ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
37
Figure 1: Example
of a leak occurring
on 23 February. It
was identified due to
monitoring, and the
relevant people notified.
This was rectified within
12 hours. If this flow
had continued until it
was picked up by a
high water bill, millions
of litres of water and
thousands of rands
would have been lost.
Figure 2: Concern was
raised due to a high
water bill, after which
an AMR device was
installed. A constant
leak was identified
by monitoring, and
rectified within four
days. After fixing,
demand reduced by
95%. Without the AMR
device, efforts to rectify
would have been blind.
The crucial component to the whole process is to monitor
consumption — this not only identifies inefficiencies, but also
creates awareness and a feedback tool to track progress. It
provides for proactively sorting out issues that would have
historically continued unchecked.
CONCLUSION
It is the opinion of the author, that to reduce future risks to
general well-being and economic growth associated with
water scarcity, every citizen of a country should do their utmost
to monitor, reduce, and manage their own water demand.
Whether it is at home, work, school or university, by improving
efficiencies, pressure on water sources can be greatly reduced.
From a commercial perspective, there is not a lot to be done
on the 37% water losses through the national infrastructure
— that remains the responsibility of the government. But, a
significant impact can be established by operating efficiently.
From a domestic perspective, the financial incentive for
reducing consumption is not that big, since the domestic
consumer is more cost sensitive, with relatively low cost of
water and generally low consumption. However, the same
consumer, when at work, can easily disregard any water
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
wastage, since the responsibility of paying for it does not lie
with them.
Reducing demand can therefore directly impact the following:
• Bottom-line financial benefits for the end user (landlord
and tenants).
• Higher green building ratings (with devices installed to
actively lower demand).
• Predictable water bill (identify and fix leaks within 24
hours, and not two to three months due to billing cycle) —
no surprises.
• The author would therefore recommend that awareness
is actively created at the workplace, schools, and
universities about the importance of water conservation
practices. A leaking tap, for example, at a rate of one
drop per second, will barely catch the eye of any passer-
by. However, a leak at this rate equates to almost 12
litres per day, which is equivalent of the daily drinking
water required for six people.
Water scarcity in South Africa is not a temporary problem.
One good rainy season only lightens the load on the system
for a short time but cannot permanently supply an ever-
increasing demand.
Continued on page 39 >>
April 2019 Volume 25 I Number 2