Gauteng targets water losses below 25% by 2035
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sanews
Illustrative image · Sergei Starostin · Pexels · Licence PexelsGauteng loses or fails to account for about 48% of its water, while leaking pipes account for 431 billion litres a year and at least 14 billion rand in lost municipal revenue, Deputy Water Minister Jack Bloom said. A national framework sets a target of reducing non-revenue water losses below 25% by 2035, Sanews reports.
Gauteng could reduce its non-revenue water losses to below 25% by 2035, in line with the new national strategic framework for water and sanitation services, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, Jack Bloom, said on Tuesday 26 October, according to Sanews. The province currently loses or fails to account for about 48% of its water.
These losses include leaks, burst pipes, billing errors and water theft. Physical losses alone amount to about 431 billion litres a year, equivalent to nearly 7 billion rand at Rand Water rates and at least 14 billion rand at municipal rates, Jack Bloom said at a workshop in Boksburg.
The rates are about 49% in Johannesburg, 45% in Tshwane and 30% in Ekurhuleni. Emfuleni exceeds 70% and Mogale 60%. The 2026 framework provides in particular for smart meters, digital infrastructure registers, transparent reporting and the integration of climate risks into municipal planning.
