The pretty gardens, lush green lawns and exotic plants may all be a thing of the past for most homeowners as water experts warn not only that South Africa may run out of water in the next 10 years but that Eskom-style increases in water tariffs are on the way. Many cities and towns are unable to account for significant water losses. It also follows reports that the costs of municipal services have increased by 46% year on year. Water Affairs acting director-general Trevor Baltzer says that cheap water is a thing of the past and that government is looking at ways to fund new developments that will provide security of supply in the coming years. Indigent households will continue to receive free water from government but a new scale for water tariffs has will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval before the end of the year. Once approved, the new tariff structure will be released for general comment. The Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority’s business analyst and water expert Richard Holden, claims that the water tariffs being charged by municipalities does not cover the actual costs of infrastructure maintenance and repairs. He says that a lack of funding would contribute to a collapsing infrastructure and could result in high losses and be detrimental to consumers. He has urged municipalities to start implementing higher water tariffs now so that, in the future, they can be spared sudden, massive and unexpected hikes in the costs of water. Water losses in South Africa are known to be excessive particularly in municipalities where pipes have not regularly been replaced as they rust. Moreover, burst pipes – which also contribute to significant water losses – are constantly being reported as the existing municipal infrastructure starts to fail. Currently most municipalities charge between R3,80 and R4,70 per kilolitre of water. He says that once the municipal infrastructure needs are included, the charges should rise by an additional amount of between R3,00 and R4,00 providing base charges of between R6,80 and R7,40. South Africacurrently needs to spend at least R1,3-billion to fix infrastructure backlogs and undertake specific maintenance work. Moreover, many cities and towns are unable to account for the significant water losses. Statistics show that Johannesburg ‘lost’ between 35% and 40% of its water last year. The losses were attributed to household wastage and a crumbling and aged infrastructure. Cape Town was unable to account for about 83,4-million kilolitres of water in 2009. Municipalities currently owe South Africa’s water boards R1,7-billion. Source: Property24.com