South Africa is significantly affected not only by the current drought but also water losses that have been costing the country more than R7-billion a year, which equates to 37% of nonrevenue water. Of this, a quarter is considered to be losses through physical leaks.

The War on Leaks project, launched in August by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), is viewed as the first step in government’s commitment to train 15 000 unemployed artisans, plumbers and water agents over five years to fix leaking taps and pipes.

The project will follow a three-phased approach that will include the recruitment, training and deployment of the plumbers, artisans and water agents. The first phase was implemented in September.

Earlier this month, during a media briefing held in Johannesburg on the status of the drought, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane indicated that, owing to prolonged lower-than-normal rainfall since the beginning of the year, drought conditions have prevailed throughout the country.

The rainfall recorded by the department from September to mid-October indicates that early spring has not yielded the expected rainfall, resulting in worsening drought conditions and water scarcity.

“This has led to water shortages in a number of public water supply schemes and dams. The drought currently affects 173 of the 1 628 water supply schemes nationally, which serve about 2.7-million households, or 18% of the national population,” she said.

Two of the nine provinces – KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State – had thus far been declared disaster areas because of the drought, said the Minister, stating that only KwaZulu-Natal had received funding for specific drought mitigation measures.

Mokonyane stated that large areas of KwaZulu-Natal were subjected to severe drought conditions, despite the rains in July, with the long-term forecast showing below-average expected rainfall and, therefore, little relief in the coming months.

The DWS subsequently stated that immediate and short-, medium- and long-term measures would be put in place to mitigate water scarcity in KwaZulu-Natal, including the reduction of operational risks through proper infrastructure operation and maintenance, as well as associated skills development.

Moreover, University of the Free State professor and water expert Dr Anthony Turton, interviewed by Business Day earlier this month, said that South Africa was on the verge of a human health crisis of unprecedented proportions because the country managed water infrastructure poorly.

He added that the biggest systemic failure the drought would reveal was the near total collapse of sewage management and processing systems countrywide.

Stemming the Tide
President Jacob Zuma indicated during the launch of the War on Leaks project that a combination of ageing infrastructure and faulty and poorly maintained equipment had been identified as the key causes of water losses.

“Therefore, the project will enable us to provide training opportunities for unemployed young people who can be trained as water agents, plumbers and artisans to address the infrastructure problem we . . . face. They will be responsible for visiting communities to investigate water leaks and teach people [how] to save water,” he explained.

With the training of 3 000 first-intake trainees under way, 7 000 trainees will begin their training in 2016, while the remaining 5 000 will begin their training in 2017 to complete the 15 000 trainees Zuma mentioned at the launch.

Also, he added that municipalities were already engaged in big projects to refurbish infrastructure, especially leaking pipes.

The President also indicated that the War on Leaks project would bolster the current activities of the DWS and municipalities, which included rebuilding broken pipes and other infrastructure.

The University of Pretoria’s Professor Kevin Wall tells Engineering News that physical losses of treated water in South Africa, owing to leaks, amount on average to more than 25%.

“This is a waste, not only because we are a water-scarce country but also in terms of the cost of the infrastructure to provide water for towns and settlements, as well as the electricity and the human resources needed to address this challenge,” he explains.

Wall says the primary obstacle to fixing leaks at most water services authorities is not the lack of workmanship, but municipalities’ failure to prioritise the fixing of water leaks or not allocating adequate funds to the budget to fix them.

He adds that the success of the War on Leaks project lies in getting the municipalities to prioritise the fixing of leaks, as much water infrastructure is nearing the end of its life span.

Moreover, the Democratic Alliance (DA) reported earlier this month on its website that a water leak in Thokoza, in the City of Ekurhuleni, had existed for more than four months. The DA spoke to City of Ekurhuleni water and energy member of the mayoral committee Doctor Xhakaza on the matter, who indicated that it was unacceptable that the municipality had failed to successfully repair the water leak. Xhakaza pointed out that it was critical that the municipality prioritised the fixing of leaks and that he would follow up on the matter.

Roll-Out
When launching the War on Leaks project, Zuma indicated that the DWS appointed water utility Rand Water as the implementing agent to assist in providing the impetus for starting the programme.

The utility is responsible for recruiting candidates who will be trained as artisans, plumbers and water agents for 36 months. To qualify for training as a plumber, learners must hold a Grade 12 certificate, including mathematics and physical science, or an N3 certificate with mathematics and physical science. Also, a learner must have passed mathematics, not mathematical literacy. On completion of training, plumbers will be able to assist in reducing water losses and repairing the source of a leak.

Artisan training requires a Grade 12 or N3 qualification, with mathematics and physical science required for either qualification. In addition, having relevant technical subjects, such as instrumentation, electrical engineering, fitting and turning, will be advantageous. Trained artisans will be able to assist in making the pipes and taps required to mitigate leaks.

To train as a water agent, a candidate must hold a minimum qualification of Grade 10, with mathematics and physical science an advantage. Having good communication skills and being able to relate and interact well with customers and clients are recommended. Water agents will be able to transfer knowledge in communities regarding water conservation.

Rand Water says that preference will be given to unemployed South African citizens under the age of 35 who meet the stipulated requirements.

The utility has established nine training centres in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, seven in the Free State, two in the Northern Cape, four in the North West, ten in Mpumalanga, eleven in Limpopo, seven in the Eastern Cape and six in the Western Cape.

Rand Water’s Mandate
Rand Water aims to decrease water leaks by providing relevant technical skills; improve overall water-use efficiency in municipalities, households and communities; organise and provide training for local communities; and engender an appreciation of water use and conservation, as well as the impact of water losses on the environment in communities.

The utility indicated that it has sustainability plans in place to ensure that all plumbers, artisans and water agents are employed after they have completed their training.

A strategic document will focus on the placement of trainees after training. It also includes a business development and entrepreneurship plan for those trainees who would like to start their own businesses after completing their training.

Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Pamela Tshwete met with some of the first-intake trainees in East London, in the Eastern Cape, in September, where she encouraged them to take the training seriously, as it had great potential to assist the country in arresting the high levels of unaccounted-for water.