The Extent of Non-Compliant Plumbing Components and On-Site Leakage in South Africa

With an ever-increasing population and a decrease in availability of fresh water, the sustainable and secure supply of fresh water is a growing concern worldwide, and particularly so in South Africa. On-site distribution or plumbing systems have a significant impact on both the efficient use of water and water losses. Metered consumers pay for inefficient use and on-site losses, and thus municipalities are often less concerned about these factors than about losses from their own distribution systems. This project focussed on on-site systems and had two main aims: to determine the fraction of plumbing fittings used in South Africa that do not comply to current legislation, and to determine the extent of losses from on-site distribution systems. Various research methods were employed, including literature reviews, surveys of and interviews with role-players, field investigations and analyses of plumbing replacement programmes. The study found that around 50 % of plumbing fittings installed in South Africa do not comply to legal requirements, and that at least 60% of stands in the Johannesburg area have some on-site leakage present.