Expert asserts that the water crisis in eThekwini requires new approaches to ensuring water security

Professor David Lockhart argues that growing population, outdated infrastructure, water losses, and climate change pressures are placing a serious strain on water supply in eThekwini, necessitating the implementation of innovations, investments, and new strategies to ensure water security.

As part of the annual World Water Week, held by the International Water Resources Institute in Stockholm under the theme 'Water for People and Progress,' global water issues are discussed. The event gathers about 15,000 participants from 190 countries to seek solutions ranging from food security to the climate crisis.

Residents of eThekwini, who face regular water supply interruptions, may feel a distance between these global discussions and their real-life problems. When analyzing water supply issues in the eThekwini region, it is important to consider that consumers are only one part of a complex water value chain.

Since water resources are unevenly distributed, inter-basin water transfers are necessary to transport water from the source to the consumption area. The management of these resources, as well as the abstraction and treatment of raw water and its delivery to Water Utilities and Suppliers (usually municipalities), is carried out by water boards such as uMngeni-uThukela Water (UUW) through trunk infrastructure.

After receiving the water, the municipality is responsible for the distribution network to consumers, collection of used water, wastewater treatment, and discharge into water bodies, including rivers and the ocean. Problems at any stage of this chain can lead to disruptions for various stakeholders.

Examples of such disruptions include trunk infrastructure repairs conducted by UUW after climatic events, or diversions due to other construction projects, when receiving municipalities are forced to reduce supply to replenish reservoirs.

In a joint statement made last year, the Department of Water and Sanitation, UUW, and the eThekwini Municipality stated that the main reason for water supply interruptions is the demand for treated water in eThekwini exceeding the available supply. Rapid population growth has increased the need for water, and leaks in municipal distribution systems have also contributed to this problem.

According to official census data, the population of the eThekwini region has increased from approximately 2.78 million in 1996 to over 4.23 million in 2022, with a significant concentration of urban population in the district. Projections indicate that the population will reach 4.8 million by the end of the decade.

The local distribution system includes over 12,000 kilometers of water pipes that deliver treated water from treatment plants and more than 300 water storage facilities to residents. This extensive infrastructure network, some parts of which may be decades old, requires constant maintenance and modernization to ensure reliable supply.

Non-revenue water losses are high across the country, especially in eThekwini, with some sources indicating this figure up to 60%, which has significantly impacted water supply in the region.

Climate Pressures

Climate impact is usually cyclical. Local residents along the coast may recall periodic floods over the past five years and an increased propensity for rainfall even in traditionally drier months. However, rain in the inland catchment basins that feed the water bodies is critically important for maintaining a stable fresh water supply for the region's residents.

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon is a global climate event caused by changes in sea surface temperature and winds over the tropical Pacific Ocean. A warming trend is observed in the Central Pacific, and there is a high probability of an El Niño cycle developing, which many experts consider potentially the strongest in recorded history.

In South Africa, El Niño is associated with hot and dry conditions. This can significantly affect water supply, as prolonged periods of low rainfall impact reservoir levels. UUW closely monitors these changes.

However, as climatic events and conditions become increasingly unpredictable, increasing the resilience of the entire water value chain has become even more crucial. The eThekwini Municipality has begun implementing several large-scale water infrastructure development projects worth billions of rand to strengthen water security and improve supply in the region. These projects include recent work on the Lower uMkhomazi water scheme, investments in the Northern Aqueduct, modernization of the Ntuzuma pumping station, and upgrading the Southern Aqueduct.

Most of these measures are aimed at addressing the current situation, i.e., the existing water value chain. But what about the future?

Exploring New Water Solutions

eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) acknowledges that other links in the value chain play an equally important role in the water balance. EWS has partnered with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and Sustainalutions South Africa, a circular infrastructure developer, to conduct research on sludge extraction from wastewater in the area and study the potential of thermal hydrolysis of this sludge for gas and biosolids production.

A key part of this advanced process is the possibility of advanced water treatment and reuse. The latter is particularly important in terms of non-potable water, as it replaces drinking water used by industry in the region, as well as water that can be directed to domestic use to alleviate supply shortages.

EWS is in the process of expanding a memorandum of understanding with the UKZN WASH Research and Development Centre to focus on developing smart sensors and digital infrastructure to aid in water analytics and leak detection (such as detecting vegetation anomalies using satellite data and drones to map potential leak sites). This is an important step forward in reducing non-revenue water losses.

Furthermore, innovative decentralized technologies, such as atmospheric water generation (literally extracting water from the surrounding air and turning it into clean drinking water), deserve closer examination.

Public-private partnerships have proven to be a key factor in driving the energy sector and could be equally important in unlocking water supply solutions. It is necessary to develop policy and legislative frameworks to accelerate this process.

The guiding motto and vision of the South African Department of Water and Sanitation is 'Water is life, sanitation is dignity.' This briefly underscores the potential long-term socio-economic consequences of poor water supply for residents and businesses in the eThekwini region.

Thus, all stakeholders in the water value chain must participate in the management of this vital resource.