WATER & WASTEWATER
Pressure control to fight water shortages in Eastern Cape Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) is experiencing a drought, with its largest supply dam, Kouga Dam, dropping to its lowest level since it was commissioned in 1969. Water pressure management is considered as the most effective real loss and water demand management intervention by NMBM.
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MBM is a water services authority (WSA) and water services provider (WSP). It encompasses the Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), Kariega (formerly Uitenhage), Despatch and KwaNobuhle areas, and supplies water to Kouga Municipality (its largest water consumer). High water pressure contributes towards an increased number of burst pipes and a greater volume of water lost due to underground leaks. The aim of pressure management
St Georges Strand PRV during construction
Lyle Francis, acting deputy director: Water Demand Management, NMBM
Pieter Joubert, professional engineer at Engineering Advice & Services
is to reduce pressure to an acceptable level and, therefore, actual water losses. Water pressure management also decreases water consumption and increases the asset life. NMBM has appointed two service providers – Re-Solve Consulting and Engineering Advice & Services – to formulate and implement a water pressure management plan. “The NMBM region is divided into supply zones, with plans to install one or more pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) into as many zones as possible. Currently, there are 68 pressure-managed zones within NMBM, which covers approximately 25% of the water network,” explains Lyle Francis, acting deputy director: Water Demand Management, NMBM.
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IMIESA August 2021