Water leaks are intentional - WUC CEO
Katlego Isaacs | Monday March 14, 2022 14:56
During such time, water is invariably emptied from the pipeline to effect ease of the testing process. Responding to criticism over inaction and complacency towards water wastage across several parts of the Greater Gaborone area, WUC CEO reassured the public that the company is well aware of these leaks and that they are simply part of the quality testing phase of the pipeline development.
“You may have seen pictures flying across social media showing water wastage, I assure you that was intentional. That was part of the exigencies of project implementation,” Senai said.
“In pipeline laying, there are requirements that you run tests. We run hydrostatic tests, pressure tests, and similar such tests so that your pipeline upon completion can operate with the prerequisite operating pressures,” he added.
WUC engineers explained that hydro testing of pipelines is indeed a common procedure in which water is rushed through pipes at above the maximum recommended operating pressure for a period of time to determine where leaks and possible points of failure may be hiding.
These points of failure would otherwise be hidden at standard operating pressure and not make themselves known several years later as the pipe ages and replacing it would be a laborious and costly endeavour.
Senai explained that due to the Masama pipeline carrying potable water straight from the Masama aquifer to end consumers in the south without being processed through a treatment plant, periodic disinfection has been carried out, which required water to be discarded into the general environment.
“Over and above running tests, you have to flush the pipes to ensure that the water that reaches the people is to potable quality standards. You have to flush it, disinfect it, then discard it. A leaking pipeline isn’t an issue, it’s quality assurance,” he said.
The comment on the disinfection of water likely alluded to periods of social media complaints about the sudden taste and smell of chlorine that emanated from water sources around Greater Gaborone during the construction and completion period of the Masama pipeline in late 2021.
As a final measure of quality insurance, Senai noted that any structural defects found in laid pipes will be the liability of the relevant contractors to not only repair but incur the subsequent costs.
He stated: “Upon completion of any WUC project, we go into a period called defect notification period. For Masama, it’s 12 months in which the construction company will be held liable for any defects identified along the pipeline including structural leaks.”
The Masama pipeline was developed to be an emergency pipeline designed to supplement the water demands of the Greater Gaborone, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Ngwaketse, Lobatse, and Goodhope areas while the North-South Carrier (NSC) 2 continues to expand and development of the NSC3 begins.
The pipeline is capable of carrying a maximum of 64 million litres per day to augment the previous 49 million litres daily deficit regions around Greater Gaborone had previously experienced. According to Senai, since the creation of the Masama pipeline, the Greater Gaborone region currently runs a daily surplus.
He noted that people may experience occasional water cuts despite the surplus, which he stated often comes as a result of maintenance on old pipelines that the company currently does not have the resources to fully replace.
In taking advantage of the surplus, WUC plans to continue developing the NSC2 and NSC3 pipelines to ensure stable supply across the country until 2030.
Beyond 2030, Senai announced WUC has been in negotiations to construct a pipeline to the Walvis Bay seawater desalination plant in Namibia, and a similar pipeline to source water from the Lesotho Highlands.
For now, Senai asserted the company is focusing on providing high quality and stable water into regions of high demand along with simpler and more convenient payment methods for water bills.
These plans also include the nationwide introduction of prepaid water metres, in which the company has already conducted a successful proof of concept in Nanogang Community Junior Secondary School.
The prepaid metre system is still being tested according to Senai. However, the process can be expedited in partnership with private firms.
“This project is an expensive undertaking. We’re currently studying a financing model to provide metering as a service where private vendors will finance the procurement of the metres and end-users will pay a tariff to the suppliers when they recharge their water metre,” Senai explained.
According to Senai, these plans are indicative of WUC beginning to venture into a fruitful recovery path.
After reaching a historic debt of P1.3 billion in November last year, Senai announced WUC has since stabilised its debt growth and currently stands at a debt of P1.2 billion.
This is despite the various challenges the company experienced over the last year including six reported acts of vandalism on Masama pipeline supplied boreholes since its completion in September 2021.
WUC resources director, Teddy Ditsabatho stated the company has never experienced such high rates of borehole vandalism but they remain undeterred in their ambitions.
“This is the very first time we’ve experienced this level of vandalism on our infrastructure, but with the help of the police and increased security measures we’re confident we will not be having this problem for very long,” Ditsabatho stated.
Ditsabatho further noted the company's projects across the country are currently underway on budget and on time, and the company will continue to fulfil its mandate to the public to provide clean and consistent water.