The project has been recognized as world's best practice by many international organizations and individual specialists who have visited the project over almost 5 years of operation.

The combination of low income, coupled with high unemployment, has resulted in a general deterioration of the internal plumbing fittings in the Sebokeng/Evaton area over a period of many years causing high levels of internal plumbing leakage.

The leakage at the start of the project was known to be extremely high as indicated by a Minimum Night Flow of ±2 800 m³/hr. This is one of the highest Minimum Night Flows recorded anywhere in the world (75% of the Average Daily Flow) for an area of this size.

It was estimated that the wastage in the area before the project was commissioned was in the order of 80% of the water supplied to the area which in turn resulted in an annual water bill of approximately $20 million.

In 2004, the Municipality appointed WRP - a Miya Group Company - to design and commission what is understood to be one of the largest advanced pressure management installations in the world as the first phase of a long term strategy to reduce wastage in the area.

One of the key elements associated with the Sebokeng project was the community awareness and education campaign which was an integral part of the project.

A key issue associated with any water savings project is the sustainability of the project itself as well as the impact of the project on the residents it serves. The importance of the community awareness and education campaign cannot be overstated as many WDM projects which were technically sound have failed due to lack of community support.  With proper community support, such projects can provide significant savings which are sustainable.

A major community awareness project was initiated to run in parallel with the technical interventions.Meetings were held to educate the residents on the proposed project and to gain their support for water conservation in general.A schools education project was also initiated in which 90 schools took part and all were individually evaluated to assess how much effort they were placing on educating learners on the benefits and necessity for saving water. 

Benefits to the Municipality - Water, Wastewater and Energy Savings

• The project saved almost 43 million m³ in water purchases during the first 54 months of operation which translates to a saving of more than $15 million.
• Sewer flows entering the treatment plant reduced from 2500 m³/h (July 2003) to 1800 m³/h (July 2005).

• The project has conservatively resulted in CO2 reductions of 58 500 tonnes in the 4.5 years of operation up to the end of December 2009.

Expanding the Lifespan of the Network

• The reduced pressures have also resulted in a significant reduction in the number of bursts experienced in the area.
• A portion of the savings was reinvested in new infrastructure and upgrades of old infrastructure which is the first major investment in new infrastructure for many years.

Health Implications

• Continuous flow of water to the residents reduced the risks of typhoid and cholera.
• Reduction in house leakage has improved the sanitary situation in and around many residential premises.

Benefits to the Community

• Continuous water supply reduced water bills.
• Creation of many local employment opportunities.

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