Abstract
Abstract : The purpose of Water Distribution Systems (WDS) is to give a satisfactory and reliable supply of safe water to citizens. The reliability, availability, and maintenance (RAM) of the WDS is key to ensuring that it delivers to its purpose of existence. The WDS is said to be one of the most important and most complex infrastructures to design, develop and operate. Numerous studies have attempted to build a general water supply system structure to assist in the planning for a reliable WDS, but it has proven that these systems cannot adopt a one size fits all approach. WDS comprise of interconnected systems such as pipes, intersection joints, water towers, reservoirs, and pumps that require extensive planning to guarantee that water is delivered to the consumers without service interruptions. The reliability and maintainability of the water distribution system have proven to be a problem in urban areas, especially the Randburg area, in the City of Johannesburg. The WDS in the area has been disrupted several times due to various reasons. The study finds that issues of ailing infrastructure, lack of maintenance policies and budgets are some of the complex issues that cause the unreliability of the WDS in the area. In consideration of the findings, the study makes recommendations on how the systems’ efficiency can be improved. In this study, data is collected and analyzed quantitatively through the use of questionnaires.
M.Phil. (Engineering Management)