Majodina launches Water Month amid supply crisis
Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has officially launched National Water Month as part of ongoing efforts to tackle the country’s water supply crisis.
On Monday, she commissioned the Maphumulo Bulk Water Supply Scheme in KwaMaphumulo, within the iLembe District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, as part of this intervention strategy.
Majodina said the department’s main priority is to ensure communities have access to water, noting that the construction of large dams takes a long time to complete.
"We are sitting at about 60% in terms of compiling the list for protection of springs, boreholes, as well as windmills, because we have to resuscitate such, especially in rural areas, for the unserved communities."
The scheme, funded by the Department of Water and Sanitation and implemented by uMngeni-uThukela Water, includes upgrading the Water Treatment Works from six million litres to an average output of 11 million litres per day, building a weir on the Hlimbitwa River, and installing raw water pumps and bulk pipelines.
During an oversight visit to the Lower uMkhomazi Bulk Water Project, currently under construction on the KZN South Coast, the minister said she was pleased with the progress made.
She added that while technical and operational challenges may occur, they must not lead to uncontrolled cost escalations.
“This project was blocked for the longest time because we were unable to fundraise the funds that we needed for this project, but also we had to deal with some community concerns,” said the Minister on the Lower uMkhomazi Project.
“The contractor must finalise all the negotiations with all the relevant structures by the end of March in order to start the construction of the treatment works. Meanwhile, uMngeni-uThukela Water needs to start negotiating with eThekwini about the possible package plant to serve those communities that are in distress,” she added.
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