project - Trademax Publications

MUNICIPAL WORKS
Munitech Ethekwini nrw
programme
Munitech, specialists in the management and maintenance of essential municipal
facilities, is working on a three year programme with the eThekwini Municipality, on a
comprehensive Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction programme – the first
of its kind to be implemented in South Africa.
Billing verification inspectors, Sanele Ndlovu (left) and Musa Sibiya, inspect a consumer
meter as part of eThekwini’s Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction programme
Munitech’s intervention programme in eThekwini’s
northern metropolitan area is benchmarked against
the ‘Best International Practice’ and closely follows
the International Water Association’s water loss
task force methodology.
The northern operational region includes the high water loss
areas of Ntuzuma and Inanda, which present most of the
challenges faced by NRW interventions, with both high real
and apparent losses.
“eThekwini faces an upward trend in non-revenue water, as this
system both ages and expands. We have adopted a multifaceted
approach in support of an ambitious target of 20%
non-revenue water, halving current overall NRW levels,” says
Munitech’s project engineer, Cindy Wells.
“We are implementing all NRW reduction initiatives, which
include pressure management, leak detection and billing
improvement.”
Munitech’s GIS capacity – a tool that links information to
geographic features – is being used extensively throughout the
NRW programme to process data, as a means for reporting
and to assist engineers in the application of suitable NRW
mechanisms that ensure maximum benefit.
NRW cannot be reduced by desktop analysis alone. Real value
is achieved in field work, which encompasses measuring flows
and pressure, logging, documenting and inspecting for billing
errors or omissions.
Technical teams have been recruited to probe networks and
billing inspectors are verifying exceptions in the current billing
system. The programme also involves specialised leak detection
services.
Munitech, with extensive experience in both operations and
water loss reduction, combined with the recently launched GIS
capacity, is well positioned to achieve the objectives of
eThekwini’s NRW programme.
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SA Affordable Housing November/December 2009