eThekwini ramps up water management efforts to tackle shortages and improve supply sustainability across the municipality.

The ’s Water and Sanitation Unit will intensify measures to enhance water management through various key initiatives, including the installation of strategic Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs) in key network zones of the city.

This came during an Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting held on Tuesday, where several resolutions were adopted to accelerate implementation and respond to current challenges facing the municipality.

During the meeting, the municipal leadership approved measures aimed to accelerate implementation and address current water service delivery challenges facing the municipality.

During the meeting, management from the Water and Sanitation Unit presented an action plan aligned with the city’s Water Turnaround Strategy, which aims to reduce non-revenue water until it reaches acceptable standards.

The municipality said the installation of PRVs is a critical component in managing water pressure effectively and reduce incidents of bursts and leaks, which result in excessive water losses.

“Other initiatives in the action plan include maintenance of PRVs, installation of water restrictors, rehabilitation and refurbishment of district metered areas, performance-based contracts for leak detection and repairs, and installation of data loggers and trunk main pressure sensors,” the municipality reported after the meeting.

These initiatives are currently at the procurement process.

The EXCO meeting also approved the renewal of a three-year Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with leading academic institutions, aimed at pursuing a common developmental research agenda to support policy development and improved service delivery.

The new MoA, effective from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028, includes partnerships with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), Stellenbosch University (SU), and the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Supporting the agreement, Chairperson of the Governance and Human Capital Committee, Nkosenhle Madlala, said the agreement will position eThekwini as a responsive and learning-oriented city.

“It is through such partnerships that we will be able to co-create solutions to our most complex developmental challenges, while ensuring that our policies are grounded in rigorous research and real-world insight,” Madlala said.

Parties are to contribute funding jointly to facilitate priority research deemed strategic and collaborative. The co-funding model will form basis of shared responsibility using the ratio 1:1.

The municipality’s financial contribution will be as follows:

Two committees will be established to achieve effectiveness under this partnership, including the Research and Operations Committee, and the Steering Committee.