28 Jan 2014

The highest leakage rate of water in the country is experienced in Mahalapye region, according to the Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Mr Kitso Mokaila.

Speaking during his ministry’s open day in Mahalapye on January 27, Mr Mokaila said 40 per cent of water in Mahalapye was lost through leakage.

Mr Mokaila attributed the severe leakage of water in Mahalapye region to the fact that in the past clients were allowed to buy themselves water connection materials without any particular set standards. In addition, the minister said aging of water infrastructure also contributed to high leakage rate.

Subsequently, he said, if his ministry was to increase water distribution in the village, it would require more pressure because of different ground levels ‘topology’ and hence some pipes would not withstand that pressure and ultimately they would be leakage.

“You need a lot of pressure to force the water up the hill” he added. Minister Mokaila said it was expensive to deal with leakage as it required uprooting of water pipes.

Due to this overwhelming leakage of water infrastructure, Mr Mokaila said the region had been allocated P8 million to address the situation, Mahalapye village being the main focus.

Currently, he said Water Utilities Corporation (WUC)  had come up with set standards to address use of sub-standard materials. The move, he said, would give them a long lasting water infrastructure. “We believe it will sustain the pressure and would last longer” he stated.

WUC water works engineer in Mahalapye, Mr Kutlo Kgobero stated that the P8 million project was a temporary measure saying  they would embark in a major project dubbed Mahalapye Major Village Water Supply Network Rehabilitation that was expected to start in the next financial year. ENDS