The R450 million project in the sprawling township - south of Johannesburg - is aimed at substantially reducing water wastage both on private properties and within the municipal water network.
Through the Operation Gcin'amanzi (save water) project, the existing reticulation network is being replaced with new pipes and structures free of charge and pre-payment water meters installed in every residential property.
This to enable consumers to take ownership of their water usage and to budget effectively.
The service provider said consumers would still receive the first 6 000 litres of water free, in terms of the government's programme of free basic services.
Water consumption in Phiri is said to have been 55 000 litres per property per month prior to the installation of the new system recently.
Consumption has now been reduced to an average of 11 500 litres per property per month, a 79 percent reduction in unaccounted-for-water.
"Already close to 220 million litres of water have been saved over the past four months in Phiri alone. This achievement has been reached with 1 639 metered properties and the potential exists to achieve similar results throughout the Greater Soweto Area for the remaining 160 361 properties."
Once the project is completed, it is estimated that the annual savings in water purchased from Rand Water will be R170 million.
The service provider said the project would also ensure that consumers paid only for the amount of water they used by replacing the current "inequitable" consumption billing method", which did not cater for the 6 000 litre free basic water.
It said currently nearly 40 percent of households where FreePay (pre-paid) meters had been installed were not paying for water and sanitation services because they consumed less than 6 000 litres per month.
"The remaining households are paying on average R23.04 per month for both water and sanitation services. This is in contrast to the deemed-consumption bill of R134.00 which they were charged prior to the installation of FreePay meters," it explained.
Nearly 400 community facilitators were employed from Phiri to assist with public participation process in addition to the consultative work currently being carried out by ward councillors and ward committees.
It said the Phiri prototype area was 99 percent complete and the project had already been moved into 13 adjacent areas including Dlamini, Chiawelo, Mapetla, Tladi, Moletsane, Jabulani Dlamini Ext, Moroka, Molapo, Jabavu, Mofolo South, Naledi and Emdeni.
These areas comprise a total of 32 240 stands where in excess of 85 percent of households have signed agreements for FreePay meters, it added.
"These figures are a clear indication not only of the acceptance of Gcin'amanzi but also a growing demand for the new metering approach. Johannesburg Water is confident that together with the communities in Soweto, Operation Gcin'amanzi will continue to be a success," it said. - BuaNews.
