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12.4.2 Durban Metro Water guidelines
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An innovative water supply strategy devised by the recently established (in '995) Durban
Metro Water. P 0 Box , 038. Durban. 4000 - a municipal water supply agency for the
Durban Metropolitan Area - involves three levels of service for black peri-urban and urban
settlements. The first level consists of a fully reticulated system. operating at standard
water pressure (more than 600 t site-' day-'). The second level of service concerns the
use of a 200 t roof tank. supplied from water mains in the street (400 - 600 t site-'
day-'). Such an option is considerably cheaper than full pressure. and provides most of
the benefits of standard reticulation. An outside 200 t ground level tank constitutes the
third level of service (up to 200 t site-' day-'). which is used where householders cannot
afford roof tanks or full reticulation. The outside tank is usually connected to the house*.
The supply to 20 - 25 households is controlled from onemanifold. with small bore pipes
linking the water mains and each household (ground level) tank. Water bailiffs (members
ofthe resident community) are responsible for operating the latter system. where monthly
pre-payment is required. The bailiffs are self-employed entrepreneurs who derive some
income from the water scheme. The cheapest system may also include approximately one
public standpipe per 200 - 300 households. The standpipe (which is an interim measure).
is situated in the yard of the relevant water bailiff. The purchase of water from the bailiff
is on a cash only basis. Householders are billed in the normal manner where the standard
municipal system and the roof tank method are in operation. The outside tank can be
upgraded to a roof tank. if required (Macleod. '996)**.
Sanitation provision will be directly linked to the water service level. A draft sanitation
policy is presently under consideration. A Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) toilet (provided
access for emptying is possible). or other appropriate on site disposal system. is specified
at households with a ground level tank. State housing funds will be used to purchase and
build the system at low cost housing schemes. Individual householders may also wish to
buy the components and install the system themselves (in order to save money). or to
employ a private contractor. On site sanitation (a VIP toilet with soakaway. a septic tank
*
**
Brief guidelines for the use of on site household storage tanks can be found in the Blue book - see
Table L11.
Macleod, N., 1996. Personal communication, Durban Metro Water, Durban. (Durban Metro Water
was formed from 11 local authorities and other Government agencies hitherto responsible for the
supply and distribution of water in their own areas of jurisdiction).