Water and sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina delivered a firm ultimatum to the Sunday’s River Valley municipality, urging immediate action to fix persistent water leaks.
She said that unless the issues were addressed, the community would be unable to fully benefit from the R35m Kirkwood bulk water supply project.
The project, implemented by the Amatola Water Board, will boost the total raw water storage capacity from 20.2 to 34.2 megalitres, ensuring a more reliable supply for the region’s population of more than 6,000 residents and its vital citrus farming sector.
The project includes the construction of a 14-megalitre raw water storage at Lay Dam, with the associated infrastructure such as inlet chambers, pipework and security fencing.
Two new steel reservoirs have also been constructed.
One is of three megalitres to serve the Kirkwood area including Aqua Park and Bergsig, and another three-megalitre reservoir in Bontrug which supplies Moses Mabhida, Msengeni and nearby settlements.
Unveiling the project, Majodina told mayor Solethu Lucas that water reticulation and leak repairs were of paramount importance.
“Is the municipality ready for reticulation? The challenge is that we spend millions of rand raising the capacity and water volume of such projects, but the impact is not felt on the ground due to infrastructure problems,” she said.
“What are you doing about your leaks issue? You need to strengthen the unit responsible otherwise, you won’t get the positive impact of this project.
“If you don’t want to be in trouble with me, you have no option but to fix the leaks.”
Speaking on the sidelines, Lucas downplayed the leaks.
“The water leaks are in residents' properties and not on the streets.
“We are busy educating communities. Many believe a water leak in their yard is a municipal issue.
“Our two problem areas are Moses Mabhida and Nomathamsanqa. We are trying to fix the leaks there, but it is not a huge problem.”
Lucas said the area’s water usage peaked during the citrus season from April to September.
An additional 25,000 people moved to the area, and he said the project would help alleviate the pressure during this time.
Water and sanitation Eastern Cape head Portia Makhanya said repairing leaks was a directive issued to the municipality.
“Water leaks was a key directive that was given to the municipality,” Makhanya said.
“The project was supposed to be co-funded by the department and the municipality, but they could not raise the funds.
“It was then decided that the municipality will then focus on repairing its water leaks, and the National Treasury will cover the cost of the project.
“So repairing the leaks is a matter they’ve no choice but to implement.”
Water Users’ Association chief executive Michael Primmer said the project would have an immense effect on how water was supplied to farmers in the area who had struggled for years.
“We previously only had two dams supplying our farmers, which put immense pressure on the canal system, and we had to prioritise human consumption first before agriculture.
“Having extra storage will build a bit of a buffer for us to be able to accommodate both sets of demand, whether it’s for irrigation or consumption.
“It also allows for maintenance to be conducted to a far better degree. In the past, we have been limited in the amount of time that we have to do critical maintenance,” Primmer said.
The Herald
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