BUSINESSES and communities in the iLembe district will benefit from improved water and sanitation services following the development and implementation of an asset management strategy (AMS) and updated operations and maintenance (O&M) plan, to improve management of municipal infrastructure.
The AMS and updated O&M plan will extend the working lifespan of key components in the water and sewerage systems, ensure proper maintenance is carried out and prepare the district to manage emergencies that may arise. This initiative is part of the Vuthela iLembe Local Economic Development (LED) Support Programme, a Swiss Government funded initiative to strengthen the business enabling environment in iLembe district in partnership with the municipalities of iLembe District, KwaDukuza and Mandeni and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism. The programme comprises five components:
- municipal finance, municipal infrastructure, private sector development, inclusive growth and partnership and cooperation.
- The asset management strategy supports the overall development objectives of the municipality by controlling the planning, purchasing, construction, operation, maintenance, renewal, and disposal of municipal assets.
- It will allow the municipality to prioritise budgetary expenditure for asset management and maintenance to improve service delivery and ensure improved use of assets. Each piece of equipment and infrastructure is identified by a unique code attached to it, so it can be easily located and tracked.
- Municipal officials from financial asset management, technical asset management and the GIS unit were trained to understand the asset management value chain and manage assets more effectively, ensuring optimum service delivery.
- This includes the management of the traditional water and sanitation business cycle from water source and abstraction to the treatment, distribution, and storage of drinking water, and thereafter the collection, treatment, and disposal of wastewater.
The iLembe District Municipality’s water and sanitation asset portfolio includes the ownership and operation of 10 water treatment works, the largest being of design capacity of 40 Ml/d, an estimated 4,500 km of bulk and 15,000 km of reticulation water pipelines, 357 reservoirs, 15 water pump stations, 12 wastewater treatment works, 885 km of sewer pipelines and 87 sewer pump stations.
Complementing the asset management strategy, a computerised asset management information system is being implemented under a separate Vuthela project that commenced in January 2023.
This project involves the procurement, installation, and implementation of a comprehensive asset management information system, asset and network data update, planning, management, operation, and maintenance of these assets.