The UK water companies could learn some useful lessons from a project in Durban, South Africa, which reduced mains pipes burst by 67% - and delivered total annual savings of £93k from an initial investment of £14K in innovative new technology developed in the UK.

Focused on pressure management and pioneered by i2O Water, the second largest leakage reduction project in South Africa has reduced leaks and burst frequency and also extended asset lifespan - in the process it has paved the way for commercial growth.

With a population of three and a half million, the eThekwini Municipality includes the city of Durban, the third largest city in South Africa. Durban Central Business District (CBD) is the main commercial hub – and a particularly challenging area for water supply. The municipality was facing serious challenges; highly variable water demand, high levels of leakage and burst frequency combined with inefficient manual operations processes.

The Municipality has been working in partnership with the JOAT Group, the exclusive partner in South Africa and sub-Sahara for UK-headquartered i2O Water, to address some of its challenges around water distribution management. Simon Scruton, Manager, Non-Revenue Water Branch for eThekwini Water and Sanitation commented:

“We had serious issues with our existing leakage management - we were losing 22.6 Ml per day in terms of leakage. We also had numerous bursts across the network, many of which were quite large.”

The Municipality first came across i2O Water’s Advanced Pressure Management system at the IWA Water Loss conference in Brazil in 2010, where it saw first-hand the financial and operational advantages delivered by the innovative i2O Water technology. In September 2010 the firm’s pressure management solutions were implemented to stabilise and then maintain steady pressures in Durban. The core objective was to drive down high levels of real losses to the lowest possible levels without adversely affecting customer service levels or compromising safety.

The i2O system was installed in Durban pressure managed zones, providing near-real time remote control of PRV pressure. It incorporates multiple valves, including a large 400mm pressure reducing valve (PRV) – the largest that JOAT Group had installed at the time. The PRVs were installed in a purpose built building, providing easy above ground access and maintenance for the assets serving the137 km network.

The technology uses a combination of robust loggers and controllers in the network, and software-based services that continuously track and optimise water network performance. i2O’s Advanced Pilot Valve and PRV Controller were retrofitted to Durban PRVs to provide near-real time remote control and increase network operational efficiencies.

According to Simon Scruton, the results following the implementation of the i2O systems have been astounding. He commented:

“We spent £14k overall on the installation and we are seeing an annual saving of £71k per annum just on leakage!

“We’ve also seen a total reduction in mains pipe bursts of 67 per cent, and a 41 per cent reduction in service connection bursts. Service connection burst frequency has reduced from an average of 30 per 1000 connections per year before i2O Water to an average of 10 per 1000 connections per year with i2O installed. Our average repair costs are £1,130 per repair, so the burst reduction is delivering average annual repair savings of £22k.”

Other outcomes are equally impressive - thanks to the step by step progression and pressure management, eThekwini Water and Sanitation is now saving 3.1 million litres of water per day. Accumulated energy savings from all real loss reductions, including bulk water purchasing, as well as other efficiencies, including i2O Water, is over £142k per annum.

i2O Water’s ability to proactively manage network needs in real time and intelligently adapt to system requirements is also helping to extend the asset lifespan of eThekwini’s existing infrastructure.

“Conservatively speaking, we estimate that the i2O Water solution will extend the life of our existing infrastructure and assets by five to ten years or more,” concluded Scruton.

The Municipality has now awarded a new three year contract for expansion of the project to the JOAT Group consisting of active maintenance of the 1750 existing PRV’s, the installation of 100 GSM based failure warning devices, and the installation of 40 additional i2O Water systems.

Founded in 2005 and backed by a group of private investors, i2O Water is in the vanguard of innovative technology suppliers which the utilities are increasingly looking towards to help deliver on the long-term aim of creating a sustainable and profitable UK water sector.With headquarters in Southampton and country offices in Malaysia, Spain and Columbia, the company has already achieved 120% of global target this year (FY12 – Jan-Dec12).

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