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Water Reconciliation Strategy Study for the Large Bulk Water Supply Systems: Greater Bloemfontein Area 28
A1 & A2 Efficient Use of Water and Loss Management
1. INTRODUCTION
As water is a scarce resource, it needs to be used in an efficient and effective manner. Legislation has
been put in place in South Africa to ensure that this requirement is met. Through WC/WDM, the objective is
to ensure the optimal use of water and to minimise water wastage. This can be achieved through a number
of initiatives as listed below, and presented in more detail in this document:
• Improved efficiency
– Efficient appliances: (washing machines, toilet cisterns etc)
– Low flow shower heads
– Water efficient gardens
• Loss management
– Pressure management
– Retrofitting and removal of wasteful devices
– Improved management (sectorisation, metering, billing, legislation)
– Mains replacement
– Leak detection and repair
Inefficient usage is attributed to the fact that water is often used for the service derived from it, rather than
for the water itself. As gardening and toilet flushing (including continuous toilet leaks into the sewerage
system) represent most of the total domestic demand, they are key focus areas for targeting inefficiencies.
If a user does not pay for high consumption of water, due to no or inaccurate metering or insufficient credit
control, that user tends to waste water. Industries and large bulk users would also be target sectors.
The various WC/WDM options are presented as individual options in this document. However, one or a
combination of the above options would be appropriate to achieve an objective in a particular area.
Therefore the respective WC/WDM options should not be considered individually, but rather as a part of an
overall strategy, to achieve a specific objective.
2. INTERVENTION DESCRIPTION
MMM has developed strategies to reduce its unaccounted-for water which is in excess of 40%. There are
four major themes, each theme covering a number of strategies.
Network Losses Strategy
Strategy 1: Development of preventative maintenance strategy
Strategy 2: Implementation of pressure management systems
Strategy 3: Embarking on regular communication to capacitate communities
System Losses Strategy
Strategy 4: Continuous data analyses of account data
Strategy 5: Zoning of the MMM water network with zone meters
Strategy 6: Identify the erven with legal connections without meters
Strategy 7: Identify wrong meter reading or meter tampering
Interventions Report June 2012