Specialist in managing and maintaining muni- cipal facilities Munitech is working with the eThekwini municipality, in KwaZulu- Natal, on a three-year comprehensive nonrevenue water (NRW) reduction programme to be implemented in South Africa.

Munitech’s intervention programme in eThekwini’s northern metropolitan area 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 reduction interventions, with both high real and apparent losses.

eThekwini faces an upward trend in NRW, as this system both ages and expands. The company has adopted a multifaceted approach in support of a target of 20% NRW, halving the current overall NRW levels, says Munitech project engineer Cindy Wells.

“We are implementing all NRW reduction initiatives, which include pressure management, leak detection and billing improvement,” she says.

Munitech’s geographic information system (GIS) capacity, which links information to geo- graphic features, is being used throughout the NRW reduction programme to process data as a way of reporting and assisting engineers in the application of suitable NRW mechanisms that ensure maximum benefit.

NRW cannot be reduced by desktop analysis alone; the real value is achieved in the field work, which includes 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 experience in both operations and water-loss reduction, combined with the GIS capacity, is in place to achieve the aims of eThekwini’s NRW reduction programme.