EThekwini mayor announces significant progress in tackling water leaks and sanitation issues

EThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba has stated that the city is on track to reduce the massive water losses it experiences each year.

Xaba noted that due to interventions made to contain water losses, they have observed a decline in losses compared to the same period last year.

The mayor briefed the public yesterday on several developments in the municipality, including decisions taken by the City Council, which held its October meeting last week.

He addressed the issues of water losses and sanitation challenges, stating that significant strides are being made in these areas.

“Our latest data indicates a decrease of 2.9 percent of non-revenue water (NRW) for quarter one (July to September) when compared to the same period last year.

“As a result, NRW for quarter one of the current financial year is currently at 52.9 percent, and this is a positive step towards achieving the target of reducing NRW by 5 percent annually to reach the target of 25 percent and below,” said the mayor.

He attributed the current reduction to multifaceted interventions, which include the deployment of plumbers to reservoir zones with high water loss, the maintenance and installation of meters, and upgrades to industrial, commercial, and institutional meters, to name a few.

In respect of water management, Xaba said, “I am pleased to also report that the number of reported water leaks and pipe bursts has been reduced from over 9,000 in June 2025 to below 979 currently.

“It is in this context that, in the past few weeks, almost all our bulk water reservoirs have been stable, with others operating at full capacity for the first time in five years. Other progressive measures we are implementing to improve service delivery in the water and sanitation environment include the insourcing of plumbers. The recruitment of the first batch of 31 plumbers is at an advanced stage.

“We also continue to insource water tankers with the intention of reducing hired services. Both these interventions will save costs and improve service delivery as there will be close and constant monitoring.

Touching on sanitation improvements, he said, “There has been a notable improvement in the operation of the City’s sewer system, with a significant reduction in overflows, particularly those affecting the beaches. Currently, out of 23 bathing beaches, 21 are open and safe for swimming.

“This progress is attributed to ongoing repair and maintenance work on the sewer network, pump stations, and wastewater treatment works,” Mayor Xaba said.

“We have observed a disturbing trend among some restaurants disposing of fats into our sewer system. We urge restaurants and eateries to install fat traps so that the fat they produce is disposed of in a proper manner,” Xaba urged.

Democratic Liberal Congress (DLC) leader Patrick Pillay said: “There has been an improvement from previous years, whereby water leaks are repaired sooner. Hence, the City has dropped the non-revenue water to 52%. This may seem a small percentage drop, but when compared to the mega litres saved, it is a lot of water. It is a start that the DLC is confident will rapidly start to further reduce non-revenue water.”

DA finance committee member Alicia Kisoon said non-revenue water losses are still over 50% and the 3% reduction was far below the norm.

“Our city's beaches remain under threat from raw effluent due to the systemic collapse of wastewater infrastructure. The DA demands to see tangible, verifiable action, not just another briefing and this means a fully funded, accelerated program for pipe replacement and immediate repairs of all dysfunctional sewage pump stations. Until the administration can provide publicly audited data that shows a significant drop in both water loss and pollution incidents, their assurances hold no credibility with the suffering residents of eThekwini.”

THE MERCURY