Big savings through leakage reduction as part of water demand management

Abstract

The wise old saying: “Waste not, want not” is gaining pre-eminence in the management of South Africa’s (and the world’s) piped water supply. Particularly in water-scarce countries like ours, but even in water-rich countries where urban reticulation imposes significant costs on utilities and consumers, the losses caused by dripping taps and weak points in the mains network which burst when the water pressure rises, can be ill afforded. Fortunately, a highly cost-effective technology has been developed over the past decade to reduce urban water leakage. A South African engineering company retained by the Water Research Commission (WRC) to address this problem – namely WRP (Water Resource Planning and Conservation), based in Pretoria – has taken the technology to new heights of international acclaim.

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