Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Sihle Zikalala yesterday unpacked the KwaZulu-Natal comprehensive water master plan which would include the expansion of dams and drilling of more boreholes.
Zikalala was speaking yesterday at the second day of the South African Human Rights Commission provincial inquiry into access to water, being held in Durban.
Zikalala said 78% of people in KZN had access to potable water and in terms of the master plan they aimed to increase this to 100% by 2030.
He said currently the demand for water was more than the supply.
“The largest water supplier in KwaZulu-Natal is Umgeni Water as they service both eThekwini and Pieter-
maritzburg. One of the ways to increase access to water is through the expansion of dams. We will be raising Hazelmere Dam (wall) and completing the construction of Smithfield Dam. This will increase the supply for water. With the water master plan, we plan to increase the supply of water from 74 megalitres to 90 million megalitres.”
Zikalala added that war rooms had been created in all districts to address the water issues.
“We have invested millions in providing boreholes and supplying purified water from the boreholes.”
Zikalala added that the department had addressed complaints in the Ugu district on the South Coast, which had been plagued by water disruptions for years.
“We have spent at least R4 million on boreholes in the Ugu district and at least R24m on infrastructure repairs. We have also provided a grant to the Ugu district to address the issues of water.”
He said residents needed to pay for services they received.
“The public needs to ensure that they pay their water bill. This does not include all people, as indigent households are supplied with free water as they meet the relevant criteria. We also call on members of the public to report things such as leaking pipes and to also report vandalism of pipes and essential infrastructure.”
However questions were raised by the SAHRC commissioners about the time frame for the plan among other matters as they said the inquiry came about due to 650 complaints being raised about water supply across the province. They said vulnerable communities needed action that could be implemented sooner rather than later.