ERA has decided to end its water study. We set this up after residents said that their water bills had climbed during the period of water shortages which caused excess air in the system and that this was causing their meters to continue to clock up usage even when no water was delivered.

Residents Aqueel Haji and Iqbal Bham kindly offered to check if there was any proof that this was happening. They set up a google form and we asked residents to fill in the information on the form.

Sadly only 14 households responded. One was an estimate, which reduced the study to 13. Unfortunately 13 houses in the wider Emmarentia does not provide adequate data for us to really pull trends. ERA has therefore decided to close the study as it is unable to build a factual case due to lack of data. It is therefore not possible to factually conclude that air coming through the water system has an effect on the water meter.

Meanwhile WaterCAN, a network of citizen science activists advocating for clean, safe and sustainable water has launched its own study.

If you would like to take part in WaterCAN‘s study, check here: