LAST week, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu hosted a media session, flanked by department heavy-weights, the eThekwini Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, and attended by the new board of the Umngeni-Uthukela Water Services Board. The session was to provide an update on what is being done in the province – and particularly in eThekwini – to improve the delivery of water and sanitation services.
The minister announced that the R23 billion uMkhomazi Water Project has been resuscitated, after being stalled for several years. “This project will increase water security in the uMngeni Water Supply System which supplies eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, iLembe, Ugu, Harry Gwala District Municipalities and Msunduzi Local Municipality and ensure water security in 2030.”
uMkhomazi Water Project
The Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) will implement the raw water component of the project, while the potable water component will be implemented by uMngeni-uThukela Water.
The minister said: “The ball is now in eThekwini’s court to start consultations and complete them as soon as possible so that the project can really start without any further delays.”
Mayor Kaunda said that the City has started public consultations which should be concluded by November 2023 and that the municipality should be in a position to approve the implementation of the project by December 2023. “We need it as of yesterday,” he said.
eThekwini ratepayers have been billed a R1,48/kl “water infrastructure surcharge” to fund the project, which has accumulated R200 million since it was implemented in March.
The minister said that the City’s consultations will also enable TCTA to start raising 50% of the finance required for the project on the market. “The remaining 50% will be funded by National Treasury, through a 25% loan to the TCTA and a 25% grant. The contribution to the project from the fiscus enables the water that will be provided to be affordable to the municipalities,” he said.
“We now want TCTA to proceed with planning and design work right away so that construction can start as soon as possible in 2024 / 2025,” Mchunu said.
The minister noted the following water and sanitation projects in eThekwini:
- DWS has completed the raising of the Hazelmere Dam wall by 7.02 metres. This immediately means that eThekwini has additional water. Following the floods, Aqueducts 1 and 2 were damaged. Repairs to Aqueduct 1 have been completed and it is back online; repairs to Aqueduct 2 have also been completed; it is back online and will be commissioned soon.
- The shortages of water in the South and other areas require a number of accelerated activities, including the completion of repairs to eThekwini’s own south-bound Aqueduct. We are aware of several infrastructure projects by eThekwini, and these represent a positive development.
Non-revenue water
Mchunu said that the next priority activities would be to deal with non-revenue water and physical losses, O&M, billing and revenue collection. “DWS is working in partnership with National Treasury and the Department of Cooperative Governance to support eThekwini to improve its water and sanitation services. In this regard, the City has put in place a Water and sanitation Turnaround Strategy. The private sector will be an additional component in the accelerated efforts and will play a role,” he said.
Mayor Kaunda said that the metering of water to communities would be a priority as the City does not have a system in place to record the volume of water provided to indigent households.
Wastewater infrastructure
“Another urgent priority is on wastewater infrastructure in the City. In this regard, eThekwini and Umngeni-Uthukela Water have agreed on an immediate target of 10 wastewater plants for refurbishment, operation and maintenance, representing 90% of the effluent that the City treats and eThekwini needs to sign the Service-Level Agreement soonest,” Mchunu said.
The KZN situation and actions being taken
The South African Human Rights Commission recently published a report on the state of water in the province. The report correctly pointed out that there are many challenges with regard to providing all citizens in the province with access to reliable water supply. The minister said that the report included recommendations for actions by the Department of Water and Sanitation, including the need to take regulatory actions where necessary, and the Department is implementing the recommendations.
Minister Mchunu noted the department’s focus on the following projects in the province:
- As part of developments of the landscape of water in KZN, we want to indicate that as part of the uMkhomazi catchment, Umngeni-Uthukela is at an advanced stage on Stephen Dam, which will have a direct impact in the Harry Gwala District, which has a deficit of about 53% in water provision.
- Umngeni-Uthukela Water is at an advanced stage in the construction of additional capacity to abstract and treat raw water from the lower Mkhomazi River, to enable it to supply an additional 100 Ml/day of clean water by 2026.
- We are exploring building the off channel New Bigen Dam in uMzimkhulu and raising the wall of the Kempsdale Dam.
- Furthermore, in line with the Vision 2040 Growth Development Strategy of the province, we have given a directive to uMngeni-uThukela Water Board to construct an additional 600 Ml/day water treatment works to treat water abstracted from the upper Mkomazi River to supply eThekwini and surroundings from 2032 and beyond. The Department is monitoring these plans closely.
- Vulindlela Water Scheme is already underway, and this is a project that was commissioned by President Ramaphosa on July 21 this year. The scheme will cater for 350,000 people / 61,500 households in the uMgungundlovu area.
- A few months before that, the Spring Grove Water Treatment Plant in Rosetta as well as the Bruntville Reservoir in Mooi River were commissioned, with the scheme benefiting 1,329 households.
- Several projects are underway in uThukela, following our visit there; we will be visiting uMzinyathi before the end of the year to launch a number of projects there as well. Provision of water in this District is disastrous.
- There are several schemes in the province, including in Zululand and uThukela, that have lasted for a number of years without completion. These schemes now require a different approach in light of desperation for water, on the side of communities. This will include, initiating a number of projects in the near future.
- In King Cetshwayo District and its municipalities, there is an acute shortage of water which requires intervention in the same manner as in other similar Districts. We will be completing some plans after which, we will engage stakeholders.
- The uMkhanyakude intervention under section 63 is progressing well and all projects in the 4 municipalities are underway, with Hlabisa waiting to benefit from the Mandlakazi Scheme.
eThekwini: voluminous consumption
Minister Mchunu gave a background to the region’s water situation. eThekwini Metro is supplied through the uMngeni Water System, as well as its own water supply schemes in the North and South. According to recent statistics, there are 11,5 million citizens throughout the KZN province, with eThekwini housing over 3,9 million citizens.
Although South Africa has an average annual rainfall of less than 500 mm, well below the world average of 850 mm, KZN receives variable rainfall, with an average of 823 mm.
eThekwini Municipality uses 52% of all water supplied to the province and 70% of what is supplied by uMngeni-uThukela Water, with the average per capita water consumption estimated at ± 281 l/c/day, compared to the country’s average of 217 l/c/day and the world average of 174 l/c/day. “This is very worrisome,” the minister commented.
The minister said: “One aspect we have constantly alluded to pertains to aged or old infrastructure and lack of effective O&M by municipalities. eThekwini’s non-revenue water stands at 58.2% (45% of it is lost through leaks from its various transmission pipes, pumping and storage systems). This amounts to a revenue loss of around R2 billion per annum. eThekwini has been experiencing intermittent water supply challenges and as a tourist destination, this negatively impacts on the country’s economic progress.”
