Smart water leakage detection offers Rundu a lifeline

With nearly a third of its water supply slipping through cracks in ageing pipes or drained by illegal connections, Rundu’s town council has turned to research for answers and may finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) visited the town last Friday to assess progress on a project aimed at enhancing water governance through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) tools and smart civic engagement.

The initiative, which began last year and is set to conclude at the end of July, is being piloted in Windhoek, Ongwediva and Rundu.

Rundu town council CEO Olavi Nathanael said recovering even half of the 30% of water currently lost would mean it reaches thousands more residents.

“If we can fix that, we can extend water access to 30% more people. That's the real impact,” he told Namibian Sun last week.

“This research is going to help us pinpoint exactly where our losses are happening. It’s not enough to know we’re losing water – we need to know where, and this gives us that.”

Tailor-made findings

The research being evaluated by NCRST focuses on water security and sanitation, with findings tailored to the realities of each town.

Mubiana Katukula, who heads the commission’s resource mobilisation and grant management unit, said researchers’ recommendations are now being handed over to town councils for implementation.

“We’re happy with what we’ve seen on the ground so far. The goal now is for the councils, in this case, Rundu, to take those findings seriously and integrate them into their service delivery,” Katukula said.

He added that the recommendations include technology capable of tracing pipe leaks and monitoring water flow in real-time, as well as tools that could significantly reduce wastage if used appropriately.

However, NCRST emphasised the importance of the research findings being implemented.

“We don’t force implementation,” Katukula said. “We fund and promote research, but it’s up to the municipalities to act on what comes out of that.”

Costs

For Rundu, inaction is not an option. Besides the infrastructure problems, the council is also grappling with community reluctance to pay for services, Nathanael said, which continues to cripple development.

“We keep going on the radio, we have meetings, we explain the same thing: If people don’t pay, we can’t fix what’s broken.

“Our debt book is heavy. But if people paid even 30% of what they owe, we could reinvest that immediately into fixing leaks and extending services,” he said.

Nathanael said he remains hopeful.

'Our moment'

With data-backed findings in hand, the council will now be in a stronger position to lobby government and funders for help.

“This is our moment,” he said. “The research confirms what we’ve been saying. Now we can move from just talking to doing.”

If the current research phase proves successful, NCRST says, there is potential to scale the model across more towns; however, this depends on whether local authorities, such as Rundu, turn the recommendations into results.

“We enable evidence-based decision-making,” said Katukula. “But that evidence must be used. Otherwise, it’s just another report collecting dust.”