More than 4000 water leaks have been fixed thanks to a combined effort between the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM) every week.
This comes after a deal between Water and Sanitation, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, and other parties, including Amatola Water and Business Chambers, to step up efforts to cut back on water use and fix leaks in order to deal with the city’s water problems.
Dr. Sean Phillips, director general of water and sanitation, claimed that the weekly crackdown on water leaks and the deployment of water demand management tools are beginning to show results.
In order to do this, 4 124 out of 5 589 water leaks that were found during the blitz were fixed.
By using water demand management devices, a total of 10 708 houses in the city have been designated for water restrictions, according to Phillips.
While it is possible to dramatically minimize water leaks through repair, Phillips acknowledged that due to an aging water system, it is not conceivable to establish a city with no leaks.
We have committed to help the municipality with the acquisition of water tankers to give water to water-stressed areas if the drought worsens.
“The municipality is setting up emergency stations where people can go collect water,” Phillips said.
He continued by saying that the area’s population will benefit greatly from the Nooidgedacht Water Scheme’s full functionality, which is currently only partially complete.
According to Phillips, the Nooidgedacht Water Scheme will increase the city’s daily water supply by 210 Ml (milliliters).
The water will come from the Free State’s Gariep Dam.
In order to ensure that there is adequate water for everyone and to prevent water supply interruptions, the department has reaffirmed its request that residents of Nelson Mandela Bay cut their daily water consumption by at least 20 percent.
The recommended daily use for water in the area is 50 liters per person, according to Phillips.
Phillips said the department and municipality will launch a public awareness campaign in the city on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in an effort to provide much-needed information about reducing wasteful use of the existing water and raising awareness of the present drought-induced water problem.