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Upgrading the drinking water supply in Soweto

Project

Water and Sanitation
logement, habitants, Soweto, Afrique du Sud
© AFD
Project start date
Project end date
Project duration
15 years
AFD financing amount
492595000 Rand
Country and region
South Africa
Location
Soweto
Type of financing
Non-sovereign loans
Beneficiaries
Municipalité métropolitaine de Johannesburg
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AFD is supporting the upgrade of the drinking water network infrastructure and the improvement of the water supply service quality in Soweto.

Context

The South African government entrusted municipalities with the responsibilities associated with the water and sanitation services investment and operation. The Johannesburg Municipality, via Johannesburg Water, the company in charge of water service, is responsible for addressing the water needs of over 3 million inhabitants, including over one million living in Soweto.

Within this framework, AFD provides support to the city of Johannesburg with the implementation of the Gcin'amanzi ("water conservation" in Zulu) project. The project aims at upgrading the water networks to prevent losses and wastage.

Description

The project is based on the following operations:

  • Network upgrade and installation of pipes;
  • Private networks upgrade;
  • Improvement of technical and commercial information systems;
  • Shift from estimated consumption to controlled consumption, with installation of prepaid metering systems, and;
  • Consumer education on the importance of the water resources conservation.

Impacts

The impacts have been as follows:

  • Over 170,000 households in Soweto have benefited from the improvement in the drinking water service;
  • 1,268 local jobs have been created;
  • Over 55 million m3 of water have been saved.