WATER & SANITATION
Supplying an essential resource Although situated along some of South Africa’s major water sources, like the rest of the country, the Vaal region faces familiar water-scarcity challenges. Sustainable and integrated solutions that ensure water provision and dignified sanitation need to define future plans.
MIDVAAL Across Midvaal, approximately 38 046 households are provided with potable water from the two bulk potable water purification works, namely Vaal Marina Water Purification Works owned by Midvaal Local Municipality and Zuikerbosch Water Purification Plant owned by Rand Water. Raw water is extracted from the Vaal Dam and Vaal River respectively and pumped into the two works. Raw water is treated, purified and disinfected to comply with the SANS 0241 standard for water fit for human consumption Midvaal has contracted Rand Water to operate the Vaal Marina Purification Works
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REBIRTH OF THE VAAL
on its behalf, with clear deliverables as per the service level agreement. The Vaal Marina Water Purification Works has a design capacity of 10 Mℓ/day and is currently operating well within its design capacity, while the Rand Water Zuikerbosch Plant delivers an average of 30 Mℓ/day. A total of 42 metered connection points are available to measure the water that is pumped from Rand Water into the Midvaal Supply System.
Household supply All households within developed urban and peri-urban areas are supplied through a water meter, which is used to determine the quantity of water consumed by the particular household. Informal settlements that are not reticulated
receive water through the mobile water tankers and public stand pipes. Plastic tanks, positioned around the settlements, are used as a storage point for the informal settlements communities to fetch water. Bigger informal settlements’ storage tanks and stand pipes are supplied through direct metered water pipelines, connected to the water network. Mobile water tanker filling points are metered to enable accountability of water delivered to informal settlements. The average potable water quality compliance is 99% in terms of SANS 0241 and Midvaal’s Blue Drop status stands at 94%.
Revenue protection and water conservation Revenue protection is assisted by attending to water leaks and the maintenance of reservoirs and pressure reducing valves (PRVs), which further prevents water losses. Troubleshooting water meters is another important aspect. The council’s approved Five-year Water Demand Management Plan is also being implemented and monitored, taking into account the following interventions: • indigent household water leak repairs • pipe replacement programmes • replacement and refurbishment of PRVs • bulk and residential water meter installation and replacement.
