Durban municipality’s eThekwini Water & Sanitation (EWS) has been named the 2014 winner of the Stockholm Industry Water Award for its transformative and inclusive approach to providing water and sanitation services.

“eThekwini has championed the approach to provide sufficient water to sustain human life, as expressed in the South African Constitution, now embedded in national policy. The methods used and results achieved by eThekwini Water and Sanitation serve as a sterling example for the many communities worldwide facing similar challenges,” the Stockholm Industry Water Award jury stated.

Over the past 14 years 1.3-million people in the greater Durban area had been connected to piped water and 700 000 people had been provided with access to toilets.

In respecting the constitutional right to water while maintaining financial sustainability, access to basic water supply and sanitation was provided at no cost to poor families in the area, while higher levels of service and consumption were charged at full cost.

In addition to providing basic services to a large population, EWS was also at the forefront of exploring technical and social solutions, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) said in a statement.

An example of this was a mini-hydropower project in the municipality that, instead of using pressure-reducing valves in pipes running downhill, used mini-turbines that used the excess pressure to generate electricity for the city’s low-tension grid.

The eThekwini municipality was also pioneering solutions to convert urban wastewater challenges to agricultural opportunities and to harvest rainwater.

“The combined result is one of the most progressive utilities in the world. The open approach to experimenting and piloting new solutions across both technical and social aspects of service delivery has made eThekwini a forerunner in the world of utility-run services,” the SIWI said.