eThekwini Municipality loses 54% of its water revenue to leaks, theft and unbilled consumption. Unless those leaks are plugged, the new water rationing scheme could continue until the construction of a new dam on the Umkhomazi River - in 2032.

The new "12-month-long" water rationing scheme in eThekwini could stretch out for seven years - unless the city makes some rapid progress in plugging its leaking pipelines and curbing the soaring demand for tap water.

While the city's escalating water crisis is set to be relieved by the construction of a major new dam on the Umkhomazi River, that water will start flowing to the city only in 2032 at the earliest.

This emerged during a media briefing on 3 October 2024, when senior eThekwini Municipality officials outlined further details of the Durban water rationing and curtailment scheme that takes effect on 10 October.

Urging residents and businesses to use water sparingly to avoid even more serious water restrictions, eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the new measures aimed to achieve an 8.4% reduction in the city's current consumption rate over the next 12 months.

However, given that at least 33% of all tap water supplied to Durban is leaking into the ground from broken pipelines, a much lengthier period of restrictions appears inevitable unless the city can achieve dramatic reductions in water losses.

Yet over the past 14...