Water conservation-PUC sets up new inspectorate unit |10 April 2006

The unit is made up of three staff from PUC who will be responsible for inspecting plumbing installation work prior to water connection at any construction site.

PUC’s principal engineer in the water division, Charles Elisabeth, said that once construction work has started at any site, the unit will inspect all the plumbing installations before the household can get water connection.

Mr Elisabeth said the move was one of the recommendations raised by the water committee set up in 2004 by President James Michel in a bid to improve water storage and prevent wastage. The water committee found out that poor plumbing was the main reason for water wastage in many homes.

Mr Elisabeth and PUC’s managing director for water and sewerage, Stephen Rousseau, met with a group of licensed plumbers and building contractors on Friday to explain to them the new measures being introduced and the new rules and regulations they have to abide by.

Noting that in the past any person who had knowledge of plumbing could carry out such work at any construction site, and that in many instances the work was not properly done, Mr Elisabeth said that now only licensed plumbers will be eligible do plumbing work.

“To start with, the client will pay for a commercial tariff at R13.00 and once construction work is completed and the inspectorate unit has approved the installation, then the client can change from the commercial to a domestic tariff of R8.42,” Mr Elisabeth explained.

During the presentation, the plumbers were also sensitised on the need to install a storage tank at all the premises they work on.

“Even if the premises have all the necessary connections, we will not approve any water connection if there is no storage tank,” Mr Elisabeth said, adding that the storage tank also helps lower the pressure and volume of water that enters the taps in the house.

The unit is expected to start its visit by the end of this month.