Leakage reduction through pressure management in Khayelitsha: Two years down the line

Abstract

The Khayelitsha Pressure Management Project has been well documented and widely publicised since it was commissioned towards the end of 2001. The project has received numerous national and international awards for technical excellence as well as for environmental awareness and community involvement. The initial water saved by the project was estimated to be in the order of 9 million m3/yr representing approximately 40% of the original 22 million m3/yr supplied to the area. In many examples of WDM interventions, the initial savings achieved by the project are not always sustainable and the true savings several years later are often significantly lower than those originally achieved. It is for this reason that the project team and the Client responsible for the Khayelitsha pressure management project decided to produce a final paper documenting the results and actual savings two years after the completion of the installation. The paper presents details of the initial savings suggested by the project team and compares them to the latest savings estimated by the Client. Problems associated with the installation experienced by the Client and consumers are discussed as well as any lessons learned by both the design team and the Client's team. It is through such feedback that future pressure management installations can be designed and commissioned with confidence in areas as large or even larger than Khayelitsha.