eThekwini: The eThekwini Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Unit is set to enhance water management through key initiatives, including the installation of strategic Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs) across the city’s network zones. This decision was part of several resolutions adopted during an Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting aimed at addressing the municipality’s current water service delivery challenges.
According to South African Government News Agency, the meeting featured an action plan presented by the Water and Sanitation Unit’s management. This plan aligns with the city’s Water Turnaround Strategy, which seeks to reduce non-revenue water to acceptable standards. The municipality emphasized that the installation of PRVs is crucial for managing water pressure effectively, thereby reducing incidents of bursts and leaks that cause excessive water losses.
In addition to PRVs, the action plan includes maintaining these valves, installing water restrictors, rehabilitating district metered areas, using performance-based contracts for leak detection and repairs, and installing data loggers and trunk main pressure sensors. These initiatives are currently at the procurement stage.
Furthermore, the EXCO meeting approved the renewal of a three-year Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with leading academic institutions. This agreement aims to pursue a common developmental research agenda to support policy development and improve service delivery. The MoA, effective from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028, involves partnerships with the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Stellenbosch University, and the University of South Africa.
Nkosenhle Madlala, Chairperson of the Governance and Human Capital Committee, noted that the agreement positions eThekwini as a responsive and learning-oriented city. He stated that such partnerships enable the co-creation of solutions to complex developmental challenges while grounding policies in rigorous research and real-world insight.
The agreement stipulates that parties will jointly fund priority research deemed strategic and collaborative, using a 1:1 co-funding model. The municipality’s financial contribution is set at R500,000 for the 2025/26 financial year, R1,000,000 for 2026/27, and R1,500,000 for 2027/28.