Waste not, want not

MORE water is wasted through leakage in urban centres every year than the Goreangab Dam holds at full capacity.

Estimated losses at private houses and Government property amounts to 4,5 million cubic metres, which is valued at approximately N$27 million a year. Ben van der Merwe of Environmental Engineering Services presented these research results at the fifth WaterNet Symposium held in Windhoek last week.He and two students looked at leakage management of plumbing systems in households and on Government property in Windhoek and at Swakopmund.It was found that a leak at one Government building resulted in a loss of 23 900 litres an hour, which translates into a loss of N$1,16 million a year.Other results indicate that 10 of 126 houses in Windhoek logged recorded losses of more than 600 litres a day.Constant leakage was found at 20 per cent of households in the capital, and at nine per cent of households at Swakopmund.The research determined physical water losses, water wastage and water usage of toilets through data logging.The aim was to uncover how to reduce losses by establishing the extent of leakage in plumbing systems and the benefit of implementing water demand management (WDM) measures.The researchers concluded that savings of more than 800 000 cubic metres a year were possible through the reduction of leakage.This figure is more than half of the full capacity of the Avis Dam in Windhoek.The implementation of WDM measures could further double water savings to 980 000 cubic metres per year.These include the implementation of a public campaign, leakage reductions through the use of community-based contractors and the installation of water efficient toilets in new buildings.Ben van der Merwe of Environmental Engineering Services presented these research results at the fifth WaterNet Symposium held in Windhoek last week.He and two students looked at leakage management of plumbing systems in households and on Government property in Windhoek and at Swakopmund.It was found that a leak at one Government building resulted in a loss of 23 900 litres an hour, which translates into a loss of N$1,16 million a year.Other results indicate that 10 of 126 houses in Windhoek logged recorded losses of more than 600 litres a day.Constant leakage was found at 20 per cent of households in the capital, and at nine per cent of households at Swakopmund.The research determined physical water losses, water wastage and water usage of toilets through data logging.The aim was to uncover how to reduce losses by establishing the extent of leakage in plumbing systems and the benefit of implementing water demand management (WDM) measures.The researchers concluded that savings of more than 800 000 cubic metres a year were possible through the reduction of leakage.This figure is more than half of the full capacity of the Avis Dam in Windhoek.The implementation of WDM measures could further double water savings to 980 000 cubic metres per year.These include the implementation of a public campaign, leakage reductions through the use of community-based contractors and the installation of water efficient toilets in new buildings.