around 1.7 million litres of clean water
This points to the need for households and businesses to monitor their water consumption so as to maintain water-saving habits and check for unusually high consumption that could indicate an underground leak, as well as repairing leaking taps, toilets, washing appliances and the like – before they become a crisis.
Together, we can make the best of the rain when it falls and achieve a water-resilient way of life.
Basil Mugwagwa is the Water Task Teams Lead for the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and the views expressed are in this capacity.